St. Frances Academy coaches beaming with pride for Baltimore native, national champ Angel Reese

BALTIMORE - Angel Reese's basketball career started in Baltimore and she lets the world know that.

And after transferring from Maryland, Reese is a national champion, and Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four.

Reese attended high school at St. Frances Academy in Baltimore. On Sunday, she helped LSU beat Iowa, 102-85, in the NCAA National Championship game.

Reese's high school coaches at St. Frances Academy said she has always been destined for greatness, and they are beaming with pride after she scored 15 points and ripped down 10 rebounds to lead the Tigers to their first-ever national title.

St. Frances assistant girls' basketball coach Nyke Burrell said she heard from Reese before the game.

"She texted me before the game and she goes, 'this one is for the city,' and so, I knew when the lights come on, she's gone to shine," Burrell said.

Reese's trash talk and constant gestures toward Iowa All-American Caitlin Clark were the topics of conversation after the game.

Burrell says Reese is just passionate about basketball.

"It's passion," Burrell said. "It's not unsportsmanlike. It's not a way of antagonizing. It's the game"

Reese, an All-American herself, averaged 23 points and 15 rebounds this season for LSU.

"She's famous to me right now, so it's like OMG, I coached that girl. I am overly excited."

"(I feel) Like a proud poppa," St. Frances coach Jerome Shelton said. "I'm excited for Angel and the rest of her teammates and the coaching staff at LSU."

Coach Burrell and Coach Shelton say Reese is more than just a basketball player.

He reach is far beyond the lines of the court.

"Angel was a person who was called upon to go to speaking engagements, to talk to donors," Shelton said. "She relished that. What you are seeing at LSU is what she did here. She's just taken it to another level."

Reese's jersey that she wore in her final home game back in 2020 leading the Panthers to their fourth-straight championship is now sitting in the school's Hall of Fame.

Reese is not yet eligible for the WNBA but she's well on her way.

"And just excited and ready to see what her next move is because there are a ton of moments to follow this one," Burrell said.