← No Offseason: The Athletic Women's Basketball Show
No Offseason: The Athletic Women's Basketball Show
Notre Dame's Olivia Miles and Maddy Westbeld, plus Unrivaled’s 1v1
00:46:04
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- [00:00]
Zena Kada
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- [01:22]
Chantel Jennings
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- [01:42]
Zena Kada
Be outside so you gotta be out.
- [01:44]
Chantel Jennings
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- [02:52]
Zena Kada
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- [04:57]
Chantel Jennings
For the Athletic I'm Zena Kada and this is the Athletic Women's Basketball Show. Welcome to another special edition of the Athletic All Access where we tap in with influential voices around the world of women's hoops. Now before we dive in, you know I gotta do my job and make sure that you guys are subscribed to this show. This one the Athletic Women's Basketball Show. Wherever you get your podcast, you can subscribe to anything else you want, but you gotta subscribe to this one cause we're having some really cool conversations and I don't want you to miss out on them. Now today's episode is going to be with some Fighting Irish. Yes, we've got Olivia Miles and Maddie West Belt from the dominant Notre Dame team in the building to talk to Shann Jennings and Ben Pickman about their return to the court. Now, if you've been paying attention, Notre Dame, you know, they're killing it right now. 21 and 2 as their record at the time that we're recording this and they're on a 16 game win streak. But it's not just, it's not just that they're on a 16 game win streak, it's the way that they're winning after these 16 games, I mean, their last two games, these are the scores. 91 to 52 against ranked cow, 96 to 47 against Stanford. I mean these are some big time wins that they're having all throughout the country, particularly now in the ACC where they sit atop of the conference. And two of the players that have been a part of this win streak and this dominance this season are actually making their return to the court. Olivia Miles is someone that was sidelined from the sport after tearing her ACL in 2023. But since returning, everything you know about her game has been there. The distribution, the flair with which she does it, the floor vision, everything that you know Olivia Miles to be. It's as if she hasn't missed a beat. She's averaging 16 and a half points, six rebounds and 6.4 assists per game. And she's the only player in the country doing that 16, 6 and 6. She's also leading the NCAA with 6.7 assists per game across her career. Even though she's having the best year of her career this. And she's the only ACC guard shooting 50% from the floor, 40% from three and averaging 15 or more points per game. Yeah, Olivia Miles is killing it, but it wasn't that easy. We're gonna talk to her a little bit about what it was like to get back on the court alongside her teammate, Maddie West Beld, who had a similar journey after having foot surgery to assess or address a lingering foot issue. Maddie West Belt was sidelined for four months. She's only been back for 10 games at the time again that we're recording this, but in those games she's been pivotal in her ability to put some points up, rim run, get key rebounds and just be a great foundational defender for her team. We're going to talk to these two and find out a little bit about what it was like to get back to the court as long as well as, you know, find out a little bit more about Notre Dame overall. So Chantel, Ben, take it away.
- [08:25]
Ben Pickman
Thanks, Zena. As you mentioned today, we have Olivia Miles and Maddie West Bell joining us on the show. The duo is a key piece of Notre Dame's foundation this season and a big reason why the Fighting Irish are sitting at number two in the most recent AP poll. Miles missed all of last season while recovering from an ACL injury she suffered ahead of the 2023 NCAA tournament, but she hasn't missed a beat in her return. The senior, who has one year of eligibility remaining, is averaging a career best 17 points a game and is the only player in Division 1 basketball averaging better than rebounds and six assists a game. West Belt has started all but three games of her five year career. She missed the first 12 games of the season after coming back from foot surgery. But in her return, the 63 forward has been a critical part of Notre Dame's success on the glass from behind the arc where she's shooting a career best 42% and in protecting the rim. Olivia, Maddie, welcome to the show.
- [09:18]
Olivia Miles
Thanks for having us.
- [09:19]
Ben Pickman
Well, I feel like, you know, as a very serious women's basketball podcast show, there's one place where I think we must start this show, which is the fact that you guys live together and have co ownership of a cat named Bean, right?
- [09:34]
Olivia Miles
Yes. Yeah.
- [09:35]
Maddie West Belt
Yes.
- [09:36]
Ben Pickman
Can you tell us how this cat came to live with you guys and maybe as cat moms, you know, how do you guys split the responsibility?
- [09:45]
Olivia Miles
Well, I will say that we got Bean two days before I had my foot surgery. So that was like the beginning, like literally right when we got back to campus for the beginning of the fall semester. So yeah, that was right before we had surgery. And then those like first six weeks of non weight bearing. He was just kind of my best friend and you know, riding the couch with me. So that was good from my perspective at least. I'm sure Liv has a different story with that.
- [10:16]
Maddie West Belt
Yeah, I think we got him. I don't think it was planned to get him before your surgery, but we kind of had been texting with the breeder and she was like, okay, this is when the litter is going to come in. And it kind of fell right perfectly, you know, when Maddie was going to go through a hard time. So we had Bean when, you know, being her companion through, through a difficult time. So it was, it was really perfect timing. And then as far as duties go, we kind of just split as much as we can. Whoever's here kind of takes care of him, feeds him you know, changes the litter, etc. So it's pretty even.
- [10:51]
Zena Kada
Who's the more disciplined parent who's changing the litter more, who's on food duty? Who's the more proactive parent right now of the two of you?
- [10:59]
Maddie West Belt
Well, I think Maddie just changed his litter yesterday without me knowing because I usually help her with that. But no, we, I think we both do a pretty good job of letting each other know when he needs something or, you know, giving him a bath, cutting his nails, all that stuff.
- [11:14]
Olivia Miles
Try to do the hard stuff together.
- [11:16]
Maddie West Belt
Yeah.
- [11:17]
Olivia Miles
As much as possible.
- [11:18]
Maddie West Belt
The litters. Yeah, that's the hard one.
- [11:20]
Olivia Miles
Yes.
- [11:23]
Ben Pickman
As the parent of a two year old, I can say that my limited experience so far is that the success to good parenting is sharing the hard stuff, which is, you know, the poopy diapers or the litter box. I think it's probably the equivalent. Right. So yeah, that makes sense. So he's then about six months old at this point or I don't know how old he would have been when you guys got him. What's he like? How has he changed? Changed you as. I don't know if you guys had owned pets before, but you know, obviously parenthood, whether that's a human or a four legged friend, obviously changes people. What has it done for you?
- [11:56]
Olivia Miles
Yeah, well, I, I mean, we had watched Sonia's cat, Sonia has a cat also and he is the same breed as Bean, so really just fell in love with her cat and that was where. That was really kind of where it started. And then just having Bean as a companion, like she was saying, I was going through a really hard time. So just to have that consistency every day was really nice and just someone who is always having fun and just wants to play, you know, the simple things. So it was really nice for me and has been.
- [12:31]
Ben Pickman
Yeah.
- [12:32]
Maddie West Belt
Growing up I never had any sort of animal, so Bean is my first. I'd always been around different animals, but I've never actually been able to call one mine. So having him has been able to opened my eyes and opened my perspective to a lot of different things and, you know, forming that discipline like we talked about, you know, being on schedule, feeding him on time, cleaning, doing so many things that I, you know, wasn't doing before. He's taught me a lot for sure.
- [12:59]
Zena Kada
Okay, last cat question then. Bean. Where does the name come from? Who came up with it and what's the story behind it?
- [13:05]
Olivia Miles
We googled it. We googled cat names. That was one of the first ones on the list. And you know it's just really versatile. You know, you could be talking about Espresso Bean, Colin Pinto, Bean column, Beanstalk, Small Bean, Beanstalk, Kobe, Bean. You know, so many things. So we just. It's fun with the name. And it stuck.
- [13:26]
Zena Kada
We should say also for the listeners out there, Chantel and I are currently looking at Bean. Olivia has just really fluffy and brought Bean into this zoom that we are on to record. So we are getting the full experience right now, which I think we are both very lucky to have.
- [13:43]
Ben Pickman
I've never considered that there are, like, sites with cat names on it, but I guess that makes sense. I'm not a cat owner, but, you know, I guess this all makes sense. This all makes sense for sure. Well, obviously, Bean was a big part of your recovery. Maddie, you had surgery this fall after sort of dealing with a lingering foot issue for a long time. And, Olivia, you're also coming off rehab and recovery period yourself from an ACL injury you suffered about a year and a half ago. Now, I'm curious how both of you have gone through this process of recovery for injuries, and I think we hear about that a lot as writers and sort of the people who follow this sport. But for you guys, you know, how did it shift how you think about basketball? And now that you're both back out on the court, did it change your perspective at all about what it means to play?
- [14:27]
Maddie West Belt
Yeah, I mean, you definitely, you know, take things for granted when you're healthy naturally. I think as humans, we do that a lot in different areas of our lives. So being able to have that time to reflect on my journey so far throughout my career, being out for that long enabled me to appreciate the game a lot more. My teammates, my friends, my coaches, whoever it may have been, I really got the chance to reflect and also learn a lot more about myself that I didn't really know before.
- [14:56]
Olivia Miles
Yeah, I would say that point on reflection is probably the biggest thing for me also. I think I've been through so many seasons. Just in this one season, I feel like from the time of, like, directly post surgery to each phase of rehab and then coming back onto the court now I feel like I'm entering a new season of, you know, this. That reflection period is really important for me to just remain, you know, in a state of gratitude and then also just humility, like, understanding. My teammates are still, you know, the people I was sitting on the sideline with watching the games, they're still on the sideline watching games while I'm on the court. And so just having that, like, humble aspect is really important.
- [15:42]
Zena Kada
You mentioned. You mean, you both just mentioned the importance of the reflection, I guess, Olivia, to you. Like, you've talked about kind of journaling during some of your rehab. In other conversations, was that something new to you, or was that something you did before? And what sorts of things if. If you feel comfortable sharing? Like, would you journal about as you reflected?
- [16:01]
Maddie West Belt
Yeah, I think I had previously journaled a little bit, like, really inconsistent throughout my high school years, and then I really got the chance to learn more about it and saw its values and saw its positives in your life. So I really started to hone in on that when I, you know, got hurt. Had that time to kind of sit with myself and all of my thoughts, you know, had nowhere to go. So journaling was the easiest way to kind of put them out there. But, no, I journal most of the time about, you know, how I'm feeling. Whether that's, like, right after surgery, I'd be like, yeah, it hurt today. You know, I did some leg lifts today. Like, really minor accomplishments at the time that I, you know, can look back on and see how I was a year ago and what state of mind I was in. But, you know, I found really, really good ways to cope with, you know, those thoughts that I was having, having, or those doubts or those negative times that I could have gone through.
- [16:58]
Zena Kada
Who kind of, like, worked with you to come up with either to talk about journaling or just other coping mechanisms? Is it Neil? Is it other people on the Notre Dame staff? Is it teammates, friends, family? Like, who did you kind of lean on to to work on some of those strategies and figure out the best way to progress?
- [17:15]
Maddie West Belt
Yeah, definitely some of my assistant coaches and then also my mindset coach, he helped me realize the importance of journaling and meditation and really centering in on yourself. Sorry, can you hear that?
- [17:28]
Zena Kada
Is that being in the background?
- [17:31]
Ben Pickman
Oh, my gosh. He's the star of the show.
- [17:34]
Olivia Miles
He's a main character in every room.
- [17:38]
Ben Pickman
Main character energy, for sure.
- [17:40]
Olivia Miles
Yep.
- [17:42]
Zena Kada
I guess, Maddie, for you, as you kind of reflected, like, you've talked about kind of ripping the band aid off and how hard that was. Like, how did you kind of. I mean, obviously, having a cat helped you cope, clearly, as you're talking about, but how else did you kind of cope and deal with what this fall and early start of the winter was like?
- [17:58]
Olivia Miles
Yeah, that was a. A big, like, turning point for me, was just, like you said, taking the band aid off. I think a really hard point for this and probably One of the hardest points was just being vulnerable in general, just showing, like, raw vulnerability, because it's not something that I'm really comfortable with. And so having to, you know, do that, you have the whole off season to kind of prepare for what a, you know, season and get ready and all that and get better. So to come in mid season, it was really a challenge for me, but I really am progressing every day. I feel like I'm getting better every day, and there's something that I can do today that, you know, that I couldn't do yesterday. So I'm just really grateful to have that perspective of it and to just truly feel like I'm progressing.
- [18:51]
Ben Pickman
I feel like, you know, we hear a lot as reporters about athletes who go through this recovery, and so much we hear about is sort of the challenge of holding back. Like, you've maybe mentally or physically feel ready and the doctors haven't cleared you 100% yet. Or it's, you know, it's all of these gradual steps you have to take. And, Maddie, I felt like you really personified that journey for me as a reporter, because when I was in South Bend earlier this year, I was in your guys's team room and which looks over the court, and you were down on the court with one of the assistants, and you were going through a quote unquote walking workout. And I'd never seen anything like this. I just watched you take like, 20 elbow jumpers, except you were like, walking up and sort of mini jumping. Maybe it wasn't even like, total jumping yet. I'm not exactly. But it was just very slow and controlled, and I'd never seen that before. And I'm curious if you can talk to us a little bit about sort of that aspect of recovery where it's like how you have to take it so slowly when you're as an athlete used to, like, going full bore 100% all the time.
- [19:47]
Olivia Miles
Yeah. You kind of have to erase all of that reality that you had before when you're going through something like that. So for me, I was. I was literally doing walking suicides. It was more so the mindset of it, like, try to visualize the game again and start to kind of think about it. And so that was my. Carlos Knox, my assistant coach, was doing with me. And just every day it was like. It was kind of a breath of fresh air to be able to go in a gym and do anything at all. And so just whatever I could do at that point, it was. It was trying to challenge my mind, trying to challenge, you know, everything. Everything that I could control.
- [20:25]
Ben Pickman
So, obviously, this season, you guys are having a fantastic year. You guys had a small stumbling block, though, early in the season, and both, as, you know, veteran leaders on this team. Maddie, you weren't back yet, but, Olivia, you were playing. How did you guys sort of get the team together after those losses to Utah and tcu? You have Texas ranked at home. Huge game you guys had, just upset usc. Like, it was sort of this sandwich of, like, highs and lows, I feel like, probably. But for you guys as leaders, how after that TCU and Utah lost, did you prepare the team mentally for Texas, which was, like, right around the corner?
- [21:03]
Maddie West Belt
Yeah, I mean, we had a talk after the first loss, tcu, but then after we lost again, I think everyone kind of knew. No words really had to be said. I think before the Texas game, we really just centered ourselves on the goal and keeping the main thing. The main thing. But our team is very smart. We know our goals from the beginning, and losses don't really distract us from that. So we've been able to kind of center around. Like I said, the main thing. And, you know, we figured it out luckily, but it was a tough time, for sure. Like you said, it was coming off a huge high. You know, we were in the Caymans, and then it just, you know, showed us what we had to work on and what we had to tune up before those bigger games like Texas and UConn.
- [21:41]
Olivia Miles
Yeah, I would say from an off the court perspective, you kind of just have to read the room a little bit. I think after that second loss, the morale was surprisingly really calm. And the way that everybody reacted, it was just like, you know, like she said, not. Not many words needed to be said because everybody understands and, you know, the goal never changed. And so it was just keep it pushing. By the time we got back, it was like nobody really thought that was real life. So now. Now we were back into it and onto that Texas game, which obviously, you know, did what we wanted to do.
- [22:17]
Ben Pickman
This team is kind of different from last year, obviously, in some key ways. You have some transfers and one freshman. And Olivia, you weren't playing last year, but the core of the group really does know each other so well. You guys have been together for so long, so I'd imagine with how well you know each other, it's sort of like, you know, how you respond. But did you learn anything new about your teammates or sort of the mentality of this team with how you responded in that overtime Texas win?
- [22:42]
Maddie West Belt
Yeah, it showed me a lot about this team's resiliency, like I said. But the biggest thing is keeping the main thing, the main thing so easy in this day and age to get distracted by, you know, what people are saying, all the upsets, you know, what everyone else is doing. But I learned a lot about my teammates and their ability to, you know, when we really need to focus and when that time comes, like, we can really lock in, get stops, and play really great basketball games. So it's something I always knew was inside of all of us, but it was pretty cool to see it come to fruition when the time came.
- [23:13]
Zena Kada
Do you feel like, you know, a few years ago, you both have obviously been with the program for a bunch of years. Like you mentioned, you know, kind of knowing words don't need to be said after that second loss. Right. And just like the calm a few years ago, do you feel like you all in that locker room would have had that temperament, or is that something that, you know, through learned experience, through playing together for so many years, that this group is different and acted differently as a result?
- [23:37]
Olivia Miles
Yeah, this group was very much a veteran group, I would say. It's very professional, and everybody is just really mature. Everybody takes care of their business, and it's really refreshing to just rely on your teammates in a way like this. And there was never really a worry in the first place, but especially after those two, you kind of just have to go back to your preparation and we're fully prepared.
- [24:08]
Zena Kada
You mentioned it being such a professional group. Obviously, Notre Dame has such a history of professional players, and so many alums have gone back to watch you guys play this year? I guess maybe one for each of you. Like, is there one conversation with a Notre Dame alum from the W who's come back to campus this year that sticks out for whatever reason? Piece of advice, a funny story, a noticing on the bench. Like, have you guys had any kind of great interactions with some of the players who have. Have. Who have come back to watch you and support you guys this year?
- [24:37]
Maddie West Belt
Yeah, I think after the UConn game, Skyler was there and she was just, you know, so proud of us. And I think I always kind of talk to her because she's gone through a lot of ups and downs in her career. So our conversations are always very meaningful. But the one after the Yukon game was pretty special because she just, you know, felt proud. And, you know, like you said, they've done it. They've been in our shoes. They've left, you know, an incredible legacy. There and just to, to live up to it for them, just, you know, met everybody, everything to us, Absolutely.
- [25:05]
Olivia Miles
I would say definitely Skyler, you know, she's come to numerous practices of ours and jumped in practice and just kept, you know, I mean, she just shows her presence. I think just her coming back, she has such a. Such a high frequency presence that she brings with her. And you know, she talks to us like we're her teammates and you know, she's. You can feel her competitive fire. And it's just so inspiring because, you know, everybody is trying to aspire to get to the level that she's been able to accomplish. And so it's just, it's just cool. It's so cool to have them come back.
- [25:45]
Zena Kada
Have you guys had any moments? Like, I think on Twitter earlier this week, I think it was Marina or Arike tweeted like they're all at unrivaled right now, obviously, like playing together. And they were tweeting about how I think it was watching you guys play, you know, and they were all gathered together doing it. Like, have you guys talked about or joked about, like, oh, that could be us in 5 years, 6 years, 10 years, or how cool would that be if we're all back in the same place? No, no or no?
- [26:12]
Maddie West Belt
Haven't thought about that at all.
- [26:15]
Zena Kada
Keeping the main thing, the main thing.
- [26:17]
Olivia Miles
Right here, right now.
- [26:18]
Maddie West Belt
But we know that that will be because this team is so close and, you know, we love a reunion, so it'll definitely happen.
- [26:24]
Ben Pickman
You guys both mentioned sort of the calm of the team, and I feel like that's something that, you know, whether it's in person or on tv, like, you can just sort of tell that this is a really veteran, get your business done sort of team. And I feel like that's sort of how Niel is as well. She's extremely calm. I feel like she can get fired up on the sidelines, but it's like she seems like a coach who really knows kind of when to stay quiet and when to push buttons and when to get loud, at least from our perspective. And it seems like you both have known her a really long time. Maddie, obviously your sister played at Notre Dame and Neil was an associate head coach during her career. And Olivia, you were Neil's first ever commit as a head coach. I'm curious for both of you how much of her personality sort of was the reason why you committed to Notre Dame. Like that sort of coaching who she is as a coach specifically, not just X's and O's, not just the program, not just the history, but kind of how she communicates with players and how you saw her interact with players. How did that play into your decision and desire to go to Notre Dame?
- [27:26]
Maddie West Belt
No, I. I knew Coach Ivy from when I was a sophomore in high school, and then we developed a good relationship and then she went to the NBA. So I kind of lost contact there. But, you know, our relationship never faded. We always kind of knew what it was between us. Just, you know, two great guards, just appreciating the game of basketball. So when she got the head coaching job, it just. It made sense. She was someone who I wanted to play for. Um, obviously she's a person of color woman color. So represent. Representation means a lot to me. So that was, you know, another added value. It's coming to Notre Dame. But as you said, you know, her. Her personal traits, her abilities to be a player coach, a players coach, and also just bond and. And, you know, seeing her learn and grow over these past four or five years has been, you know, exponential. You know, I think at times she was, you know, working through being a new head coach and, you know, taking over a system that was built by, you know, Coach McGraw and built on excellence and, you know, having that pressure on her and those expectations. I think she's handled it so well, and I've been able to kind of look up to her and learn from her during her process.
- [28:37]
Olivia Miles
Yeah, she's just been failing to me for a really long time with my sister, obviously, and just as a kid, I've always. She's somebody has always looked up to, and just her grace in her class has always spoke volumes. And yeah, I think right when she first got the head coaching job, she gave me a call and just wanted to make sure that I was all in. And I think she. She was one of the only people that I would have been all in after that News with Coach McGrath. So it was, you know, after that news, it was just. You never look back. And I'm just grateful to have had played for and in playing for such a leader.
- [29:17]
Ben Pickman
So I feel like another thing Niel's really known for, and I feel like this team has also taken on this as well a little bit, is she's incredibly fashionable on the sideline. Maddie, you've had a chance this season. Maybe the silver lining of not playing the first half of the season was that you got to not wear sweats on the sideline during games this year. I was curious, do you guys know, like, does she give you a hint of what she's planning to wear. And in terms of your own fashion sense, like, I don't know, Notre Dame seems like one of the most, if not the most fashionable teams in women's college basketball. You guys do sort of your walk in photo shoots every game. Like, how much do you guys talk about that ahead of the game? And do you guys. Are you ever surprised by, like, oh, I didn't think Neil was going to wear that.
- [30:00]
Olivia Miles
Absolutely. We love, we love the style that we have on the team. Her and all her assistant coaches. Everybody walks in and super fly. So it's was cool that especially this year, we were able to do our walk in fits. And it was. It was really exciting. And honestly, it helped me mentally a lot when I was on the sideline. Like, something to not obviously be locked into the game, but also have something to really look forward to and not be so in my head, just be really excited and have fun a little bit. So that was just a cool experience. But I'm glad I hung my heels up for the sneakers.
- [30:37]
Ben Pickman
How would you describe your own fashion sense, Maddie? And how would you describe Niels?
- [30:42]
Olivia Miles
I definitely am stepping into a little business casual. Definitely still trying to be a little bit swaggy with it, but, you know, just keeping it classy. I would say Neil is probably similar. She's. I don't know, she just steps every. Every game. I love her style, so she definitely inspires me in that way.
- [31:05]
Zena Kada
Have you started planning any outfits for a conference tournament or the NCAA tournament or again, focused on the present in mid February?
- [31:14]
Olivia Miles
I'm trying. I'm focused on our next game. I'm still looking for a fit for it, so. We'll see. We'll see. I'm pretty last minute.
- [31:22]
Zena Kada
Gotcha. Gotcha. We do have to ask one. I guess it's the $10,000 question, the million dollar question that everyone wants to know. I know you said you're focused on the main thing, but both of you, you know, very much linked in WNBA draft conversations, I guess. Have either of you guys put thought into next year, next steps, and what the future could bring?
- [31:41]
Maddie West Belt
He gotta go.
- [31:43]
Zena Kada
Yeah.
- [31:44]
Chantel Jennings
Yeah.
- [31:44]
Ben Pickman
You're getting kicked out, Maddie. You're getting kicked out.
- [31:47]
Olivia Miles
Yeah, rightfully so. I'm ready for it.
- [31:50]
Zena Kada
And Liv, I don't know.
- [31:52]
Maddie West Belt
I could go. I could stay. I don't know. I haven't thought about it yet.
- [31:56]
Zena Kada
She says the main thing is the main thing right now. One other fun one for you, Liv. You know, you were a soccer player in high school. I guess pivoting away from another sport, sports league, to another sport entirely. If you ever had the chance to play, like for Notre Dame, women's soccer, like, would you want to do that? Have you ever practiced with them?
- [32:14]
Maddie West Belt
Yeah, absolutely. I would love to play for them. Have I ever practiced?
- [32:17]
Ben Pickman
No.
- [32:17]
Maddie West Belt
I'm not even been allowed remotely close to the field. But yeah, I would if I could.
- [32:24]
Zena Kada
This is the place to make the pitch, to be on the pitch. I guess you would say no.
- [32:30]
Maddie West Belt
I know. I. I wish they would let me just one time. I want to experience it. But Sony too. I'm gonna bring Sony with me because she's a soccer player.
- [32:37]
Ben Pickman
You guys are halfway to a 3 on 3 team then, or 3x3 for soccer. So, Maddie, do you have any soccer skills? Could you support at all?
- [32:45]
Olivia Miles
I could play goalie. I'll be a great goalie.
- [32:49]
Ben Pickman
Kind of another off the court question. Maddie, I was curious. You earned your degree last May in economics, but I saw that you have a minor in poverty studies. I was curious what that means and sort of what interested you in studying both economics and poverty studies.
- [33:04]
Olivia Miles
Yeah, well, it has really. It's interesting and it's. It's kind of funny just because it's. They're so kind of on opposite sides of the spectrum, looking at like more of the financial realm of economics, and then also, you know, just always having a passion for community and community service. And my mom has really instilled that into me since I was young of just hard to give back. And so that's something that is really inspiring to me. So being able to look at both sides, like I said, and hopefully one day kind of intertwining that within basketball and, you know, keeping all of those things an option for me is a passion of mine.
- [33:54]
Ben Pickman
All right, well, we should close it up now. But I feel like the right place to end is where we began, which is with Bean. And we can keep it a little more basketball focused this time. Obviously you guys have to lead busy lives and you have away games and stuff, but as do your teammates. But I'm curious, if you guys go on a trip, who is the one teammate you would absolutely want to cat sit Bean? And who is the one teammate you would never let cat sit Bean?
- [34:16]
Maddie West Belt
Definitely Sonia.
- [34:18]
Chantel Jennings
Oh, wait.
- [34:18]
Maddie West Belt
Oh, yeah, Sonia for sure. Absolutely not lit. Definitely kk because she just is scared of cats. She's scared of being so. She wouldn't.
- [34:29]
Ben Pickman
Yeah, she's a dog person.
- [34:31]
Chantel Jennings
She.
- [34:32]
Maddie West Belt
She just, I think, is nervous that he's gonna scratch her or something, and she just kind of keeps her distance. But we love her. No, no. Hate to get guys. She's just scared of him.
- [34:43]
Olivia Miles
I would say she would do exactly what she needs to do and no more like, no, no extra love. So, I mean, I would trust her, but not for an extended period of time. But Sonia. Yeah, we drop them off for play dates all the time at Sonia's house. So. All the time. Every, every. I would count on Sonia for sure.
- [35:02]
Ben Pickman
Great. Well, thank you for joining us, you guys. We appreciate you taking the time out to chat as you keep the main thing. The main thing, but still make time for 30 minute interviews with some of us. So appreciate it and best of luck the rest of the season.
- [35:13]
Olivia Miles
Thank you guys so much.
- [35:14]
Chantel Jennings
Thank you so much to Olivia and Maddie for imparting that wisdom. Like every time I talk to these guys, these, these young women in college and young women and men, of course, in all of the conversations that I have across basketball, it fascinates me just how mature and thoughtful particularly these young women are about their experiences, reflecting upon their experiences, the ways in which they don't take for granted their ability to get back to the court. And you know, I mean, even just thinking about the journaling that they were doing, I wasn't thinking about journaling. I also was thinking about how I can't journal if it's inconsistent. Like if I'm not doing it every day, I can't do it. And it's really cool to just see these young girls put it into perspective and how it helped them and how hopefully anyone listening can help them too. I need to get back into journaling myself. Anywho, I'm also really happy that we had a chance to talk to Maddie West Bell because I think that she's one person of many throughout this entire country that is a big emot amongst bigs and giants in this, in the space of women's basketball right now. And what I mean by that is right now, the flashiest names in women's basketball, college women's basketball, are guards. Paige Beckers, Juju Watkins, Hannah Hidalgo. Those are the ones that are attracting a lot of, a lot of attention. When you talk about marquee matchups, it's usually sometimes the guards that are leading these conversations. The very few times are maybe when Lauren Betts is involved in the conversation or Reagan Beers is involved in the conversation. But there's a lot of bigs around this that are alongside these big time guards that are doing a lot of good for their teams. And I just want to take a few seconds to call out a few that I've recently noticed and I think I want to do this a little bit more. I want to call it my love letter to the bigs because again, it's awesome that we have all of this amazing talent on the floor. But sometimes it's not the number one score that was the only person that made a big difference. It's the person that made those key steals or had those, the key rebound or, or had the one big post move that was an and one towards the end of the game that really kept the team in it. And a lot of times, you know, the bigs don't get as much love, you know, unless they're, they're doing it all. So, quick love letter to the bigs. I'm going to call out a few players. Number one, I got to call out two players from Texas because I don't know if you guys know, but Texas had some big time wins, I would say over the last month. Two wins the recent week. One over South Carolina, 66, 62, another over Vanderbilt. And if you know anything about those two teams, they got some good size inside South Carolina, of course with Joyce Edwards, Chloe Kitts and then Vanderbilt, Camille Pierre. But then even earlier in January, Texas got the win over Tennessee and Maryland as well. When you think about these teams, of course, you know, Rory Harmon, Madison Booker definitely, definitely come to mind. But I'm thinking about Taylor Jones and I'm thinking about Kyla Oldacre. These two bigs have been key in their ability to hold down the fort in the paint and I just got to give them a little bit of love. Taylor Jones has been getting, I mean, some tough assignments inside and being able to stay on the floor, not get in foul trouble, hold her own and also be someone that can finish and clean things up around the rim, getting those O boards, getting more opportunities for herself or for her teammates. It's been huge what the senior has done on the floor. And then there's Kyla Oldacre who comes in and acts as a very fundamental, quintessential big with their back to the basket type of moves, making the fundamental moves and showing her size as well. The numbers that they're putting up. Taylor Jones averaging 12 points, almost seven rebounds, shooting 64% from the field. And then there's Kyla Oldacre, 9.6 rebounds, 63%. They're efficient, they're doing exactly what Texas needs them to do and they're allowing their dominance inside is what allows the guards around them to get going. And that is what's really, really exciting. Definitely want to shout out the two of them for holding it down, holding down the fort down in Texas. Another player I want to call out, Clara Strack out in Kentucky. Now again, what happens bigs around flashy names. When you think Kentucky, you definitely think about Georgia, Amore and nothing wrong with that. Clara Strack though, has been holding down the fort herself. When I'm looking at Claire Strack and her impact on the floor, I'm looking at some of the two big wins that Kentucky recently had. One over Oklahoma, who of course had Reagan beers right in the middle of the mix. And then as well as Alabama. You look at her stats, Clara Strack's game against those two teams, 19 and six against Oklahoma, but five steals, two blocks, that's huge on the defensive end. Clara Strack all season long has used her length, used her instinct to disrupt things for teams, make things a little bit difficult. Not just on the inside, but just making it hard to get the ball inside, making it hard to get the ball from one side of the floor to the other. This is what Clarence Drack has been key and pivotal about this year. She's only a sophomore. One thing that I'm really excited about is her ability to become a stretch big. We've seen her shoot some threes this season. She's not a great three point shooter, but against Oklahoma, three of five from the floor, if she gets to make that a significant and consistent part of her game, Claire Strack might shoot up there with the Cameron Brinks of the world in terms of being able to be a stretch big and just being able to be an instinctual big that can do a lot, get on the boards, score a lot of points and then also do it in a three level type of way. Definitely keep your eye out on Clara Strack. Gotta give my love to her. My last big that I'm give a little bit of love to and I got to see her in person. And the funny thing about this Big is that she's not as big as the others. I mean, Taylor Jones is 6 4, Kyla Oldacre, 6'Six Clara Strack 6'Five Mikayla KK Timpson out at Florida State is only 6'Two but she plays so much bigger than she is. She's currently averaging a double double right now, 17 points, just under 11 rebounds per game, shooting 54% from the field. But I look again at some of the recent games that she's had. Now Florida State just got back into the top rankings. And of course there's a big time name similar to these other other bigs that I gave. You know, Texas has Madison Booker as their star player. Kentucky has Georgia Amar as a star player, Amor as a star player. Of course, Florida State has the number one scorer in the country as their star player in Tenaya Latte. But KK Timson, the way that she plays defense and disrupts and gets on the glass, particularly the O boards and just uses her athleticism is unreal. I have not seen a player with her bounce inside. I'm just trying to think of a big that's been this demonstrative with their bounce and using it on both offense and defense in a while. I got to think about that one. But KK Timpson, let's just look at some of her recent stat lines. In the loss against NC State, 14 points, nine rebounds. Cool. Four blocks. Four blocks. It gets better. The game before that against UVA, 18 points, eight rebounds. Great. Cool, cool, cool. Eight blocks. It's unreal. And she's coming off the ground two feet straight up like. Yes. Some of them are some running attacks. You know, a little bit of that dijonay Carrington, run you down, block you from behind. Yes. But a lot of the times it's off two feet. Her bounce is insane. She is so much fun to watch. The one thing that I'll have to say about KK Timpson is I do want to see her mid range game develop a little bit more because on the next level she's only six two. She's not going to be able to play in that center position as well. She's definitely going to get her outside shot a little bit more developed, but man do I like watching her play. And she's incredibly well conditioned, playing at least 26, 27 minutes every game. She's a fun watch. Okay, I got to cut that off. That's my love letter to the bigs. I thank Matty West Belt for allowing me to think about that, give me a little bit of space. I'm going to probably continue this because again, every single week we're seeing bigs impact winning on their teams that in ways that doesn't really get as much attention because they've got other guards and other players around them that are much flashier, have bigger stat lines, et cetera. So I just wanted to give those for my love for this week. Now before we get out of here, we got some updates on the pro world. Ben Pickman's got to give us a little bit of insight on Unrivaled. I don't know if you guys been paying attention to that 1v1 tournament, but we're going to talk a little bit about that. And then of course, WNBA free agency still going. So Ben, what you got?
- [44:01]
Zena Kada
Thanks Xena. We'll get to WNBA free agency, but let's begin with the buzziest event in professional women's basketball right now. Unrivaled's one on one tournament. The semis and final for the tourney begin Friday night at 7:30pm Eastern on TNT. Azarae Stevens, Nafeesa Collier, Aliyah Edwards and Enrique Gumbowale are still left. Here are five thoughts on the event so far. The NBA and WNBA should copy Unrivaled. The reason being that change has been commonplace across both the NBA and WNBA All Star weekends, with new events and competition formats cycling through the festivities. Never, though, has either league tried a one on one tournament, which is part of why Unrivaled's tournament was so highly anticipated. Holding an event might cut into a restful break for some players. Doing so would also entail NBA and WNBA players putting their egos aside and not fearing the possibilities of a loss. But Unrivaled showed just how much excitement can be generated in holding the event, collier said. Quote it's super exciting, it's fun for us to do, but on the upside, you obviously have to make it worth it. Unrivaled has made it worth it, and as a result it has a stellar mid season showcase. Other leagues should follow suit. 2. There's no shame in losing. Brianna Stewart, for instance, was one of the first players who advocated for the inclusion of the one on one tournament in Unrivals schedule. But Stewart, one of the bracket's number one seeds, didn't last very long in the draw when play began, not only did she lose her first round game to forward Aaliyah Edwards, but she was skunked 120 in a game that lasted less than two minutes. Stewart's place in the women's basketball hierarchy isn't any different because of the result. Maybe that's one of the lessons of this one on one tournament, that one game to 11 isn't going to tear down a player's body of work. Stewart competed. She missed all three of her shots, she failed to get consistent stops and she lost. Then she congratulated Edwards, who happens to be her teammate at Unrivaled, and the tournament continued on. She performed as poorly as a player could have in the event, and her legacy is still unchanged games shouldn't end on free throws. Three of the tournament's best matchups finished at the free throw line with endings that were underwhelming to say the least. Finishing games on free throws during Unrivaled's regular season is already anticlimactic compared to the alternative, and it was especially so in this event. Here's a possible solution. If a player has point game and is fouled, maybe play resets and they begin a new possession at half court. If they're fouled three consecutive times, they're just deemed the winner by default. Is it an ideal ending? No, but it should disincentivize hacking in late game moments and lead to more game winning baskets. Number four we talked about that incentive money was a significant motivator. Prize money played a key role in the success of this tournament. The prize pool was split up with 200,000 going to the winner, 50,000 to the runner up and 25,000 each to the semifinalists who didn't advance to the final. Even teammates of the winner got $10,000 a pop. Those who participated knew the stakes in advancing to the semis. It took Edwards less than 10 minutes of game time to earn more than a third of her WNBA season long salary. The WNBA CBA allocates less than $7,500 combined to the winners of the skills challenge and three point competition. That's why this past summer the WNBPA and AFLAC partnered to add $110,000 to the potential winnings. The larger pot produced a better event last summer. Unrivaled's one on one tournament was no different. Money talked Number five, Unrivaled hopes to impact basketball culture in holding this tournament Unrivaled, league executives were eager to do something that other leagues haven't in a formal setting. But those involved also hope that the impact of this tournament is bigger than just a single week long event. Collier said, quote we're trying to really change the culture of women's basketball. She added that she hasn't traditionally seen a lot of girls on the youth level playing in a backyard, playing in a park, playing ones in pickup like they're doing in this event. How successful unrival is in creating that shift remains to be seen, but the league hopes that the tournament's success spurs change for the future. Now to the WNBA where the first wave of WNBA free agency has passed, but we're still going to update you on the most recent notable transactions. The Seattle Storm have had a busy last few days signing deals with, among others, Gabby Williams Erica Wheeler and Alicia Clark, who's returning to the franchise and could play a key role in Seattle remaining in playoff contention. One of Clark's past teams, the Las Vegas Aces, have been active too, adding depth in the form of Tiffany Mitchell and Dana Evans. The sun are filling out their roster, signing a number of international players, none bigger than French guard and last year's first round pick Layla Lacan. Minnesota claimed Grace Berger off waivers, Phoenix gave guaranteed money to win Kit Laksa and the Sparks signed Mercedes Russell. Indiana opened up a roster spot, waiving Katie Lou Samuelson. We'll see where she ends up. For now, though, Katie Liu, like many others, will return to Unrivaled and finish off the season there. Back to you, Zena.
- [49:17]
Chantel Jennings
Thank you, Ben for rounding it up. As always, man, I love the unrivaled concept. They need to find a way to do that at all the All Stars, at all, everything. It's so innate to who we are as basketball players. To go 1v1, you did it in your driveway, you did it at the camps, he did it everywhere. It's the coolest thing to be able to see now the stars go at each other. And to be able to see, you know, players like Aaliyah Edwards knock off their UConn big sisters in Briana Stewart, I mean, that was a lot of fun to watch. So definitely keep an eye on that. All right, we got to close it out today. On behalf of Olivia Miles, Maddie West Belt, Chantelle Jennings, Ben Pickman and myself just want to thank you guys for listening, make sure that you subscribe to this pod, make sure you go to that Yahoo Sports hub that we've got going. Got that Best in Class coverage for you in women's sports. So check it out. Sports.yahoo.com women's sports on behalf of Olivia Miles, Maddie West Bell, Chantelle Jennings, Ben Pickman and myself, I want to say thank you so much for tuning in and also thanking you in advance for subscribing to the pod and checking out the Yahoo. Sports hub where, you know, we're giving you that best in class coverage of women's Sports. That's@sports.yahoo.com Womens sports always appreciate you tuning in. Always appreciate you guys giving us feedback, letting us know what we should be covering, what you guys want to hear. And you know what I'm about to do. I'm going to encourage you to keep listening, keep watching, keep learning and keep loving the game because that's the only way we're going to grow it. Until next time.
- [51:01]
Zena Kada
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- [51:26]
Chantel Jennings
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Chantel Jennings
Acast powers the world's best podcasts. Here's a show that we recommend.
- [52:28]
Zena Kada
Remember blowing into a video game cartridge.
- [52:31]
Chantel Jennings
Or taping songs off the radio?
- [52:33]
Zena Kada
How about Saturday morning cartoons?
- [52:35]
Chantel Jennings
Hey AOL chat rooms. Did we just age ourselves?
- [52:39]
Zena Kada
Yep, we're Mike Fanoya and Charles McCarthy.
- [52:41]
Chantel Jennings
Be two comedians getting nostalgic and asking that nagging question. Are we old?
- [52:46]
Zena Kada
Relive the laughs, the cringes, and the nostalgia.
- [52:50]
Chantel Jennings
Are we old? Podcast right here on Acast.
- [53:03]
Zena Kada
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- [53:09]
Olivia Miles
Acast.com.