Angel Reese’s former coach reveals 2 things WNBA is overlooking about her

Angel Reese’s rebounding numbers and larger-than-life personality have shaped most of the conversation around her since she entered the league. But according to a former coach who watched her up close every day, two of her most defining qualities still aren’t getting enough credit.

Bob Starkey, the longtime LSU assistant and interim head coach who worked directly with Reese in Baton Rouge, recently sat down with Motion Podcast host Tasmin Mitchell to talk about coaching her. He didn’t hesitate when her name came up, calling the experience “phenomenal” before naming those traits he thinks get overlooked.

“The first thing is she is ultra-competitive. She wants to freaking win at everything,” said Starkey.

As per Starkey in the Motion podcast interview, that drive showed up well before the Final Four or WNBA cameras ever found her. Starkey remembered Kim Mulkey’s preseason setup at LSU, where the team ran officiated scrimmages every Saturday.

In the very first one, Reese played like it was a title game, pulling down close to 28 rebounds. And it wasn’t a one-time burst. Starkey said that intensity showed up “every day.”

The second overlooked quality is how she operates as a teammate.

“She’s a phenomenal teammate,” Starkey said. “Had an amazing ability to lift teammates that needed to be lifted, to instill confidence in them. She’s one of one.”

He shared a memory from Reese’s junior year that captured both her leadership and the weight that came with it. Sitting in his office, he told her plainly that the team’s ceiling depended entirely on her.

Starkey’s comments round out a version of Reese that goes beyond box scores and viral clips. It’s a reminder that some of the most telling parts of a star’s game are the ones only visible from inside the locker room.

Angel Reese has built one of the most rebounding-dominant resumes in recent women’s basketball history, and the numbers keep piling up at every level she’s played.

The 6’3” athlete started her college career at Maryland before transferring to LSU, where she became a national champion and one of the most decorated players in program history.

In 2022-23, she averaged 23.0 points and 15.4 rebounds while leading LSU to its first-ever NCAA title, earning Final Four Most Outstanding Player honors. That season, she set the NCAA single-season record with 34 double-doubles and broke the SEC’s single-season rebounding record.

Her senior year brought more of the same: 18.6 points and 13.4 rebounds per game, SEC Player of the Year honors, and a career rebounding average of 14.4 per game, still the highest mark in conference history, as per Sports Reference.

Chicago took Reese seventh overall in the 2024 WNBA Draft, and she made her presence felt immediately, leading the league in rebounding as a rookie at 13.1 per game, then again in 2025 at 12.6, adding All-Star nods both years. In 2024, she also set the WNBA record for consecutive double-doubles with 15 straight.

Traded to the Dream ahead of 2026, Reese kept climbing, averaging 16.1 points and 12.4 rebounds, becoming the fastest player in league history to reach 1,000 career rebounds, and setting the single-game rebounding record with 26 boards.

Reese has kept her career trajectory moving upwards, and the comments from her former coach affirm her talent, skill, and dedication.

Do you think Reese’s competitiveness and leadership get enough credit compared to her rebounding numbers?