Ever since her iconic taunt of Caitlin Clark during the 2023 NCAA Tournament, Angel Reese has become a household name in the sports world. 

A large part of this was that Reese attended LSU, which is an iconic institution. But many WNBA fans don’t know that Reese only came to LSU as a junior after spending the first two years of her NCAA career at the University of Maryland.

And even fewer fans know that Reese was initially planning to play for legendary head coach Dawn Staley at the University of South Carolina.

South Carolina Gamecocks center Kamilla Cardoso (10) drives past LSU Lady Tigers forward Angel Reese (10) in the first half at Colonial Life Arena.

Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports

During a 2023 episode of the “I Am Athlete” podcast with former New York Jets wide receiver Brandon Marshall and Ashley Nicole Moss, Marshall said to Reese, “You just mentioned Coach Staley and South Carolina. You had an opportunity to go there. How did you choose [LSU]?”

“I had a visit set up to South Carolina [after deciding to transfer from Maryland],” Reese said.

“‘Aight, I’m going there,'” Reese recalled of South Carolina. “But my [childhood] teammate said… ‘come visit LSU.'”

Reese continued saying, “When I came on a visit [to LSU], everything was perfect.”

Therefore, Reese chose Kim Mulkey and LSU over Staley and South Carolina.

And the rest is history.