Angel Reese, Louisiana State University’s star forward, has at the start of season either not appeared at games or has been benched in them, with essentially no explanation from coach Kim Mulkey.
The seventh-ranked LSU Tigers are also the defending NCAA women’s basketball champions.
Reese was not seen at LSU’s home game against Texas Southern on Monday night and she missed the teams previous game at Southeastern Louisiana and was benched for a half against Kent State.
There is speculation the absences are related to grades, and Mulkey has said only it was a “coaches decision” regarding at least one instance in which Reese was not on the court.