“If it was easy, everybody would be doing it. we good!” Angel Reese made her statement after basketball fans accused her of stat padding. Since then, she has broken many more records, including one for the most rebounds in a WNBA season. Still, the record has only fueled the fire even more. However, while many believe it to be, it is not uncharted territory that the seventh overall pick is conquering. Or is it?

Dominating the league with your defense is not an easy task. But that has not stopped Angel Reese from picking up right where she left off at LSU. The double-double queen entered the professional stage and has been a force to be reckoned with, especially in the paint. Nevertheless, the records have not come easily to the Baltimore native. Hence, to clear the air, let us verify her rebounding prowess.

Digging up the past for Angel Reese

For the Chicago Sky rookie, every game brings another record and a new set of troubles. Yesterday, she surpassed Sylvia Fowles (404 in 2018) for the most rebounds in WNBA history. Previously, she also became the only WNBA player to record three consecutive games with 20+ rebounds. But the WNBA is not the first time when the 6-ft-2 forward has shown off her dominance in the paint. In fact, going all the way back to her high school, her numbers support the cause. Angel Reese competed for St. Frances Academy in her hometown, Baltimore. Over the four years, she wreaked havoc for the Panthers. Even as a freshman, Reese was getting attention from college head coaches with her 11.1 points and 11 rebounds average, according to the Baltimore Sun.

She wrapped up her high school career after collecting multiple accolades from multiple (IAAM) A Conference titles to the 2019 Nike EYBL Championship. As a Panther, she averaged 17.47 points and 13 rebounds per game. She was one of the primary players in the post for St. Frances, giving them an upper hand on the interior. The five-star recruit committed to Maryland.

In her two years as a Terrapin, Angel Reese logged 13.9 points and 8.4 rebounds while playing over 20 minutes per game. Attracted to the winning mentality of Kim Mulkey, she then transferred to LSU. She was the scoring and rebounding leader for both of her years. The forward brought the National Championship home in her very first year as a Lady Tiger. She recorded 23 points and 15.4 rebounds per game that season. As a senior, she added 18.6 points and 13.4 boards for Mulkey. Also, she was shooting a little over 49.1% at Baton Rouge.

The final verdict of the stat-padding case

While it may often look like the 22-year-old is not efficient from her post and grabs only her own rebounds, it is actually not the case. Mulkey, Teresa Weatherspoon, and many others have defined Angel Reese as one of the most hungry and relentless players. In fact, the very reason that she was used to fighting in the paint is why the WNBA’s physicality did not really affect her overall defense.

Moreover, she herself has spoken about the controversy in her recent postgame presser. There, Angel Reese said, “Coming into it, I just knew my motor. Offensive rebounds and defensive rebounds is something that I know I can always do. I knew that was gonna translate right away. That’s something that a lot of players don’t wanna do. A lot of people think it is because I get my own rebounds, statistically, it’s not. A lot of people think it is because I’m the tallest on the court, I’m not the tallest on the court.” She further noted that going against the opponents is something she would want to do since rebounding is what brings championships. Something that she wants at every level.

In fact, after watching her grab about 13 rebounds per game, Rebecca Lobo on Sports Center also cleared the smoke. The ESPN analyst and WNBA legend said, “She is relentless on the glass, and to be doing it as a 6’3″ rookie has been remarkable and some of her critics likes to say, you know, well, she gets a lot of offensive rebounds off of her own misses. Our stats and information group looked that up. If you take away all of the offensive rebounds of her own misses, guess what? She’s still leading the league in offensive rebounds per game.”

Still, the Chicago fans are behind the rookie as they now run on a six-game losing streak. Still, does Chicago’s loss and Reese’s records mean that she is stat padding? Until more experts speak up on it, we have the proof that the forward has always been great when it comes to catching the ball from the glass.

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.