Angel Reese on Caitlin Clark – We ‘don’t hate each other’،
ALBANY, N.Y. — LSU's Angel Reese said Sunday she has no hard feelings toward Iowa's Caitlin Clark as the two stars prepare for a rematch — this time in the Elite Eight.
Much has been made of the competitive fire and trash talk that both players display when on the court. But when Reese pointed his finger and made the John Cena “You can't see me” hand gesture at Clark as LSU closed out its victory over Iowa in the national championship game last year, the Discourse surrounding both his trash talk and his relationship with Clark intensified.
Reese was asked again on Sunday about his trash talk, particularly in regards to what happened last year.
“I don’t think people realize it’s not personal,” Reese said. “Once we get between those lines, if I see you walking down the street, it's like, 'Hey, girl, what's up? Let's go out together.' I think people take it as us hating each other. Me and Caitlin Clark don't hate each other. I want everyone to understand that. It's just a super competitive game. Once I get between those lines, it There's no more friends. I'm going to bullshit you. I'm going to do whatever it takes to put you in your head the whole game, but after the game we can kick him. I don't think people really realize that.
“That's good. I'll take the role of the bad guy. I'll take the hit, but I know we're growing women's basketball. If this is the way we're going to do it, then this is the way we “I’ll do it. You either like it or you don’t.”
Reese described his relationship with Clark as “super-competitive,” noting that the two had played together since high school and then again when Reese began his career at Maryland.
Asked how Larry Bird and Magic Johnson always bonded after facing each other in the national championship game, and if that applies to her and Clark, Reese said, “People compare that match all the time , but I've never seen the match, so I don't really know it.
Clark said she saw similarities in his playing with Reese that gave them something in common.
“There’s definitely that competitive fire,” Clark said. We both want to win more than anything, and that's the way it should be when you're a competitor and you find yourself in a situation like this, whether it's the national championship, whether it's the 'Elite Eight.
“I think the main similarity is our competitiveness. We both grew up loving this game and we're going to do everything we can to help our teams win.”
If that includes a little trash talk, so be it.
“It’s part of the game,” LSU guard Hailey Van Lith said. “When you think about hockey and fighting, people like to see that. That's not why we do it. It's our personality. That's what makes the game fun for us. I think enough “A lot of people like it, obviously, because women's basketball is doing better than ever. You can choose to focus on the people who say bad things about it, but at the end of the day, they're talking online for a reason.
