LSU's Reese Unapologetic After Championship Trash Talk

LSU is the new champ of women's college basketball, and star Angel Reese is very much the unapologetic center of attention as a result. During Sunday's 102-85 win in the championship game over Iowa, Reese directed some trash talk toward Iowa phenom Caitlin Clark that has sports fans abuzz on social media. At one point, Reese flashed her ring finger toward Clark, showing her where her national ring would be. And she gave Clark the "you can't see me" gesture of wrestler John Cena, which Clark herself had taunted opponents with during Iowa's climb to the final game. You can get a taste in this video clip from ESPN. Some reactions to all this:

• Reese: "I don’t fit the narrative,” she told reporters after the game, per the New York Times. "I don’t fit the box that you all want me to be in. I’m too hood. I’m too ghetto. You all told me that all year. But when other people do it, you all say nothing. So this is for the girls that look like me that’s going to speak up on what they believe in—that’s unapologetically you.”
• Reese, II: “Twitter is going to go on a rage every time, and I'm happy," she said. "I feel like I've helped grow women's basketball this year. I'm super happy and excited."
• Clark: She seemed unfazed by her rival's taunts, notes the AP. "I was just trying to get to the handshake line and shake hands and be grateful that my team was in that position," said Clark. "That’s all you can do is hold your head high, be proud of what you did. All the credit in the world to LSU. They were tremendous."
• One view: Anyone upset over the taunts should get over it, writes Nancy Armour at USA Today. If "you are outraged at LSU players boasting about their title and it coming at the expense of America’s new favorite player (Clark), you’re going to be horrified when I tell you about a guy named Michael Jordan. Or Aaron Rodgers." Armour thinks the attention to all this is a sign that women's college basketball has truly arrived.

(More women's college basketball stories.)