Angel Reese posted an emotional message for Kateri Poole after she was removed from LSU Women’s Basketball program, raising more concerns about the recent ‘locker room issues’.
Junior guard Kateri Poole is no longer part of the LSU women’s basketball program – and Angel Reese is devastated to see her go.
LSU head coach Kim Mulkey announced on Sunday that Poole was “no longer with us” and refused to give any more detail on the matter. It’s not known if Poole has been removed from the team or if both parties have agreed to part ways, but the young player is no longer part of LSU.
Poole was a major reason that Reese signed for LSU in the first place, and the Most Outstanding Player of the 2023 women’s NCAA tournament posted a disappointed message on Instagram after hearing the news.
“Forever my dawg! You know I love you and 10 behind you,” Reese captioned a picture of them together.
LSU is 9-1 this season, but that doesn’t tell the full story as Mulkey has navigated controversial player absences over the past few months. Reese missed four games in November and only returned on Nov. 30 against Virginia Tech after being sidelined for an unknown reason.
Again, Mulkey refused to go into detail when being pressed by reporters but did explain Reese’s importance to the team on the eve of her return.
“It’s not just against Virginia Tech. It’s just for our team.
She’s just a tremendous player, one of the best players in the country. I really think Angel will just be like Angel. She’s just been really good in practice.”
Reese will now have to continue without one of her closest friends on the team, who only managed to play in four games this season. Poole was also a member of the National Championship-winning side, playing in the last five games of last season when Reese was later named Most Outstanding Player.
But Poole has averaged just two points and 1.8 rebounds this season, and in recent weeks has only played for five minutes after being left on the bench due to a “coach’s decision”.
Poole averaged 4.5 points and 2.4 rebounds in 22.4 minutes in 2022-23.
There has been a lot of change on the LSU roster, as Sa’Maya Smith is now out for the season after suffering a knee injury in the Cayman Islands Classic a few weeks ago. Reese’s return to the lineup is therefore convenient for Mulkey, who praised her star player.
“Timing is everything in life and the timing of her injury is just so sad for her because she has improved by leaps and bounds,” Mulkey said.
“The timing of Angel being back kind of helps, but there’s no substitution for the value that Sa’Maya has to our team and what she’s meant thus far.”
