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SAN FRANCISCO — WNBA star Angel Reese made the trip to take in her brother’s Sweet 16 showing Thursday.Maryland’s Julian Reese, a 6-foot-9 senior who is younger than Angel by a year, and the Terps faced off against No. 1 seed Florida in the West Regional.
Both mom, also named Angel, and sister attended, with Angel proudly displaying a shirt that read “I’m from Baltimore” from her seat a few rows up. Angel, who was recently named Unrivaled’s defensive player of the year in the three-on-three league’s inaugural season, had other obligations but moved them around so she could cheer on her brother in person.
Both Julian and Angel started at Maryland, but Angel transferred to LSU after two seasons, leading the Tigers to their first-ever women’s basketball title in 2023.
Julian grabbed the 1,000th rebound of his career in Maryland’s second-round win last weekend over Colorado State. Angel set a single-season rebounding record (418) as a rookie last summer in the WNBA. Asked afterward why he thinks his family produces such good rebounders, Julian laughed and said it’s mostly about heart.
Maryland coach Kevin Willard offered: “I would probably say playing one-on-one with Angel all those years. They both have tremendous motors, and they’re both highly competitive.”
Certainly Angel Reese would agree with Willard’s characterization. Last summer, after grabbing 16 rebounds in the Chicago Sky’s big win over Indiana, she told ESPN sideline reporter Holly Rowe, “I’m a dog, you can’t teach that.”
Clearly that same mentality rubbed off on Julian. Angel and Julian briefly played on the same team as young kids, a pairing that didn’t last long given how much they argued.
Mom, who played at Maryland-Baltimore County (UMBC), doesn’t recall ever putting the kids through rebounding drills. It’s purely instinctual, she said. She was pretty good at it herself, getting inducted into UMBC’s athletic hall of fame and playing pro overseas briefly.
Julian might not have the star power of his sister on or off the court — Angel was an All-American at both Maryland and LSU and has graced the cover of Vogue — but he’s a key player for the Terps, averaging 13.3 points and 9.1 rebounds per game.
The way Willard sees it, Julian Reese had no other option but to be a great rebounder.
“I think being a big guy, especially going through AAU now and high school basketball,” Willard said, “the really only way you get to basketball is if you set a pick and roll or get a rebound.”
Julian’s basketball IQ plays a role, too.
“He’s always had a good feel for where the ball’s going to go. I think that would be the sexy answer,” Willard said. “He has a really good feel for where shots are going to miss. He just doesn’t run to the same spot every time. He kind of understands who is shooting it, where it’s going. Like, Rodney (Rice) shoots it a little flatter than Ja’Kobi (Gillespie). Kobi’s misses are a little bit bouncier. Rod’s are a little bit harder. Julian understands that.”
With 23 seconds to go last weekend against Colorado State, with the score tied at 68-68, Julian grabbed a miss from teammate Selton Miguel and went back up to score. He got fouled, then went to the line and hit two crucial free throws.
As the person who probably knows Julian’s game best, Angel said she wasn’t surprised her brother grabbed a key offensive board. She’s been watching him do that his whole life.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Maryland Terrapins, Men's College Basketball, WNBA
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