Kim Mulkey opens up on Angel Reese's increased popularity with college career ending

If you want to catalog the accolades for LSU star Angel Reese, you better bring a big notebook, plenty of ink and the time to sit there and write for quite a while.

Reese has won just about everything you can win individually and as a teammate, coming off a national title win last season.

Her fame has grown to the point that she’s a widely recognizable figure, one of the most marketable college athletes out there, man or woman. She has an On3 NIL valuation of $1.7 million, good for seventh overall in the NIL100 (man or woman) and first in women’s college basketball.

Just about every day it seems she’s popping up on the cover of a new magazine. It adds a certain amount of pressure to perform.

“I don’t know about a magazine, I don’t keep up with all that,” coach Kim Mulkey said. “I can’t imagine that what she experienced with all that last year is any greater this year than it was last year. And I thought she handled it beautifully.”

Angel Reese has been on an absolute tear lately. She has recorded double-doubles in her last four games, including a 27-point, 19-rebound showing in a win over Alabama.

Over the last four games Reese is averaging 19.0 points and 15.8 rebounds. She’s done everything her coaches have asked of her, despite all the hoopla and the fame.

“Angel will do what Angel has to do,” Mulkey said. “If it’s score a lot of points she’s very willing to do that. If it’s get somebody else a shot and pass up a shot because she can and the game allows her to do that, she’ll do it.”

Reese doesn’t have that much longer left to play. The Tigers have five more regular season games remaining, then it’s on to the SEC Tournament and then eventually the NCAA Tournament.

Mulkey knows that can weigh on a player, so she’ll be watching Reese closely to see how she handles it.

“Her career is winding down in college and so you start counting probably in her mind how many more games I have in my college career,” Mulkey said. “And every game is maybe magnified more. I don’t know. I’m just answering based upon my experience and what a lot of seniors say, is that it’s a sense of urgency for me now.”

Next up for LSU and Angel Reese is a trip to College Station to take on Texas A&M. That game will be played on Monday night, with a tip at 7 ET and a broadcast on the SEC Network.