Angel Reese Will Play Thursday Following Unexplained 4-Game Absence, LSU Coach Kim Mulkey Says

The 21-year-old NCAA champion has been noticeably absent from four games this season

LSU Basketball star Angel Reese will suit up for Thursday's game against Virginia Tech after an unexplained four-game absence.

Reese, 21, has missed the last four of LSU's games, and head coach Kim Mulkey's vague reasons for her star player's absence sparked speculation among fans.

On Wednesday, Mulkey, 61, announced during her media availability that Reese would return to play on Thursday.

"Angel is back," Mulkey said, before she even sat down in front of reporters.

"She will play tomorrow," the head coach added as reporters continued to ask for details about her unexplained absence.

When one reporter asked how much "figuring out" LSU will have to do to keep Reese on the court, Mulkey said the situation with Reese is "not that difficult" to "figure out," and she's confident that Reese "knows our system" enough to catch up after her absence.

Related: LSU Basketball's Kim Mulkey to Become Highest-Paid Women’s Basketball Coach in $32M Deal: Reports

Mulkey kept her answers vague throughout Reese's absence, and offered short replies when reporters tried to dig for more information. "You always have to deal with locker room issues," Mulkey said after Reese missed a second game earlier this month. "That’s just part of coaching," she continued. "In 40 years, I can never think of a time where I didn't have to deal with issues. That’s what coaches do."

Mulkey added, "Sometimes you'll know about them, and sometimes you don’t," regarding the aforementioned "issues" facing her team. "Sometimes you want to know more than you're entitled to know," she continued.

After LSU's 59-point victory over Texas Southern on Nov. 20, Mulkey said that her squad is "like a family," and suggested a hypothetical comparison to the inner workings of a collegiate team.

"Let me ask you this. If you do some disciplining of your own children, do you think we're entitled to know that? That's a family in that locker room."

Closing the topic, Mulkey told reporters: "You're not entitled to that information, okay? Angel was not in uniform tonight. Angel is a part of this basketball team. And Angel will be back sooner than later. I've given you my answer."

Related: LSU's Angel Reese Makes Her 'Sports Illustrated' Swimsuit Issue Debut: 'I Embrace My Body'

Reese has been fairly quiet amid the missed games, but rumors began to swirl after a teammate's mother alleged that Reese was away from the team because of a low GPA.

The online drama between Reese's mother, Angel Reese Webb, and teammate Flau'jae Johnson's mother, Kia Brooks, began on social media when Webb criticized Johnson's grammar, according to Outkick.

The outlet reported that Brooks fired back at Webb in an Instagram comment. “You definitely know about grammar errors when your daughter got a 2.0-or-less grade point average," adding, “Stop being petty, fake and hateful, and take responsibility for you and your daughter’s actions.”

After the comment went viral on social media, Reese took to X (formerly Twitter) to seemingly address the rumor. "Please don’t believe everything you read," she wrote in a post on Sunday.

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In June, Reese opened up about the pressure of her rising fame in an interview with PEOPLE.

Reese said she's definitely felt "overwhelmed" with "so many" eyes on her but says she's embraced the opportunity to be a role model. "It's a blessing, honestly. I've kind of embraced it. People are watching me," she said. "I mean, it's a fast life I'm living. I think I have to mature quickly."

Reese continued, "I'm going to learn from mistakes that I make, but I have a lot of great people around me that help me and I'm blessed to have them around me. I'm happy."

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