Angel Reese may have moved on from college basketball, but the Bayou Barbie never really left Baton Rouge. The 24-year-old is set to return to the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Thursday, where LSU will give its former star a special halftime recognition. And that announcement was enough to bring out an emphatic response from Reese, who made her excitement clear with a five-word reaction.

“THE BAYOU BARBIE IS BACK! 🎀💛💜” Reese wrote in response to LSU’s announcement on X, which read, “The Bayou Barbie is back this Thursday. Pack The PMAC.”

Reese made a name for herself in three years in the WNBA, where she came within one win of clinching her first WNBA title a few days ago. So, as her third season in the league comes to an end, Angel Reese is set to go back to the place where her rise to national prominence truly took off. Her two-year stint with the Tigers helped cement her status as one of the biggest stars in women’s basketball, highlighted by leading LSU to its first national championship in 2023 and then following it up with another championship run where she won SEC Player of the Year.

Across two seasons in Baton Rouge, Angel Reese averaged 20.9 points and 14.4 rebounds per game while recording 61 double-doubles. Those performances helped establish her as one of the biggest names in women’s college basketball before she entered the WNBA.

After her career with the Tigers, Reese was selected seventh overall by the Chicago Sky in the 2024 WNBA Draft and spent her first two professional seasons in Chicago before joining the Atlanta Dream in 2026. Her latest campaign brought another collection of individual achievements, including her first Defensive Player of the Year award, All-WNBA Second Team and All-Defensive First Team selections.

She also averaged career highs of 16.4 points, 12.1 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game as Atlanta reached the WNBA Finals. Although the Dream fell to the Golden State Valkyries in Game 7, Reese’s third professional season further cemented her place among the league’s leading players.

Now, before turning her attention fully to the next chapter of her professional career, Reese will get the chance to reconnect with the program and fans who witnessed her rise firsthand. LSU will face Texas Southern on Thursday, with tipoff scheduled for 8 p.m. ET. The Tigers will have their former star back in the PMAC, and Reese has already made clear how much the return means to her.

After LSU Homecoming, Angel Reese Must Address 3 Key Weaknesses to Lead the Dream to a Title

Coming within one win of a WNBA championship has given Reese and the Atlanta Dream plenty to build on heading into next season. Reese established herself as one of the league’s most dominant rebounders, but the Finals also exposed a few areas that could make the difference between another deep playoff run and finally lifting the trophy. Her three-point shooting, foul trouble, and turnovers are three aspects of her game that deserve attention.

Becoming a more consistent threat from beyond the arc

Reese’s shooting remains one of the biggest areas of opportunity. She connected on just 19.3% of her three-point attempts during the regular season, allowing defenders to give her space and focus on stopping her inside. However, her postseason numbers offered some encouragement. Reese knocked down 11 of her 29 attempts from deep, shooting an impressive 37.9% in the playoffs. That improvement showed the potential is there. So if she can just carry that confidence into an entire season, it would give Atlanta another dimension offensively and make it harder for opponents to crowd the paint whenever she has the ball.

Keeping her physicality from leading to foul trouble

Angel Reese’s physical presence is a major part of what makes her so effective, particularly on the glass. She averaged 12.1 rebounds per game in 2026, but her aggressive approach can also put her in difficult situations defensively. Reese averaged 3.7 personal fouls per game during the regular season, making foul management another important area to address. She does not need to change the intensity that makes her such a force inside. Instead, learning to control her contact and avoid unnecessary fouls could help her stay on the floor when Atlanta needs her most.

Cutting down on costly turnovers

The third concern is ball security. Reese averaged 3.1 turnovers per game during the regular season, and the problem became more noticeable as the Dream’s championship run reached its final stretch. She gave the ball away 19 times across the final four games of the Finals, as Golden State made it increasingly difficult for her to operate under pressure. Her passing is an important part of her offensive game, but opponents will continue to test her with aggressive defensive coverage. So making quicker reads, recognizing double-teams earlier, and taking better care of the ball could help her turn those situations into opportunities rather than empty possessions.

Angel Reese has already helped take Atlanta to a place the franchise had not reached in more than a decade. With another offseason to work on these areas, she has an opportunity to return even more complete and give the Dream a stronger chance of finishing the job.