Yahoo News Angel Reese and Her Cousin Jordan Hawkins Are Both March Madness Champions: 'Cookout Gone Be Lit!'
Both players won their respective college basketball titles within 24 hours of each other
In 24 hours, cousins Angel Reese and Jordan Hawkins became college basketball champions.
Reese, 20, helped LSU beat the University of Iowa in Sunday's NCAA women's basketball championship game. And the next day, 20-year-old Hawkins and UConn defeated San Diego State University for the men's title.
After Monday's win, Reese sent a text to Hawkins congratulating him — and he said they are already planning how to celebrate.
"[She] said she was proud of me," Hawkins told Today. "We both said we need to go home right away for the cookout. I know it's going to be crazy. The whole family is going to be there."
Per Today, the cousins are both from Maryland. Hawkins grew up in Gaithersburg, near Washington D.C., and attended DeMatha Catholic High School. Meanwhile, Reese grew up near Baltimore and went to St. Frances Academy.
Related:Everything to Know About the Taunts Between March Madness Stars Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese
After his win, Hawkins paid tribute to his cousin and said he hoped to inspire other children from his hometown.
"This is for all the kids from Gaithersburg, Maryland, that didn't think they could do it. I did it. Now you can do it, man," he said, as noted by CNN. "Me and Angel paved the way. We did it."
"I'm going to see her in Maryland soon," he added. "The cookout gone be lit."
After her win, Reese talked about the criticism she received during the season and explained that she, like Hawkins, hoped to inspire young players.
RELATED VIDEO: LSU Star Angel Reese Responds to Critics: 'This Is for The Girls That Look Like Me'
"All year I was critiqued about who I was," she said. "I don't fit the narrative. I don't fit in the box that you all want me to be in. I'm too hood, I'm too ghetto. You told me that all year. But when other people do it, y'all don't say nothing."
She added: "So this is for the girls that look like me, that want to speak up on what they believe in. It's unapologetically you. It was bigger than me tonight. I'm happy. I felt I helped grow women's basketball."
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