Flau'jae Johnson, Hailey Van Lith give passionate defense of Angel Reese after Iowa loss
LSU fell in their national championship rematch with Iowa on Monday night, defeated 94-87 by the Hawkeyes as their hopes of a national championship repeat come to an end.
Last year’s tournament title game was highlighted by Iowa’s Caitlin Clark and LSU’s Angel Reese, who rose to prominence as two of college basketball’s biggest stars following one of the most memorable games in the history of women’s hoops. But an increase in popularity also comes with an increase of criticism, which Reese has received her fair share of as well.
Following their Elite Eight loss to Iowa Reese’s teammates spoke about the criticism she has faced, sharing their perspective on the leader of the Tigers’ team.
“Man, let me tell you something. Everybody can have their opinion on Angel Reese, but y’all don’t know her. Y’all don’t know Angel Reese,” Flau’jae Johnson said. “I know Angel Reese. I know the real Angel Reese, and the person I see every day is a strong person, is a caring, loving person. But the crown she wears is heavy. She’s the type of teammate that’s going to make you believe in yourself.”
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Reese took Johnson under her wing as she celebrated a breakout sophomore season for the Tigers. With Reese herself boasting yet another impressive season where she took home her second First-Team All-American honors and won SEC Player of the Year after averaging a double-double for her third straight season.
“The leap that I took to my freshman to sophomore year, Angel gave me that confidence to go be a dog, playing next to a dog every day, just to see how the media ridicules her. Went through our problems, but this is my sister right here, and I’m so proud of her,” Johnson said. “The media, y’all, how they like to twist and call it a villain and all that, y’all don’t know Angel. I’m just happy that I get to play with her. I get to be around her presence. Her energy is different. She just makes me a better player. She makes me a better player, and that’s what great players do.”
Regardless of what outsiders have to say about Reese, she’s beloved by her teammates. Even by new members of the team like Hailey Van Lith who joined the team this offseason through the transfer portal.
“I’ll say something, too,” Van Lith said. “I think Angel is one of the toughest people I’ve been around. People speak hate into her life. I’ve never seen people wish bad things on someone as much as her, and it does not affect her. She comes to practice every day. She lives her life every day. She lives how she wants to live, and she don’t let nobody change that.”
Reese ended Monday’s game with 17 points, 20 rebounds, three blocks, and two steals despite re-aggravating an ankle injury during the contest, shooting just 2-14 from the field after taking an awkward fall in the second quarter following a strong start. But she continued to close out the game and play through the injury in what could be her last game for the Tigers, battling adversity on the court the same way she has off the court throughout her career in The Bayou.
“That’s the key to life right there. Y’all do not get to her. Let me say it again. Y’all do not get to Angel Reese. So you might want to throw the towel in because you’re wasting your energy. Angel is one of the toughest people I’ve been around,” Van Lith concluded.