DEERFIELD, Ill. — A former college athlete who captured the imagination of fans and stirred up a little controversy simply by showing off some personality was featured in the Chicago area this week.
A champion of the NIL era, where college athletes can now rightfully earn millions off their own name, image and likeness.
A charismatic young star-in-waiting from the DC/Baltimore area recruited by a needy Chicago team, ready to bask in the spotlight of one of America’s greatest sports cities.
That’s right, I’m talking about Angel Reese, the new recruit of the Chicago Sky.
Who did you think I was talking about, that quarterback? Let’s go. Reese won a national championship.
The former LSU star arrived in the Chicago suburbs on Wednesday, a day before the Bears prepared to draft former USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the No. 1 pick, and nine days after was chosen seventh overall in the WNBA draft.
While Williams, the former Heisman winner, will be introduced (presumably Friday) in a packed auditorium with a dozen cameras at Halas Hall in Lake Forest, Reese made a calmer entrance to the more humble Sachs Recreation Center, at 16 km south of where the Bears are taking place. wander and about 30 miles north of Wintrust Arena, where the Sky play.
It wasn’t much of a stage, just a table and backdrop in the middle of a basketball court in a suburban park district-owned recreation center. At least the Sky have a recent championship banner to hang, unlike the “Hey, remember 1985” Bears.
While the city’s sports attention was focused on downtown, where the Bears and Mayor Brandon Johnson were pitching a potential new stadium on the museum campus, there were only 10 reporters in the audience along with four television cameras.
No, Reese is no longer in Baton Rouge. And the media attention from the record-breaking NCAA tournament is gone.
So it was an inauspicious introduction for a star of Reese’s magnitude. The former national champion and self-proclaimed “Bayou Barbie” is already one of the most famous players in the WNBA even before officially making the team, and in terms of notoriety, she is the second biggest star in a star-filled draft class. . She’ll make big money from her endorsement deals and immediately join the Blackhawks’ Williams and Connor Bedard as young stars in a sports-crazy town.
But first, she arrived in Deerfield.
While the Sky’s training facilities aren’t impressive (the full media day will be held downtown at Wintrust Arena), Reese won’t be the most famous person to train on the Sachs field Center. After all, Candace Parker just played for the Sky for two seasons. And long before that, Michael Jordan and the Bulls we practiced there when it was the Multiplex private club.
But the contrast between LSU basketball facility, which opened in 2010, and the Sachs Center must be a “Welcome to the WNBA” eye-opener for Reese. She didn’t show it on Wednesday. After wowing everyone with her style at the WNBA Draft, she showed up in sweatpants and a sweatshirt with a smile on her face and lots to say.
In 20 minutes of a normally bland press conference, I was able to understand why brands and companies would line up to do business with her. She has a spark, but now she has to prove she’s worthy of the WNBA’s attention. While players like Reese and Clark should bring new fans to the league, these players are well aware of how difficult the job on the field is, especially for rookies.
“I haven’t even made the team yet, obviously,” Reese said.
Wait what? The franchise has already cut first-round picks, like every other WNBA franchise in a compact league, but really? Reese’s jersey quickly sold out and the Sky launched new T-shirts with his face on Wednesday.
“…honey, seriously, WAKE UP! They even released new @Reese10Ange shirts too!”
– Chicago Sky (@chicagosky) April 24, 2024
“Oh no, there’s always a worry,” she said. “No one is guaranteed. I don’t want to come into the league thinking I’m automatically part of a team because that’s not the case. Anyone can be fired any day. We have amazing veterans on our team and I know they are going to push me every day to get better every day. So there is no given space. And I don’t take this moment for granted. I have to go out there and earn my place, and that’s exactly what I want to do.
Williams isn’t worried about Tyson Bagent stealing his job with the Bears. But life is different in the WNBA.
Although Reese is a candidate for a spot on the team, she will need to expand her game for the pros, just like Williams will learn to play quarterback in the NFL. She played a low post game in college, averaging 18.6 points and 12.3 rebounds. In LSU’s Elite Eight loss to Iowa this year, she had 17 points and 20 rebounds, but she was hampered by an ankle injury and was ultimately knocked out. The year before, she made 15 and 10 in the national championship victory over Clark and the Hawkeyes. Of course, everyone remembers her saying stupid things. It was quite a story.
With new coach Teresa Witherspoon, the Sky committed the interior by drafting Kamilla Cardoso at No. 3 and trading up before the draft to be able to snag Reese.
Physically, Reese will be able to handle the league, but she will need to expand her offensive repertoire. She’s made 32 3-pointers in four years, making five, and she’s a career 70 percent free-throw shooter.
“Just being able to be the kind of player I was coming out of high school, I was more of a wing,” she said of her plans. “So being able to get back in there and honestly, I’m a great defender and defense leads to offense. I know that if my offensive game is not working, I can go on defense. So being able to bounce back, being able to guard all five positions is something I’m really looking forward to doing.
But more than that, Heaven needs her (and Cardoso) to give them some star power. They had it recently with Parker, Courtney Vandersloot and the 2021 championship team, but the attention quickly faded. It’s difficult for Sky to find a place in Chicago in the summer. We have two baseball teams (although one of them is historically awful) and the Bears season kicks off with the opening of training camp in late July. It has been difficult for a sports team (outside of the four major leagues) to gain a foothold in this market. Sky players must do their part too. I don’t think this will be a problem for Reese, who has personally struggled in the spotlight, but has also shined.
As a Bulls reporter moonlighting in Reese pointed out Wednesday, the NBA thrived in the 1980s because of players who transcended their teams. With players like her and Clark joining the WNBA’s established stars, it’s time to make the leap to must-see TV. The draft broke viewership records, as did seemingly every big women’s game this season, especially the ones with Clark. (Her Indiana Fever shirsey is available at Dick’s Sporting Goods near the Sachs Center as part of a national marketing agreement.)
For Sky, they need a young star like Reese who is going to stick around for a while to really market the franchise to casual fans, as well as keep the diehards around.
“I think it was a really historic course and being able to change things in the right direction is really important,” she said. “I think our impact and the platform that we had was used to a great level and I think that’s really inspiring for a lot of people right now. So I think we’re at a good point. And I think as we continue to do what we do and perform not only off the court and be who we are off the court, but also on the court, I think (the WNBA) is going to continue to grow.
But before she can help change the WNBA and become a global basketball icon, Angel Reese must officially join the Sky. Practices at the Sachs Center, far from the limelight, begin soon.
“Not everyone has this opportunity,” she said. “I’m not going to take this for granted.”
(Photo by Angel Reese: Sarah Stier/Getty Images)