Randallstown native and NCAA champion Angel Reese is back in town for different events, fresh off her ESPY award for Best Breakthrough Athlete less than a week ago.
The Maryland-turned-LSU star had a basketball court dedicated in her name Monday morning at the Scotts Branch Recreation Activity Center in Randallstown, where Reese grew up. She will then be at a meet-and-greet Monday at 5 p.m. at DTLR’s Northwood Shopping Center location.
T-shirts with Reese’s nickname, “Bayou Barbie,” will be sold at DTLR during her visit, with all sales going to Reese’s foundation, which supports women’s basketball at St. Frances Academy.
After throwing out the first pitch at Tuesday’s Orioles game, the NCAA Women’s Championship’s Most Outstanding Player will be at St. Frances Academy, her alma mater, where she’ll co-teach a clinic on Wednesday morning. WNBA player Angel McCarthy will be joining her.
Growing up, Reese used to play basketball on the court now dubbed “Angel Reese Court.”
“Seeing my name on a basketball court in my hometown – a court where I played as a child – is a full circle moment,” Reese said in a press release. “I hope this court empowers young athletes of all backgrounds and serves as a reminder that hard work, determination and staying true to yourself are what it takes to create success on the court and beyond.”
The dedication comes as the court has been renovated, part of Baltimore County’s ongoing effort to “modernize aging equipment” at county-run courts, according to the press release. The money for the $500,000-project comes from the American Rescue Plan Act to aid economic growth and public health after the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Angel Reese’s tenacity, leadership, and commitment to her team have led to incredible – and well deserved – accomplishments, and we couldn’t be more proud that she is from Baltimore County,” Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski said in a press release. “The new Angel Reese Court is sure to serve as inspiration and motivation for young athletes for years to come.”
The basketball court renovation project is expected to be finished by the fall.
A growing force in basketball, Reese gained additional recognition this spring when she responded to the double standard applied to her and competitor Caitlin Clark. Both players participated in trash talking, but many viewers piled on Reese, who is Black, while praising Clark, who is white.
“This was for the girls that look like me, that’s going to speak up on what they believe in, that’s unapologetically you,” Reese said in April.
