Amid Angel Reese’s absence from LSU basketball, head coach Kim Mulkey likened the situation to “disciplining your own children.”

The star senior has missed the No. 7 Tigers’ last two games, and Mulkey has offered few details on Reese’s status, which has contributed to rampant social media speculation. But she has stressed that her silence is to protect her players.

“I’m going to protect my players,” Mulkey told reporters Monday. “Always. They are more important. It’s like a family.”

Yet questions about Reese’s absence continue to persist. And the way that Mulkey continues to characterize her absence may be feeding into the social media flames.

On Monday, Mulkey alluded to her absence being about “locker room issues.” And getting lost in the questions surrounding Reese’s absence is the fact that Kateri Poole has also been absent from the team.

“You always have to deal with locker room issues,” Mulkey said Monday. “That’s just part of coaching. In 40 years, I can never think of a time where I didn’t have to deal with issues. That’s what coaches do. Sometimes y’all know about it and sometimes you don’t. Sometimes you want to know more than you’re entitled to know.

“I’m going to protect my players, always. They are more important. It’s like a family. If you do some disciplining of your own children, do you think we’re entitled to know that? That’s a family in that locker room.”

Angel Reese was once again absent from the sidelines as LSU basketball took down Texas Southern, 106-47, on Monday night.

The senior star missed her second straight game for the Tigers after being benched in the second half of the last Tuesday’s win against Kent State. After that game, Mulkey called Reese’s benching “a coach’s decision.”

Following her benching, Reese did not appear at LSU’s game against Southeastern Louisiana on Friday.

“Angel is a part of this basketball team and we hope to see her sooner than later. … That’s all y’all need to know,” Mulkey said in her postgame press conference.

On Monday, Mulkey sang the same tune, even asking the reporter who asked about Reese if he was present at Friday’s press conference.

“I’m gonna give you the same answer as the other day,” she said.

“I’ll say it again: Angel was not in uniform. Angel is a part of this basketball team,” Mulkey continued. “And Angel will be back sooner than later.”

And when asked if she had decided whether Reese would make the trip to the Cayman Islands Classic with the team over the Thanksgiving holiday, she responded: “If I have, I wouldn’t tell you. You’re not entitled to that information.”

“We hope she’s back with the team soon,” she said later on. “I’m not going to answer any more than that. … Sometimes you want to know more than you’re entitled to know. I’m going to protect my players.”

On Sunday, Reese posted on social media, writing: “Please don’t believe everything you read.” The message seemingly was directed at online chatter surrounding her absence.

She also posted a video on her Instagram Stories of Colorado coach Deion Sanders, in which Sanders says: “Look at me. What about me would make you think that I care about your opinion of me? Your opinion of me is not the opinion that I have of myself. You ain’t make me, so you can’t break me. You didn’t build me, so you can’t kill me.”

It’s unclear exactly what is going on with Reese, as Mulkey has not provided any specifics. Certain possible violations, such as academic ineligibility, would have to be protected under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which grants students the right to privacy over their academic records.

Dating back to last season, Reese has been a key presence for the Tigers. This season, she leads the team in rebounds, averaging 10.2 per game. She’s also among the team’s top scorers, averaging 17.0 points per game.

Last season, she was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four after leading LSU to its first national championship.

There doesn’t appear to be a timetable for Reese’s return. No. 7 LSU is set to travel to the Cayman Islands, where the Tigers will face Niagara on Friday and Virginia on Saturday. They’re set to play No. 9 Virginia Tech on Nov. 30.

Angel Reese has returned to the public eye for the first time since her absence from LSU’s game against Southeastern Louisiana on Friday night.

Reese has remained quiet about the reason for her absence. Tigers head coach Kim Mulkey has also not disclosed the nature of Reese’s nonattendance of team events.

“Angel is a part of this basketball team and we hope to see her sooner than later. … That’s all y’all need to know,” Mulkey said in a press conference after Friday’s 73-50 win.

In LSU’s previous game, a 109-79 win against Kent State, Reese did not play in the second half due to what Mulkey called “a coach’s decision.” Despite rampant speculation surrounding Reese’s status, including questions of her academic eligibility, there is no evidence to support the social media furor.

After two days of relative silence on social media from Reese, she returned to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share a message seemingly directed at the online chatter.

She said only this: “Please don’t believe everything you read.”

Reese remains a question mark in the Tigers’ lineup ahead their game against Texas Southern at 8 p.m. ET Monday.

Angel Reese did not travel with the No. 7 LSU Tigers for their game against Southeastern Louisiana University on Friday.

Reese’s surprise absence from the team comes after she was pulled at halftime of the Tigers’ game against Kent State on Tuesday. LSU went on to win that game, 109-79. Kateri Poole, another veteran on head coach Kim Mulkey’s squad, was also pulled at halftime against Kent State. Mulkey described both players’ removal from the game as,“a coach’s decision.”

Mulkey declined to give specifics on the nature of Reese’s nonattendance at Southeastern Louisiana.

“It’s very obvious Angel was not in uniform. Angel is a part of this basketball team and we hope to see her sooner than later,” Mulkey said in a press conference after LSU’s 75-50 win over the Lions.

Mulkey refused to answer reporters’ follow-up questions about Reese, saying, “That’s all y’all need to know.”

Reese is a key presence on the scoresheet and on defense for the Tigers. She leads the team in rebounds, averaging 10.2 per game this season. She is also the second-highest scorer with an average of 17 points per game. Last season, the Maryland transfer was named the Final Four Most Outstanding Player after leading LSU to the national championship.

Just as there is no official explanation for Reese’s absence from the team, there is no clear timetable for Reese’s return to team activities.

No. 2 recruit Mikaylah Williams has had an eye-popping start to her freshman campaign, including a 42-point performance in LSU’s win over Kent State on Tuesday.

Williams’ 42 points were the most scored by an LSU freshman in the NCAA era and the second-most all-time. For the 18-year-old guard, it “all starts in practice.”

“How you practice is how you play,” she said. “Coach Mulkey has been riding me and riding me and staying on my tail about working hard and effort. So that in practice showed to the game today.”

Mulkey has known what Williams is capable of since recruiting her out of Parkway High School in Shreveport, La. A consensus top-two prospect in the Class of 2023, Williams was a big get for the Tigers.

“I’ve been riding her because I don’t think she knows how good she is. You saw today what she’s capable of doing,” Mulkey said. “She’s a special talent. I guess it’s just those moments where you feel that rim is as big as the ocean.

“I want to be that coach that pushes her beyond the limits. I think you’re just seeing her scratch the surface.”

The hard work is paying off for Williams, who had never scored more than 35 points in a game before Tuesday.

“I work hard for putting out what I put out,” she said. “I applaud my teammates for finding the hot hand and helping me get to this success.”

Williams has been a bright spot for LSU, who came into the year with sky-high expectations as the reigning NCAA champions and have dealt with early-season adversity. Ranked No. 1 to start the season, the Tigers lost their opener to then-No. 20 Colorado. Then Mulkey held star Angel Reese out of the second half of the Kent State game, calling it a “coach’s decision,” and drama surrounding the team erupted on social media this week.

Through the challenges, LSU players are trying to stick together and find positives, such as the play of freshman Williams.

“It makes me feel good to get Mikaylah a pass and see her score,” LSU teammate Aneesah Morrow added after the Kent State game. “I get to see the work that Mikaylah puts in every day. It’s a nonstop thing. She’s very consistent and works hard every day. To see that pay off is amazing.”

Angel Reese did not play in the second half of LSU’s 109-79 win over Kent State on Tuesday due to what head coach Kim Mulkey called a “coach’s decision.”

Reese had 11 points and 5 rebounds against Kent State in the first two quarters, and the Tigers held a narrow 39-37 lead at halftime. Mulkey sat Reese in favor of transfer Aneesah Morrow, who finished the game with 17 points and 8 rebounds.

“I could, but I won’t,” Mulkey said when asked to expand on her decision to sit Reese, who played 14 minutes. “It was just a coach’s decision.”

LSU started the season at No. 1 in the AP Top 25, but the Tigers had a rough first week, losing their opener against Colorado and dropping to No. 7 in the rankings. In that game, Reese had 15 points and 12 rebounds. She had two more double-doubles in LSU’s next two games against Queens and Mississippi Valley State, both of which were double-digit wins for the Tigers.

Freshman Mikaylah Williams was the standout performer in Tuesday’s win with 42 points, a record for an LSU freshman in the NCAA era. LSU next plays Southeast Louisiana on Friday.

Kim Mulkey didn’t hold back after top-ranked LSU basketball lost its season opener to No. 20 Colorado, citing players’ lack of leadership in the 92-78 loss.

“I’m disappointed and surprised in some individual players that I thought would just be tougher and have a little fight and leadership about them,” Mulkey said. “But I knew what we faced. When you have that many kids that played that many minutes together [as Colorado], we had our hands full. Colorado did exactly what I thought they would do.”

Some of the Tigers issues are ones Mulkey can “live with,” such as poor shooting, which led to a “tough night offensively,” the head coach said.

“What I don’t live with is just guts and fight and physical play [not being there],” she continued. “You got that dog in you. I just didn’t think we had that tonight.”

LSU freshman Mikaylah Williams (17 points) and sophomore Sa’Myah Smith (16) led the team in scoring. The pair “did all they could,” according to Mulkey.

“You’re talking about a true freshman and a true sophomore. We need more than just them to have a little bit of fight,” she continued, noting that the team’s second line of defense was “nonexistent.” Still, she notes that these things are “fixable,” though she doesn’t know how long it will take.

“We’re not the same team today we were when we won it all,” she said. “I don’t know if anything that went on this summer [with new players transferring in] has anything whatsoever to do with [our] locker room. I think [our] locker room is affected by Colorado being a very good team.”

Angel Reese set an NCAA single-season record with 34 double-doubles last season, and she picked up where she left off, with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Star transfer Hailey Van Lith added 14 points and 7 assists, while fellow transfer Aneesah Morrow had 6 points and 4 rebounds.

Angel Reese is taking her coach in her all-time starting five.

LSU basketball is tipping off its title defense against Colorado on Nov. 6 as part of the 2023 Hall of Fame Series. The four-game showcase, presented by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, is being held at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Ahead of the season opener, several Tigers stars shared their dream starting lineups, pulled from the illustrious list of Hall of Fame members.

“I’m starting strong with Lisa Leslie,” Reese said, before also naming Cheryl Miller, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal to her roster. She pondered her fifth choice before opting for her head coach: “I need a shooter. I’m going with Kim Mulkey.”

Mulkey, 61, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2020. She won three national titles as the head coach of the Baylor Bears, in 2005, 2012 and 2019, and she won her fourth career title with the LSU Tigers in April.

Flau’jae Johnson joined Reese in naming Mulkey to her lineup, and she added O’Neal, Dwyane Wade, Tim Duncan and Allen Iverson.

Hailey Van Lith, meanwhile, put Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon in her starting five, while also naming Leslie, Bryant, Kevin Garnett and Michael Jordan.

“That’s a tough starting five, right there,” Van Lith said. “Mad tough.”

Star transfer Hailey Van Lith is going to be tasked with a number of jobs for LSU basketball this season.

The 22-year-old senior will be playing both guard positions, according to Tigers head coach Kim Mulkey. While Van Lith traditionally has been a shooting guard, she’s also learning to be a point guard, Mulkey told Baton Rouge’s WBRZ.

“I’ve got returning players that played point last year with Alexis Morris,” Mulkey said, noting that it was actually Van Lith who wanted to learn to play the point.

“What Hailey wanted when she came here was for me to teach her the point guard position and for her to be able to do both,” Mulkey said. “Now as the season progresses, if she ends up being the true point guard and that’s where she stays then so be it. But right now I need Hailey to do both. I need her to play the point but I also need her to go back to what she’s been doing on the wing a lot because she’s a natural at that position.”

Of course, the No. 1-ranked Tigers are stacked in both guard slots. Flau’jae Johnson leads the contingent, alongside Last-Tear Poa and Kateri Poole, who are versatile guards in their own right. They also added Aneesah Morrow in the offseason, and are bringing on top prospects in Mikaylah Williams and Angelica Velez.

Still, the flexibility will be beneficial for Van Lith as she moves on to her professional career, which both she and Mulkey know. And at LSU, Van Lith is learning to not take as many shots.

“She’s a kid that shot a lot [at Louisville] because she needed to,” Mulkey said. “I think she’s quickly learning ‘I don’t have to take as many shots when I’m surrounded with these many kids that are around me that can score the ball as well.’”

To Mulkey, there are two types of point guards: those that are game managers and those that score. Van Lith, she says, is one of those that will likely be a scoring point guard.

“I think Hailey, when she is at the point, will be a scoring point guard because you don’t want to take that away from her,” she said. “But teaching her the little things, transition defense being one of them, she’s got to now change her mindset that, ‘I don’t pick up the ball in the back court. I’ve got to be the one back directing traffic like a center fielder.’ Those are the little things with playing point that the average person doesn’t understand.”

Kim Mulkey welcomes the target on the backs of her LSU Tigers.

For the first time in program history, LSU basketball is ranked No. 1 in the AP Top 25 preseason poll. With the Tigers entering the season as the defending national champions, that was somewhat expected. But the pressure doesn’t bother them.

“We understand that with a championship and with the preseason ranking that we really have a target on our back,” Mulkey told Baton Rouge’s WBRZ. “We get that, we welcome it to an extent in that we keep it in perspective.”

The 61-year-old head coach called it “great recognition” for LSU and for the program. The No. 1 ranking is something to be celebrated, but the team isn’t putting to much stock into it.

For Mulkey’s part, she doesn’t talk much to her teams about being ranked, saying it’s the next game that matters most. Rankings make headlines, but championships make the history books.

So even though the Tigers enter the season with a loaded roster, including Angel Reese and star transfers Hailey Van Lith and Aneesah Morrow, they still need to put in the work to live up to their sky-high expectations, Mulkey said.

“I’ve got some talent and that talent is not going to win championships unless we all get on the same page and we all pull for each other and so far it’s been great,” she said. “The deeper you dig the prettier the fruit and we know that people are going to know that that’s the defending national champions and we’re going to get their best shot.”