Chicago Sky star Angel Reese knows a thing or two about March Madness. She did lead the LSU women’s basketball team to its first NCAA Tournament national championship in 2023, after all.
Reese isn’t dancing in the women’s NCAA Tournament this year, but on Friday night, she offered some advice to her childhood friend, Southern senior guard Aniya Gourdine, ahead of the Jaguars‘ first-round matchup against No. 1 overall seed UCLA.
Gourdine, a Baltimore native, is the Jaguars’ leading scorer this season. Southern reached Friday’s first-round game after defeating UC San Diego 68-56 in the First Four on Wednesday.
“I just want to wish you good luck with the tournament tonight. Your very first tournament,” Reese said in a video message shared by ESPN’s Holly Rowe. “I’m super-excited for you. Put on for HBCUs. Put on for Baltimore.”
Southern fell to the Bruins on Friday, 84-46. Gourdine had a team-high 10 points and two rebounds.
Reese said she “learned how to play basketball” alongside Gourdine. The two played in high school together at St. Frances Academy: “We literally grew up together. Literally best friends growing up from third grade to high school. Winning a championship together to playing at high school together to you going to college. I’m just super-proud of your growth on and off the court… Tonight, just go out there and kill it.”
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That wasn’t Reese’s only connection to the UCLA-Southern game.
In last year’s NCAA Tournament, her No. 3 seed LSU Tigers defeated the No. 2 seed Bruins 78-69 in the Sweet 16. The game was especially chippy between Reese and UCLA star Lauren Betts. Betts caught Reese with an elbow to the face in the first quarter, causing Reese’s nose to bleed.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Angel Reese offers March Madness advice to childhood friend
