BALTIMORE — The doldrums of summer got a little bit cooler for Shaun Little and his friends at the Scotts Branch Police Athletic League Recreation Center in Randallstown on Monday morning, thanks to native daughter Angel Reese returning to the court along Rolling Road where she played in her youth.
The St. Frances graduate, Maryland transfer and LSU star who helped the latter capture its first national championship was on hand Monday for a ceremony dedicating the refurbished court in her honor.
Little, a 16-year-old rising junior at Milford Mill High, was one of about 60 kids from the recreation center to greet Reese and pose for photos with her in what he said was a meaningful appearance.
“She’s here giving back and supporting us and never forgetting about us,” he said. “It’s a joyful moment.”
Evers Burns, a former Terps forward who graduated from Woodlawn High and was selected by the Sacramento Kings in the second round of the 1993 NBA draft, is the recreational activities coordinator at Scotts Branch. He compared the kids meeting Reese to the time when he — “around 10 or 11,” he said — and his family were invited to a private party where they engaged in a 10-minute conversation with singer and musician Stevie Wonder.
“This is everything,” Burns said. “Life goes in cycles, but these kids will never forget this moment.”
Reese, who wore sunglasses, a gray LSU Tigers T-shirt, jean shorts and Nikes, addressed a crowd of lawmakers, children and fans in a concise 20 seconds. “I go to LSU, but Baltimore, Randallstown is always home for me,” she said. “So, I just want to thank everybody for coming and to give hope to the kids in the crowd that one day, this could be you.”
Reese, a rising junior with the Tigers, used a gigantic pair of scissors to cut a purple ribbon held across the main entrance to the court. With the help of basketball fan and Baltimore County executive Johnny Olszewski, she pulled off a piece of purple fabric covering a sign over the entrance that read, “Angel Reese Court, Dedicated in Honor of 2023 NCAA D1 Champion Angel Reese.”
The newly refurbished court at Scotts Branch is a full-length court with new poles and nets, acrylic backboards and breakaway rims. The court renovation is part of a county-wide effort to modernize more than 160 county-managed basketball courts, according to Bob Smith, director of the county’s Department of Recreation and Parks.
While Reese might have been reluctant to speak much, many of the dignitaries who attended the ceremony were more than happy to sing her praises. Maryland House of Delegates Speaker Adrienne A. Jones joked she had to do some research on Reese before Monday’s dedication.
“I’ve been reading up on you, and you’re a bad sista!” she said to Reese.
Olszewski described Reese as a role model to the next generation, including his 7-year-old daughter. “We know there is so much more ahead in your bright career,” he said.
Baltimore County Council member Izzy Patoka cited Reese’s decision to go to LSU instead of another Southeastern Conference rival. “On a side note, my wife went to Auburn,” he said. “So thank you for not choosing Alabama.”
Julian Jones Jr., who chairs the Baltimore County Council, drew the biggest laughs when he began reading a resolution drafted by the council. “It goes something like this: ‘Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, Angel Reese, you are great and we love you!’” he said. “So I won’t bore everyone with that.”
Reese’s list of accomplishments is long despite her youthfulness. The 6-foot-3 forward led St. Frances to three consecutive Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference titles and was named The Baltimore Sun’s All-Metro Player of the Year in 2019-20.
She was the first Terp to average a double-double (17.8 points and 10.6 rebounds in 2021-22) since Angie Scott in 1975, and reached even greater heights after transferring to LSU. She set an NCAA record with 34 double-doubles, catapulted the Tigers to their first national championship in program history, and was named the NCAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.
Reese has become one of the highest-valued college athletes with regards to name, image and likeness earnings. Her NIL worth reached $1.4 million in May, according to the website On3 that concentrates on college sports business.
The offseason has been anything but slow for Reese. In May, Reese, who is known as the “Bayou Barbie,” appeared in Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit issue.
Later that same month, Reese and her Tigers teammates celebrated their championship at the White House with President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. The visit put to rest a mini-controversy when the First Lady initially suggested an invitation for both LSU and runner-up Iowa and Reese replied by saying the team should meet with former President Barack Obama and his family instead.
Reese contributed to the United States women’s basketball team capturing the silver medal at the FIBA AmeriCup after dropping a 69-58 decision to Brazil in the final July 9. Three days later, Reese won the ESPY award for Best Breakthrough Athlete, beating Iowa women’s basketball standout Caitlin Clark, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy and Seattle Mariners outfielder Julio Rodriguez.
The day after, Reese announced the creation of the Angel C. Reese Foundation committed to empowering women through sports, education and over avenues.
And on Tuesday, she will throw the first pitch before the Orioles game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at 7:05 p.m.
Evan Singletary trained with Angel and Julian Reese while playing at Dunbar High. Singletary — who coaches girls teams at Scotts Branch and for Team Thrill, a local AAU program launched by NBA small forward Will Barton — said he saw some of his players’ jaws drop when Reese walked up to the court.
“This is huge for the kids,” he said. “She has the skills, the work ethic, the desire to win. They see a young lady who presents herself in the right way.”
Reese also participated in a meet-and-greet later Monday.
Joseph Gittens traveled from Bloomfield, New Jersey, via Amtrak to see Reese. He has followed her since seeing her performance in the national championship game. He arrived in town Monday morning, went to the court dedication and left later in the day. Gittens is a self-proclaimed Rutgers fan, but plans to watch LSU this coming season because of Reese.
Kylie Peeples, 11, and Kassidy Taylor, 10, play basketball together in Capitol Heights and came to see a player both look up to.
”She has great techniques and I also want to play basketball like her,” Taylor said.
Peeples added, ”I like her game confidence, the confidence she has in the game to be able to play the way she does.”
Taylor Allen, 13, of Randallstown, doesn’t play basketball but looks up to Reese as a role model for young Black girls. ”I really like her because I like how she represents little girls that live in Baltimore,” she said.
Crystal Diala plans to start playing basketball this upcoming season at City and plans to model her game after Reese on and off the court, saying Reese shows her, “it’s OK to glow and realize that you’re important. You don’t have to always lower yourself, especially as a Black woman.”
The Girls Getting Better group of youth basketball players were ecstatic to meet Reese after attending a camp. Camp organizer Breaira Barksdale was just as excited as her players to see the grins on their faces as they got Reese’s autograph.
“It meant the world to me because it shows that the game is evolving,” Barksdale said. “It shows that the game is growing and that is what I am trying to really push on my end when I’m one on the ground and I’m talking to kids and I’m getting kids to love basketball just as much as I do.”
Fourteen-year-old Kennedi Mills looks up to Reese like a big sister figure. She grinned from ear to ear after getting Reese’s signature and posing for a picture. When she relived the moment, all she could remember was the shock.
“I was shaking, like I couldn’t believe it,” Mills said. “I didn’t think it was real. I was like, ‘Oh my God, it’s Angel Reese.’”
Reese has made it possible for children in what Burns described as “the Liberty Road corridor” to dream of what might be possible.
“There will be another,” he predicted. “It may not be an Angel Reese, but they will have their own name and will come out of this center.”
Jordan Brown contributed to this article.
