Aneesah Morrow asked Angel Reese if she was really leaving again.
On Wednesday, the Chicago Sky’s breakneck schedule placed Reese, just a month into her rookie season, in her home arena — her fifth game in 12 days. In two days, the Randallstown native had to play in Washington, where she’d just flown from less than a week before. Morrow, her former teammate at LSU, just wanted to hang out.
“And I’m like, ‘Yeah, this is a job,’” Reese said. “I gotta do this every day.”
The transition from LSU to the WNBA gave Reese about as much breathing room to adjust as her professional schedule does. Questions swirled around the 6-foot-3 Southeastern Conference Player of the Year early on as to how her well-lauded skills at the college level would translate.
As of late, Reese is metamorphosing as well as she could hope.
The St. Frances graduate, who counts “Baltimore Barbie” among her nicknames, led the WNBA in offensive rebounds (52) and offensive rebounds per game (4.7) heading into Friday’s second homecoming against the Washington Mystics in two weeks.
Reese netted her fifth straight double-double in the 83-81 loss. Earlier this week, the 2024 seventh overall pick became the only rookie this summer to surpass 100 points and 100 rebounds and became the first WNBA player this year to record back-to-back double-doubles with five-plus steals, per CBS Sports. Her performance against the Atlanta Dream on June 8 made her the third rookie in WNBA history with 13-plus points, 13-plus rebounds and five-plus steals in a game, alongside Tamika Catchings and Candace Parker.
Her name already drifts around Rookie of the Year predictions, but Reese wouldn’t be one to add her voice to it.
“I literally just live in the moment,” Reese said. “Sometimes, I forget things I’ve done or said. My mindset is just to win.”
Lately, that’s not something the Sky have been able to do often, dropping four of their past five games. The price of so much unbridled success in college is putting on the jersey of a pro team with a losing record — an uncomfortable adjustment Reese talks about with fellow Sky rookie Kamilla Cardoso, whose prowess with South Carolina made her the No. 3 overall pick.
“Like, we ain’t never been like this,” Reese joked. “It’s hard not to dwell on it, to sit like ‘Damn, we just lost another game.’ We got another game the next day.”
The observations that still follow Reese as she traverses the league as one of the best first-year players are not always kind. But not one word on the internet is harsher on Reese than she says she is on herself.
Huge cheers for Angel Reese in the DMV, which she spoke about this morning:
“This is home for me. I grew up within the area because I'm from Baltimore, but I played here for Team Takeover. … I'm so happy people were able to come out & support & just love on our team.“ pic.twitter.com/ACnQeH2tcm
— Kat Fominykh (@katfominykh) June 14, 2024
With little time to practice between games, she treats the first minutes of games like her own personal sort of practice — she takes a “confidence shot” to feel the flow and go from there. Reese studies the shot charts the Sky staff gives her. She picks apart film of her past games with her trainer, a strategy she employed in the 13 days between the WNBA draft on April 15 and training camp on April 28.
Otherwise, she said she’s “learning on the fly.” The self-described sponge absorbs advice from league veterans such as Tina Charles after the Sky’s close loss against the Dream on Saturday, who taught her to take as much time as she can in the post.
In the past, Reese tried to beat her defender to the basket to avoid their block. Now, she’s learned to be patient. Her careful, methodical movements are gleaning results.
“She’s been relentless in her pursuit,” said Sky forward Brianna Turner, a five-year veteran. “Learning, building, growing every game. We have such a quick turnaround between games that she’s taking something from each.”
Lately, the rookie’s trying jump shots she never would have dared before. She’s putting Charles’ words to use, spreading her offense completely around the basket. Shooting-wise, there’s room for sharpening her efficiency. Reese, who slipped onto the warmup floor before any of her teammates to rattle off shots, sits at 38.5% from the field; she scored 20 points on Wednesday and 10 Friday, mostly in the fourth quarter to spur Chicago’s attempted rally.
It’s not that she can’t make the shot, she said. It’s about having the confidence to know she’s capable, and listening to her teammates and coaches when they stress the same.
WNBA star Angel Reese embraces spotlight that has long followed her: ‘People are talking about women’s basketball’
“One thing about [Reese] is anything you ask her to do, she’ll do it,” Sky coach Teresa Weatherspoon said. “She wants to keep the defense honest, and if she’s open, we want her to be comfortable taking that shot.”
Seesawing back-and-forth between every pro women’s court in America to a plane and back could drain Reese, especially so soon after a six-month college season already asked so much of her. Her playing minutes increased to 36 against the Sun and 32 against Washington, despite riding the bench for most of the third quarter. Reese knocks on wood that her body doesn’t betray her.
But then, she remembers there’s no school to worry about in between, and smiles. It’s just basketball. There’s nothing more to ask of her than what she can improve on a hardwood floor.
“There’s no time to feel sorry for myself or feel tired. I gotta get up and do my job again the next day,” Reese said. “I’m waking up and practicing or games, and I’m happy.”
