Angel Reese has the potential to be a superb professional basketball player. Everything you’re going to read between now and the draft is going to focus on her need to develop an outside-the-paint shot, perhaps even a three-point shot, and improve her free throw shooting. Angel has also said that she wants to start from the ground up, to be a rookie again, to learn. Some cynics will dismiss that as playing for the camera. That may be, and whichever team drafts her, will find that out soon enough.
Aside from the coaches and GMs, those whose opinions are the only ones worth considering, rather than focus on the accolades, awards, and the ring, it may be more insightful to look at who Angel Reese presents herself to be, and is that, alongside the skills needed, something else that needs to start from the ground up as well?
Obstacles Faced by Angel Reese
In an age when social media has such enormous power, it is important to remember that its power is only derived from what people choose to post. In starting from the ground up, by being a rookie again, does that mean that “Bayou Barbie” needs to be set aside as well? Does the trash talk, the online persona, and the on-court image also need to start from the ground up? That Angel Reese is a talented and gifted athlete is not the question.
BAYOU BARBIE⏩WNBA.
— Angel Reese (@Reese10Angel) April 3, 2024
all that rah-rah never was the icon issue. Magazines, i’m covering the icon issue…VOGUE, I got REAL issues.💋 @voguemagazine pic.twitter.com/51MomWrEXr
But as Angel said in her post-game presser, “I’m still a human.” She’s right. She is just a human, and with that comes all the flaws, mistakes, and short-sightedness that every human must, at some point in their lives, endure. To say that you’re still going to be you, that you’re not going to change may sound good for the press corps and may give you the appearance of great strength. I don’t think anyone who hires Angel is going to ask her to be someone else. Otherwise, they would have drafted someone else.
Angel has also cited both A’ja Wilson and Candace Parker as significant basketball influences. In seeking out advice or mentors, I would suggest looking to another LSU alum, Sylvia Fowles. While Angel is undersized for a center, there is much that Sylvia Fowles could teach her beyond basketball. Some mock drafts have her being picked by Minnesota. If that is indeed the case, what better opportunity to learn from one of the best?
Angel Reese and the Age of Social Media
Of course, Angel is forever going to have to combat the ups and downs of social media. People are always going to judge, regardless of how many times they are asked not to do that. People will have preconceived ideas about everything to satisfy their need to criticize, condemn, and hate. That is not going to change, and in this regard, Angel Reese is spot on. She certainly does not need to change to garner the approval of nameless troglodytes who have nothing better to do than spew vitriol.
As many times as people say they can ignore it or that it doesn’t bother them, the reality is that it does. No one’s skin is that thick. The question then is how does one respond? Part of starting over, being a rookie again, is to examine what inside made you want to play this game, long before the thoughts of NIL, social media, and fame were even a glimmer in the distance. Perhaps it is more than just starting over. Perhaps it is a re-examination of who Angel Reese, the basketball player, really is.
Reese and Overcoming the Odds
That is something that no pundit, troll, teammate, coach, or even friend knows. Only Angel Reese knows that. I think that there is a vulnerability to Angel Reese that will serve her as well as the bravado. If Angel Reese wants to succeed in the WNBA, yes, she has work to do on her skills. No one would argue that, including Angel. The rest of it is between Angel and herself. I enjoy watching Reese play and like the bravado in a player.
Additionally, I like commitment. I like watching players overcome adversity while moving closer to a greater goal. It is possible some coaches and GMs might find choosing Angel Reese a risk. To that I say, look closer, really close. Listen carefully. Will drafting Angel Reese be a challenge? Yes, of course. But a risk? Not at all.
And that, my friends, as they say, is that.’ — Martin Ruben.
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