I’m not gonna fall for your trap.
The story of the day is the culmination of a journey that began in Randallstown 20 years ago. It’s the story of a player who grew up in a basketball family (she once told me she got her rebounding from her mom, the former UMBC star of the same name) and had to find her own voice, her own path, her own place in the world.
And she did.
The story of the day is Angel Reese (St. Frances) leading LSU to a national championship and one of the great seasons in college basketball history. That’s the story. It’s the one. It’s perhaps a little uncomfortable for some Maryland fans who can’t help but wonder about what might have been had Reese stuck around for another season in College Park.
But for any Baltimore sports fan, the story should be, beyond any shadow of a doubt, a child of our city reaching the pinnacle of their sport. It should be how Reese’s double-double was her sixth in as many NCAA Tournament games and her record 34th of the season as the Tigers claimed what might well prove to be the most transcendent national title in the sport’s history.
We know exactly why I’m setting up the column this way, however.
Reese’s Most Outstanding Player heroics are being overshadowed by some late-game trash talking and gestures in the direction of Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark that many in both the social media and traditional media sphere disapproved of … or downright detested. To her credit, Clark herself never joined the echo chamber. She’s an absolutely remarkable player and a thrill to watch. Her presence helped make the moment all that more significant for Reese and LSU.
The debate surrounding Reese’s celebration/taunting is pointless. Even if Reese went overboard, absolutely no one was hurt by it. Not Clark, not kids watching the game, no one. If a parent or a coach wants to tell their kids that they don’t want them to act like the “Bayou Barbie” did, that’s their business. But no matter your opinion, it’s simply not that big of a deal. Reese has the right to say that her specific antics were part of who she is as a player (and she’s never hidden her intensity) and a reasonable dissenter could say, “But did she need to do that in that moment?”
And there’s a very direct, specifically correct answer.
“It doesn’t matter.”
There are a number of dynamics in play here. We can’t pretend race isn’t a factor for some. For others, a more “old school” feeling about how games are supposed to be played. For others still, a feeling of deep reverence toward Clark, whose stardom has captured the attention of the country and genuinely made many casual fans want to see her receive her own moment of coronation.
And then there’s another group of folks. That’s the group of folks that doesn’t really pay attention to women’s basketball but found out the entire country was watching and felt the need to check in and have something, anything at all, to say. Debating the merits of an end-of-game celebration allows them to cover up the fact that they don’t really have anything else to say about the national champions.
But no matter how much hand-wringing they attempt (and have they ever attempted), none of it matters.
There’s no correct answer, it’s all just nonsense and it all just distracts from one of the best stories in all of sports. Reese and Clark will both be back next season and could find themselves squaring off again in the NCAA Tournament and the battle to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft. Considering the historic ratings of this year’s tournament, these players may well be remembered as the duo that revolutionized the sport.
Let that sink in. An athlete that was born and raised in our city has broken through as one of the great superstars of her sport. She is perhaps on the forefront of a moment that will change women’s basketball forever. You might have seen commentary about how she (and Clark) can make more money via NIL while remaining in school than they could as pros. It would seem as though that could directly lead to conversation about WNBA player salaries. If the attention is real and the money is being spent, there would be no reason to think that shouldn’t also shift to the pros.
It is not impossible to fathom that we’re watching the women’s version of Magic Johnson-Larry Bird right in front of our eyes, and I don’t believe it insane at all to make the comparison between Reese and Magic. That’s how good she is.
And THAT’S the story we should be talking about this week. That’s the only one that matters. A three-time IAAM champion is now on top of the basketball world. It’s absolutely remarkable.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of LSU Athletics