Can Anyone Catch UConn?

Summary

No Offseason: The Athletic Women's Basketball Show

Episode: Can Anyone Catch UConn?

Date: October 24, 2025
Hosts: Zena Keda, Sabrina Merchant, Ben Pickman

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the upcoming college women’s basketball season, coaching carousel news in the WNBA, and looming CBA (collective bargaining agreement) negotiations. The central theme: Can any team catch reigning national champion UConn, and who are the biggest threats or storylines to watch this year? The hosts use their insider access, sharp analysis, and signature banter to break down top teams, impact transfers, standout freshmen, and the latest league developments.

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Key Discussion Points

1. Coaching Carousel in the WNBA

[04:40]

• Major Hire in Toronto: Sandy Brondello, former New York Liberty coach, expected to take the head coach role at the Toronto Tempo, an expansion franchise.
  • “She goes to a totally blank slate to an opportunity to build up a foundation from scratch.” — Ben Pickman [05:19]
  • Brondello chose the challenge of building a new franchise over openings in Seattle or Dallas, despite Dallas being particularly enticing due to the presence of rookie superstar Paige Bueckers.
• Dallas Wings: Set to hire Jose Fernandez (former USF head coach), bringing in decades of college experience but new to the WNBA. Extra scrutiny and expectations come with coaching Paige Bueckers and moving to new facilities.
• Seattle Storm: Job search ongoing; roster uncertainty yet opportunity to build around Dominique Malonga, possibly as a future face of the league.
• Trends: Importance of “player-coach” duos and front office-coaching alignment, as exemplified by Brondello and GM Monica Wright Rogers in Toronto.

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2. CBA & Revenue Sharing Dispute

[12:08]

• Discussed Adam Silver’s comments promising a “big increase” in WNBA salaries, but deflecting on true revenue sharing.
  • “Adam Silver said it himself…Share isn’t the word. It’s not in their vocabulary.” — Ben Pickman [13:05, attributing WNBPA’s Terry Jackson]
• Players’ stance: Seek CBA language that ties salaries to a percentage of league revenue (akin to the NBA’s BRI structure), vs. current system of fixed cap and conditional bonuses.
  • “This rapid growth has rendered this system really un for the players and that’s what they’re looking to change.” — Zena Keda [15:16]
• No deal yet. Both sides want increases, but how much and by what mechanism are unresolved.

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3. College Basketball Preview: Who Can Catch UConn?

[17:48; main segment begins]

• UConn, defending champion, returns stars Azzi Fudd, Sarah Strong, KK Arnold, and adds key transfers (Sarah Williams).
• UCLA as Top Challenger:
  • “They were ranked number one longer than any other team during the regular season last year...a one-and-done chance for UCLA to figure it out.” — Sabrina Merchant [19:30]
  • Talent includes Lauren Betts (All-American), Kiki Rice, Charlize Ledger-Walker, Gianna Neepkins, an experienced, senior-laden core.
• South Carolina: Significant losses (injury to Chloe Kitts, several players to WNBA), heavy focus on Joyce Edwards’ breakout, big transfer addition of Taniya Latson.
  • “So much of how this roster is constructed this season is set up for [Edwards] to blossom.” — Ben Pickman [22:29]
  • Add Madina Okot (6’10” wingspan, rim protection) and Taniya Latson (dynamic scorer).
• Texas Longhorns: Headlined by Rory Harmon (back), Madison Booker; projected as a legit title threat if three-point shooting improves.
  • “Texas is 46 and 4 in games that both Rory Harmon and Madison Booker have played.” — Ben Pickman [24:22]
• LSU: Retains and reloads with Flau’jae Johnson, milkes big transfer in Kate Koval.
• Freshman Spotlight:
  • “The field being open for [Jazzy Davidson], right? Because JuJu’s out… the floor is hers.” — Zena Keda [28:09]
  • Davidson (USC), Aaliyah Chavez (Oklahoma), Addy Deal (Iowa), Alexandra Eschmeyer (Stanford), Sienna Betts (UCLA)—the new faces have real opportunity to star immediately.

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4. Impact Transfers & Team Transformations

[36:04]

• Olivia Miles to TCU: “Everything at TCU this year is going to start with, end with, revolve around Olivia Miles...” — Ben Pickman [36:04]
  • Given keys to the offense, surrounded by veteran transfer and returners.
• Kate Koval to LSU: "If LSU wants a true big, somebody who is going to make a presence in the paint…that is a real opportunity for Kate Koval." — Sabrina Merchant [38:09]
• Cody McMahon to Ole Miss: SEC’s physical, athletic style fits her game better than Big Ten; she’s got a lot to prove ahead of a wide-open WNBA draft ([40:43]).
• Other Transfers: Camille Pierre (Vanderbilt to NC State, important for frontcourt depth), Yarden Garzon (Indiana to Maryland, instantly boosts Maryland’s three-point shooting).

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5. Draft Class and Age Limit Discussion

[45:23]

• This draft cycle is “wide open”—teams could be looking for anything from traditional bigs (Lauren Betts) to dynamic point guards (Olivia Miles), international talents (Awa Fam, 6’5” guard/forward from Spain, playing at the highest levels in Europe).
  • “Who knows, Zena, that is really the exciting part of this season…” — Ben Pickman [47:04]
• Age eligibility debate: Despite more “pro-ready” freshmen, there’s little player-led push to lower the WNBA’s domestic eligibility age, especially now that NIL money provides financial cushion in college.
  • “It is inherently anti-labor to deny adult people the rights to play in the best league in the world…But there’s just so many advantages for college players, for WNBA players, that the college system exists the way it is.” — Sabrina Merchant [49:47]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “There is a difference between a regular season powerhouse and a postseason powerhouse…and that’s exactly the difference between UCLA and UConn.” — Zena Keda [21:11]
• “You can't only have offense that runs in the paint. It's great, but they gotta be able to spread it out and diversify.” — Zena Keda on Texas’ shooting [25:42]
• “Aaliyah Chavez is a highlight reel. I'm thinking Malaysia Ful Wylie in Oklahoma – very much with the handles, with the abilities.” — Zena Keda [28:52]
• “I was very excited about Kate Koval’s year. Now that she has this opportunity at LSU, she’s gonna be closer to her brother, I believe, who’s also at LSU. That familiarity is huge.” — Zena Keda [40:16]
• “Cody McMahon...was just such an offensive force, a player you can feel…But we saw her offensive game kind of stall out a little bit…She transfers down to Ole Miss. This will now be her senior year…she stands to really surge up that class if she has a more efficient, effective year on both ends.” — Ben Pickman [40:44]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [04:40] — Toronto Tempo hires Sandy Brondello; Dallas/Seattle coaching search.
• [12:08] — CBA debate: Revenue sharing, Adam Silver’s comments, and what players want.
• [17:48] — College hoops preview main segment: Can anyone catch UConn?
• [19:17] — UCLA as UConn’s top challenger; deep dive into their roster.
• [21:52] — South Carolina’s post-title transition and notable transfers.
• [24:22] — Texas Longhorns’ status; evaluating their title hopes.
• [26:50] — Freshman to watch: Jazzy Davidson, Aaliyah Chavez, Addy Deal.
• [36:04] — Impact transfers: Olivia Miles (TCU), Kate Koval (LSU), Cody McMahon (Ole Miss), others.
• [45:23] — Early WNBA draft talk; who could go number one and eligibility age discussion.

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Tone & Style

• Candid and analytical: The hosts blend deep-cut basketball insight with accessible and often witty banter.
• Insider yet relatable: Clear explanations of why certain teams/talents matter, while poking fun at media day pictures and acknowledging the increasingly “brand-conscious” college athlete environment.
• Forward-looking: Much of the discussion is about potential, unknowns, and who will rise—whether on college courts, in WNBA free agency, or in future drafts.

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Summary Flow

1. WNBA news sets the stage—New coaching faces, ambitions, and franchise moves reflect the ever-evolving landscape of women’s basketball.
2. CBA negotiations and the salary debate—Player empowerment and the structure of pay in a rapidly growing league become central, with unresolved tension between league and players.
3. Extensive college preview focuses on whether UConn can repeat, which veteran-laden teams (UCLA, Texas, South Carolina) or incoming freshmen/transfers can shake up the hierarchy.
4. Draft class uncertainty closes the loop—Scouts and fans alike will have a wild ride, with no slam-dunk top pick and the ever-present question of whether the NCAA’s age limit will ever budge.

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For Listeners Who Missed the Episode

This episode is a comprehensive scouting report for the 2025-26 women’s college basketball season, packed with insights into how new faces, new rules, and new ambitions are shaping both college and professional women’s basketball. Whether you want to know which teams are poised to topple UConn, who the next young superstar is, or how labor battles off the court will shape the league’s future, this episode is your playbook.

Transcript

[Zena Keda]

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[Ben Pickman]

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[Sabrina Merchant]

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[Zena Keda]

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[Sabrina Merchant]

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[Zena Keda]

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[Sabrina Merchant]

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[Zena Keda]

Hello everyone and welcome to no off season. Presented by ebay. I'm Zena Kaeda.

[Sabrina Merchant]

I'm Sabrina Merchant.

[Ben Pickman]

And I'm Ben Pickman.

[Zena Keda]

And today on the show, the star of college basketball season is right around the corner. Literally November, y'. All. From powerhouse programs reloading with new stars to up and coming teams looking to crash the rankings. This season promises some fresh storylines, which it definitely needs because a lot of the stars are now in the W. Don't worry, they're replenishing. There's going to be a lot of unexpected twists you won't be ready for, but we're going to make sure you are because we're going to dive into some of the burning questions shaping the year ahead. Which teams are built for a deep march run? Which freshman could take the game by storm? And who's challenging the reigning teams at the top? But first, y' all gotta go do your jobs, and I gotta do my job. We're gonna do a little bit of housekeeping real quick. Okay, one, if you are not already subscribed to this show, please go ahead and do it. And while you're at it, drop us a rating. Also send us a question. We're actually gearing up for some mailbag episodes. We wanna make sure we know what's on your mind and we can answer those questions. So if you got CBA on the mind, college hoops on the mind, whatever it is, drop us a line. And on our socials, no offseason, TheAthletic.com, which is our email, and then you can check out the show notes for some more info.

[Ben Pickman]

There's also Zena, a link online where people can submit questions. But you mention it, you talk about audience members, listeners doing their jobs. Xena, you have a new job that I think you should tell people about, the Athletic Show. Do you want to talk a little bit about that?

[Zena Keda]

Thank you, Ben. I am on a new show at the Athletic that will be on Amazon, Fire stick. So if you don't have a fire stick, go get you one. But we're basically going into some of the stories that if you're not already talking about it and you've got questions about it and you want to go deeper, those are the stories. Rather than having some of the, like, the headliney type of stuff and just giving our quick takes or hot takes on stuff. Like, we come in and we have the best newsroom in the world and we get to go deeper on these topics because all of you guys are already doing the research. You're on the streets, you're talking to folks, and it allows us to kind of talk to those topics a little bit deeper. And so, yeah, it's me. It's Robert Mays, head of the Athletic Football show at the Athletic, as well as Jason Gough, if you're in Chicago. You're very familiar with his coverage of the Bulls and Chicago sports teams at large. But, yeah, I'm really excited. It'll be Live every Saturday on Amazon Fire.

[Ben Pickman]

Congrats, Ena.

[Sabrina Merchant]

Congrats, Ena.

[Zena Keda]

Thanks guys. That's enough about me. Let's get down to business, y'. All. We do have some coaching news popping off in the W. Ben, last week you told us if one of these hires happen, it's going to create the domino effect and boom, first domino falls. You recently reported on the expected head coach hire for the Toronto Tempo. Let us know what's the scoop?

[Ben Pickman]

Yeah, I mean, again, continuing with this theme of new jobs, Sandy Brandello, the former head coach of the New York Liberty, she is going to have a new job next season in Toronto, taking the Toronto Tempo's head coaching job. According to sources that I have talked with now, Sandy Brandello is a proven winner in the wnba, right? She has won two WNBA championships. She is the winning as head coach in both the histories of the Phoenix Mercury and the New York Liberty her prior to head coaching stops. And what is so interesting is that Sandy Brandella was a candidate for a number of other positions as well, a number of other openings, right? In Seattle, in Dallas. And she elects to go with the Toronto job despite them not having any players on their roster, right? Despite what could have been in those situations, she goes to a totally blank slate to an opportunity to build up a foundation from scratch, to work with a first year or first time general manager in Monica Wright Rogers, who is also a former player and to build something collaboratively with that front office and really shape the trajectory of this franchise for years to come. Now, the news is still not official. We haven't heard from Sandy directly, but you have to look at it as her kind of wanting that fresh start and wanting that collaboration with someone wanting to build something. I have to imagine that that was a big incentive for her as she looks to her next chapter in her coaching career.

[Sabrina Merchant]

You think about the available jobs in the wnba, right? We got Seattle. Obviously New York would not be a consideration for Sandy Rondello, but I think, you know, having talked to people around the league, the Dallas job really feels like the most exciting because you get to coach Paige Beckers for however, you know, coaching pagebackers like that, that should I think be the most exciting thing for any WNBA coach who's looking for a new job. And yet, you know what Ben was saying about that partnership. You listen to what Jonathan Kolb said at his press conference after the dismissal of Sandy Brandello and just it didn't seem like the two of them were quite in alignment on what they wanted, the future of the New York Liberty to look like. And if you're Sandy Brandella, you have your pick of the litter, right? Like you decide you want to go somewhere. And the chatter we got was they would hire you if Sandy Rondella wanted to go there. So it seems to me that this was really important to her. Right? Like Ben mention, the only former players who are both coach and GM at any WMA team right now is going to be in Toronto with Monica Wright Rodgers and Sandy Brondello. There's got to be some sort of familiarity there just in terms of how they see the game, how they want the Toronto tempo to look going forward. And apparently that and living in Canada were more exciting than the opportunity to coach Paige Beckers.

[Zena Keda]

And the funny part was I'm happy you brought up the player coach duo. I did not realize that that would be the only one active in the wnba, which is pretty cool to see. But also I was thinking maybe Toronto because the fresh slate.

[Ben Pickman]

And speaking of fresh slates, Xena, the Dallas Wings are working towards a deal to hire Jose Fernandez, the longtime head coach at the University of South Florida, as their next head coach. Now, we should say that while Fernandez is going to be a first time WNBA head coach, he has been head coach for more than two decades at USF since 2000. He is the winningest coach in that program's history. He's made 10 NCAA tournament appearances. He's also coached seven WNBA draft picks, most notably Courtney Williams. So Kurt Miller, their gm, is taking a different tack with this decision than he did a year ago when he was making his first head coach hire as the Wings gm. A year ago, Dallas hired Chris Coclanis, who was a longtime WNBA assistant coach, to be their head coach. And it was Chris's first shot to be a head coach. So in this search, as I previously reported, Xena, they've looked for experience, experience head coaches in the wnba, in the NBA or G League or or in the college ranks. And Jose Fernandez checks that box. Certainly. He was also even a finalist for the Wings coaching job last year before they went with Chris Coclanta. So he inherits this job that now has a lot of pressure also behind it because you have Paige Beckers, who is a near unanimous Rookie of the Year coming off a stellar first season. You also have a ton of cap space. You also have a new practice facility that's opening next spring and you have a new arena that they're moving into in two years. So a lot more eyeballs, a lot more pressure with this job and they now have a more experienced coach to lead them. Now we just have two openings left. What it means for Seattle is a little more uncertain. I mean, we reported that Sonia Ramon, the New York Liberty assistant coach this past year, Brion January of the Indiana Fever, those are two known candidates in that search as well. Those would be first time head coaches if they were to get that job in Seattle. I still think the Seattle job too is a pretty appealing job. We just don't exactly know what that roster is going to look like to the same degree. Right. Because yes, you have someone like Dominique Malanga who is that young centerpiece to build around, but what happens with NECA Guru McKay? What happens with Skyler? What do they do with Brittany Sykes or Erica Wheeler? There's just a lot of questions there that surround and I guess we'll have to wait and see there as well.

[Sabrina Merchant]

I mean, there's about as many questions in Seattle as there are in Toronto. Right. Like you have literally no players in Toronto and I mean, I feel a little like I buried the lead. You get the opportunity to coach Dominic Belonga in Seattle, which is not, not quite Paige Becker's, but like there are some people who believe that Dominique Malanga is going to be a better player than Paige. I could see it happening. It's obviously not the same eyeballs in terms of the marketability and the type of stardom that Paige Beckers has just because she, you know, built her star in the United States versus in France. But I think the types of questions that exist on the roster are kind of like just a constant throughout all of these jobs because everybody's a free agent. Right. Like we've been talking about that ad nauseam. And you do have to believe if you're a coach coming in, you have a little bit of contact with the general manager to be like, hey, what's the direction we're going? Are we trying to build around Dom? Are we, you know, giving it one more run with this veteran corps? So yeah, that's kind of an interesting thing about these coaching decisions is that there's a lot of uncertainty wherever you choose to go.

[Zena Keda]

Yeah. The cohesion between the GM in Golden State, Oheman Yanin alongside Natalie Nakase and choosing the personnel, that was huge. And so I'm imagining any of these new coaches, especially in this kind of wild, wild west of the free agency, are going to want to have that same level of cohesion with their gm. And Sandy Brandella potentially made a choice that's going to help her out and it's going to be very interesting to see what other coaches that are being considered do with their GMs mo money. Mo problems.

[Sabrina Merchant]

Just speaking of other coaches real quick. Oh yeah, it's interesting that one of the former head coaches that we've heard a lot in this cycle is Latricia Trammell. The Toronto job going to Sandy is just an interesting wrinkle into what happens with her potential candidacy after she, you know, I thought did a great job her first year in Dallas. Injuries completely wrecked that second season and then a lot of the Sparks accredited their second half turnaround to LT coming off as a consultant during the second half of their season.

[Zena Keda]

Absolutely. And I love what Letitia Trammell did for I don't even know if it was maybe you guys know I don't want to get too deep into this, but was it a defense or offensive perspective? It feel like, it felt like it was a personnel thing that Leticia Trammell was able to come in and kind of inject her know how into the the Sparks.

[Sabrina Merchant]

From what I understand, it was just a lot more structure. She was the only person on the staff with WNBA coaching experience, you know. Cause you have Mike Nabors and Lynn Roberts coming in from college, Janelle Robinson just fresh out of being a player. So just a little more institutional know how on how the league works.

[Zena Keda]

Yep, that's what I felt. Okay, well let's go ahead and shift on over to check in on our recurring segment Deal or no Deal. And just to be clear, so far no deal. But there are some new developments. And Ben, Sabrina, you guys contributed to a piece about this earlier this week. NBA commissioner. And I'm fascinated that I keep saying NBA commissioner being injected into this conversation. But NBA commission Adam Silver made an appearance on NBC's Today show where he said that WNBA players will get a quote, unquote, big increase in salaries in the new cba. But he also made some pretty eye popping comments about revenue sharing. Actually, it's not a share.

[Ben Pickman]

Right.

[Zena Keda]

Ben, you've been on top of this. Break it down for us.

[Ben Pickman]

Yeah, that's you know, the general framework for Adam Silver's comments. And you know, it was supposed to be this celebratory day. That's the Today show appearance you mentioned. Xena was there to mark the NBA going back to NBC and the start of the NBA season on Tuesday. And it did end up sparking this entire news cycle in the wnba. Because what followed after Adam Silver's comments in which he reframed a question about salary increases and revenue sharing Highlighting that, yes, they would get big increases, but people should be focusing on that and not as much on the revenue sharing component. That then sparked a significant and rebuke from Terry Jackson, the executive director of the wnbpa, where she basically called out Adam Silver and said, quote, adam Silver said it himself on behalf of the wnba. Share isn't the word. It's not in their vocabulary. And really what this back and forth gets down to or goes down to is that yes, both sides seemingly agree about the importance of increasing player salaries in the next collective bargaining agreement. We have seen the league repeatedly say, and Adam Silver said it himself, that there will be big increases, but the question is, how do you arrive at that number? How do you arrive at whatever that big increase will be? And so the wnbpa, they are proposing a salary framework that is tied very much to the WNBA business, in which salaries are linked to a percentage of the revenue generated by the league. Player salaries would also significantly increase under their proposed framework, but again, it would be tied to the business. Meanwhile, the wnba, they're proposing a framework from what we understand, that is very similar to what is currently in the collective bargaining agreement, which is basically a fixed salary cap with an additional revenue sharing mechanism depending on if certain revenue targets are met or exceeded. Right. So again, we'll talk about this more going forward. We've talked about it before, but the wnba, their salary cap is fixed into the collective bargaining agreement and then they have this additional revenue sharing potential that is very different than the NBA which uses something called basketball related income BRI to help inform and set their salary cap. Two different structures. And that really, that idea of structure is what this clash is over.

[Zena Keda]

It's really important that when we talk about this, it lays out both elements that you just said salary, but also how that salary grows and if that salary is fixed or capped. And that's the difference here, that the players are really trying to change from the last cba. And it is something that's important too, is that at the time it made sense. In the 2020 season and the 2021 season it made sense. But this rapid growth has rendered this system really un for the players and that's what they're looking at, looking to change. So overall, still no deal. But again, we'll keep you guys posted on everything going on with that conversation. Okay. On the other side of this break, burning questions to answer as the college basketball season gets underway. Don't go anywhere. Tell me if I'm alone here. No off season listeners, but shopping used to feel more fun before all the algorithm fed blah and the endless sea of doomsday. But I have a confession. I found that fun feeling again on ebay. It's not mindless scrolling. It is a fashion pursuit. And when you score that rare Adidas collab or the Dior saddlebag you've been manifesting, it's a rush. Ebay has millions of pre loved finds from hundreds of brands backed by the ebay authenticity guarantee. Ebay Things people love.

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[Zena Keda]

All right, guys, as we approach the college basketball season, anticipation is building amongst you all, fans, players and analysts alike. Okay, there's some fresh talent, some new storylines that are coming into the space. Some teams have been reshuffling their lineups. Coaching strategies are evolving. Mo money, mo problems, more viewership, mo problems. There's more to be seen in the NCAA space, just like we've been seeing in the WNBA space. So there's a lot of excitement around this season, but also a lot of unpredictability. It's not gonna be the same old, same old teams that are gonna be at the top, I think, and especially when it comes to the storylines. I feel like we've been talking about some of these players for so long because Covid, right, they were in college for a long time as well, but now there's, there's an opportunity here for a little bit of a passing of the torch in terms of the storylines. So that is a part of our set of our burning questions. Just a heads up, this is not our big predictions pod that will hit your feeds in a couple weeks, but these are just some of the questions that are on the top of our minds right as we head into November. So Ben, Sabrina, let's start off with the powerhouse and the champions of last season. UConn. Paige Beckers is gone, but that doesn't mean America's sweetheart AZ Fudd, America's potential best player, Sarah Strong, KK Arnold and the rest of their dominant talent are back, as well as some new recruits and Sarah Williams. This particular transfer I'm thinking about, but the question is, can any team catch up with UConn this year?

[Sabrina Merchant]

Well, I like the framing of this question because yes, Connecticut was the national champion, but I'd be hard pressed to argue that they were the powerhouse of the entire last season because they sort of built to get to where they were in March and April. They were obviously the very best team during the postseason, but this was a different kind of UConn team in which they had to figure out who they were going to be and sort of peak at the exact right time. And I only say all of that to say that I think the powerhouse of last season was UCLA and that is the number one team I'm thinking about who could potentially contend with UConn to win a national title this year because they were ranked number one longer than any other team during the regular season last year. And they bring back a lot of that core. This is a very old UCLA team. Basically seven of their eight rotation players will be gone from the Bruins next season. So it is a one and done chance for UCLA to figure it out. You've got Lauren Betts, you know, returning All American, probably preseason Big Ten player of the year, arguably the best center in the country, depending on how you want to characterize Sarah Strong's position. You've got Kiki Rice, you've got Charlize Ledger Walker, who last we saw her was leading Washington state to a Pac 12 title and hasn't really played since then because of an ACL tear. You've got Gianna Neepkins, another former PAC12 transfer who brings exactly the kind of shooting and playmaking you'd want around a big center like Lauren Betts. You still got Gabriela Haquez. You still got Tamia Gardner with the shooting sienna Betts, the 1 non senior rotation player on UCLA, top 2 recruit in the country who's going to be Lawrence backup basically or play next to her as a high low 45 combination. So there's just a lot of talent, a lot more experience on this team than in years past because they have the know how of having gone to the final Four last year. How exactly? They fell short against this particular UConn team. They fell very short against this particular UConn team. But it was very much like the lights were too bright for them last year. And you cannot use that excuse again this year. Now they are Big Ten champions. They are, you know, a Final Four team. They have everything that you need as a stepping stone to get to that national title point. And, you know, if they're going to challenge UConn, this would be the year to do it.

[Ben Pickman]

Ooh.

[Zena Keda]

There is a difference between a regular season powerhouse and a postseason powerhouse. And that exact. That's exactly the difference between UCLA and UConn. Now, Ben, there was also, you know, another team that was in that championship game that looks very different coming into this season, and that's South Carolina. You already know that Chloe Kits has torn her acl, so she won't be available for this team. But there was a lot of other talent, including a. I would say a powerhouse scorer coming from Florida State. And tonight, Latson. Give us a little bit of breakdowns of, you know, the other teams around the mix that. Whether it's South Carolina looking at tcu, looking at some of these other teams. Notre Dame still in that mix. What's up with some of the other teams that might give them a run for their money?

[Ben Pickman]

Yeah, I mean, to me, the next two teams are two other SEC teams. And you mentioned one of them right off the top, Xena, and that is South Carolina, who. You said it. They're losing a lot of players heading into this season. Not only is it Chloe Kits going down with an injury, but it's Brie Hall Ball, it's Sanai Fagan, it's Tahina Powpow, all going to the wnba. It's Ashlyn Watkins, who went down with an ACL tear last season, who is going to miss this entire season as well. It's Malaysia Full Wiley, a once star recruit, star player for the South Carolina Gamecocks, having transferred to LSU now. So there is a lot of change. A lot to me, is first and foremost predicated on the success of Joyce Edwards, who was South Carolina's star freshman a season ago. And Joyce Edwards was their leading score last year, averaging just under 13 points per game. But she was this reserve player last year. She started just one game. She averaged just 21.3 minutes per game last season, and kind of was this superstar utility forward who showed so many bright flashes, especially in the NCAA tournament. But, like, we're still kind of waiting to see her blossom. And so much of how this roster is constructed this season is set up for her to blossom. Then you mentioned Tenaya Latson, Xena who. You know, I've still stuck it in my head that yes, she is one of if not the best scorers in the country. And I once had a WNBA personnel person say that she's just an advantage player every time out on the court. Yes, she might only be well like 5, 8, 5 9, but her ability to just create offense instantly is such an advantage for her in any situation. So that is a huge boost for them. The other name to watch is, is Madina Okot who transfers in from Mississippi State. She has a 6 foot 10 wingspan, a nearly 9 foot standing reach. She certainly has improvement. Yeah, I mean that's pretty big.

[Zena Keda]

Crazy.

[Ben Pickman]

Yeah, certainly room to grow for her just in terms of post op opportunities. And I think, you know, we saw at Mississippi State, I think she can improve as a just kind of catching drop off passes. But having that kind of size and physical frame, she's another potential WNBA prospect. Like that's a huge gain for them as well.

[Zena Keda]

I think the other team that you were going to mention is the one I really wanted you to talk about. So I left them out. Specifically lsu. I feel like they've got some, some transfers as well.

[Sabrina Merchant]

No, I was gonna say you said two SEC teams. I thought the other one was gonna be Texas. The other one that made the Final Four.

[Ben Pickman]

Right.

[Zena Keda]

Oh, obviously. What am I thinking? Of course Madison's still there, you know. Okay. Actually Ben, where were you gonna go with this?

[Ben Pickman]

Yeah, it's a good question. I'm curious. I'm gonna go with the Texas Longhorns. That is correct here. They were the other SEC team that to me I think has real national title potential right off the bat. And that is because Rory Harmon is back. Seems like she's been in college forever, but she is back. And Madison Booker, one of the most versatile, potentially most effective, efficient players in the country, also back for her junior season. Texas is 46 and 4 in games that both Rory Harmon and Madison Booker have played. They've had back to back 30 plus win seasons. We saw in the NCAA tournament that they also had some young players who were able to come in and make an impact. And look, Madison Booker has just racked up accolade after accolade throughout her first two college seasons. She's been both the Big 12 Player of the Year, the SEC Player of the Year. She's been an all American. We've seen her game take massive strides Last year she was a much improved three point shooter. I know over the off season, the summer, it feels weird to say that because we're so used in the W in context to say winter. But over the summer, in the college context, she worked a lot on her defense and, you know, specifically with Team usa, like, didn't have to be a lead scorer. So if she continues to take the strides that I think some people expect and project, like, look out. They also have one of the best freshmen in the country coming in and Aaliyah Crump, so we'll see. Texas is the place I was going to go though lsu. Zina. It's a totally fair call out.

[Zena Keda]

I'm always going to be scared about Texas three point shooting. We know that that was a problem when they got deep into the tournament. You can't only have offense that runs in the paint. It's great, but they gotta be able to spread it out and diversify. LSU's got some big size coming in. Kate Covel, of course, transferring down to Notre Dame. Flaw J still there. And particularly I'm gonna shout out Flaw J's media picture. I don't know if you guys notice. Her earring perfectly hangs and it's a four. It's like whoever was behind the scenes in the camera, shout out to you.

[Ben Pickman]

I love that modern day college athlete. That is a modern day college athlete. When you were playing Zena, what was your media day picture? Did you have a. Did you ever get your number hanging.

[Sabrina Merchant]

Down in the mirror?

[Zena Keda]

Absolutely not. Absolutely not. I look dry and dusty in all of my media pictures. Maybe a little lip gloss on, and that's the extent of it. But now all the women are looking good this season. I'm very excited about it. And there's some particular women that are getting their first media day pictures. And that's the freshman, of course, coming into the space. I'm excited about some of these. Okay, so I gotta ask you guys, who are the top recruits that are supposed to shake up the game this year?

[Sabrina Merchant]

Yeah, well, the risk of being an entire homer, I think Jazzy Davidson, number one on the list at usc. You're not being a homer.

[Zena Keda]

The whole country knows this. Come on, come on.

[Sabrina Merchant]

Two of the top three recruits are both from la, so it's really not my fault. It's just what happened.

[Zena Keda]

There you go. Thank you.

[Sabrina Merchant]

You might see her listed as Jasmine Davidson, but this is Jazzy, another juju reincarnate at USC. And without juju Watkins here, this is a player who good tall, 6 foot 1, 6 foot 2 wing, who can do a little bit of everything with the ball. Really dynamic at the Nike Hoop Summit earlier this season in April, after the Final Four is when they have, you know, Team USA versus Team World. And Jazzy Davidson was very clearly the best player on the court. Just her ability to get to any spot looked more athletic, more capable of, you know, just really smooth with the ball in her hands. If you remember what juju did two years ago at usc, just taking the world by storm, like, taking over that USC team that had a lot of complimentary players, but not really a star with the ball in her hands. Like, that's what you can expect Jazzy Davidson to do this season. And it's probably too much to put that expectation on her, considering what a freshman year Watkins had. It was pretty historic, but I don't think that anyone in Southern California would be surprised if Jazzy was able to put together a similar performance this year. Admittedly, the surrounding talent still does more. We'll get to that in a second. But when you talk about top freshmen and people who are going to have the opportunity to do a lot just because of the context around her, I think she is number one on that list.

[Zena Keda]

Just the field being open for her, right? Because juju's out allows us to see her. And I mean, I imagine she would have probably found a way to start anyways, but the floor is hers. The stage is set for her to be able to take over. And that is what is so exciting. I saw her in the McDonald's All American game, and her Grace Knox, I was just like, okay, all right. Like, these players are playing with confidence that I haven't. I mean, we've seen lately. Because these kids are coming in like they've been in pros for so many years, right? But it just, like, again, it's the effortlessness of their game that I really, really love. You talk about effortless, talk about swagger. You talk about confidence. Ben. Aaliyah Chavez. Whoa. She's about to redefine Oklahoma basketball, because I'm not gonna lie, Oklahoma's been good, don't get me wrong. But they've been calm. They're not necessarily a flashy team. They are not necessarily. You know, they don't posture a lot. They just play the game. Aaliyah Chavez is a highlight reel. I'm thinking Malaysia Ful Wylie in Oklahoma, like, very much with the handles, with the abilities. Thoughts on some of these other freshmen, but particularly Aaliyah.

[Ben Pickman]

She is a big one, consensus five star, top three recruit in this class and a significant recruit for Oklahoma who fought off a number of the other giants in the sport, the UCLA is, the South Carolinas, the LSU's, to end up getting her commitment, which is pretty significant because Oklahoma, while a program that, you know, has turned itself into a perennial NCAA tournament kind of second weekend team, they're not yet of the kind of Final Four national championship level contender that so many people expect. And so you have this dynamic freshman in Aaliyah Chavez coming in. Remember on the other end you have Reagan Beers who not that long ago basically put the Oregon State Beavers on her back and took them to the Elite Eight, to the precipice of the Final Four. So I think that pairing in particular is really, really appealing, especially in a system at Oklahoma where we know they love to play, they love to have high octane offense and we know they like to shoot a lot of threes. So putting in a dynamic playmaker like Chavez is super, super appealing. I think we should also mention, you know, this might not necessarily be, you know, a top five recruit, but another kind of top 10, top 20 recruit that is of note that's going to get a lot of attention this year is Addison Deal, Addy Deal, who is going to the Iowa Hawkeyes. And while I shout her out because she is the biggest national recruit that Iowa has had since Caitlin Clark and she committed towards the end of Caitlin Clark's time at Iowa. And so there is a lot of hype, a lot of expectation for her coming in as a six foot, six foot one combo guard who has a decorated kind of high school career out in California. She comes in, I think a lot of people are just curious what juice she will bring to the Iowa program as it continues to transition from the Caitlin Clark, Lisa Bluder era into the Jan Jensen and beyond era. And she very much is viewed as a centerpiece of what is now obviously one of the household names, household programs in college basketball.

[Zena Keda]

It's a lot of big guard energy right now in all, I would say in all of basketball in general, but particularly you're thinking about some of these recruits coming in. I will say one player that being in the Bay that I'm particularly paying attention to mainly because it could be the revival of something. Alexandra Eschmeyer, 21 in the country, I watched her in like it wasn't McDonald's all America. I watched a number of clips before, but she is a three point shooting big and when I mean three point shooting big, she's not like the rest of us. That's like step into it, drag the other foot, put it up like she's off the bounce with it. And she's six five and I. And all I'm thinking is Cambrink, Kiki Iriafen. Like this could revive the big front court of Stanford, especially with the fact that they already have a new, new there. They already, they picked up, you know, some transfers in the, in the front court as well. I'm really excited about what she could potentially do for them. But y' all already laid it out. The other big. I'm thinking about Sienna Betts. Come on, like you're playing with your sister. You're playing in a pal, like a big program that's very powerful already. I'm very curious if they're going to go with the two big lineup with them because of their familiarity with the high low potentially. But what I don't know, maybe you guys do know. Does Sienna have an outside shot?

[Sabrina Merchant]

Oh, she does.

[Zena Keda]

Okay.

[Sabrina Merchant]

They basically don't get scared of UCLA at this point unless you have an outside shot. You don't think about Angela Dugalic, Tamia Gardner, Sienna Betts, all of those players who will be playing next to Lauren. Huge players, all huge. All like six four and they can all shoot.

[Zena Keda]

Right? Okay. All right. I just wanted to make sure. All right, we. We are gonna move forward. Just thinking about now. We talked a little bit about USC's future, especially with JuJu Watkins, who tore ACL during the NCAA tournament last year. We know that she's going to miss the entire season, but we just talked a little bit about Jazzy, this LA competition here in terms of what USC can do without a juju potentially putting a lot of the onus on that team in usc, on young players. Will they have enough to kind of get themselves back into that national spotlight?

[Sabrina Merchant]

Yeah, I mean, it's an interesting question. Like, you think about just the void nationally that's created by juju being absent. I'm sure the ESPN execs had a lot of R riding on juju Watkins, you know, carrying the torch for college basketball this year. And USC also had a lot riding on juju Watkins to carry the torch. And this is a very, very different program, very different team without her. It's a very guard heavy team without juju Watkins. You know, you think about Jazzy Davidson coming in, but they also have Kennedy Smith coming back. I think their lone returning starter is Kennedy Smith. You've got Malia, which we were calling.

[Zena Keda]

Juju 2.0, which was because they look so much alike as well on the.

[Sabrina Merchant]

Court, they do look so similar. Give you that. Yeah, Kennedy and Jazz are going to have a fun time together on the wing, but you know, they have basically Malia Samuels returning, who is their just sort of like bulldog defender, Pest guard off the bench. And then they bring in London Jones from ucla, another smaller guard off the bench, who can shoot the lights out of the ball, who is very difficult time going up against juju Watkins in a different life and now doesn't have to do that anymore. But this is just a very perimeter heavy team. Right? Those are the players, you know, and they also bring in Cara Dunn from Georgia Tech, but like, just not a lot of front court options. You know, they graduate Kiki Areafen, they graduate Rhea Marshall, they graduate Clarice Ocmanwafo, and those were their only three frontcourt players last year. They didn't really bring anyone from the portal of note to be a frontcourt player. Their only real options there are just freshmen who didn't play last season or international starters who've come in. And it's just. Is there going to be enough balance on this roster with all of the perimeter talent? Like, I imagine you're going to see a lot of lineups with Jazzy and Kennedy both in at the 3 and 4, because there just aren't enough players to play the 4 and the 5. Like, it's going to be a lot of spacing, a lot of pace, because there just aren't options here really to throw the ball into and like, let them work in the post.

[Zena Keda]

All right, well, I guess it's. I don't think that's going to change too, too much outside of this Kiki area fan year last year. I do feel like there were a lot of pace and space in juju's freshman year.

[Sabrina Merchant]

True. But they also played a lot of bigs too, with like Caitlin Davis was in there. And you know, Marshall has been a starter for four years, or not four years, but at least the last three years. And yeah, maybe there weren't like strict offensive options in the paint, but they also had a good like, defensive anchor, I think, in the paint, and that is going to be something that they're looking to find.

[Zena Keda]

That's a really great point. Oof. Okay. Whenever USC and UCLA go up against each other, that's when that is gonna be particularly on display. Very curious, as you know, how all that is gonna play out. But let's keep thinking about how some of these teams have changed, not just from freshmen, but particularly from transfers. And we just mentioned One London Jones going from UCLA to usc. But there were tons of big time talent this past off season. I put that in quotes that we're able to find new homes this season. So looking around the ncaa, what would you say or who would you say you have your, your eyes on and who is going to impact their new homes the most?

[Ben Pickman]

I mean, for me it starts with tcu, a program that you already mentioned, Zena, and it starts with Olivia Miles. Because everything at TCU this year is going to start with, end with, revolve around Olivia Miles, much like last year, so much focused around Haley Van Lith, like Olivia Miles seemingly will be handed the car keys to run Mark Campbell's offense, which really allows her the space to operate, to get downhill, to make reads, to play out of pick and roll sets and just create as she sees fit. And obviously Olivia Miles has had a lot of success in the college game. She was three time All ACC, first team at Notre Dame. She averaged, you know, 14, 6 and 6. She played more than 100 games there. She probably would have been a top three pick in the WNBA draft this past April. And instead of going pro, she elects to stay in college. She elects to transfer to the Horn Frogs and suddenly she's in a new place with new teammates. She's one of six transfers and so much is going to revolve around her. Now she said that part of why she stayed in school was because last year, yes, she had success on the court, but she still wanted to get more consistent. She wanted to be more disciplined. And more than that, she talked about still wanting to get in better shape, both physically and mentally. You have to remember that not that long ago she tore her ACL and you know, she had to go through the post ACL rehab process and that saw the emergence of Hannah Hidalgo too at Notre Dame. So Olivia Miles, really well positioned to have a successful year and to be, you know, an impactful player, knowing just how much the basketball is going to be in her hands.

[Zena Keda]

Yeah, there's a lot of senior and when I say senior, I don't mean like literally seniors, but more veteran talent around her as well. I'm thinking about Donovan Hunter, you know, Taylor Bigby, and then also thinking about transfers, Martes, Suarez coming over from Kyle that, you know, 13 and 7. I remember she averaged at Cal for them. Like there's a lot of great talent that's already on this team and familiarity for Olivia Miles to kind of plug into Sabrina, I would have chosen Olivia Miles as mine as like the most impactful One. But what about you? Who are you thinking about?

[Sabrina Merchant]

Yeah, maybe not the biggest name on the transfer market. You've actually already brought her up. But just because of what she could potentially mean for a team that has very high expectations, I'm looking at Kate Koval at lsu. You know, you think about all of the perimeter talent that the Tigers have. They've got Flaje Johnson coming back. They've got Mikayla Williams coming back. They've got Mylasia Full Wiley coming in. Right? There is a lot of scoring punch, a lot of playmaking punch on the perimeter. But this is a Kim Mulkey team. And as much as she is willing to evolve and, you know, put more responsibility in the hands of her guards, there is going to be stuff running through the front court, and there's gotta be somebody who is getting their job done in the paint. And, you know, they've got Grace Knox coming in, freshman, a good forward. But, like, when you talk about size, when you talk about somebody who can really have a commanding presence in the paint, that, to me, is Kate Colville. So are we going to see more of what we saw in the first half of her freshman season at Notre Dame, where she was starting, where she was, you know, I think doing a good job of scoring off, just like, finishing off of what her guards gave her and doing a good job of defending, sort of fell out of the rotation as the, you know, Maddy Westfold got healthier and they played Lia Tu King. Right. But she has a real opportunity here at LSU with no real true centers, I think, in front of her in the rotation, like, they could choose to go a little bit smaller and, like, play a couple forwards next to each other. But, like, if LSU wants a true big, somebody who is going to make a presence in the paint, who you feel when you go up to take a shot as an opposing guard, who you feel when you're trying to box her out, like, that is a real opportunity for Kate Koval to have. And again, a team I think has really high expectations, even if the SEC is tremendously deep with all of those other teams we've talked about already.

[Zena Keda]

Real quick point on Kate Koval. My favorite thing last year was watching. I was just looking this up as you were saying this, Sabrina. My favorite thing was watching Kate Coval go up against Sedona Prince at TCU last year. It was that. It was in that Thanksgiving tournament in the Islands, and it was anything that Sedona wanted. It was tough for Kate Coval to do, and she had great footwork down on the block. And everyone's like, oh, look at her holding her own against what should be a two, maybe three year potential WNBA player in terms of the age.

[Sabrina Merchant]

Yeah. Someone who's like five, six years older than her. Exactly.

[Zena Keda]

Yeah. Right. And so I was very excited about Kate Koval's year. Now that she has this opportunity at lsu, she's gonna be closer to her brother, I believe, who's also at lsu. That familiarity is huge. Very excited about that too. Ben, go ahead. What about you? What are your thoughts on transfers?

[Ben Pickman]

Yeah, I mean, I'm just going to throw another SEC name to watch because, I mean, this basically could have been the SEC transfer segment. You know, we could have rattled off names, but Cody McMahon.

[Zena Keda]

I know, really though, I mean, it.

[Ben Pickman]

Is pretty crazy and it speaks to just how deep, you know, the country is and how talented so many players are. But Cody McMahon transferring from Ohio State to Ole Miss drew a lot of headlines last year because she had become such a, a, a staple, a stalwart of that Ohio State program, getting off to such a successful start as a freshman. Right. You think back to it, she's averaging 15 points per game. She's shooting 50 plus percent from the field. I want to say it was her freshman year in which they knocked off UConn. Right. And snapped that, you know, seemingly decades long UConn streak in the Sweet 16. Like the Ohio State Press was suffocating. And Cody McMahon was just such an offensive force, a player you can feel, as Sabrina said, on the offensive end, but seemingly we saw her offensive game kind of stall out a little bit over the last couple years. She did improve as a three point shooter, but we saw her broader field goal percentage dip and she didn't take the leap that I think a lot of people thought. And so she transfers down to Ole Miss. This will now be her senior year. And she also, you know, not only is this a program that much like some of the others we've talked about, is ripe with talent, but is looking to really make the leap into Final Four quality contention. Cody McMahon has a lot to play for, personally knowing that this is a wide open WNBA draft class, and she stands to really surge up that class if she has a more efficient, a more effective year on both ends of the floor. So she is another name to certainly watch as this college season gets underway.

[Sabrina Merchant]

I like the Cody name a lot. I think Cody's just like an SEC player. You think about her body, her physicality, like, she just makes so much more sense to me in this conference than she did in the Big Ten. Not that she wasn't obviously productive at Ohio State, but like she just feels and looks like an SEC player and I think her brand of basketball is going to be very well suited at Ole Miss. Just so we don't forget the ACC entirely though, I want to throw one out here. Camille Pierre I think is a really interesting transfer at NC State. You know, a lot of offensive talent graduating from the Wolf Pack with Isaiah James and Sinai Rivers. They had some front court issues last year. You know, with the graduations the previous year from that Final Four team. Camille just gives them a little bit of like front court juice. Somebody to actually take the attention away from the perimeter players. It's still a pretty deep perimeter group. You've got Zoe Brooks returning, Zam Jones returning, Devon Quigley, but I think that was a very surprising transfer for a lot of us. Just like the date that she left Vanderbilt. How late in the portal season she ended up at NC State, but like a huge get for the Wolfpack who really just needed something to anchor their front court rotation. And Camille is, you know, arguably the best player they could have gotten. Whether that happened in April when transfer season started or when it ended up actually happening for them.

[Ben Pickman]

I was going to throw in a Big Ten name to the conversation so we can continue to round out conferences. I think Yarden Garzone going from Indiana to Maryland is another name to watch just because we know that Maryland can really be a high octane, you know, very efficient three point shooting team. And Yarn Gardone is one of the best three point shooters in the country. Taken nearly seven per game last year, shooting 41%. Like instant offense just kind of being infused into Maryland and very interesting to go inner conference from, you know, one very proven program in Indiana to another in Maryland. Also a player with some WNBA aspirations, some prospects to watch out for.

[Sabrina Merchant]

Yeah, what's funny about how my mind works is I was thinking I'll throw in some acc. I'll do Maryland and NC State and it's like wait a second, Maryland's not ACC for a very long time. Not acc.

[Zena Keda]

Right, right, right, right. I just to the Camille Pierre point, I am sad that there's no more like magic of Mikayla Blakes and Camille Kapier. Like those two were putting up 20 a game, both 40 combined. Like it was so much, so much offense coming out of Vanderbilt. But yes, NC State picks up that there's so many moves that have made. I mean we did touch on Toni Lat, talk to him about Mylasia Ful Wylie, Sarah Williams leaving Wisconsin and go to UConn to bolster up that team. Yeah, there's so much movement, guys. We're going to try and keep it, you know, top of mind throughout the rest of this season, but it's going to be very interesting who rises to the top in terms of their impact on the various teams. Okay, guys, we got to round it out. We've been talking for a while, and I love it. I'm getting too excited. Again, this is not our predictions pod. Just thinking top of mind stuff. Let's shift to our last question, a topic that I know a lot of people gonna debate because. What did you just say, Sabrina? The draft class this year is wide open, and there's an opportunity for some people to really surprise folks. Scout's gonna be very busy this year. It's not gonna be so simple as it was in the past few years, I think. Who's going number one, two, et cetera. So fast forward to April 2026. Put your scout hat on. Who's gonna be the number one pick in the next WNBA draft?

[Sabrina Merchant]

Well, let's Hope it's in April 26, right? A lot that has to be done before we can have a Tokyo NBA.

[Zena Keda]

Traction deal or no deal.

[Sabrina Merchant]

Setting that aside, I think, you know, what you said Zena is exactly right. We've been in this long stretch of there has been no discussion really, of who the number one pick was. It was Aaliyah Boston. It was Caitlin Clark. It was Paige Beckers. You know, you look at the draft and it's like, you got number one. Your job is done if you're at number two, like, that's where the real work starts. Right? And now you can make an argument for a lot of different players, right? A bunch of them who we've mentioned on this podcast, right. If you're interested in a big. Lauren Betts, right? Six foot seven, you can't teach that size, right? How often do we hear you can't teach six, seven? She has that very skilled around the basket, excellent defensive player. Right. Her mobility got a lot better between, I think, her sophomore and her junior year. And I'm excited to see what that looks like. You know, after another offseason of work at ucla, just super composed, super skilled, like, obviously very productive. How could you go wrong, you know, building your team around a player like that when bigs are so important in the wnba? And yet, you know what? If you're thinking a little bit more modern, a little bit more perimeter oriented, do you want a point guard of the future? And Olivia Miles, who is arguably one of the more pro rated point guards now, even before spending the season at, you know, transfer central with Mark Campbell and learning that pick and roll offense. She is awesome pull up shooter, awesome playmaker. Like, what more could you ask for in a point guard? I mean, maybe you want more athletic.

[Zena Keda]

From three last year too. Exactly.

[Sabrina Merchant]

Maybe you want a more athletic wing type of player. You look at what the aces have with Jackie Young and you're like, I want that. Maybe Flaje Johnson is your pick. Right? Somebody who can create her own shot, who has an athletic adv over basically anybody who tries to get in front of her. Dynamite in transition, really good defender when she puts her mind to it on the perimeter. I could keep naming names. Those are three that immediately come out to me as just different archetypes of what a team could want as they look towards their next era in the wnba.

[Ben Pickman]

The answer is who knows? Zena, that is really the exciting part of this season. I think on the college basketball front and on the WNBA scouting front is it really is pretty open. I mean, again, I think the other player to watch for is Awa Fam, a 19 year old Spaniard. I know this is a college basketball episode, but she is really the other name to watch in this conversation. Someone who runs the floor, is super athletic, a fluid athlete. She's playing in EUROLEAGUE against you know, the top competition in the world. Like, don't be surprised if she is the number one pick. Come whenever this draft is, we should.

[Sabrina Merchant]

Mention she's 6 foot 5 and as skilled as just about any guard in the ncaa.

[Zena Keda]

There you go. And I'm gonna let y' all know. You know, Ben had a very similar prediction when it came to Don Malonga. Okay. Letting us know about the international competition there of just how skilled Dominique Malanga is. And even though she had a slow start, she definitely showcased that towards the end of the season for Seattle. So Ben, we appreciate you always keeping us up to date with the international talents and the prospects because that's so important, especially as the game continues to expand and the WNBA becomes more and more attractive to not just NCAA prospects, but of course international prospects as well as. So on that note, one last question. With more people coming over that are younger that have been playing in these pro leagues to develop their basketball talent internationally, any thoughts on folks trying to leave NCAA earlier, trying to reduce that age limit? Because there is a CBA being negotiated right now and that would be where you would make that decision? Yeah.

[Sabrina Merchant]

You mean you think about all of the talking points WNBA has put out about how this is how things are done in the NBA. Shouldn't we have it done this way in the WNBA in terms of revenue sharing, player experience and things of that nature. And yet in the NBA they have an age limit of 19 for you're allowed to declare for the NBA draft as a American player. And in the wnba, if you go through the domestic system, I. E. The NCAA, you have to be 22 when you declare WNBA draft or at least turn 22 the year of the draft. So that is admittedly a very big difference. Three years. And you know, I haven't heard literally any chatter out of WNBA players about wanting to change that minimum because it is so beneficial for the wnba, which has a limited number of roster spots, to limit the number of players who are allowed to be in the league. And it is beneficial for college basketball to have their players in their system for as long as possible because you build stories and rivalries and just the narratives that develop, like how much more fun was it to watch Caitlin Clark go from her sophomore season where they lose in that second round to Creighton and then building up to the Final Four the next year and the final fourth year after that. You just don't get that if players can go to the draft as soon as possible. And yeah, I think it is inherently anti labor to deny adult people the rights to play in the best league in the world.

[Zena Keda]

But.

[Sabrina Merchant]

But there's just so many advantages for college players, for WNBA players that the college system exists the way it is and you have these built in stars before they even get to the W. And the fact that they're making money in college now makes it a lot easier to be on board with because it's not. You're denying them all of their earning potential this early in their careers. But yeah, it's not something that I've really heard about in terms of what WMA players priorities are, but it's something to always have in the back of your mind, especially as we get players who are so talented and so seemingly pro ready when they get to college, the likes of Juju Watkins, then maybe it's a conversation we'll have further down the line when these other priorities for the WNBA have resolved themselves.

[Zena Keda]

Does seem like the main point for that argument before from an anti labor perspective was the money. But now that that's kind of been solved, quote unquote solved or addressed through nil, it feels as if this won't be as much of a clamor for the women's basketball players at least. Very, very good discussion y'. All. Just to get us started, this is the tip of the iceberg of the college conversation, and we're very excited to get deep to it as the year goes on and to keep you posted on everything around the cba. Tell me if I'm alone here. No off season listeners, but shopping used to feel more fun before all the algorithm fed blah and the endless sea of dupes. But I have a confession. I found that fun feeling again on ebay. Because on ebay it's not just shopping, it's a full on fashion pursuit. And when you find the thing that adrenaline hit is real, like when you score that rare Adidas collab that's lived on your mood board, or the Dior saddlebag you ripped out of a magazine in 2007 and never got over. Or something like The Cecily Banson GT2160s that sold out in five seconds. Yeah, those. It's about the thrill of finding pieces that feel like me. And I want you to find pieces that feel feel like you. There's always more to discover. Ebay has millions of pre loved finds from hundreds of brands backed by ebay. Authenticity Guarantee EBAY Things People Love.

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[Sabrina Merchant]

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[Zena Keda]

That is all we've got for you today. Remember, you have a job to do. That's right, subscribe if you haven't done so. That's right. Give us a rating if you haven't done so. And the third thing is making sure you get us some questions for the mailbag because we want to make sure whether it's written online, as Ben mentioned, or in our mailbag episodes that are coming up that we've got all your thoughts and we can address them. So appreciate you guys joining us for today. If you're watching on YouTube, make sure you follow and subscribe there. It's not just the podcasting, we want the video as well to be appreciated. And then of course head on over to our partners partner Yahoo Sports Hub. Got more content over there? Sports.yahoo.com womens sports on behalf of the Athletic, my homies Sabrina and Ben. I'm Zena Keda. We appreciate you listening and we will see you next time. No Off Season is hosted by Zena Kada with Chantelle Jennings, Sabrina Merchant and Ben Pickman. It's produced by Tanika Burrell. Our executive producers are Andrea B. Scott and Cassius Fletcher Fleming. Our theme music is by Marcus Bagala. Monica Compton is our video editor. Shannon Ryan is Managing editor of Women's Basketball at the Athletic. Jesse Burton is our head of audio and Tim McMaster is director of Audio operations.

[Sabrina Merchant]

Big news Boost Mobile is now sending experts nationwide to deliver and set up customers new phones at home or work.

[Ben Pickman]

Wait, we're going on tour?

[Sabrina Merchant]

Not a tour. We're delivering and setting up customers phones so it's easier to upgrade.

[Ben Pickman]

Let's get in the tour bus and hit the road.

[Sabrina Merchant]

No, not a tour bus. It's a regular car we use to deliver and set up customers phones at home or work.

[Ben Pickman]

Are you a groupie on this tour?

[Sabrina Merchant]

We deliver and set up phones.

[Zena Keda]

It's not a tour.

[Ben Pickman]

Oh you're definitely a groupie.

[Sabrina Merchant]

Introducing store to do store switch and get a new device with expert setup and delivery wherever you're at.

[Ben Pickman]

Delivery available for select devices [e-mail] AI.

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[Zena Keda]

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