Angel Reese once dominated the spotlight in LSU, but the tides are turning in Baton Rouge. On a recent podcast, a key Lady Tiger was asked who she models her game after and Reese’s name was nowhere to be found. Instead, the conversation shifted to two different WNBA stars. Innocent omission? Or another sign that LSU might be moving on from one of its most polarizing figures?

The recent episode of Best of Both World with Flau’jaefeatured a long-awaited guest. The LSU Tiger’s junior superstar and electric forward, Flau’jae Johnson touched upon a host of topics with LSU guard, Aneesah Morrow. The duo recapped their games against Tennessee and Missouri, reacted to Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show, and more on the 48-minute episode. What caught our eye was the section where the two talked about player comparisons. More specifically, the WNBA player they liken themselves to.

For Flau’jae, Napheesa Collier’s “spin-back to the goal, the touch,” were all aspects she identified with. Fair enough. But when it came to Morrow, we expected her to mention a certain someone.

“Candace Parker. She could shoot it from the three, she could take you off the bounce…I feel like that’s my game,” stated Morrow. Were you expecting someone else? Perhaps a Chicago Sky forward? Perhaps the former LSU Tigers “it” girl who became an NBA All-Star in her rookie season? Yeah, us too. While the omission could have been harmless, but the platform it took place on begs the question: did Morrow not mention Reesea a single time because she was on Flau’jae’s show?

Is this a sign of the times at LSU?

Flau’jae and Reese share a strained relationship. The internet caught wind of their public beef when Reese’s mother criticized Flau’jae’s grammar in late 2023. A flurry of locker room drama and online skirmishes have brought us to where we are now. That’s why it came as no surprise when Flau’jae didn’t think twice about her answer and didn’t mention Reese at all in the episode. But we were left scratching our heads when Morrow didn’t either.

After the game against Albany in December last year, Reese tweeted, “nees (Aneesah) be snatching rebounds so aggressive 😭love that for her!”  Reese has a history of supporting Morrow whenever she deserves her flowers. Again, in December, Reese commented on Morrow’s post in response to her achieving her 86th double-double that read,” so proud of you boo” Reese even called Aneesah her favorite LSU player to watch out for this season. We can only speculate why the Bayou Barbie wasn’t the top name Morrow went for.

Morrow and Reese have always shared great chemistry, both on and off the court. But is this a signal of the change in identity at LSU? The stars who play at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center have always defined that identity. With Reese’s departure to Chicago, the new guard’s refusal to acknowledge her in such a discussion may be a subtle shift in leadership.

Whether intentional or not, their words are the words of a team that is ready to move forward. A team looking forward to detaching itself from the drama that defined last season. Are Aneesah Morrow and Flau’jae ready to take up the mantle?