Apuje Kalu

The way I look at Angel’s development, Smesko isn’t necessarily teachin her how to do things she’s never done before. He’s polishing skills that were already there and helping her put them all together. Everything we’re seeing Angel do now, you can literally see it in this highlight. Angel was a guard in high school and played point forward at Maryland, where she earned Big Ten Freshman of the Year, All Defensive Team honors, and several other accolades. She was also Maryland’s leading scorer her sophomore yr, averaging 17.8 PPG ahead of Ashley Owusu and Diamond Miller. When AR transferred to LSU, Mulkey needed her closer to the basket, and bein the team player she is, Angel embraced her new role, adjusted her game to what the team needed, and DOMINATED. When you spend yrs playin a different role and aren’t consistently utilizing certain skills, naturally, those skills get rusty. That doesn’t mean they were never there. That’s why I view what Smesko is doin as refinement, not reinvention. He’s helpin Angel sharpen her fundamentals, regain confidence in different areas of her game, and become a more complete player. There’s absolutely nothin wrong with acknowledging Angel’s development. That’s what player development is supposed to look like. But some of y’all have weaponized the word “improvement” to push this narrative that AR never had any offensive skills or basketball ability to begin with. There’s a difference between developing skills and rediscovering, refining, and expanding skills you already possessed. Smesko isn’t creating Angel from scratch. He’s helpin unlock more of the player she’s always been.