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Kahleah Copper Mentors Angel Reese After 'Tough Finishing Night' at Unrivaled

Angel Reese was coached up by her Unrivaled teammate Kahleah Copper after a tough shooting night.
Grant Young|
Jan 17, 2025; Miami, FL, USA; Angel Reese (5) of the Rose takes a moment against the Vinyl during a timeout in the first half of the Unrivaled women’s professional 3v3 basketball league at Wayfair Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
Jan 17, 2025; Miami, FL, USA; Angel Reese (5) of the Rose takes a moment against the Vinyl during a timeout in the first half of the Unrivaled women’s professional 3v3 basketball league at Wayfair Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

The Rose BC Unrivaled team has gotten off to a tough start in the new 3x3 league.

They're one of three teams that have started their Unrivaled season with a 0-2 record. The most recent defeat was 79-70 against Lunar Owls BC on January 18.

Chicago Sky superstar Angel Reese scored a respectable 12 points on 5 of 10 shooting from the field. However, she has missed a few shots close to the basket through play thus far, which was a recurring issue for her during her rookie season in the WNBA.

Reese's Unrivaled teammate Kahleah Copper spoke with NBC Sports' On Her Turf on January 21 and discussed how she mentored Reese after this performance.

"The night before, she had a tough finishing night," Copper said when asked what she was working with Reese on. "I know how that feels because I play heavy at the rim. So coming off a heavy finishing night, it's like 'I need to work on my finishes.'

"For her, it's just creating that routine. So I'm telling her 'Everyday, we gotta work on your finishes after practice,'" Copper added of Reese. "What people don't understand is that little bit that you do every day, that s*** adds up. So we're just working on that every day. And then just being able to stay mentally strong, it's very hard."

Copper continued by saying, "So just walking her through that and helping her understand that it's not just you. I've been there. You know, you look at a player like, 'Ok you've been there, and you've done the things that I want to do and would like to accomplish.' So I trust that."

It will be cool to see how Reese's finishing continues to improve under Copper's tutelage.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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