Rich Rodriguez on sidelines and Angel Reese posing in brown outfitRich Rodriguez and Angel Reese (Photos via USA Today)

Angel Reese could not be talking or trending online, and her name would still come up randomly.

Last month, the Chicago Sky star took her game from the court to the catwalk and made history in the process, becoming the first professional athlete to walk in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.

Before that, Reese was already known as a fashionista, on and off the court, as she regularly showed off her style during the pregame runway.

That is something West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez had to speak about when it came to his own players.

Rodriguez took a considerable amount of time on his weekly coaches show to vent frustration over the way players dress and what they do with their uniforms.

According to Sports Illustrated, Rodriguez answered a question about a player exiting the Colorado game due to an exposed knee brace. He then took that time to go on an epic rant about uniform accessories that ended with a mention of Angel Reese.

“I tell our guys I don’t want to be the uniform police, but some of this stuff bothers me, Rodriguez said to kick off his rant.

“Like it’s not a towel they wear, it’s a tail. It’s not like you’re keeping your hands dry with something that’s three inches long and looks like a tail. I’m like, when in the hell did we start putting tails on our guys? It’s the same thing when you’re watching games and they got mouthpieces, but they ain’t using ’em. It’s just decoration. Not here. We don’t do that. You got a mouthpiece; you put it in your mouth.”

The next part of his rant followed a similar path as he spoke about the shoes the players are given versus the shoes they choose to wear.

“It’s the same way with shoes. You wear the shoes that we give you. You don’t go over there to get your own fancy shoes and put some sparkles on it or whatever the hell it is.”

Rich Rodriguez Mentions Angel Reese

Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese in uniformChicago Sky forward Angel Reese (John Jones-Imagn Images)
Coach Rodriguez is not a fan of how his players wear accessories that offer no benefit to their gameplay.

That means novelty mouthpieces or compression tights, and to bring his point home, he had to mention WNBA player Angel Reese.

“We let these kids wear all kinds of glow-in-the-dark mouthpieces and all kinds of crap like that. It drives me crazy. And it’s like, they wear these leggings, right? If you had a leg injury and you had a knee sprain or something, and the trainer gives you a knee sleeve to keep that tight, that’s understandable. But if you’re wearing just one long legging on one leg and nothing on the other, you’re just trying to be Angel Reese. That’s what I call ’em. Are you trying to make a fashion statement? She can get by with it. She’s in the WNBA. You’re a football player. No Angel Reese’s here.”

The 6-foot-3 Angel Reese is always the main topic of conversation. She is a former national champion at Louisiana State University and the 2023 NCAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.

Reese has become one of the most visible figures in women’s sports.

Reese had a historic rookie season in the WNBA when she recorded the most consecutive double-doubles and the most double-doubles in a rookie season.