Nov. 21 (UPI) — LSU coach Kim Mulkey said she expects Angel Reese to return to the basketball court “sooner than later,” but refused to tell reporters why the star forward missed the Tigers’ last two games.

Reese, a preseason Player of the Year favorite, started the first four games of the regular season for the reigning national champions. She then missed the Tigers’ 73-50 win over Southeaster Louisiana on Friday in Hammond, La., and a 106-47 triumph over Texas Southern on Monday in Baton Rouge, La.

Reese totaled 11 points and five rebounds in her last appearance, a 109-79 win over Kent State on Nov. 14 in Baton Rouge. She was benched in the second half because of what Mulkey called a “coach’s decision.” She then was not seen getting off the team bus in Hammond.

Mulkey did not provide specifics about the absence at her postgame news conference, sparking speculation that the star forward was suspended.

“It’s very obvious Angel is not in uniform,” Mulkey said Friday. “Angel is a part of this basketball team and we hope we see her sooner than later.”

LSU Tigers forward Angel Reese (C) is averaging 17 points per game this season. File Photo by Ian Halperin/UPI

LSU Tigers forward Angel Reese (C) is averaging 17 points per game this season. File Photo by Ian Halperin/UPI
Mulkey referenced those comments when she met with reporters again Monday in Baton Rouge. She also cited “locker room issues” coaches regularly face during their college basketball tenures.

She declined to say if Reese was practicing with the Tigers or if she would play in their next game.

LSU Tigers forward Angel Reese, who visited President Joe Biden in May at the White House, was a preseason favorite for Player of the Year honors. File Photo by Samuel Corum/UPI
LSU Tigers forward Angel Reese, who visited President Joe Biden in May at the White House, was a preseason favorite for Player of the Year honors. File Photo by Samuel Corum/UPI
“You aren’t entitled to that information,” Mulkey said. “I’ll say it again, Angel was not in uniform [Monday]. Angel is a part of this basketball team and Angel will be back sooner than later.”

Reese responded to rumors Sunday, writing “please don’t believe everything you read,” on her X account. She also liked a post on the social media platform, contradicting a report that she was suspended because of a low grade-point average.

LSU Tigers women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey (C) said she expects forward Angel Reese to return “sooner than later.” File Photo by Ian Halperin/UPI
LSU Tigers women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey (C) said she expects forward Angel Reese to return “sooner than later.” File Photo by Ian Halperin/UPI
Reese, 21, is among the highest-earning athletes in college sports, according to on3.com’s Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) revenue rankings. Those rankings report Reese’s annual NIL income to be about $1.7 million this year.

The two-time All-American and the Most Outstanding Player from the 2023 NCAA Division I women’s basketball tournament averaged 17 points, 10.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 steals per game through her four appearances of the 2023-24 campaign.

LSU forward Angel Reese (C) started the Tigers’ first four regular-season games. File Photo by Ian Halperin/UPI
LSU forward Angel Reese (C) started the Tigers’ first four regular-season games. File Photo by Ian Halperin/UPI
The top-ranked Tigers (6-1) will play in the Cayman Islands Classic this weekend in George Town. They will take on Niagara on Friday and Virginia on Saturday at John Gray Gymnasium.

“You always have to deal with locker room issues,” Mulkey said. “Sometimes you want to know more than you are entitled to know. I’m going to protect my players, always. They are more important. It’s like a family.”

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NBC Sports BayArea
Kings coach shares hilarious Fox-Curry offseason workout story
Tristi Rodriguez
Mon, Nov 27, 2023, 11:53 AM GMT+7·3 min read

3

Kings coach shares hilarious Fox-Curry offseason workout story originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

De’Aaron Fox’s 3-point shooting is up dramatically in the 2023-24 NBA season.

It’s early, but it’s not an accident.

Kings assistant coach Luke Loucks, who spent just about everyday training with Fox this offseason, joined NBC Sports California’s Kyle Draper on Sactown Sports 1140 and shared some of the things they did to help improve Fox’s shooting from behind the arc.

One of those things included working out with Warriors superstar Steph Curry, and Loucks shared an incredible story about one of the first times Fox completed a workout with the NBA’s 3-point king.

“The first time he worked out with him, he was excited and ready to go,” Loucks said. “And by the end of the workout, his forearms were cramping. His forearms were cramping from not only the volume but how intense everything was. And after the workout, Fox is looking at me and I’m like, ‘Yeah. This isn’t special, this is every day how he works out. That’s who he is.’

“So I think once you see that with your own eyes and you feel it, automatically his level of work is like, ‘Oh that’s what it takes? All right, here we go.’ For Fox to transform our team and himself into that player, that’s the work that goes into it. I think he’s doing that at a top-tier level right now.”

In his first six NBA seasons, Fox averaged 32.1 percent from 3-point range. But he has increased that number more than five percent this season, averaging 37.2 percent from deep in 10 games so far. Sure, it’s a small sample size, but even the confidence in his shot is becoming more and more evident.

Loucks credited that to the workouts with Curry, too, as it has helped Fox both physically and mentally.

“We were fortunate enough to go work out with Steph quite a bit this summer,” Loucks said. “We would go to San Francisco and Palo Alto and work out with them. It’s easy for a coach to tell guys we’ve been around [Kevin Durant] and Steph and Klay [Thompson] and Chris Paul and [Devin Booker] and these are the way these guys work. It’s easy for me to say that. It’s a different thing for Fox to feel that. It was great.”

Fox’s wife Recee also recently shared how Loucks has been on the point guard with his shooting.

We’ve heard countless stories about different NBA players and their mind-boggling experiences working out with Curry. But the summer meetings were more than just workouts to Fox.

And as Fox is making a huge jump from an All-Star to an MVP-caliber player, his 3-point shooting will be a key piece along the way.