FIRST FAMILY

By winning a pair of NCAA national titles on consecutive nights, Angel Reese and Jordan Hawkins have given their basketball-loving family plenty to cheer about

- MARK BECHTEL

WHEN Angel Reese and her cousin Jordan Hawkins were growing up in Maryland, they were both serious about basketball. When their family got together for summer cookouts, they did it in style: loads of relatives. (When asked how many, Jordan says, "A lot." When pressed for more detail, he says, "A lot.") Tons of hot dogs and hamburgers. And basketball games.

Back then, Angel could beat Jordan. "She was bigger," says Jordan. "I was a pretty scrawny kid. She used to beat me, but not anymore."

It says something about Angel's game that it now takes a potential NBA lottery pick to beat her. She has become one of the best players in women's basketball. In the spring she led LSU to the national championship, capping off the Tigers' run with a 15-point, 10-rebound performance in the title game against Iowa on April 2.

The next night, she watched as Jordan won a championship of his own, as he scored 16 points in Connecticut's win over San Diego State. "It was hard to root for UConn," says Angel, referring to the school's traditionally strong women's basketball program. "I made an exception, though." A few days later, Jordan announced he would enter the NBA draft, where he is expected to be a first-round pick.

Basketball has always been a part of the cousins' lives. "Everybody plays basketball in the family," says Angel. "It's fun when you go to a cookout and everybody's on the court playing and it's competitive."

Angel's older brother, Mikael Hopkins, plays professionally overseas, while her younger brother, Julian Reese, plays at Maryland. Angel's mom, who is also named Angel, played in college at Maryland-Baltimore County. "She was a big rebounder," says the younger Angel. "She taught me and my brother Julian how to play."