← No Offseason: The Athletic Women's Basketball Show
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- [00:01]
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- [04:57]
Zena Keda
For the Athletic I'm Zena Keda and this is the Athletic Women's Basketball Show. Welcome back to another episode of the Athletic Women's Basketball show where we are here to talk all things women's hoops. Whether you're a die hard fan that eats, sleeps and breathes the game or you just happen to tune into a crazy blockbuster matchup between LSU and sc and you're like, I need more of this. Inject it into my veins. We're here for you. You are in the right space. This is a safe place to talk basketball. And make sure you subscribe to this pod, wherever you get your pods, so you stay up to date and subscribe to the Athletic because there's some really good written content on there as well. I got Sabrina Merchant and Chantelle Jennings, who's reporting live on location out in Iowa, that's going to be able to break some of this stuff that down from over the weekend, particularly the LSUSC game. And then we're going to talk about the babies in the game, the freshmen that are cooking things up in the NCAA. But let's first get going on that LSU SC matchup. Last final score, 66, 56 in favor of the South Carolina Gamecocks. And this game had to be rescheduled due to snow. And I'm sure many of you out there that are listening to us, particularly in, weirdly, the nether regions of the United States, places that don't typically get snow, had to experience that. And they. And they had to shift the game to Friday. But I actually didn't mind it. I feel as if there was more anticipation around the game. But Sabrina Chantel, going into this matchup, I'll start with you, Sabrina. What were some of the things that you were looking forward to out of this, these two teams matching up against each other?
- [06:53]
Sabrina Merchant
Well, LSU hasn't beaten South Carolina in Lord knows how long. I mean, I think it's been just 17 games.
- [07:00]
Chantelle Jennings
17 games. I think.
- [07:02]
Sabrina Merchant
I think just the ability to remain competitive is the number one thing. LSU's gotten close. They had a really close game in the PMAC last year that South Carolina ended up overtaking in the second half. And then we can't forget the SEC tournament final that ended in a bit of a brouhaha last season. So, you know, Tigers keep getting closer and closer, but they haven't exactly gotten over the hump. And the last time they went into Colonial Life arena, it was a massive blowout in favor of South Carolina. So the number one thing was can LSU just keep this competitive? Because a lot of teams go into South Carolina and they're just blitzed from the moment the game starts. And I just wanted to see, like, if we're really going to take LSU seriously. This is a game where they have to be ready to go, you know, not lose this in the first quarter. And from that perspective, like I was impressed by lsu. Like it's a weird thing, we'll get to the whole thing in a second. But like I ended the game feeling simultaneously worse and better about LSU's long term prospects. But Chantelle, why don't you add a little here?
- [07:58]
Chantelle Jennings
Well, I feel like this was like we should just do a like live reading of our text messages from the game because I texted Sabrina and I said, is this the best LSU has looked this season? She said, no, I think offensively they look like a mess. And I was like, yeah, but don't you think that's more South Carolina's defense? Like, South Carolina has one of those defenses that you can't, you can't like, no matter how good your scout team is, I don't care. They're not going to be like South Carolina's defense because of the length and how, how active that defense is and just sort of the playmaking ability of different players. Specifically like Malaysia Full Wiley on that defense. You aren't going to have a practice player that can do that or like 11 blocks, right? Like, you're not going to have that in your practice. Right. And so was it LSU's offensive miscues 100%. Was it South Carolina's defense? Was it 50, 50? And so I think that was sort of the, you know, what you're trying to reconcile throughout the game while you're watching is like how much of this is South Carolina's dominance and how much of this is LS maybe being the team that we were? Like, are they actually good when you're not act when you're not actually playing a good non conference schedule.
- [09:04]
Zena Keda
Are they actually good? Is a wonderful way to segue into the actual game because I, I do feel like that's been the narrative around lsu. Who have you played fairly? Who have you beaten? Like, are you actually good? We don't know yet. But now we have seen them match up against the Gamecocks and yeah, I would say that their offense looked a little chaotic and I would credit South Carolina's defense to that. But overall the stars showed up for lsu. You think about Anissa Moore, you think about Flauj Johnson for sure. But it was just the overwhelm on the South Carolina side. Everyone being contributive to either the offense and the defense on both ends. Just, it's not just that first five you have to worry about with South Carolina. It's the next five coming off the bench. So let's break down the game, um, which which team you guys want to start with? You want to start South Carolina side, or we want to start lsu?
- [10:00]
Sabrina Merchant
Let's start with the Gamecocks.
- [10:01]
Zena Keda
Let's start with the Gamecocks. All right, first up, led by freshman phenom Joyce Edwards, finishing out with 14 points. I mean, she was phenomenal. Just casual. She just looked like she has been there for so long. Shantel, what'd you like about her game inside?
- [10:21]
Chantelle Jennings
I mean, I think you sort of hit the nail on the head. Xena. And this is. We'll talk more about freshmen throughout this pod. But, like, she looks so relaxed out there. She never looks overwhelmed by a situation. This is, you know, they're welcoming a top five team into Colonial Life arena. And she's like, been here, done that. Like, she's just so relaxed out there. And, you know, you look at her and you think, this is not a program that plays freshman heavy minutes very often. And let's caveat. Heavy minutes at South Carolina, that is 20 minutes. A game like that is heavy minutes at South Carolina. And Don Staley's system, she's getting the fifth most minutes of any player right now at South Carolina. The most minutes of any post player. Like she is someone the team is relying on. And to be in that position and to just sort of be as casual as she is. So impressive. And to be the leading scorer for South Carolina in this game. Again, 14 points. A South Carolina team that isn't getting to the, you know, 90 point situation. They're usually at 40 points off the bench. Usually, like, those numbers were lower because of some offensive miscues for South Carolina and also some defensive pressure from lsu. But I think the thing I come away with every time I watch Joyce is like, she just looks so much older and more mature out there than most freshmen. And I think as we talk about other impressive freshmen across the country, like, that's just the name of the game. She's so poised and relaxed out there, for sure.
- [11:40]
Zena Keda
And I know, Sabrina, you were probably chomping at the bit because I appreciate that you like big girls. I think that you evaluate the post game pretty well. I wanted to see. I really wanted to hear what your thoughts were on Joyce's performance.
- [11:52]
Sabrina Merchant
I mean, I'm kind of impressed that South Carolina is only running eight deep right now. That feels like a very light number for what the Gamecocks usually do. But because of, you know, the injury to Ashlyn Watkins, Maddie McDaniel had a concussion last month, hasn't really come back into the lineup. Like, this is A more of a normal size rotation for the Gamecocks. Like not what you'd come to expect. It's like what other teams have to deal with. And for Joyce to be the only big off the bench, like, that's, that's kind of a big responsibility. Right. Like, usually with the Gamecocks, it's okay, well, one person doesn't have it. We have 13 other options who can just fill in for them. But that's, that's no longer the case. Right. Like, they need some scoring off the bench. And that's what she had to do against, you know, a front court that maybe is not as big as some of the others in the sec. But like Anissa Morrow is a very physical player. Jersey Wolfenbarger, Samaya Smith, very athletic players. So, I mean, the thing I love about Joyce Edwards is she runs the floor so well. Like, you could see that against LSU. Like, it's. There was that one like 9, 0 blitz, I want to say, in the third quarter where it was just turnover after turnover. And you could tell that their pace was really getting to lsu. Like LSU is a team that likes to play fast. And South Carolina was just like, we have athletes too. We have people who are going to run the floor hard and, you know, beat you down the floor in transition. And that just kept happening over and over again. And Joyce fits right into that. I mean, like you mentioned Cena, I love, I love watching post players and Joyce Edwards steals as well as any freshman. Like, other than Sarah Strong, I would.
- [13:10]
Zena Keda
Say positioning is her game. Positioning is her game. Now I want to break down particularly South Carolina's offense overall, because even as all over the place as LSU looked, South Carolina didn't look that great in terms of shooting. They didn't shoot well from this game. And if you even look at the statistics, they shot more poorly than LSU did in, in general. I'll break down the numbers real quick. If you look at the shooting differential between these two games, the only place that South Carolina shot better was in the three. The field goal percentage. They were more efficient overall, but their three point percentage, 15% from three. They're not a great three point shooting team in general, but you would have thought with LSU shooting a little bit better from three that that could have helped them out. South Carolina was terrible at the free throw line. 69% in comparison to 78% for LSU, but they were just more efficient with their shots. They had better finishing 62 shots for South Carolina versus 77 shots for LSU. And they were just able to get more paint points overall. What is it about South Carolina that even when they're not shooting well outside, even when, you know, Tessa Johnson isn't coming in and putting in those buckets that we know she can, or Tahina Pow Pow goes over four from three that they're still able to get good shots inside, particularly Chantel.
- [14:36]
Chantelle Jennings
Well, I think it's sort of that DNA of South Carolina where it's like there's always some point in the game when, like you said, even if they're not shooting the lights out, even if they're not like looking the most impressive offensively, like there's some point in the game where that defensive intensity turns into turnovers, turns into steals and they're able to funnel that into offense. And no, you know, they didn't shoot as well from the free throw line, but they got there 26 times versus nine times for LSU. And you know, to come back to Joyce Edwards, she got there more than anyone else on South Carolina. Eight times. She only sunk four of those. You know, that's definitely going to be a place of improvement for her. She needs to shoot better than 50% at the free throw line. But they have an ability to get to the glass, to attack the glass and to get fouled there. And so I think when you're picking up those points without running time off the clock, like, that's huge. And I think also that third quarter run that Sabrina referenced earlier, that sparked a nine minute drought in field goals for lsu. And I think when you can sort of suffocate other teams defensively, whether that's turning the ball over, stealing the ball, getting out an offense, just like having defensive stops and just like play after play after play is just coming up for the over for your opponent. Like, it's just so demoralizing and like there's always in. You look at, if you look at those games for South Carolina, like there's always some stretch, it's not always nine minutes. Like that was a hell of a run for South Carolina in that game. But like there's always some time in a South Carolina game where they sort of like grab the game and they're like, okay, this is our DNA and this is how we're going to play.
- [16:07]
Zena Keda
They kind of go, okay, it's time to stop playing with our food. Let's go, let's get going.
- [16:12]
Chantelle Jennings
Be who we are.
- [16:13]
Zena Keda
Be who we are. And that was something that was also interesting for me because when I think of South Carolina, I think the glass, I think the paint Particularly, and I was shocked at how much LSU was able to get some, you know, O boards over South Carolina. Total offensive rebounds were 28 to just 15 for South Carolina, yet it didn't face them. They were out rebounded by lsu, but it didn't phase them because of what you're talking about just swelling, overwhelming them on defense. So if you're looking at LSU's game, you guys talked about their offense being a little bit all over. What were some of the things that were glaring that they could have cleaned up in terms of playing against South Carolina's big wings? And, you know, Sanai Fagan being out there, Brie hall being out there, like, what were some of the things they could have cleaned up? Sabrina?
- [17:02]
Sabrina Merchant
Yeah, I'm not sure what they can clean up in this particular matchup because you look at LSU and they kind of remind me of like a pro team in the sense that, like, they spent all their salary cap on three players and then just didn't have enough to fill out the roster. They've got Mikayla Williams, Flaje Johnson and Anissa Morrow, who are maybe three of the best, like, 25 players in the country potentially. And then you look at the rest of their roster and it's like, would I trust any of them in an NCAA tournament?
- [17:25]
Zena Keda
Right?
- [17:25]
Sabrina Merchant
Not yet, but we'll see what happens in March. And you think about the adjustment South Carolina made defensively after the first quarter, it was just, okay, we're just going to sink everyone into the paint. On Anissa Moore, when she catches the ball, there are going to be three people around her. She's not going to be able to turn. It doesn't matter how quick she is. And I thought LSU just like, didn't space the floor well at all after the first quarter. And it helped that South Carolina wasn't paying attention to anybody but those Big Three. But Chantel talks about this all the time. You need good guard playing the NCAA tournament, and they're just not getting it from Kaylin Gilbert and Cheyenne Day Wilson. Miracle Shepherd's like, basically an afterthought last year. POA is, you know, one of the remaining players from that national title team two years ago, and she got three or four minutes in this game. So there just. There doesn't seem to be anybody that Kim Mulkey trusts to run the offense. It's gonna. It was a lot of Mikayla Williams at the one in this game. I think her and Flaje Johnson are going to have to take that responsibility. But, like, how much can you Ask them to do when Mikayla Williams is also your best shooter and Flaje Johnson is also your best perimeter defender. Like, do they have to literally do everything for you on offense? And I think, you know, you see the games where LSU ends up coming up with like these big comebacks, like that comeback against Stanford. You know, Kaylin Gilbert hits a lot of shots down the stretch and she's the one who hits that miraculous running floater, whatever you want to call that, to get the game winner against Tennessee. And like, that's the thing that elevates LSU is when they can get the contribution from somebody who's not their Big Three. And that just didn't happen against South Carolina. And I don't think that's something you can change, frankly. It's something that just, they have to be better. You know, Cheyenne Wilson is a fifth year player. They, they came to LSU knowing that they were going to be put in these situations to compete for championships. And like, I don't think you can really realistically ask for much more from Flaje, Mikayla Williams and Anissa Moore. Like, I know they weren't super efficient, as we mentioned, but like, that's because all of the attention was focused on them. Like, they rebounded as well as they possibly could. They gave themselves as many chances as they possibly could. It's just at a certain point, like somebody else has to help and like South Carolina wasn't worried about that happening at all, you know, so, and just.
- [19:23]
Zena Keda
To put what you're saying into perspective, I mean, Anissa Morrow, Flaud J. Johnson, Mikayla Williams, this was their shot. Profile 6 of 19, 19 for Anissa Morrow, Flauge Johnson 6 of 18. Mikayla Williams 5 of 17. Anissa Morrow added 16 rebounds to her 15 points. Okay, I want to just put in perspective. I, you know, covered women's basketball, but I also cover the NBA. There are NBA superstars. Not putting up 19 shots in a game like this is a lot to ask of a college player, especially when she's being double teamed, triple teamed, you know, kind of dipped in on like it is a lot of congestion around these stars to find, try to find their way out. And so now I'm wondering, Chantelle, as someone that, you know, we've talked about this on the podcast. We've now seen LSU in prime time against a primetime competitor. I was happy with the end result. I thought it was a competitive game. They started out strong, which is something you can't say for all of South Carolina's competitors. Usually Don grabs them by the jugular early. And so I appreciated that LSU was able to come out strong. What's the final set here on at least this game, and then things that they can take into the rest of the sec.
- [20:42]
Chantelle Jennings
Yeah, I think Sabrina kind of hit it on the head. Like, LSU's big three. Like, they can win most games as long as those three show up. Like, most games, South Carolina is not most teams. Right? Like, this is a team that is built to win a national championship. But even most teams of the sec, like, as long as Anissa Flage and Michaela show up and are good enough, like, LSU will win. They will finish in the top 23 of the SEC. Like, I think that's going to happen. I think even if that happens against, like, Texas, it's fine. Like, they will be okay. However, in these games against the UCLA of the world, the South Carolinas of the world, you need guard play to show up. You need a fourth player to show up. You can't play three on five against the best teams, the best of the best teams in the country, the most elite teams in the country. And so that's going to be the challenge for Kim Mulkey. Like, what can you cultivate over the next six weeks, basically, to make sure that your team has enough firepower going into the NCAA Tournament. Without that, they're not a Final Four team if they can. And it doesn't even have to be the same fourth player. Like, as long as there's someone showing up in that spot, someone. And then someone showing up in the fifth spot who, like, throw in six points, four rebounds, like, just sort of like a mediocre SEC performance here. They could be a Final Four team, and we'll look at them and say, oh, yeah, they were as, you know, as good as we thought they could be all along. But, you know, their big three, like Serena said, some of the top probably 20 players in the country, I would argue, like, they're just so, so good. But beyond that, you look across the rest of their roster and you're like, Bueller, Bueller. Like, someone raise your hand and show up. Someone.
- [22:25]
Zena Keda
Right? Oh, I love that. That's good. All right. Well, so, Sabrina, what's the lesson South Carolina can learn from this game? I mean, they're now perfect in SEC play. And they're. They're handling teams. They're handling teams. They're handling themselves. And what I love about how they're handling teams is that they're not getting outside of themselves. Right. They're not doing anything that's Not South Carolina basketball. It is their defense turned into offense. It is their length, it is their activity that's allowing them to stay in control of games. And it is Don Staley being like, what the hell are you doing? If they're acting out of character, so what can they learn about this win and moving forward?
- [23:03]
Sabrina Merchant
I continue to be really impressed with Saniah Fagan. You know, I was worried about South Carolina's post rotation without Ashton Watkins, already without Camila Cardoso Sinai. Fagan has just been really, really solid defending the rim. I think she had, what is it, another big block game against lsu. Three blocks in this one, but just seemed like she deterred a lot more shots than that. Was just like making life very difficult for Anissa Morrow trying to finish around the rim. Difficult for Flage trying to finish around the rim. She's even scoring more than I expected. 12 points in that game. You know, second to Joyce Edwards on the team. She was the kind of player who was getting maybe like 20 minutes at the start of the season, like 36 against Ellis.
- [23:39]
Zena Keda
The most on this, someone that Don.
- [23:41]
Sabrina Merchant
Staley can clearly count on, you know, So I think just knowing that, like, the system works, you know, if we're down early, we know that we can make adjustments. We have a team that is battle tested in these situations. Even if the literal players like Sny Fagin haven't been in these moments. Like, she's been on the bench for three years, watching what South Carolina does, you know, only losing however many regular season games in that time period. Like, one maybe.
- [24:06]
Zena Keda
So it's so crazy.
- [24:08]
Sabrina Merchant
It's an insane amount of talent, just not normal.
- [24:12]
Zena Keda
That was just a crazy stuff.
- [24:14]
Sabrina Merchant
So I think. I think this is just, like, confirmation that, like, the plan is working, you know, like, they lost to UCLA early in the season. They looked a little dicey in that opening game against Michigan. They have not looked dicey at all since. Right? Like, yeah, maybe you're down at the start of the game against Mississippi State or lsu, but, like, it's the sec, Things happen. By the end of the second quarter, like, everything was hunky dory with South Carolina. So I think, like, you just. You look at the team, you're like, we have enough. Maybe it's not what we thought we had going into the season, but we have enough. We just have to play to our capabilities. Like Chantel said, we have to, you know, attack the rim, get to the line. Like, maybe the threes aren't going to fall. Maybe some team will get a lot of offensive rebounds. On us because, again, you know, a little bit less of a post rotation that they've had in recent years. But I just look at South Carolina, I'm like, all right, well, this is enough. Right? Like, I look at lsu, I have questions. I look at a lot of other teams. I have questions. I don't have any questions about South Carolina. Like, maybe a bad day will hit them, but I don't go into any game thinking that they are outmatched.
- [25:05]
Zena Keda
Yeah. It would be so interesting to sit in a South Carolina film session because there's things to learn. Don't get me wrong. It's not as if they're perfect, but if you're coaching South Carolina and the. The standard of excellence continues to be met each game, it's just like, bravo. Or Bravo, like, great job. What now? No. What's the next thing that we can get better at? What can we continue to improve on? It would be really interesting to see what some of those young women would say about their individual games and their individual performances and, like, what they would nitpick in wanting to be better because, yes, Sinai Fagan, 12, 7. In a game like that, 36 minutes like that is a solid, solid showing up like you showed up for that game, and especially when the focal point wasn't you. Right. Like, you weren't supposed to be the key person. But that's the thing about South Carolina basketball, is that anybody, any point at any, you know, throughout the season can be the focal point of a game. And so very fun game. We appreciate any time there's a primetime NCAA game. And it matches the energy, right? That's. That's the big thing about women's basketball in general. The space that the world gives us to be great is so small. And so every time they match that energy, and it's definitely exciting to watch, it's like, yes, another win. Another win. So thank you to LSU and South Carolina for a great matchup. Now, we talked about Joyce Edwards within the context of this conversation of these two teams, and it made us realize that there's a larger conversation that we haven't really had on this show yet. And that's about the babies, the freshmen, the freshies, the whatever you want to call them. They're not rookies because they're not pros, but just the freshmen throughout the ncaa. And, yeah, there's been a lot of them. We've kind of sprinkled them in throughout. But I want to talk about them today because there's one way to talk about freshmen in. In general. In that they could be the best freshmen in general. How many points are they getting? How many blocks are they getting? How many rebounds? What do the stats look like? But then there's also ways to talk about freshmen that are like, who can you count on? Who can come in and make an impact on a game? Maybe they're not putting up the biggest stats, but they are making an impact. They are helping their team in a positive way. Um, and then there's a person that's doing both, that is getting the big points and impacting their team. I mean, last year, definitely a Juju Watkins, right? That's a perfect prototype of someone that does both. But we feel as if there's a lot of freshmen that we could talk about that are in either the first category, the second category, or in that third category of doing both. I would place someone like a Joyce Edwards, both. She's putting up the numbers, and she's helping her team impactfully in a positive way. But Sabrina Chantel, I want to go with you guys. I want to ask you guys, and we can go to that third category first of somewhat freshmen who are doing both, who's been standing out to you as a freshman that not only is putting up serious numbers in their respective field, but also have been impacting their. Their teams and moving them in the positive way.
- [28:15]
Chantelle Jennings
I mean, I think we have to start with Sarah Strong if we're going to talk about this category specifically. For my money, she's the freshman of the year at this point. I think. You know, I was in stores at the beginning of the season before they had played any games. And I was watching practice and Geno comes over and he's like. Like, she's really good. And he's not someone that, I would say heaps praise on players, especially freshmen in the preseason. And so my ears kind of perked up at that. Like, all right, how good is she going to be? And I watched her in practice against the practice boys, and I was like, she looks really fluid. She looks really strong. She's playing really, really well, but I think she's been even better than I thought. Like, we're sort of at this point in the season where it feels like, like for UConn to get to the Final Four, for Paige Beckers, finally win a national championship, Like, Sarah Strong is sort of her best hope. Like, Sarah Strong has to show up in a way that is going to be so impactful for this UConn team. And right now she's scoring 18 points, eight rebounds, four assists, two and a half steals, a block, a game. Like, for a freshman to be doing this, she's shooting 37% from three. Like, she's sort of just this matchup nightmare that coaches look at. And it's like, how do you stop someone like that who. There's also, like, limited film tape on? Because she's a freshman, it feels like she can pull stuff out of her bag at any time because it's like people just haven't seen as much of her. And, you know, I think back to, like, Paige's freshman year. She was named National Player of the Year as a freshman and sort of how good she was that year. But you look back at that team, and it was like, Kristen Williams, Olivia Nelson, Adota Avena Westbrook, Aaliyah Edwards. She was surrounded by all these players. And obviously, Sarah has a lot of talent on this team as well, but I would not say it's as talented as that team from Paige's freshman year. And so I've just been so impressed with her and sort of similarly, as I talked about Joyce, she just looks so comfortable out there. She's so fluid. She's not phased by the moment. She's just ready. She's so ready for this stage that I'm impressed every time I see her.
- [30:27]
Zena Keda
There seems to be a common theme here about good freshmen. Relaxed, ready, not phased. When I think about some other folks that we're gonna talk about, for sure, I would imagine that's an adjective that I would definitely use on them. But, Chantel, you've been. And I wanted to make sure I gave you the space to say this. We talked about Joyce Edwards. You've been in film sessions. You just talked about the fact that there's no film right now, as much film, other than this year on Sarah Strong. When you're in a film session with particularly, like, a South Carolina who could meet up against a Sarah Strong, a UConn in the tournament, like, what does that look like? What do you want to make sure that you're taking care of when it comes to not only Sarah Strong, but anyone that you may not have a ton of tape on?
- [31:14]
Chantelle Jennings
So you were talking about South Carolina film sessions particularly. And I think back, you know, I was in a film session that I recall specifically with the Freshies, that class that was led by Aaliyah Boston, and sort of, they were so businesslike and so, like, you know, they have these huge stacks of paper that are stapled and, like, handwritten notes on all of them with, like, the nuances and the specifics. And I think, as I've sort of seen, you know, they have film running during practice that players can see of the practice, like, what's happening in real time, and they're tracking everything. There's so many stats available. But the thing that I still see and sort of how the Freshies are still impacting the current group of South Carolina players, and I think this is true across. Across any team. Right. UConn would be the same way. You know, you think back to Paige's freshman year and what she learned from those players, players who are now in the wnba. Saniya Fagan, who sat in those. Those film sessions with Aaliyah Boston and the rest of the Freshies, like, they learn the ways to be great from these players who are now great in the wnba, how to sort of see all these really specific things. And when you're watching film, it's not just like, oh, this player likes to go to her right. It's like, when she goes to her right, 60% of the time, she's going to do this. 30% of the time, she's Going to do this. 10% of the time. Like, it's so specific. And they break it down into a way where you're like, this is what I'm like, Sabrina would have been a great college basketball player because I feel like your memory for stats is just, like, incredible. And I'm like, I don't know. Like, I'm not a numbers person. Like, I'm a words person. But, like, I think Sabrina's great with both, where it's like, they see everything and they see the big picture and the small picture. And I think that's what makes these players so, so good, is that it's like they have a Rolodex where it's like, I would love to go back to Aaliyah Boston, because I'm sure she's still, like, you could ask her about, like, an SEC matchup, and I'm sure somewhere in her brain, she's like, oh, yeah, this is what we did to stop this player. This is what we did to stop this player. Even though she hasn't looked at those scouting reports in, like, four years.
- [33:12]
Zena Keda
Yeah, it makes sense, too, like, being able to absorb how they. These vets are watching the game. I can imagine Sarah Strong has an unbelievable example being set in front of her, especially when Paige Becker's still on the squad, who operates very much like a pro. I'm thinking about maybe some freshmen that may not have that same level or that same history of vets. Going on to the pros, thinking maybe a freshman out of Michigan. I'm thinking Silas Wards, but she's got a pro level approach because she's played with pros with Team Canada. Like, Sabrina, what are your thoughts on Silas Ward's being one of those freshmen that are putting up numbers and also helping their team in a positive way?
- [33:58]
Sabrina Merchant
Yeah, I mean, I was going to bring somebody else up when you were talking about freshman year conversation, but we'll get to her in a second.
- [34:03]
Zena Keda
Oh, sure.
- [34:03]
Sabrina Merchant
I'm not even sure Silas Swords is the most impressive freshman on Michigan. Like, Olivia Olson has also been tremendous for this team. Just like the way she moves on the court, there's like a flow that she has. Like, she's just so comfortable. And then the way she gets her jumper off, I mean, she's already shooting like 36% on threes. In Michigan, they get up some threes. So I just like watching Michigan play because they're so fearless. Like, they go into every game.
- [34:26]
Zena Keda
Yes.
- [34:27]
Sabrina Merchant
Like, you know that there's expectation at UConn in South Carolina. Like, there's a way things are supposed to go. Right. There's a history. Michigan, like, it's not that they don't have a history of success. I mean, it's not obviously, like, not the UConn or South Carolina level, but. But this particular team, they go into every game, like, with literally zero care in the world. Like, they go playing, you know, undefeated UCLA in Los Angeles, playing South Carolina, number one team, you know, defending champion on opening night, and they have complete freedom, complete carelessness, and not carelessness in the sense, like, they don't take it seriously, but just like, they are unafraid of the moment. And I think that's so cool to watch with players who are so young and have the ability to get that much better because. Because they're already so good. And for them to be able to get this experience and use it going forward, like, I mean, I'm not expecting Michigan to be much more than like, Potentially a Sweet 16 team this year, but I think Swords and Olson, like, you look at that duo and maybe we'll be talking about Michigan very differently as like a, you know, a national powerhouse in four years if they keep continuing at this rate of improvement that we've already seen in the first, like, three months of their freshman year.
- [35:28]
Chantelle Jennings
I feel like every time we talk about Michigan, we also need to acknowledge my mea culpa, which is that I put Kim Barnzerico on my list, list of coaches that had, you know, High expectations this year and something to prove. And it's like, okay, they've definitely proven it, I think especially. But that was my question, like with a group of freshmen, like, this is a group that has achieved with, you know, players that have gone on to the pros, but now it's sort of this unproven group. What can you do with them? They have overachieved. I think this group As a Sweet 16 group is really, really impressive. And you look at their freshman class and Holloway is another name that you didn't mention that I think we should include in that. Like, if they continue on together in a similar way to previous classes, this is a group that three years from now we're gonna be talking about in a Final Four potential.
- [36:15]
Zena Keda
Yeah, they could be the ones creating that lineage that we've talked about at South Carolina and UConn too. Now you talk about fearlessness. When I think fearlessness, I think Mikayla Blakes. I think somebody that smells her ish and is like, it don't stink. That's how she shows up in every game. And she's just so, so again, relaxed, ready for the moment. Chatel, thoughts on Michaela Blake's at Vanderbilt.
- [36:43]
Chantelle Jennings
Similarly, you talk about a program where this is Shea Ralph's fourth season there. They're building something. This is a new coach who came in. Michaela Blakes is the highest rated player they've ever signed, the most decorated player they've ever signed. And Blakes is someone who could have gone to a lot of schools and she chose, you know, a Vanderbilt program under Ralph that only has one NCAA tournament appearance like that is an uncommon choice, I would say. And she went there to build something with Ralph and that is exactly what she's doing. It's 20, 21.3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2.4 steals a game. You know, she's been the highest scoring player in their wins over Alabama and Tennessee. They're two ranked wins this season. And again, it's just you look at a player who has a belief that they can build a foundation and then is going out there and executing on that belief in terms of making it happen and clearly having a vision and being on the same page as Ralph for what she needs to do as sort of again, to come back to the importance of guard play in the postseason tournament, like what she can mean to this Vanderbilt team not only this season, but moving forward. You know, it just, she's the kind of player that's going to continue to attract players to come to Vanderbilt because they're going to say, I want to play with Mikayla. Like, I want to play with a player like that. And that is how you build a program. And I think Shay, as someone who spent so much time at UConn, played at UConn, she understands how to build a program. And I think she's. She's doing it in the right way at Vandy.
- [38:08]
Zena Keda
I do really like the fact that some of these freshmen are becoming magnets, especially at these programs that aren't the big face programs. Like, they're becoming magnets. I think about that when I think about Kiomi McMiller at Rutgers. Rutgers had this. This, you know, has always had this kind of air about them. You know, of course, big recent grad from them. Beny Hamilton is probably the biggest name that we know right now. But Epiphany Prince, like, there was a bunch of Rutgers lore that we've seen and now Kimi McMiller, very Epiphany Prince. Like, in her. In her guard play and just being able to play with the ball. Sabrina, I. I'm wondering, as a girl that likes to Post players, Kiyomi McMiller's More in the small handles the ball type. Like, what are your thoughts on her game versus some of the other big guards in this conversation?
- [38:57]
Sabrina Merchant
I mean, she's obviously incredibly talented. We've mentioned her on this podcast before. Not in the most flattering of lights because of, you know, other situations that have evolved.
- [39:06]
Zena Keda
Social media things. Yep.
- [39:07]
Sabrina Merchant
Yes. But I mean, obviously she is just a dynamite with the ball in her hands and like one of those, like, players who. I mean, I'm not the type of person who's going to vote for Lamello Ball to start the All Star game. But, like, that's a Kia McMiller type, right? Like, you know, the kids love her. She's got the the and One Mixtape YouTube highlight thing going for her. And I'm not, again, not my particular cup of tea. But, like, there's no denying that she's obviously like the main source of offense on Rutgers. Her and Destiny Adams are carrying the load for them at all times. And that's a big responsibility to have to shoulder as a freshman. And you know, Rutgers has been competitive in a lot of these Big Ten games. They just got a nice win over the weekend at Penn State. So, yeah, I think Kymani McMiller somebody we definitely have to keep an eye on whether she stays at Rutgers or not. But I think just her ability to create her own shot wherever she is on the court. Like, she is Very unpredictable in her movements. It's very hardcover. She's kind of unlike any other player we have in the freshman class at this point just because of her, you know, the creativity she has with the ball in her hands.
- [40:09]
Zena Keda
I love that. Creativity with the ball in her hand is real. By the way, we mentioned early at the top of the show, Chantel is on location at Iowa and so she is ran to practice or some event on campus. But we're gonna keep the conversation going. Sabrina. I want to shift the conversation to the folks that may not be getting the spotlight because of the stats may not be, you know, matching up to Mikayla Blakes or Sarah Strong. That doesn't mean that they're not helping their team. The first team or group that I'm thinking of is USC's freshmen. We talked about Michigan in general having their freshman corps, but USC's freshmen have also been showing up. I'm thinking about Avery Howe. I'm thinking about Kaylee Heckle. I'm thinking about Kennedy Smith. Like these folks are coming into these games alongside big names like juju Watkins and Kiki Iriafen and showing up, hitting their open shots, handling, taking some ball pressure away sometimes from. From juju Watkins. Like they're doing the things necessary. Kennedy Smith, I mean, Juju 2.0. I don't know, I don't want to say that, but like sometimes on the court I'm like, yo, they're the same player. It's crazy just attacking the glass. Like, I just love her game and I love her size as well. Like, thoughts on the USC freshmen and the way that they're coming in at impacting their team.
- [41:29]
Sabrina Merchant
Yeah, I mean, you think about the program that Lindsey Gottlieb is building at USC for the past three years. It's been very transfer heavy, you know, the turnover from one year to the next because you gotta get bodies in the building, you know, put a team on the court. And you know, think about last year with the Ivies, right? Like those three transfers played a huge role in their eventual run to the Elite Eight. So this is kind of like the first year where we're seeing the sustained, you know, foundation of what USC is going to look like going forward. So they had juju Watkins, you know, come in as a freshman last year. I mean, she's basically a freshman class in and of herself. And then you've got these three who are coming in, who are, you know, going to be playing with her for the next two and a half seasons. And everybody just brings their own little piece to the table, right? Like, Kennedy Smith, lockdown defender in the front court and in the wing. You know, I think the only loss USC has this season came against Notre Dame when Kennedy Smith wasn't even available for that game. So you just. You can already see her importance to the rebounding, to the toughness, just like the way she impacts the game with her physicality. Then you've got Avery Howell, like, sweet shooter off the bench. Really no fear whatsoever. You think about that game against Maryland where she hit some really big shots to keep them, you know, in contact in the second half before they eventually took the lead. Kaylee Heckles been kind of like their backup point guard even, you know, came into the starting lineup a little bit when Kennedy was out with that brief injury. And she's been a really solid ball handler, really good at attacking the basket. So, like, I'm just so impressed with all of these freshmen that are. I keep using this word over and over again, but they were just fearless, right? Like, I am so used to the situation in college basketball where, like, you sat on the bench for a little bit and, like, when you got in, like, everybody looked a little shaky and they weren't sure if they knew what they were doing. Everybody seems to know exactly what they're doing at usc. Kayleigh Kennedy, Avery, like, they have these roles cut out for them, and they fit their roles and they are not afraid to just be aggressive and, like, attack the game however it presents itself. And, you know, like, USC's rotation, like, they have, you know, Taliban Olaf, and they have Kiki Irifan, they've got Ray Marshall. But, like, this is a very young team now, right? Like, Lindsey Gottlieb sort of made this joke after they lost in the tournament last year. Like, this summer's gonna be really hard for us because, like, instead of Ivies, we brought in, like, seven freshmen. And so we have to teach them all the system. And it must have been a really good summer for them because everybody looks prepared for the moment, but. But it is just. It's so much more interesting for me to watch because, like, you don't know what they're going to do on any given moment, right? And for USC to have, like, all of this star talent, Admittedly, none of them are Juju Watkins. Like, I mean, I know you see outlines of juju in, like, Kennedy's game, but, like, for them to have this deep of a class, like, three rotation players they can count on already as they are trying to get to a Final Four, is really, really impressive.
- [44:05]
Zena Keda
I Agree. I agree. And I do appreciate all of the teams that have significant freshman presence feeding into that, like, not allowing them to feel as if they're too young to know the right play or the right move or the right, you know, thing to do. I love that Mikayla Blake's team hypes her up. You know, I love seeing juju Watkins tell Kaylee Heckle if she has a turnover or whatever, it's cool. Next play. Like, let's move it on. Like, it is a very different feel from Love is Basketball. You know, like, the general storyline of, like, you're a freshman or you're only here because X, Y and Z, you know what I mean? It does feel as if everyone's kind of leaning into, if you're here, you're ready to play and you're capable of playing and you, you know, get on the court and do what you're supposed to do. And maybe it's what, you know, Chantelle was talking about these teams shifting into a very professional mindset when it comes to teaching what needs to happen out on the court. If everyone's going through the same, you know, business class of what's supposed to happen on the court, as opposed to maybe only the stars getting it versus, you know, or getting it at a higher level than the freshmen are, like, no, everyone's on the same page in terms of being acquiesced into, hey, this is what. This is our game plan. This is our scout. Now, we haven't mentioned someone, a team that I adore, particularly because of their defense, but particularly also because they're just fun, they're just spicy. They're always doing something out on the court, and that's Ohio State. And I'm thinking about Jelani Cambridge. What are our thoughts on Jelani Cambridge? Because with Taylor Terry and Cody McMahon, I'm always having fun with those two, especially on the court. But Jelani Cambridge has come in, played great defense, also hit her shots. Like, I wanted to hear what you thought on her game.
- [45:46]
Sabrina Merchant
Yeah, I think what's great about Jelani, like a lot of these other freshmen we've talked about, is she's in a situation where there are a lot of veterans around her to sort of support her through these inconsistencies. And unfortunately for Cambridge, like, she's had a little bit of an up and down stretch over the last couple weeks where, you know, she was injured for a few games. She wasn't able to play in that loss at Ohio State, took to Penn State. You know, you look at the game that they just played against Nebraska and she, like, had five turnovers and missed all of her shots. Like, it was, you know, the kind of thing that like, happens to freshmen, except it doesn't really happen in freshman in 2025 anymore. But another, like, player who's just incredibly gifted at getting to her shot, she just has like that wiggle, you know, like, she can create her space in the mid range and really useful in Ohio State's transition attack because again, this is like the foremost press team in the country and really athletic, fast. Like, I just love the elevation that she gets on her jumper and biddy. Like, that's just a very pretty looking shot. She and her sister have had, like, a nice combination, her and Kennedy. Cambridge in Ohio State. Yeah. Love a sibling story.
- [46:48]
Zena Keda
I love a sibling story. Yes. Sorry. I'm so glad you brought that up. Yes.
- [46:51]
Sabrina Merchant
It's just crazy to think about, like, all of the freshmen that we have in the Big Ten that like, Jelani Cambridge is maybe like the sixth one we've gotten to talking about. And. And, you know, maybe she's. She's like the front runner for freshman of the year at, like, any other conference other than the Big East. But.
- [47:03]
Zena Keda
Yeah, so it's been fun to just see her come into her game. And I can't even imagine, like, you're a freshman on a team with big expectations. Right. I think Ohio State came up short last year and Cody McMahon's coming back from her injury and she wants to be as impactful within the Big Ten, but also for this team in general. And there's a lot of focus on them. And then you've got your big sister on the team and you're like, okay, well, I wanna make sure that I don't embarrass her.
- [47:30]
Sabrina Merchant
Right.
- [47:31]
Zena Keda
She brought me along to the playground. I wanna make sure I show up. And it's been. It's true she's had some inconsistencies, but definitely recently I feel like she's been connecting better with her teammates out on the floor in general, and so very exciting to see her grow. And you're right. In 2025, all of these freshies, majority of these freshies are looking like they've been in NCAA action for three years already. Like, I. This was not what we looked like when I was coming up. Okay? Like, we were like, sit your butt on the bench and learn. Learn through osmosis, you will figure out how to be comfortable on the court. And I don't know if it's the way AAU is working you know, all these players, a lot of these players playing on. On team USA teams, you know, these under 19 teams, these under 18 teams are getting to know each other. They're working out in the summers in a way that we were not working out in the summers back then. So it is really cool to see these freshmen kind of elevate their game altogether. It's like a generational elevation. Are there any freshmen that we have not talked about that you want to hit on?
- [48:29]
Sabrina Merchant
Well, we mentioned. I feel like people in the comments are always telling me to stop talking about the LA teams, but I think Alina Arnostalo is really good for ucla. Just another capable ball handler. Lets Kiki Rice attack off the ball a little bit more than she has. I mean, you think about that game against South Carolina, Don Staley specifically singled out Arnisala at the end and was like, we were not prepared for her. Like, I was hoping that she wasn't going to start so that she would have less time on the court. And then here she goes. There's a freshman at Ole Miss, Sierra Tinu, who's been really good for them, kind of gives them a little bit more offense. I'm always looking for old Smith to get Ole Miss to get a little bit more offense, and that's kind of what's been happening here. She is, you know, 12.9 points per game, which, frankly, when Ole Miss plays in the 60s, every game, like, that's a massive number for what they're doing. Let's see who else has stood out in terms of, like, Big Ten freshmen. I think Brit Prince for Nebraska, just, like, one. How do you play with your hair just, like, hanging out? It's like my number one question, like, get a ponytail or something. But I love the way she gets to her jumper and, like, just really, you know, attacks in transition. I enjoy watching that. And I guess just in terms of, like, potential Final Four contenders, what we've seen out of the Texas freshmen like Justice, Carlton, Jordan Lee have both been really impressive. I think Jordan Lee, in that recent game that they had against, I want to say, Tennessee, that close game, she was, you know, closing for them down the stretch. And Texas kind of has, like, this little extra hole on the wing next to Madison Booker, like, who else is going to fill in these, you know, forward minutes? And Aaliyah Moore's kind of had a down season, but Carlton's been pretty good, Lee's been pretty good. And, yes, you know, somebody who can grow alongside Madison Booker in the same way that these freshmen at USC are grown alongside juju Watkins.
- [50:11]
Zena Keda
I'm a big fan of Justice Carlton. Not just because she's wearing 11 and that's my number as well. No, she, I think she's also someone that again, you kind of have that lineage aspect. You're watching Taylor Jones be able to seal her defenders and play really big. Justice Carlton is not as big as Taylor Jones, but I still think that she uses her size well and also runs the floor similar to a Joyce Edwards as well. So yeah, I'm loving this list because I think that it's important that when we're looking at these games and you're looking at these freshmen, it's not always about having a juju Watkins esque freshman or even. I mean, I don't remember what Caitlin Clark was doing her freshman year back.
- [50:52]
Sabrina Merchant
Then, but just like she was crushing it.
- [50:54]
Zena Keda
Yeah, I would imagine. Yeah, I imagine. But you know what I mean? I'm just saying, like you don't want to just pay attention to the freshmen that are just putting up these crazy numbers. Also think about the freshmen that if their team didn't have that them, would they be able to rest some of their star players? Would they be able to have as as tenacious of defenses, Would they be able to have as balanced as offenses? Like there's different ways that you can impact the game. And I think a lot of these freshmen are making names for themselves already in doing all three of those type of things. So I appreciate Chantelle and Sabrina giving me a little bit of insight. Um, I'm going to look a little. I've only seen Brit Prince play once and yes, I was also like blonde hair flowing in the wind. Like what is happening? But I want want to watch a few more of her games too, especially about getting her to her shot. So there you go as always. Always learning something from these two. All right, that's going to do it for today's show. I don't know if you guys knew, but the Athletic has partnered with Yahoo Sports and we are here. We're trying to provide that best in class coverage that we know that you guys want. And not only just for women's basketball, but women's sports in general. So definitely check out. There's a women's sports hub on sports.yahoo.com women's sports. We're up there. There's more coverage of other women's sports up there. Shout out to Yahoo. Partnering with the Athletic to be able to bring more light to women's sports. That's just having chef's Kiss. An amazing moment. All right, we're going to close it out. As always, appreciate you guys tuning in. Thank you to Sabrina, thank you to Chantelle. Make sure you guys hit that subscribe button on this show. Subscribe to the Athletic. Go check out the Yahoo Sports Hub and leave us comments. We want to hear what you guys are thinking. There's going to be so much content this week. We already did an emergency pod on the Kelsey Plum Jewel Lloyd trade. We've got a really special story coming out about a freshman we didn't even hit. Kate Covel. Holy crap, what am I thinking about Kate Cove.
- [52:56]
Sabrina Merchant
She's getting her own full show. We did not ignore her.
- [52:58]
Zena Keda
She's getting her own full show. There you go. Exactly. Kate Covel doing her thing and Notre Dame in the paint and and then we got some more. We're going to start talking a little bit about the NCAA bracketology, get you guys up to speed on the field. On behalf of Sabrina, on behalf of Chantelle, I'm Xena Keda thanking you for your ear and encouraging you guys. Keep listening, keep watching, keep learning and keep loving the game because that's the only way we're going to keep growing it until next time. Foreign.
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Sabrina Merchant
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