In her hometown of Baltimore, Angel Reese attended and played on the basketball team for St. Frances Academy. She was sought out by many colleges for her basketball prowess, but the thought of leaving her family frightened her. Instead, Reese accepted a scholarship to the University of Maryland and joined the Terrapins. The past was evidently repeating itself, as Reese’s mother had the same dilemma when she joined the University of Maryland at the expense of a career with the Virginia Tech Hokies.
When Reese decided her time with the Terrapins was up and she entered the transfer portal, Reese was still crippled by the fear of being far from her loved ones. “I was scared to go away from home, even coming out of high school … that’s why I stayed home at Maryland, ” Reese admitted on the “Paper Route” podcast. Despite the fear, Reese was set to play for the South Carolina Gamecocks.
However, she changed her mind when she visited the LSU Tigers after an invite from her friend, Kateri Poole. “Everything was perfect,” Reese, who had been disheartened after getting injured, recalled. “They laid everything out for me as far as my plan, my goals … and they never promised me points, a statue [or] anything … I wanted to be happy again. And I wanted to gain confidence again within my game.”
