← No Offseason: The Athletic Women's Basketball Show
No Offseason: The Athletic Women's Basketball Show
Is South Carolina Destined to Return to the Title Game?
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- [00:00]
Commercial Narrator
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Chantel Jennings
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Zena Keda
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Chantel Jennings
I'm Chantel Jennings.
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Sabrina Merchant
And I'm Sabrina Merchant.
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Zena Keda
And today on the show, every great team faces A moment where it has to evolve, where it has to tweak, respond, and sometimes shift gears. For South Carolina, this season has been about one word, pivot. Because the question isn't whether South Carolina is good. I think we all know that they already are. But the question is how they've adapted. And most importantly, is this the version of the Gamecocks that is built to win another championship? We're gonna dive into South Carolina and their run to win it all. But first, it was a newsy weekend. Okay, we got a lot of women's hoops information and news to dive into. Let's start with the Brianna Stewart news that Stewie is heading back overseas to play for Venerbahce Opet in Turkey as they gear up for the Euroleague Women's final six. Now, this is not new. I mean, if you guys remember, Stewie played with this team in 2022, 2023. She won a title with them, she won MVP with them, and now she'll rejoin them for another championship push before the WNBA season ramps up. Sabrina, the timing of this is fascinating, mainly because that window between Euroleague and the projected WNBA season seems infinitesimally small. So what. How is this going to work out? And why do you think she's jumping with them now?
- [03:56]
Sabrina Merchant
I mean, you. You referenced this. This is totally normal for WNBA players to play overseas during their offseason. The idea of unrivaled and athletes unlimited are much newer additions to the women's basketball calendar for years and years and years. We're talking about like the Diana Taurasi, Candace Parker, you know, Neca gumake days. They all. The minute the WNBA season ended, they took a couple weeks, then they went overseas. Whether that was China, Russia, Europe, Australia. And they played through April, May, sometimes coming back even after the start of the WNBA season before rejoining their WNBA teams. So the idea that Stewie wants to play in Turkey, that she wants to play in Euroleague at another trophy dory case. Like, it's been a while since she's gotten one, I guess the end of the 2024 season. So time to make some room there. But this is just what they do, right? Like, Brianna Stewart has played overseas several times. She's played in Russia for a few years. She's played in Turke Turkey before. And yeah, she was busy launching unrivaled over the last couple years and had a, you know, pretty significant injury to deal with after the 2024 season.
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Chantel Jennings
But this is.
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Sabrina Merchant
This is very par for the course now. I think the idea that, like, she would be going after Unrivaled and announcing it now during these protracted WNBA CBA negotiations is interesting, right? That she can put a little pressure on the WNBA by saying, hey, you know, we already know that Unrivaled is here, and we're, you know, we've had our conversations about Unrivaled, and obviously there is a friction that exists between the WNBA Unrivaled. But also, I want to remind you all that I can also go to Turkey and make a good chunk of money playing in Euroleague before our season starts. And it's not as much basketball as you would think. Like, she's only going for the Euroleague Final Six, which is a single elimination tournament to end the Euroleague season. So she'll be playing like three games tops. But just the idea that, like, hey, another option continues to exist for WMA players. She's going to a team that has a lot of WMA players on it. Gabby Williams, Kayla McBride, Ileana Repair, Julie Alemann among them. I think it's just a useful reminder at this point in the calendar that, hey, we know we're very eager to get the WNBA CBA done, and there are lots of issues to, you know, resolve on that front. But again, remember, Europe exists. I like playing in Europe. The early Final Six is even being played in Spain, which is where Stewie's wife's family's from too. So it all works out for everybody.
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Zena Keda
Yeah, I feel like whether it was intentional or not, this is a powerful signal or reminder that, as you mentioned, a lot of non WNBA options exist for top players. And is Emma Miesiman also on that team?
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Sabrina Merchant
Yes.
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Chantel Jennings
Yeah.
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Zena Keda
Woo. Yeah. Yeah, they're going to be playing for a long time.
- [06:33]
Chantel Jennings
This is, it's my. I saw this and I was like, this is a win, win, win for Stewie. Like, in terms of the timeline, the Final Six ends on the day that WNBA training camp is supposed to start, if the season starts on time. And so it's like, A, she's going to make a ton of money for doing this, B, she gets a chance to win another title. Like Sabrina said, the length of time since she's lifted a trophy might feel like light years to her at this point, even though it hasn't been so good for her. And three, or C, it's like it's a message to ownership about prioritization, that if the league is not going to prioritize players and their salaries, she is not going to prioritize the league. And I don't know if that's the message she's hoping to send with it. But I. I mean, that's kind of the message I'm taking from it is like, going back to those all Star shirts, like, pay us what we're worth.
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Zena Keda
I love it. I agree with you. It's a powerful signal. Again, whether she meant to or not. But one thing about these WNBA players, they. They. They. They know how to play the game. They know how to send a good signal. Okay, let's keep it moving and talk a little bit about Unrivaled, because they just closed out their 1v1 tournament. Chelsea Gray. It was a battle of the Grays, by the way. Alicia Gray and Chelsea Gray meeting up in the final, which was a different format this year. Sabrina. Chelsea Gray ends up winning it. She secures a $200,000 prize, which is, interestingly enough, that one tournament. She is able to make more in her winnings than what she made in her entire salary for the WNBA this past season. But what'd you make of the format, how it rolled out, and also the news that Unrivaled also recently released that they're not only going to Philly this year, they're also going to Brooklyn.
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Sabrina Merchant
You know, we talked about one on one last week, and I think it was so much fun during the early rounds to watch these matchups, especially within people of the same positional groups. I think this tournament just takes out. So takes a lot out of the players. Like, you could tell when they had to play their second game of the day. It was grueling. And just, like, watching it, like, you felt them, like, sucking for air, and like, just every jump shot is shortened. Like, it was almost merciful when that game ended between Chelsea Gray and Alicia Gray. When Chelsea Gray finally hit a shot. I think they'd said that, like, Alicia had missed, like, 12 jumpers in a row and Chelsea had missed, like, nine in a row. Like, it was. There's got to be some way to condense it. I think, like, the. The enjoyment that I got out of the beginning was not entirely matched by the end, but kud to Chelsea Gray, obviously, reputation as one of the most clutch players in league history, frankly. And just another, like we mentioned with Stewie, another. Another trophy to put in the case right next to those four WNBA titles, among other things. So congrats to Chelsea and just, you know, congrats on rival for continuing to expand their footprint. Right. Like, to have the night in Philly during the regular season and then to, you know, move so quickly after that to make this opportunity happen in Brooklyn, you've seen the crowds that the New York Liberty gets. I would be unsurprised if another sellout is en route, you know, for the semifinals. Like, it's a product that travels well. It's, you know, you've seen that like a lot of people around the country want to participate in the unrivaled phenomenon and the fact that they're getting to bring it to like a proven women's basketball market I think is pretty cool.
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Zena Keda
Yeah, this is awesome. They're bringing their semifinals on March 2 to Barclays, which is really dope. And yeah, the fact that Chelsea Gray had to come back against Kelsey Plum and then had to come back after game one against Alicia Gray, it was just like, this is a lot, this is a lot. But she was able to pull it out. Congratulations to her. Congratulations to Unrivaled for continuing the path on. The funny thing is, is that that last game against Alisha Gray, low key, looked like what the last game or the last quarter and the NBA All Star game looked like. The old heads were a little bit tired if you guys watched that. But speaking of which, All Star, there wasn't a ton of WNBA presence there, a women's basketball players presence. Sure, we saw some folks sitting courtside at event, able to go at the branding events, but not integrated in the way that we typically see them. And speaking of the wnba, NBA commissioner Adam Silver was asked about WNBA CBA negotiations. Sabrina, for our listeners that may not have been paying attention to NBA All Star or had seen this clip, exactly what did he say?
- [10:53]
Sabrina Merchant
Right. So Adam hit on a couple notes. He said first of all that he thinks the situation is unfortunate that the league is coming off of so much momentum and that they're in this position where they can't be Talking about their 30th season and instead they're talking about collective bargaining negotiations. And then he hopes to put some pressure on the stakeholders involved to there's a real sense of urgency now in terms of things need to get done so that an expansion draft, college draft, free agency can all be accomplished before this presumed training camp start date on April 19 that Chantel alluded to. But he also said that he was not ready to set a drop dead date in terms of when these negotiations have to be finalized before the season can proceed completely. Right. Because you know, I'm sure the WNBA would still like do like a 30 plus game season if they can't get everything done by a certain date in March or April. But we don't really know what that date is. Because Adam Silver did not, you know, enumerate one. And then he also said that he has not personally been at the table for these negotiations. He's sort of participating behind the scenes. So I think there's still probably another lever for Adam Silver to pull in terms of his involvement in this process. You know, he has been a part of multiple CBA negotiations on the NBA side, and they've had labor peace during the entirety of his tenure as commissioner. But that is something that he would not commit to at the time. I think they're still hoping that the wnba, with its commissioner, with its lawyers and players union, can manage to make something happen without any further NBA involvement.
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Chantel Jennings
I just, like, what is sort of that line, though? Like, at what point he's like, you know, I could get involved, but it's like, we're probably two, at most, three weeks out from missing some part of the season. Whether that's cutting back date, I'll tell you that. Yeah, exactly. I mean, we've talked about early March, and this is. We're past the midway point of February. Like, what? Like, where is the line in the sand at this point? I think I'm just. I'm a little confused at. I think, Sabrina, you had mentioned this in a column that you had written earlier this month about where's the urgency? And I think I am feeling like there's a lot of people that are saying things publicly, and I'm like, I just feel like everyone else that is sort of following those things is like, should we not be stressed? Because it's like, when you're on an airline or when you're on a flight and you hit turbulence, I always look at the, like, flight attendants and, like, they're not freaking out. So then I don't freak out, but I'm, like, looking at them and I'm like, shouldn't you guys be freaking out a little bit more now?
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Zena Keda
Like, the light is on. Like, the light is on, right?
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Chantel Jennings
Like. And so it's like, I'm watching his comments and I'm thinking, like, okay, but when do you apply that next pressure? Because Adam, like, tick tock. Like, the clock is ticking here.
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Zena Keda
Let's talk about a little bit of what this has delayed. The negotiations have delayed the expansion draft for the Portland Fire, the Toronto tempo, um, the WNBA draft that is supposed to be scheduled for April 13th. Training camps are roughly two months away. Like, this is not.
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Sabrina Merchant
I mean, more pressingly, free agency was supposed to start on February 1st, and that has not happened. There's that.
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Zena Keda
That has not happened. So, yeah, this is, it's very interesting. Again, just to quickly remind folks, the main thing that this comes down to is a conversation over gross versus net and the revenue sharing and the league wanting to have the players get over 70% of the net revenue, which is basically after they take all their expenses out and the player is being like, nah, we'd like to get that gross, we'd like to get 30% of that gross revenue. And it's just they're not being able to come to terms on that. And the numbers are creeping up, but they're not quite matching just yet on the revenue share. So we'll see where that goes. All right, so that, you know, the.
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Sabrina Merchant
Negotiations have delayed is mentioned. NBA All Star. This is a weekend that the WNBA is historically a part of. Whether that's the celebrity game, whether that's the Shooting Stars Challenge, whether that's the three point shootout that, you know, Steph and Sabrina did a couple years ago. You. I wouldn't say that, like their absence was necessarily felt by the majority of people because no one knows what the events are going in these days. Just being at the into a toe on Saturday, I'll tell you, like, no one knew what the format was like, is the three point shooter at first, like, what is the Shooting Stars thing? But personally, as a longtime watcher of NBA All Star and the Shooting Stars competition, which originally started with a WNBA player joining an NBA legend and a current NBA player, I missed having them part of that. And you know, Swin Cash, the four time champion of that event, I got to talk to her this weekend and she said she thought they canceled it because they won too much and she was very offended that they didn't invite her back. So justice for swincash and the Shooting Stars.
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Zena Keda
Okay, that's hilarious. Yeah, I really do feel it's a, it's, it's a tough conversation when it comes to WNBA integration into NBA All Star because I understand some of the fans that are like, uh, you're not gonna tap into the star of the rising star of women's basketball to try and save your NBA All Star. That clearly hasn't had the same juice as it's had in the past. We know that, that Steph and Sabrina shootout was the show, the show when it happened. And so people felt like, okay, you don't want to take advantage. However, this has been a part of the story of this brother and sister league to able to shine some light on women's basketball in the WNBA by integrating them in an honest way. Not just having them courtside looking good, which they were shout out to Lisa Leslie, but just having them be a part of everything throughout the weekend. So definitely, definitely interesting that they were not a part of it. We'll see what happens. We're going to keep it going with the Deal or no Deal proposal. No proposal. Chantel, appreciate that for that, that little reboot of our Deal or no Deal. All right, let's get into another thing that we typically do around these parts, the SABR scale. Okay. And this week, the selection committee did a little bit of work for us. I don't know if you felt that way, Sabrina, but the top 16 was revealed. And I want to ask the both of you, what's the biggest takeaway here? Because we know that this, this top 16 is going to be. It's liable to change. Right. They're going to have another one come out on March 1st, and then they're going to have another list not numbered, but just a list right before Selection Sunday. So this isn't concrete, but what are you seeing? What's sticking out to you? Chantelle, I'll let you go first.
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Chantel Jennings
Yeah, I mean, I think the main thing that we saw was that, you know, the committee has the opportunity to look at a whole bunch of criterion and then they're human. So they, they put their own emphasis on different things in the room and they have a conversation. And I think looking at it specifically the Vanderbilt Texas line was really interesting to most people. That was the one that I thought could be the most telling as you're, you know, what you're basically trying to do is say, okay, here's a list of 16 teams. And based off of this list, what does the women's Division one basketball committee value? So it's a lot of, like, guessing here, but I think based off that list, what we can say is that recency matters. You know, Duke is a top 10 team despite starting the season really poorly, but they're on a huge win streak right now. So recency matters. The Texas Vanderbilt head to head had a ton of impact. Vanderbilt obviously got that number four overall ranking, so the fourth number one seed. And so I think those sort of things matter as we, you know, look forward. As you said, the next ranking comes out March 1, and then there'll be an alphabetical list revealed the day before Selection Sunday with just the top 16 teams but not ranked. I'm really curious with this Texas Vanderbilt SEC continuum, like, how they're going to continue, because I think, you know, two weeks from now, we're probably still going to be talking about these two teams potentially as, you know, who gets that fourth number one seed. The thing to look at here, I think is probably common opponents moving forward. Both teams still play Alabama this season. They haven't played that team yet. So scoring margin could come into play here. If we see either of these teams really wanting to sort of put the beat down on Bama, which will be difficult as the top 25 team, there's that Texas still plays Georgia Vanderbilt after beating Texas, then went down and lost to Georgia. So if Texas can pick up a win over Georgia, that's obviously good for their resume. But I specifically have my calendar circled for the Texas Bama and the Vandy Bama games.
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Zena Keda
Okay.
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Sabrina Merchant
I think the SEC tournament is going to be super impactful in terms of these decisions because that's the only way you could potentially get another Texas Vanderbilt game is during that tournament because they aren't scheduled to play for the remainder of the regular season. Just an important note, like this is just the top 16 as of, you know, Saturday, February, what was it, 14, 14 even, you know, it was before South Carolina beat LSU, right? It was before a bunch of other things happened over the weekend. And then the next time we get this reveal on March 1st, again, it is not predictive of what is going to happen on this, you know, Selection Sunday. It is just at this moment in time. This is where we see the top 16 seeds. It's all in Pennsylvania, obviously matters. It matters quite a bit in the women's tournament because you get to host those first two rounds and, you know, you look at every team's home record, they're magnificently better at home than they are on the road. So these things matter. But I think just, you know, Chantel hit the SEC so well. I'm looking at, like, the Big Ten. You know, Michigan State took another loss after they were in, you know, I think 13th place in this, 14th in this ranking. You know, Baylor had a nice win over the weekend. Maybe like, you look at a team like Kentucky that beat Ole Miss, which is in the top 16, Kentucky is currently sitting outside of the top 16. And then like, you know, West Virginia, right. Does Maryland move up a little bit? Does Ohio State come down a little bit after that loss? Like, there's just so many things that are still in flux. But I think Chantel was right that, like, the number one seed is absolutely the most interesting thing here because we really have some conversation of, like, hey, like, Vanderbilt has more recent good wins, but Texas has like the overall strength of schedule. Like, I mean how can we forget that they played the players ERA Championship and beat UCLA and South Carolina on back to back nights. Right? Like that should matter for something. So I am just continuously fascinated by how much the committee values overall strength of schedule and overall resume versus the last two months of the regular season.
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Zena Keda
What is very clear is that this seating debate is going to literally go all the way through to selection Sunday. Keep an eye on the championships. Keep an eye on the tournaments. Um, yes, the SEC and Big Ten are still dominant. Six teams each from both conferences in the top 16 right now. Acc. Ha. You surprised me. Got two in there. Okay, shout out to them.
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Chantel Jennings
And the Big 12.
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Zena Keda
Big 12 got one. Big Big east got one. So. Well, we know why they got one. But yeah. So either way, keep your eye out on until, you know, March 1st. These things might shift again. I like the way you put it, Chantel. These things are written in in pencil for right now. All right, on the other side of this break, we're going to talk about one of those teams that is at the top of those 16 teams, South Carolina, and see if they can pivot towards a championship this season.
- [21:51]
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Zena Keda
All right, y'. All, South Carolina is firing on all cylinders this season. They are dominant inside, they're versatile outside, they've got a crazy good defense, and they're a cleared championship contender, at least in my opinion. I'm sure in Sabrina's opinion, because they're close to the top of the Sabrina scale. Um, and I know, Chantel, you feel the same way. They're one of the teams in the NCAA to watch out for in terms of possibly being able to overtake the UCLAs, the UCONNs of the world. But they look a little different than what we thought we might see at the top of the season. Right? Things, things have changed in the way the players are playing in the lineups that Dawn Staley is putting out there. And it has led to success and it's led to them being consistently successful. So let's talk about it because this is not what we expected. Okay? South Carolina had. South Carolina been through some stuff, okay? They lose Chloe Kitts and Ashley Watkins early this season and they lose Malaysia Folweiley to the transfer portal Sybrina. Just setting up the context of what those losses meant for the outlook of South Carolina and how they've been able to kind of work around that. Help us kind of understand how impressive that the bounce back from those early season losses were for this Gamecocks team.
- [25:26]
Sabrina Merchant
So to clarify, it's not even just early season. It's preseason. You know, Khloe Kidd did not play a single game this season. Ashlyn Watkins did not play a single game this season. Obviously, when you transfer, that means you're, you know, gone for the entire season. The thing that always sticks out to me with South Carolina is they, they can do like the hockey line change, right? They have two sets of five player lineups that they can play at any given time. You know, you think about the team that went undefeated in the regular season in 2023. And it's got, like, Aaliyah Boston and Destiny Henderson and, you know, Brie Beal in the starting lineup. And then off the bench, like, here comes Camille Cardoso and Brie hall. And like, it's just there are. There's so much depth on this roster. And, like, that's the way South Carolina likes to play, is that you always have options. And they didn't really have that luxury coming into the season. You know, they came to LA early in the year and it was like, well, they had nine healthy players and a couple of them were freshmen. More than a couple of them are freshmen. And it's a situation where everybody gets a chance to eat now. Like, everybody gets a chance to really get into the game because there's only so many options. But it is a different challenge for Dawn Staley to have to rely on players, you know, more than she usually has, like, coming into this season. I don't think there had ever been a season in Dawn Staley's tenure where two players on her team had averaged 15 plus points per game. And, you know, that's what we have now with Tenia Latson and Joyce Edwards. And, like, there have been some very talented South Carolina teams, but they just all sort of played a smaller role for the collective. And that's different this year. Like, everybody has to be a little bit better. The veterans have to be a little bit more available, a little bit more productive, because there isn't that line of six, seven bench players coming in off the bench to spell them.
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Zena Keda
That's the thing about South Carolina. They have always been balanced, equal distribution. Everybody eats. And with the talent, I would say parody, that's happening throughout the league or the association, you just see that everyone has to step their game up. So, Chantelle, you've talked about this in the pieces you've recently written. You've talked about it with us, and you're one of the people that wanted to have this conversation around South Carolina because we're seeing it's not just talent elevating, it's also strategy of that Everybody eats has looked a little bit different. The table setting is a little bit different with how Dawn Staley has set it up. What have you noticed in the. In terms of how this team has shifted or adapted their identity to find success?
- [27:46]
Chantel Jennings
Yeah, well, I think dawn has always been kind of a flexible coach with, you know, like we said, if you have that much depth, you have to have some sort of built in flexibility because you do have, you know, differing personnel groupings. On the floor at any given time. Um, but I think the difference here is like, I think back to the game against Tennessee when they ran out of zone defense and full court pressure, which it was like, you turn that on, you're like, wait, I'm watching South Carolina. Like, we think of South Carolina as this excellent defensive team, but not in that way. Like, they play great pressure man defense. They are not like a 221-03-4 court press team. And yet there's Raven and Tenaya at the top of that press. And I'm like, damn, like, there's no way Tennessee saw that coming because this is something, you know, I forget. I looked back at the stats when that game happened. It was like they'd been in a press like 4% of possessions this year. Like, that is not something that Kim Caldwell prepared her team for during that game. And I think the scoreboard then obviously showed that. But also, there have been a few different lineup changes this year, starting lineup changes. Some of that can be, you know, injury related. But yeah, I think the difference this year is that they don't have quite the same amount of depth. And four of their top eight rotational players are all first year within the system. You know, and I think Tadaya Latson, leading scorer in the country last year, coming in from Florida State, obviously has a ton of familiarity with Raven Johnson. They played in high school together, they're very close friends. So she has that sort of experience and background with someone, but not necessarily how we think of the South Carolina system where it's like, you're in this program for four years, they have a low transfer for rate. Like, players sit their freshman year no matter how good they are, then they like get more minutes, more minutes, more minutes. And then by their junior senior year, they're starting right, like, and obviously there's, you know, they're not just like sitting their freshman year. Some of them get to play, but it's like, you know, you're sort of like building up. And that's what we've looked at South Carolina for such a long time. And now you have four first year players who are really getting pretty significant minutes for the squad. And I think it's a credit to the coaching and sort of the camaraderie of this team that it's like the hallmark of South Carolina, when I think of it though, is like, they just show up. They just show up in these moments. Sabrina and I were talking about this before, like, they go down to Baton Rouge in this insane environment and they show up like it doesn't matter that 50% of their top eight rotational players haven't done it before in this way. Like, they still do it the South Carolina way.
- [30:18]
Zena Keda
I know we've talked a little bit about Tanai Latson. We are talking about Dawn Staley and just her ability to be flexible. I want to get into some of the personnel even more, mainly because some of them, one of them, I think, does not get enough credit for just how much she anchors this team. And that's Raven Johnson. You saw her in that LSU game, scores 19 points. She, it was huge down the stretch as I, you know, I got what, three buckets in a row. She was the one that was either had her hands on it, facilitating it, or getting in herself. She was a key part in all of that. And I just feel like Raven Johnson, we've seen her be incredible, like indomitable defensively. She is the defensive identity of this team, in my opinion. She cleans up messes. She is a communicator. We've seen her be this her entire career, and yet she's still not one of the top guards we talk about when we're talking about the WNBA draft. What does Raven Johnson bring to this South Carolina team? To you guys, what do you all see that you love most out of her game? Because we know she can score, she can facilitate and she can play defense. But she also elevates in those big moments. Just like you mentioned Chantel, too. And I think that she's the bar, in my opinion, for the energy of the Gamecocks team.
- [31:46]
Sabrina Merchant
I mean, I love watching Raven Johnson play defense. Just personally, if you have a chance to just see her in person get in a stance and her arms just seem longer than they should be and the way she can just disrupt, it's just a really aesthetically pleasant experience to watch Raven Johnson get in front of somebody and just make their lives miserable. I, it's, I can't even really explain it. Like, it's just Raven Johnson has something in her that allows her to defend in a way that is not, I don't know, it's just not normal. Like, it's very specific skill. And you know, you mentioned her scoring and playmaking. Like, I think the scoring has sort of been like the, the fluctuating skill with Raven Johnson throughout her college career. You know, famously. Like she has that moment against Iowa where Caitlin just doesn't want to defend her on the three point line, which admittedly, that's just how Caitlin Clark defends people on the three point line. And Raven Actually hit three three pointers in that game, which I don't. I don't think people really about that. But I don't remember, you know, her, her jump shot has gotten a little bit better over the course of her career. She ends up hitting three threes in this game against LSU the weekend. You know, she's shooting about 37% on threes this year compared to 30% last year. Free throw percentage is up to 84%. Like, she understood that. Like Chantel said, she's been part of the, the South Carolina growth machine, right? Like, she was a backup her freshman year. She got to play next to Tahina Powpow over the next couple years where she wasn the A1 de facto leader because there was another veteran presence there. And now it's hurt, right? Like, T' Niya Latson is new. Medina Okad is new. Joyce Edwards didn't start last year. Tessa Johnson didn't start last year. Like, Raven is the only one coming back from the team as a starter in that same role that made the national title game. And she saw a team that only put up 59 points in that national championship game and realized, like, hey, like, I know what I do. I know I can defend with anybody. I know I can play make. I also have to add a little bit more offensively as, like, a scoring punch to make sure that, like, our team is where it needs to be. And she's doubled her scoring average from last year and she is the kind of person who could put the ball in her hands at the end of the game, like, she's against lsu, like, she's against Texas. And the second time those two teams played and her just being like, the physical extension of Don Staley on the court. Because if you think about it, the whole point of this system is that there are multiple extensions of Don Staley on the court. There are so many people who've been through the system, you know, at South Carolina for so many years at the, like, it just runs on its own. And that isn't the case this year, right? Like, it's just Raven, who's in the same position that she was last year. But that means that she has to be the one for South Carolina to know, this is what we run, this is how we run it. This is how we present ourselves, how we, you know, show up for every game. And I think her consistency has just been so important for South Carolina. And, like, it's just fun for me. Like, I. To get to watch a player who has been there, you know, for five years now because she had to medically redshirt her first season. And, like, you just associate Raven Johnson with South Carolina. Like, I turn on South Carolina game, I know this is what's gonna look like. And, like, I had such a great time watching her guard Flage Johnson. It's like, you guys have been there for, like, eight years together at your schools, and, like, how does this still happen in the portal area? But, yeah, anyway, Raven Johnson, I think you're absolutely right to highlight her first because she sets the tone for everything.
- [34:53]
Chantel Jennings
Yeah, I feel like the one thing you, like, hit on everything perfectly, the one thing you didn't touch on is that I think back to when we were playing that game a few weeks ago, Xena, and you were like, whose face would you not want to see if you were a player and you made a mystique, a mistake? Dawn or Genos. And Raven, like, total point guard to the core, where it's like 99% of the game, she is just, like, level, calm, cool, collected. But I love when there's a close up after she makes a mistake and she kind of, like, has a little smile, and I'm like, oh, she knows. She knows Don is, like, staring, staring at her, and she's not gonna look. And it's just like. But also, like, that relationship between dawn and Raven seems so special. After the LSU win, Don actually said, you know, she's the player that of. I don't know if she met everyone she's ever coached that she'll probably miss the most. And I thought, like, you think about, like, the relationship between, like, Asia and Don, and I'm like, man, but like, Raven, like you said, it's been there five years. That first year didn't play, it spent a lot of time, like, on the bench next to dawn, like, in practices. And it's like, man, this relationship. Five years at one school in this era of college basketball, so rare. And I think the other player I really want to highlight before we move on to something else is Tessa Johnson. Not just because she's from Minnesota, but that obviously makes me like it more, partly because she's from Minnesota, but I think specifically in the LSU game, she hits those four threes in the first half. That feels so indicative of what this team can look like when they hit that next level. I was watching that game thinking, like, man, when they hit threes like this, they are so dangerous. And I think that's kind of like, when we think about them in these big moments, what can they do to Elevate and separate themselves a bit. And I think it's hitting threes. I went and I looked. Since 2019, they are 37 and one when they hit at least eight threes. And so it's like, wow, this season, they're averaging about six. But you look at someone like Tessa, since the Texas game, the regular season game, conference game, she's hitting 54 points percent of her threes. And so this isn't quite like the 23 season when you had Tessa, who was hitting 43 and powpow on the other side, who was hitting, like, 47, leading the nation that year. But if Tessa's hitting 54, and then you can have a raven who's hitting 37 and McDowell's hitting 38%, Tania Latson is hitting 36%. Like, I think you can kind of play the numbers here a little bit to balance it out in that way, but, like, she's just been so dangerous. And, you know, that is what Kim Mulkey was so frustrated with in the first half was that. That it was like they were just like, they weren't getting out far enough. And Tessa's just, like, knocking these shots down. And I. Again, you look at sort of her. Her projected growth over the South Carolina life cycle of a player, you know, who's there for four years, and it's like, man, she's doing exactly what she's supposed to be doing this year, Stepping into the starting role and just elevating her game. And now we hit January, and it's like, you thought that was impressive. Like, I'm gonna take it up another level. And, like, if this is February, Tessa, like, what is tournament Tessa gonna be? Like, 60% from 3? Like, good God.
- [38:02]
Zena Keda
Yeah. It is crazy. And think about. You talk about the tournament, and you talk about this team, South Carolina being a team that elevates in the big moments. The fact that Tessa Johnson actually shoots better against ranked opponents than she does in her general season. She shoots 51.2% against ranked opponents. She gets better against better defenses. And I think that that's something that permeates throughout this entire team of South Carolina. And I want to talk about the fact that even though we're talking about the flexibility that South Carolina has showcased, there is still something that's tried and true. This is the bread and butter, right? A big. A big. That's really freaking talented. And that is Joyce Edwards for South Carolina, very much on the Asia Wilson, Aaliyah Boston, Camilla Cardoso, the track. Okay. I feel as if the conversation around Joyce Edwards and then being able to pair up Joyce Edwards with Medina Okot, that's new to this mix. How much more of a threat does that make South Carolina that they have doubled down on their big conversation, Having someone that can clean the glass like Medina Okot, but then also having such an athletic big in Joyce Edwards. Where do you all feel this big pairing? And also just like this big talent that they have inside and their paint just lockdown can put them when it comes to battling against the likes of UCLA with Lauren Betts inside or Sarah Strong at UConn that spaces the floor.
- [39:41]
Sabrina Merchant
It's funny, when you said like, a South Carolina big, I assumed that you were gonna say Medina Okot, because she is quite literally the biggest out of all of them. And her presence is just so visible, right? Like, how can it not be when you're six foot five and you move the way she does? And credit to Medina, you know, I remember seeing her in person in the tournament last March when she was playing for Mississippi State, and she was not this mobile. Like, she was not this laterally, you know, available to switch onto the perimeter and like, the things that she can do defensively. Her body just between March and when they came back to la, South Carolina in November looked entirely transformed.
- [40:16]
Chantel Jennings
Like those Final Four credit to Molly Benetti, the strength and conditioning coach for South Carol, really then, hey, but she.
- [40:23]
Sabrina Merchant
Did the work, you know, and she is just. And like we talked about, you know, the pivot that South Carolina had to take because this starting front court was probably going to be Chloe Kitz, Nashly and Watkins. It wasn't going to be either Joyce Edwards or Matina Ocot.
- [40:36]
Zena Keda
Such a good point.
- [40:37]
Sabrina Merchant
Both of them stepping into that role of. All right, well, Chloe gets injured, like, what, during training camp or during preseason for South Carolina. So that was a big jump for Joyce. And what does she do? She goes and averages 20 points a game for the season and is making 61% from the field, 60% of her twos and six rebounds, two and a half assists. Like, just the athletic rim running presence that just makes everything so much easier for South Carolina to accomplish in transition. I mean, they've been talking about Joyce Edwards at South Carolina for years because she's a local product and she was just expected to assume the mantle. And it's so fun when people can just do exactly what you expect them to do, right? Like, for her to be on the bench as a freshman and then now just take over the number one scoring option for the Gamecocks is like Again, we, me and Chandel been talking about this is that this is just how things happen at South Carolina. But it's how things happen at South Carolina because the players make them happen, right? Like, it's because they put in the work during the off season. It's because they go through all the development arc so that they are ready when their number is called upon. And that's just to me, the theme of the South Carolina season. Joyce Edwards, we need more scoring. Hey, you got to do it, Medina. Okot like we don't really have a backup center to start the season. You're going to have to be the one to be our defensive anchor, our defensive presence. Yeah, they have Alicia Tornabies now, but like that was a later addition. Like she was the only one protecting the paint. And she's been phenomenal this season to the point where like her draft stock is just going through the roof. And like that big combination, I think was the, the biggest, for lack of a better word question for South Carolina because again, like they usually have four or five players who can accomplish those roles and to start the year, it was just those two, right? And they have just, you know, exceeded like all of my expectations because they have been so freaking consistent and so able to take on these larger roles. Like Joyce Edwards is averaging more than 30 minutes a game. Like Medina. Okot like they put her on the bench, she comes in and just does her thing. Like you see her against lsu, Amaya Joyner was like in frickin hell trying to get past Medina. Okot like she is a good athletic big and her size was just no match for Medina. So the, the advantage that provides, I mean, like, I think it's as good of a front court in the country as any team. And the fact that like it wasn't even their preferred front court at either spot is ridiculous.
- [42:54]
Chantel Jennings
That's crazy.
- [42:55]
Zena Keda
It's crazy.
- [42:56]
Chantel Jennings
I mean that's, that's what, like when we talk about like pivot, that's the word for them this year, right? Like we came in, we left last season thinking like, oh my gosh, South Carolina's front court next year is going to be scary good. They're going to have Joyce, they're going to have Chloe, they're going to have Ashland. And then suddenly it's like, okay, no Ashlyn, no Chloe. Yikes on a bike, to quote Zena Keda.
- [43:16]
Zena Keda
I love that.
- [43:17]
Chantel Jennings
And, and yet here we are in mid February saying their front court is so damn good. Like, it's just sort of that ability to Pivot and change. That I think is, you know, we're like, we're not. Not surprised at this point that this is happening. But I think it's like you look at Joyce and her ability to pivot into more of a primary score for this team, There are exactly two players who have averaged at least 20 points a game through a full season for Dawn Staley, and that is Wilson and Joyce Edwards. And obviously there's a few more games for Joyce to go, but like, you know, I think we're going to end of the season with, with that stat. Like that's just.
- [43:54]
Zena Keda
That's wild the fact that. So Joyce Edwards, her sophomore season, she became the fifth fastest gamecock all time to reach a thousand career points. She has 1520 point games this season. As you mentioned. Um, the. She's scoring 60% from the floor on 20 points per game. Like she's insane. She's a weapon. Like she's insane. But then you have Medina Okot, which by the way is doing all the things you want as well. Controlling glass, you know, being able to rebound, being unbelievable defensively. She also hit those free throws. So shout out to her being a big that could hit her free throws. The si. It was like 16 seconds left in the game. And you know, you think about the fact that Flauj Johnson also had the opportunity with those two free throws when they got within one and she missed them both and it's like, hey, I didn't know. That doesn't happen in practice. Y' all bigs don't hit the free throws and the guards don't. Okay, that typically is reserved for the guard. So shout out to Medina Okoff for also hitting free throws.
- [44:59]
Sabrina Merchant
But overall, six power conference players in the country to be averaging a double double, like just six. Medino got on that list.
- [45:06]
Zena Keda
Crazy. That's crazy. And we've talked a little bit about Tessa Johnson. The last thing I want to kind of tap into. And we've talked about Teni Latson as well. I kind of want a group and I probably shouldn't, but since we've already touched on Tanaya a little bit, I want to group Tanaya in with Ayla McDowell and Agath Mc Hir. Mainly because the newbies have come in and taken full control of their roles. Whether it is being at the top of that press that they pull out randomly or being able to find their shots and being able to get on the glass. Just having energy off the bench. And you can add turnaby into this as well. What has the new faces been like for South Carolina, which is different, they don't typically have a ton of new faces. They typically, if they get them new, they get em new early and then they grow throughout the program. So this is very interesting. What have you guys made about those freshmen? Teniah Latson coming in and then also Turnaby coming in in the middle of the season.
- [46:14]
Chantel Jennings
I think honestly, with how seamlessly all of them have kind of fit into the system just speaks to sort of the culture that is South Carolina basketball that it is, you know, even with so many young faces that it's like, you know, Agath McEa gets out there and it's like you have to act like you've been here before. Like that's what we need of you. And in this program you do what we need of you. Like there, there was such a quick ramp up period for so many of those players this season, including Medina Okot, who we've talked about a lot now. But like everyone is sort of doing what the moment requires of them so far this season, right? And they have two losses on the season. One is a two point loss to Texas, which is like always a chess match. These two teams know each other so well. Vic and Don like going back and forth at each other and then a overtime loss to Oklahom where Aaliyah Chavez just like went crazy. And over time like you're gonna have those nights where you come up against a player like that and even great defense isn't going to be able to stop them. And so it's like, I think, you know, we can talk about the versatility. I think that the different guard groupings, the wing groupings have and I think that sort of allows them to be more flexible with their lineups and all of that. But I think it's more about like the culture of stepping up. And usually that happens again in South Carolina your junior year and for some players now it's. It happened Game one, their first time in a South Carolina uniform.
- [47:38]
Sabrina Merchant
I mean, one thing I really just want to highlight about this pivot we're talking about with South Carolina, we're talking about a team that made the national title game last year, that won the SEC title, that won the SEC tournament title, that did everything you could possibly do over the course of regular season other than win the very final game. And yet the standard at South Carolina is such that when you lose that final game by 23 points, points that you have to reimagine what kind of team you can be that next year. Right. Like they brought in the leading scorer in the country. They brought in the best, arguably big in the portal in Medina Okot, because, you know, the front court wasn't getting it done last year. Even though, like Chantel said, they still had Joyce coming in, they still had Chloe, they still had Ashland. Like, that decision was made before those absences were accounted for. And I think it's just very important to highlight this is the bar that South Carolina is working with, right? Like, they are not content to be the team that loses on the final day of the season. They're not content. We saw how they completely reimagined their offense when they lost to Iowa, right? Because their spacing wasn't good enough. And that's why they brought in Tahina Powpow. Like Tessa Johnson becomes a big part of their rotation, even, you know, off the bench as a freshman. And I just love a team that, like, is consistently going for it, right? There are no off years in South Carolina. It's, hey, we have a chance to be the best team in the country every single season. And if that means that we have to, you know, go after these people in the portal because we can't afford to wait, right? Like, this is our time. Our time is every single season we tried to compete for title every single season. And I love that Don Sealey's like, it doesn't matter that we didn't have Chloe, that we didn't have Ashland. We're going to bring in our French center mid season. We're going to try junking up with the zone and with the pressure and, you know, playing one big instead of two all the time. Because every year is an opportunity for South Carolina to win. And they treat every year with that urgency. And it is just awesome that they try to be this good all the time. And it allows us to, you know, talk about them in this. This manner.
- [49:22]
Zena Keda
So the question is, I'm so happy you brought up that title game. The question is, have they pivoted enough to get back there to get back into the title game? We look at the fact that they're three point shooting. Yes, we see Tessa Johnson putting up threes at an immaculate level. But is it enough threes being taken when you get into those games, like, late, late game and you need more threes and you need more buckets coming outside the paint when folks start to collapse down on the Joyces and the Medinas, will you have enough outside shooting? We, we saw their, you know, their offense kind of dry up towards the end of that Oklahoma game in overtime. Like, you you saw that they can get outrun in a track meet, right? Like in that game. We know that injuries have been a thing. Yes, we've been able to see that. Likes to of Ayla McDowell and Agat McHeer be able to step up when folks are out or people are in foul trouble, et cetera. But injuries are also there. Like it. Has this been enough of a pivot that they can get into the Final Four or they could be in that championship game.
- [50:25]
Sabrina Merchant
You talk about their offense, right? They scored 79.1 points per game last season. It's up to 87.8 this year. That's obviously a massive jump. Their three point percentage has risen from 34% last year to about 38% this year. They're obviously not as deep as they were a year ago where you could just, you know, tap into whoever on the bench. But like I look up and down their starting lineup. Raven is a better version than she was last year. Tessa Johnson provides more offensive punch than I think Brie hall did a year ago. And you're not losing too much of the defense that Brie hall provided. Joyce Edwards averaging more points than Chloe Kids. And Medina Okad is just a presence in a way that Sinai Fagan wasn't like. Sinai Fagan obviously had the experience in that system, but there's a difference between being 6:3 versus 6:5 and 6:6. And that's what Medina brings to the table that they just didn't have last year. So, you know, just up and down the roster, we're looking at some significant improvements from a team again that made the national title game last year. And I realize UConn is better and we don't have the regular season game between the Huskies and the Gamecocks to sort of lean back on like we did a year ago, where it was like very clear what differences existed. But I think this team is just a little bit more versatile, a little bit more flexible and a little bit better in the ways that actually matter against UConn because of that offensive firepower that they will be a stiffer challenge. Not to say that I think they could beat UConn because, you know, I've already gone on the record saying that I think this is another Huskies undefeated season, but they have addressed their weaknesses so quickly, so impressively that I wouldn't be surprised if they beat UConn. But like, I just think it's, again, it's important that a program is willing to reassess themselves so thoroughly every offseason. Be like, all right, this is what we need to get better at.
- [52:01]
Zena Keda
Let's just.
- [52:01]
Sabrina Merchant
Let's go do it.
- [52:02]
Chantel Jennings
Yeah. I think there are two teams that have the best shot to beat UConn this year. That is South Carolina and UCLA. I think, you know, there are two teams that lost to UConn last season, and I think both of those teams got better this year. And so these are the matchups that I personally want to see moving forward in the Final Four, in the national title game. Because, again, there is some familiarity with matchups, with game planning, but there's also new pieces on both sides that, like, I want to see, you know, I want to see how Don and Gino and Corey close, like, game plan against each other and play like three day 3D chess. When they're looking at it like, what did they do last year that worked? What did they do that didn't work? How are they using the new pieces to attack in a way that's unexpected? Again, like, to go back to South Carolina, like, pulling out a 2 to 1 with Raven and Sni at the top. I was like, so smart, so good, so scary. I feel bad for every high school coach in the state of Georgia currently because they had to, like, see these two players for several years. But, yeah, I'm curious to see, you know, high level coaching of the Final Four. And I think if those three teams specifically are there because there is so much familiarity, especially with those three groups, you know, would be a good show.
- [53:19]
Zena Keda
Yeah. I mean, when South Carolina's defense is locked in, when Joyce Edwards is cooking inside, when they're running the way they want to run, nobody can beat them. If the paint gets congested or if they need threes, though, in the final minutes of a game, that's when I'm like, does it become Tessa or bust? And that's, I think, the question that still remains for me with South Carolina. But we have seen, especially after this LSU win this past weekend, they have shown adaptability all season. And Dawn Staley, kudos to you, girl. Still one of the best in game coaches, one of the best scheming coaches in women's basketball. So we'll see what happens. If they march into March with just those two losses on their record, you definitely don't want to be the team that faces them after a loss. So maybe you're. You're rooting for the team before you. All right, guys, we're going to close this out with a game that is South Carolina themed. Don't go anywhere.
- [54:30]
Commercial Narrator
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- [55:30]
Chantel Jennings
Okay, I have to tell you, I.
- [55:32]
Sabrina Merchant
Was just looking on ebay where I.
- [55:33]
Chantel Jennings
Go for all kinds of things I love.
- [55:35]
Sabrina Merchant
And there it was. That hologram trading card.
- [55:38]
Zena Keda
One of the rarest.
- [55:39]
Commercial Narrator
The last one I needed for my set.
- [55:40]
Zena Keda
Shiny like the designer handbag of my dreams. One of a kind. Ebay had it and now everyone's asking, ooh, where'd you get your windshield wipers?
- [55:49]
Sabrina Merchant
Ebay has all the parts that fit my car.
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Zena Keda
No more annoying, just beautiful.
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Chantel Jennings
Millions of finds, each with a story. EBay things people love. Thank you for calling the Bombas Comfort line. Bombas make socks, slippers, tees, and underwear made with the highest quality materials. Press 1 for comfort, comfort 2 for style, 3 for donation. You chose style? Bombas is styles for whatever you enjoy. You can run in Bombas, lounge in Bombas, dress them up, dress them down.
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Zena Keda
But always give back in Bombas because.
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Chantel Jennings
With every item purchased, another is donated. Bombas comfort. Worth calling for. Go to bombas.com audio and use code audio for 20 off your first purchase. That's B O-M-B-A-S.com and use code audio.
- [56:37]
Zena Keda
All right, show, I am going to hand over the reins to you. You've got a game for us?
- [56:41]
Chantel Jennings
Yeah, well, the Geno Quotes game was such a hit that I've decided to tweak it slightly for Dawn Staley, another very quotable coach. Except we're going to play Mad Libs. Sort of a different version of Mad Libs. Let's say. So I went and found some quotes that she said, and I've taken a word out of them, and you guys have to guess what that word is.
- [57:05]
Zena Keda
Oh, okay.
- [57:06]
Chantel Jennings
All right, so we're starting with this one. It is actually. This was Asia on Kylie Kelsey's podcast, talking about dawn, and a quote that dawn said to her. Asia says, I remember her calling me blank because she was like, oh, you're so soft. The SEC needs to rough you up. But now you're blank. These kids got her doing tiktoks. She's dancing, she's wiggling those knees of hers. I'm like, who are you?
- [57:31]
Zena Keda
You?
- [57:33]
Chantel Jennings
So what is the nickname that dawn gave me?
- [57:37]
Sabrina Merchant
So it's not just like a word? Like, soft. Okay. Something else.
- [57:41]
Zena Keda
Why do I feel like this was in Asia's book? I'm blanking on this.
- [57:45]
Chantel Jennings
I remember her calling me blank because she was like, oh, you're just so soft. The SEC needs to rough you up.
- [57:51]
Sabrina Merchant
Like Barney.
- [57:53]
Zena Keda
Like a teddy bear of some sort. Yeah, that's what I'm thinking. Like, and now you're blank. What's a soft, plush thing?
- [58:04]
Sabrina Merchant
Yeah, I'm gonna go with Barney.
- [58:07]
Zena Keda
Are we off? I'm gonna just go with Sabrina. I don't know. What is it?
- [58:10]
Chantel Jennings
It is charming.
- [58:14]
Sabrina Merchant
Toilet paper.
- [58:15]
Zena Keda
Got it. Okay, Chantelle, you're gonna be really upset with me. I literally thought that in my mind, but I was like, that doesn't make sense.
- [58:22]
Chantel Jennings
Xena, what is the one rule we've learned with this game?
- [58:25]
Sabrina Merchant
I know I tell you this all the time. I know.
- [58:28]
Chantel Jennings
Go with your gut.
- [58:28]
Zena Keda
I didn't think Charmin, but I definitely thought toilet paper. But I was like, it's not two words. It doesn't make sense. Okay. Yeah, you're right. We're going with the gut. Let's go.
- [58:35]
Chantel Jennings
Okay.
- [58:36]
Zena Keda
I can't wait. This is fun.
- [58:37]
Chantel Jennings
Second one. So there's not a blank here, but I want you guys to guess the sport that she is talking about. Don said, I wouldn't call myself a pro, but I'd call myself a vet. I got a competition down last year, and now I've been practicing like you wouldn't believe.
- [58:56]
Zena Keda
I immediately want to say pickleball, because everyone above a certain age is playing pickleball. Hmm. I'm just gonna go with pickleball. I have no idea.
- [59:08]
Sabrina Merchant
I'm gonna go with table tennis.
- [59:10]
Zena Keda
Oh, that's good. I like that.
- [59:12]
Chantel Jennings
Xena, do you want to change your answer?
- [59:14]
Zena Keda
No, I'm not changing it.
- [59:16]
Chantel Jennings
Okay. It is actually cornhole. Don, has competed in cornhole tournaments. And one.
- [59:23]
Zena Keda
You know what?
- [59:24]
Chantel Jennings
It's on espn.
- [59:25]
Zena Keda
Television. Yes, it was on television.
- [59:27]
Sabrina Merchant
That doesn't make it.
- [59:28]
Zena Keda
Oh, that just. Yeah, I mean. I mean, it's espn. It's espn.
- [59:32]
Chantel Jennings
There's hand eye coordination. You can understand how a shooter.
- [59:36]
Zena Keda
Okay. I vaguely remember flipping through channels and seeing this and being like, Don Staley.
- [59:41]
Sabrina Merchant
I tell you that. Yeah.
- [59:43]
Zena Keda
They have, like, uniforms and. Okay, go ahead. Yeah, that's crazy. Crazy.
- [59:46]
Chantel Jennings
All right, we'll go with one more. And this is. I will say I loved finding this. So Don Staley actually had a byline in the New York Times in 2004. This is from an article she wrote. I think we could classify it as an OP Ed.
- [60:05]
Zena Keda
Okay.
- [60:06]
Chantel Jennings
She wrote, I feel the same way about my blank as I do about basketball. It's beautiful. It's rewarding. It makes me feel good. This is probably one of my favorite discoveries of Dawn Staley.
- [60:19]
Zena Keda
It's rewarding.
- [60:20]
Sabrina Merchant
The fact that you're bringing this up makes me think it can't be something like her face. That's, like, too obvious.
- [60:25]
Zena Keda
Yeah. It's beautiful. It's rewarding. It makes me feel good.
- [60:30]
Sabrina Merchant
Feel good.
- [60:33]
Zena Keda
Was it her haircut? Cause she did have that very unique, like, bang. Yeah.
- [60:39]
Sabrina Merchant
If it's 2004, I feel like it's probably pre. When she went, like, full Gucci and, you know, style.
- [60:44]
Zena Keda
Yeah.
- [60:44]
Sabrina Merchant
Yeah.
- [60:46]
Chantel Jennings
Wait.
- [60:47]
Zena Keda
It's beautiful. It's rewarding, and it makes me feel good. Did she get, like, a special car? Oh, my God. I'm so. This is. This is hard. I have no idea. I can't wait. Okay. I can't wait to hear what it is.
- [61:05]
Chantel Jennings
Is that your guessy?
- [61:06]
Zena Keda
I'm just going to guess a car. Yeah.
- [61:08]
Chantel Jennings
Sabrina, you have one.
- [61:10]
Sabrina Merchant
I mean, I'll just say her faith. I don't know.
- [61:15]
Chantel Jennings
Zena, you finally did it. It is her Mercedes CL500 coupe.
- [61:21]
Sabrina Merchant
That's crazy.
- [61:23]
Chantel Jennings
Way to go. Yes.
- [61:25]
Zena Keda
That's hilarious.
- [61:26]
Chantel Jennings
Literally, in 2004, she wrote a piece in the driving section of the New York Times. Who knew there was such a thing called My life. My Mercedes CL500.
- [61:38]
Sabrina Merchant
And it's a whole thing about her.
- [61:40]
Chantel Jennings
She wrote, like, 600 words about her car.
- [61:45]
Zena Keda
How did you find that? That's crazy.
- [61:47]
Chantel Jennings
It's called research, guys. It's called research.
- [61:50]
Zena Keda
And this is why you gotta tune in to no off season. Because only here will you find out that Dawn Staley is not only a writer in the New York Times, but she wrote 600 words on her Mercedes. That is beautiful. Rewarding and makes her feel good. That's crazy. Great story to tell.
- [62:09]
Chantel Jennings
The story also has like fact sheets about the car that the price in 2004, let me just say.
- [62:17]
Zena Keda
Wow. Affordable.
- [62:20]
Chantel Jennings
The opposite. The opposite.
- [62:22]
Zena Keda
Okay. Interesting. Interesting. Good to know. Good to know. Wow. Well, that was a great game. You always bring good ones. That was fun. I appreciate that. Shantel y', all, that's all we got for you today. We're gonna be back on Friday with more women's hoops as we always do. If you haven't already, you need to follow our show. Do your job. Go ahead, follow it wherever you're listening right now and subscribe on YouTube. We have great facial expressions. We're a lot of fun. Please make sure you also leave some comments cause we like to hear from you and some questions. Whatever you're looking to. As you go into this season of unrivaled, this part of the season of unrivaled or NCAA or the negotiations, we always want to help you guys understand things better. On behalf of the athletics, Chantelle Jennings, Sabrina Merchant, I'm Zena Keda thanking you for listening. And we're and we will see you next time. No Off Season is hosted by Zena Kada with Chantel Jennings and Sabrina Merchant is produced by Tanika Burrell. Our executive producer is Andrea B. Scott. 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. This is Ayo Akimwaleere from the Athletic FC podcast. Buying a car should be exciting, not exhausting. And if you're looking for a gleaming SUV to replace your old banger or you're taking the plunge and going electric, the good news is you can buy your car completely online on Autotrader. Really? Just go to autotrader.com and get picky. Search through dealer listings for the make, model, color and the features that matter to you. Then just drop in your info and you'll see all the cars that fit your budget. Really, Once you've found the car of your dreams, you can have it delivered to your driveway or you can pick it up at the dealership revolution freely. So buy your next car entirely online on autotrader. Head to autotrader.com or search the Autotrader app. Your leadership team is demanding AI automation. Your employees are already using it, just not the tools you approved. Shadow AI is spreading across your organization, creating security vulnerabilities, compliance risks and fragmented solutions you can't control. But what if your teams could innovate faster while staying completely secure? That's what Area delivers a unified platform that combines AI, security, governance, and orchestration, so you never have to choose between innovation and protection. Take control today and embrace Enterprise AI. Visit aiia.com to learn more. That's AI ria.com My dad taught me.
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Chantel Jennings
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