Baltimore native Angel Reese and Iowa's Caitlin Clark attract crowds, inspire young basketball players
BALTIMORE -- Around 18,000 people will fill the seats at the Xfinity Center in College Park on Saturday night to watch a women's basketball game.
That's because a couple of superstar basketball players will be playing at the indoor arena.
Iowa's Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese of Louisiana State University are attracting sell-out crowds nationwide.
Clark will be playing at the University of Maryland this weekend. Every ticket to that game has been sold.
Reese was in Baltimore to play a game against Coppin State University in December, and that game was sold out, too.
Clark is on track to score the most points in women's college hoops history.
Meanwhile, Angel Reese, a Baltimore native, led LSU to the national title last season.
These two women are inspiring others about what's possible on the court and off the court. The next generation of basketball players has taken notice.
Their televised games draw big viewership. Now, more than ever, high school girls look up to high-profile role models in basketball.
"We just have to keep working and pushing ourselves, believing in ourselves, if we want to be Angel Reese or Caitlin Clark," Rosedale Christian Academy sophomore Jaylah Speller said.
These female basketball players have a lot of power, Rosedale Christian Academy junior London Harvey said.
"It's really important because it gives us a role model," Harvey said. "It gives us somebody to, we can achieve the same goals they have."
Panthers coach Rob Long benefits from the rise of women's college hoops. He knows his players are tuned into the careers of Clark and Reese.
"The success of those women makes it easier for me to push them and drive them, and say, 'This could happen,'" Long said.
What's happened for Clark and Reese is that they have entered a new level of stardom with new rules that allow college players to do paid endorsements and earn significant salaries.
"It just shows how far impact reaches," Clark said of her popularity. "People just love our team. They love the role models we have on this team. They're just attracted to the way we play a competitive sport and the team aspect of sport, and I think that's the coolest thing."
The two women are attracting attention and making money off their success at the same time. Reese is estimated to earn $1.7 million while Clark is in the $1 million range.
"They know they can be in this position one day, and me being able to be a leader and being able to be somebody they look up to is something I've kind of embraced," Reese said of young basketball players.
Long said women's basketball has too long been on the backburner of men's basketball. He said it's good for his athletes to see that transition.
"They need to see that people are very interested in women's basketball because it gives them hope."
