← No Offseason: The Athletic Women's Basketball Show
No Offseason: The Athletic Women's Basketball Show
UConn Wins the 2025 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship
00:40:28
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- [00:00]
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- [05:07]
Zena Kada
Hello everyone and welcome to no off season presented by MassMutual. I'm Zena Kada.
- [05:13]
Shantelle Jennings
I'm Shantelle Jennings.
- [05:14]
Sabrina Merchant
I'm Sabrina. I'm emerging.
- [05:16]
Ben Pickman
And I'm Ben Pickman.
- [05:17]
Zena Kada
Y'all better be on your jobs. I love this today on the show. It's over y'all. It's done. 2025 NCAA women's basketball season is in the books and the championship game is Finitone. UConn dominated over the defending champ, SC 82, 59 AZ Fudd, Sarah Strong, and of course Paige Beckers, or as she's known, Paige Buckets helped the Huskies bring home their 12th national championship overall and their first since 2016. The plague is over, y'all. Nine years. It's been a while. So I'm happy to be here in Tampa alongside the crew. We all watched this game, and we're gonna now look in the ins and outs of this game overall. Now, you guys were sitting courtside, like, right by it as the warmups and, you know, the announcements were going on. What was the energy like down on the court?
- [06:14]
Sabrina Merchant
I thought it was really interesting that Paige was just super, super ready to go. I mean, the entire team is getting ready to lock arms for the national anthem, and Paige has already taken off her quarter sip, like, trying to get into the middle of the court, and Chris Daley has to pull her back. Like, no, we're not. We're not there yet.
- [06:27]
Zena Kada
I feel like everyone was, like, amped, even the first few buckets. But even before that, like, as. What was the vibe overall that you guys felt?
- [06:34]
Ben Pickman
I mean, doors open, I want to say, at least more than 90 minutes before tip off, which is earlier than pretty much every other game throughout the regular season and the tournament. And fans filed in really early. Like, the stadium emcee started to do some pregame introductions around the 50 minute mark, and she called out, like, here we are for the Yukon Huskies. And everyone cheered. And here we are for the, like, the South Carolina Gamecocks. And everyone cheered. And you could tell an hour before, these were two fan bases that showed up and were going to be really, really loud. They already were. And then when the game started, it was that times, you know, 10, 100, what?
- [07:06]
Zena Kada
Absolutely. Signs are everywhere, too.
- [07:08]
Shantelle Jennings
The NCAA championship video where it was like, all of the champions from the last. God, I don't know, however many years, maybe all of them. And it was like, there was a long run there, Obviously, where the UConn fans were all cheering really loud, and then recently, the South Carolina fans cheering really loud. Specifically when it was the South Carolina over UConn in the 2022 national championship game. Lots of cheers. So I thought that was also a big moment for all the fans in attendance.
- [07:32]
Sabrina Merchant
I'm surprised the UConn fans didn't boo during that part, honestly.
- [07:35]
Zena Kada
But it was. It was interesting. Like, this was the battle of the old versus the new generation. And also, you kind of saw that out on the court as well in terms of the veterans in Paige Beckers, in the way that she handled her team. Of course, South Carolina had some veterans, too, but they just did not match up on the floor. So let's actually talk about the game and how it started fast paced, like it was crazy how much buckets were just being exchanged. Of course, that first quarter ended up pretty close. 1915, I think, was the breakdown.
- [08:09]
Sabrina Merchant
1914.
- [08:10]
Zena Kada
1914. Thank you. And you're thinking, okay, we can expect this. You knew that South Carolina wanted to come out trying to slow down UConn for how fast they went. How do you think that South Carolina did to start the game, Sabrina?
- [08:24]
Sabrina Merchant
I think South Carolina probably should have tried harder to slow the pace down. Honestly, they were just not able to stop UConn at all. And I think making it a lower possession game would have worked better in their favor. But because their shots were going in early, they kind of got caught into this up tempo matchup and it was almost like fool's goal that they were hitting all their shots early because UConn was also in a rhythm. And you had to imagine that UConn's offense would stay in a rhythm longer than South Carolina's would.
- [08:46]
Ben Pickman
I mean, in that way it was just like the Texas South Carolina game from a few nights earlier, right, where that game was 38, 35 at the half. And yeah, it was a three point game, but Texas couldn't have felt great defensively having given up almost 40 points in the first half. I think South Carolina was four of six on their first six and UConn was four or five. And as Sabrina said, like you just had to know that UConn's playmakers, their guards, their bigs and strong were going to overpower and have the advantage offensively compared to what South Carolina was going to do. And sure enough, that is exactly what happened.
- [09:16]
Zena Kada
And you saw that at the end of the third quarter. There's about a three minute period where both teams couldn't find a bucket until Paige hit that last, that last shot at the end of the first quarter. But overall, UConn started getting their offense going and their defense, Chantel, was what ratcheted up, particularly in that second quarter.
- [09:34]
Shantelle Jennings
Yeah, I just, I think UConn's efficiency was on display tonight. Like they're a team that's very efficient. You know, they turn the ball over nine times. Tonight South Carolina turned the ball over 11. Like it wasn't a huge accident prone game, I would say, but like UConn is just so efficient and that's what we saw. I just kept thinking back to, I was talking to a coach who said, like, the game is a game of runs for everyone, but for UConn, they just are who they are. And eventually just like washes over you. And I felt like it was just sort of that relentless. Like, UConn kept pushing forward and they got South Carolina on their heels, and South Carolina got into a place where it was just like they would have needed to start hitting a lot of threes. And that's not the team that they are.
- [10:11]
Zena Kada
Facts. That was, for me, the part where I was like, if we're looking for Khloe Kitts to be the main offensive producer and you're not getting what you need. Joyce Edwards was killing in the beginning, I think, but you're not getting what you need consistently out of your starters. And now you're start trying to get things going. For Chloe Kitts, it was like, okay, where's the offense going to come from? And we're just talking about the first half here. We haven't gotten to the second half. At some point, Sabrina dawn is asked by Holly Rowe, where are you going to get offense? And she straight up tells the audience, I don't know. Like, that is so scary when you're thinking about Dawn Staley, of course, an incredibly strategic coach, someone that's always been able to have a juggernaut team that can take you down by committee. She was like, I don't know who to point to in the committee. And the main person everyone was thinking was Mylasia Fulwiley.
- [10:57]
Sabrina Merchant
Yeah, we've talked a lot about Mylasia on this podcast. Just because there's no regular Myelasia FA W game, right? Either she's on and it's, you know, she's dazzling. She's got the behind the back going long jumpers, impressive plays in transition, or she commits two turnovers in, like, her first, you know, two plays up and down the court, dumb foul. And Don sits her. And you just know that you're not going to have her for that day. And it was not a good Myelaysia day, at least when she first got into the game today.
- [11:24]
Ben Pickman
I mean, we saw it. She had two turnovers in the first half. Both of them were easy. Fudd steals where Fudd picked her pockets and went straight.
- [11:31]
Sabrina Merchant
I will say AZ probably reached on one of them, but.
- [11:34]
Zena Kada
But still, the first one was good. The second might have been a reach. You're right. I agree with you.
- [11:38]
Ben Pickman
Maybe, yeah, the baskets were the baskets. And you mentioned Joyce Edwards. Like, yeah, she had five points in the first half, but she also had three turnovers and two fouls. Like, she did not play her best half either. And strong, you know, was really, really Good on the other end of the floor. And so for two X factors or two players that South Carolina really needed to play well, neither one had a very good first 20 minutes. And don Saley didn't really use anyone or use either of them that much in that first half. I think she continued to rotate player after player, just trying to figure out combinations. I mean, I wrote about this in my story. Like, she spent so much of the third quarter sitting on the bench, and she said she was just talking to assistants, like, trying to figure out what to do. If you notice some of the substitution patterns, there was no consistency between the first half and the second half. Mylegia Falweiley entered way late in the first quarter, and she entered early in the third quarter. Same thing with Tessa Johnson. Dawn was looking for answers, and clearly, as the result shows in this one, she never found any.
- [12:32]
Shantelle Jennings
I think that's the difference, though, between this team that got to the national championship and the other three Dawn Staley, South Carolina teams that have gotten to the national championship. Like, yes, we think of this program and the hallmark of this program is their depth, and they do have a committee. But every team that Don Staley has had that has won the national championship, has had that star. The player they go through, the player they go through, and the player. Player they go to for the bucket. Like 2017, go to Asia Wilson, 2022, get the ball. In Aaliyah Boston's hands last year, Camila Cardoso was like their trump card. Like, no one had anything that could compare to Camilla. And so this season, though, it was like. Like Don said, like, where are you getting your offense from? I don't know. Like, we're going to just keep trying things. Like, you know, and that was sort of throughout the season as well. Like, it was. Everyone sort of took turns having a good game and talking with coaches. It was like, that was the thing that made them really, really dangerous. You couldn't shut down one player and hope that, you know, that's the answer. It was like, you might shut down Tessa, but then Malaysia is going to have a good game. Malaysia, you can shut her down, but then Chloe Kitts is going to have a really big game. And ultimately here it was like, when they were looking for that answer, there wasn't a singular answer for them.
- [13:37]
Zena Kada
You make a really good point. It's one of the things that people always give grace to for South Carolina. Like, the fact that you don't have a big three and you're this dominant is unreal. But now, in the moment where you are facing a big three and you don't have a counter, that's where you're going to have. You're going to struggle. And you saw the big three show up for UConn, whether it was on defense or offense. Of course, let's get into the way that UConn dominated because I knew, I knew that UConn was going to come out fast. I also knew that they were going to have an advantage because they have three go tos. I don't think I knew it was going to be this level of domination. And it really. A lot of folks, of course, the most outstanding player was voted az Fudd. I think this game starts with Sarah Strong.
- [14:26]
Shantelle Jennings
Yeah, she was my most outstanding player.
- [14:28]
Zena Kada
I chose her as mine as well.
- [14:29]
Ben Pickman
Same here.
- [14:30]
Zena Kada
Okay. Okay.
- [14:31]
Sabrina Merchant
The Athletics most outstanding player.
- [14:32]
Shantelle Jennings
Who's the Athletics most outstanding player?
- [14:34]
Zena Kada
There you go. It was the fact that at one point UConn had 12 rebounds. She had six. At one point they had 18 rebounds. She had 11. Like, she was doing the work on the glass. She was defending the paint and she was scoring. Ben, I can't say enough about just the level of readiness that Sarah Strong showed in this game. Like, what'd you see from her?
- [14:56]
Ben Pickman
I mean, she just never looked phased, like at all in any moment. Good, bad, there weren't many bad moments. But when they did happen, like, she just put her head down and ran back on defense and ran back the other way and seemed like nothing happened. I mean, the thing I will remember from her first half is she just seemed like a vacuum cleaner on the glass. Like every miss that she was close to, she would just haul in.
- [15:15]
Zena Kada
Yes.
- [15:15]
Ben Pickman
She would block shots and then she would corral the block or she would just leap higher than players or put her arms up or box someone out. Like every ball that was seemed to be up and for question ended up in her hands. And I think that really did set the tone for so much else that UConn was able to do in that first half.
- [15:33]
Zena Kada
Did you see that one play? I think it was a block or a rebound where she did. She got the ball and then tipped it to her teammates. I was like, first of all, is volleyball practice going on at UConn? Because we've seen this now three times since the final four games. But it was crazy to see just the athleticism and the like, awareness from her.
- [15:50]
Ben Pickman
And we should say also her mom, Alison Feaster, who is a former player herself, was sitting, I want to say, probably three rows back at mid court and she Stood up time and time and time again after big block, after threes, after, like, you know, when UConn's ball movement was crisp, like, she was super into it. And you could see, like, for the lack of expressiveness that Sarah Strong showed her mom was bringing it on the total other end of the spectrum, getting up as much as she could, really basking in the success that her daughter and her teammates were having.
- [16:20]
Zena Kada
She probably was my favorite part of the post game presser because she said, like, three words every response to the point that Geno was, like, literally motioning, like, more words say more, particularly when he was asked. When she was asked about what does Geno mean to her?
- [16:32]
Shantelle Jennings
I think we just need to stop and take a moment for the press conference presence that Sarah Strong is. There are people that, you know, I think of this with, like, coaches or commentators where it's like, they are exactly who they are, are in that new role as they were on the floor. Like, I think of this specifically for, like, Ivory Lotta, where it's like, I love the energy she brings them. Sorry to bring up.
- [16:53]
Zena Kada
I was gonna say throwback here. Yes.
- [16:55]
Shantelle Jennings
Or like Khadijah Sessions. I was saying this even when South Carolina was warming up. It's like, you know, exactly like, the energy she brought as a player. I don't know if there's anyone more different than their, like, press conference energy and their on the floor energy and production necessarily. I think her motion, maybe her on.
- [17:09]
Sabrina Merchant
The court energy, to me, entirely emulates what she does in a press conference. She just doesn't. She's not phased at all.
- [17:14]
Shantelle Jennings
Right.
- [17:14]
Sabrina Merchant
She. She gets called for foul, just goes like Ben said, just runs back. You know, production maybe, but the energy, I mean, she's never very high or low on the court either.
- [17:21]
Shantelle Jennings
At times, I would say, like, she does get hyped at times. Like, I've seen her on the. There's, like, good photos. It's not constant, but it's just like who she is in the press conferences is. Gino has described it to me as performance art. Like, truly, truly a thing of beauty.
- [17:36]
Zena Kada
Well, I want to tag on that, what you're saying, because I do think that one of the biggest things that Sarah Strong brought tonight was just efficiency. Right. Someone that doesn't need to do too much in order to be impactful. And also her defense, her being able to stay in front of folks, being able to make those senior post players struggle inside. Saniyah Faye and Chloe Kitts being blocked, not left and right, but pretty much underneath the basket. I mean, she's a force to reckon with, and she's got three more years. Sabrina.
- [18:06]
Sabrina Merchant
Yeah, I realize you're saying that as a compliment, that she doesn't have to do too much to be impactful, but she literally does everything.
- [18:11]
Zena Kada
Yeah, I know.
- [18:12]
Sabrina Merchant
You know, like, they. Every action for Paige is like screen from Sarah strong. Paige comes off, she gets to that pull up. And she's had such good screens. Brie hall was in hell trying to get around those screens. I mean, I think Joyce Edwards picked up her second foul because she was trying to close out on one of those that Brie hall couldn't get around. And that's, to me, a big point in that second quarter when they just lost their main source of offense there. The rim protection, dynamite. Like, South Carolina gets the bulk of their offense in the paint, right? They have some good shooters. They do not like to shoot three pointers. And so you think about a UConn defense that Sarah can come in and help. And you know, she's got blocks on powpow Raven Johnson, but then also guarding her matchup one on one. Like, they did not need to sink in at all because Sarah was doing such a good job of protecting the paint as is. And then like Ben was saying, also cleaning up every possession.
- [18:53]
Zena Kada
Right.
- [18:54]
Sabrina Merchant
So, yeah, I realized, like, she. She can be, like, efficient and like, not doing, but she literally does everything.
- [18:59]
Zena Kada
I think when I. When I mean efficient. I mean, sometimes, like, for example, I saw KK Arnold Garden on the perimeter, and I don't know if you guys saw her, but she was chop, chop, chopping. I mean, I thought it was like back to aau, like, trying to get in front of her girl. But she was, don't get me wrong, but there was a level of exertion there that for Sarah, it seemed as if two steps she's there, one step she's there.
- [19:20]
Shantelle Jennings
There's an ease with her game.
- [19:21]
Zena Kada
There's an ease with her game.
- [19:22]
Shantelle Jennings
She doesn't move like a freshman, she doesn't play like a freshman. But it's like, it's specifically in between. Even when she doesn't have the ball, the cuts that she's making, the decisions she's making are like. There are times when she would, like, get the ball on the top and she'd bob. They do that handoff at the top of the key really often. And South Carolina was trying to cut through the middle. Like, there were times when that was happening where you could say biggest stage she's ever been on before, a turnover at this point would be reasonable or expected for any other freshman, but she just has an ease and a comfort and confidence she plays with. That is, I think she should have been the most outstanding player of the Final Four.
- [19:54]
Ben Pickman
And she also erased what Jana Alfie and Ice Brady had to do. Right. If you look at it, they played a combined 25 minutes. Alfie had four fouls, Brady had two. They had combined two rebounds, both of those centers. And if you're a South Carolina fan entering the game and someone would have told you that Ice Brady and Jenna Alfie would have combined for two rebounds in 25 minutes, I think you're feeling pretty good.
- [20:18]
Sabrina Merchant
I think UConn is better when strong, except five. I feel like it's like a pyrrhic victory when you foul out Janelle Alfie or Ice Brady. Like you, if you're a UConn fan, you want your best guards and Sarah Strong in the game, it's so much harder to guard.
- [20:28]
Zena Kada
The underside situation was tough, especially when, I mean, Joyce Edwards can guard that position. But she. You could see that she was out of position, having to guard Sarah Strong out there. Now, you know, the fact that Jana Alfie got into foul trouble early. Kudos to UConn for finding a way to get the depth going, because if you came into this game, who was going to win the depth battle, anyone would have told you it was South Carolina, but they really made up for that. And I want to. I want to keep going. Talking about, you know, Sarah Strong ends up with 24 points, 15 rebounds. There's another person that had 24 points on this game, and that was Izzy Fudge. And az, of course, has this story. I don't wanna call it a redemption arc, but it's this arc of coming back. Right. Return to the court. She's been through a lot. Chantel, I know you've covered this story over the years with UConn, of course. Like, tell us a little bit about just what AZ has overcome to get to this point.
- [21:23]
Shantelle Jennings
Yeah, I mean, I think it's AZ's story, but it's really this team soul story. Like AZ and Paige have both been through ACL tears. They've come back from that other knee injuries, other, you know, Ice Brady had a patella injury, Jana lfie, Achilles injury. This is a team that had to forfeit games, I believe, last year because they didn't have enough eligible players or the year before. Excuse me, but, like, I was actually thinking about that when you were just making your point about, like, when Sarah's at the 5. And Paige sort of moves into that defensive 4 position like she was guarding. I think Chloe at one point in time like this to me, and I don't think Gino Orioma will think about it right now. But as time sort of passes and he looks at the season, it's like, you know, he's someone that wants to believe that they go through the hard things for something at the end of it. And I think he's gonna look back to last season and think, you know, all that experience that Ashlyn Shade and KK Arnold got as starters because of the injuries, because of the illnesses, and then they came off the bench this year because last year, with all of the injuries and ailments, Paige had to play the four all year. Like, all of those sort of came into play this year where it was like when Janna and when ice were out of the game, in foul trouble, whatever, and she's at the four. Like, she's done that for a full season and she's able to play in a national championship game because of that. And then you bring Ashlynn and KK off the bench, they're not phased because it's like they have so much experience. They play beyond their years. And so I think it's definitely like az's story is a story of redemption. But I think this whole team and this whole championship season to me is sort of like a culmination of everything they've been through.
- [22:49]
Ben Pickman
Well, and Gino or Emma was saying on Saturday that, like, yeah, easy fight technically appeared in the box score, the 2022 title game between UConn and South Carolina. But he was like, she didn't play that game. Like, he was very dismissive about any impact she had because she was sick. I want to say she was throwing up.
- [23:05]
Shantelle Jennings
Yeah, he said, she was throwing up all morning.
- [23:08]
Ben Pickman
She played 60 minutes and didn't look like herself. And so to then have the game that she played, you know, a few years later, I mean, super impressive. And Chantel, you mentioned Shade and KK Arnold. We should say that, like, the three pointer that Ashlyn Shade hits huge right before halftime was one of the big moments of the game, right? It was an 11 point lead for UConn with 320 to go. And then suddenly South Carolina goes on a little bit of a late. A late run to cut it back to seven. And shade hits this three in the corner, makes it 10 at half. And I think that was a huge moment. Don Staley said as much afterwards. And then when UConn blew the game open really late in the third quarter. It was KK Arnold, who is one of the kind of energizer bunnies on the floor, playing a key role in that league, ballooning from, you know, 13 to 20 by the end of the third period.
- [23:51]
Shantelle Jennings
That was Shade's one basket. Like, if you're gonna, like, have one impactful basket, like, have that.
- [23:56]
Sabrina Merchant
It was their first three pointer of the game, too.
- [23:57]
Shantelle Jennings
Yeah.
- [23:58]
Zena Kada
And it was their first.
- [23:58]
Shantelle Jennings
Yeah.
- [23:59]
Zena Kada
Yes, exactly. The only three pointer that they got in the first half that Don Saley said this was a win for us to be able to keep a team like UConn to just one three. And that, to me, was the three that broke out the smiles. That's when you saw UConn chilling. They were really locked in at that point. But I'm happy, Ben, that you kind of went through the full roster almost of, like, all the people that contributed to this.
- [24:21]
Ben Pickman
Yeah. Is there another UConn player we haven't talked about?
- [24:23]
Shantelle Jennings
We talked about Caitlin Chen. We haven't talked about Caitlyn Chen yet.
- [24:25]
Zena Kada
I mean, but the story here, and I want to transition to this part. The story here is Paige. It's really beautiful the way you laid that out. Chantel, like, all of these little parts of their story that ended up culminating into this perfect moment for UConn. And hearing Geno at the presser say that they almost went on a crusade to get this win for Paige. He said that there was more pressure on him to get this win in this championship than he felt sometimes as the Olympic coach. And that is a huge statement. I want to open the floor up for you guys in terms of, did you feel that way that UConn was on a crusade for Paige to get this or that Geno over the course of the year that you guys were covering them?
- [25:10]
Sabrina Merchant
I mean, I think every UConn season opens with the expectation of them competing for a national championship.
- [25:14]
Ben Pickman
Sure.
- [25:15]
Zena Kada
But that feels different than saying you're on a crusade for one player.
- [25:18]
Sabrina Merchant
I think Geno might have felt that. I'm not sure that I got the feeling from the other players that it was just for Paige. Schmeckers. I mean, they all come to UConn, too, because they know the history. They know the 11 national titles. They want to be part of number 12. So maybe as it got closer and, you know, Paige had all but assured us that this was going to be her last season, this was going to be her last tournament. You know, once you start counting down the games, then it becomes More of an urgency that they had talked about. But I don't know that I necessarily got that feeling over the course of the season that it was all for Paige.
- [25:48]
Zena Kada
Yeah. And to be fair, I wanna make sure I clarify. He didn't say that the players or the team said this, but he said that the coaches had come together and kind of felt as if they, you know, needed and wanted to get this done for Paige. Chantel, you've had extensive conversations with Gino throughout the season, and you saw that hug at the end of the game. Paige checks out. And for someone that has been as silly and as. As, you know, just had that back and forth with Gino all season long. For it to come down to this really emotional moment where she almost lets it all out on his shoulder. Talk to us about what she said. She said to him.
- [26:27]
Shantelle Jennings
Yeah.
- [26:27]
Zena Kada
And then what that looked like and what that really meant.
- [26:30]
Shantelle Jennings
Yeah, I mean, I think it's, you know, birds of a feather in this way. Like, Geno and Paige are really kind of similar. Like he said, you know, we've had a lot of really serious conversations over the last five years, and I know they haven't. They have conversations where they're talking about nothing. And it was, you know, I think through the first 38 minutes, you know, Ben and I were specifically laughing, or Sabrina and I were specifically laughing. Like, you could see this momentum happening and the role that UConn is going on. And Gino refused to smile. There was, like, no happiness coming from him. He just kept, like, furrowing his brow and, like, running his hands through his hair and, like, turning to the bench and cursing. And like, all of this stuff is happening, and it's like, dude, you're up 24. Like, you're whole bench is like, freaking out and celebrating. And he's turning and he's like, freaking out, refuse to smile. And then Paige comes out with about a minute and a half left, and a few other players came out as well, but she was the last one to come out. And they have this big hug. And then Paige says, you know, he told me he loved me, and I told him I hated him. And I thought that was just so perfect. It's like the sarcasm and the wit, like, it just. They fit together so well. And the joke was, when we were up in Spokane, someone had asked, ask Paige, you know, where do you think you stand among Gino's favorite players? And she said, I think number one. She said, well, somewhere between one and a thousand. And it's like, there are so Many things that she does that remind me of Diana. And you know, I think Diana's probably his number one favorite player and I think Paige might be his second. Like, you know, we were standing in the scrum afterwards with Gino and Diana came up and stood there and like popped her head in and they had a few words and it was, you know, he said, they asked me who I, I forget exactly what it was, but they like hugged and it was like, you can just tell sort of the relationship there. And obviously that's like a 25 year relationship with Gino and Diana, but it's like 20 years from now. I think Paige and Geno are going to be the exact same way.
- [28:20]
Ben Pickman
I mean, Paige on Saturday held a press conference for about 30 minutes and she was fielded questions that she had to have answered some of them dozens of times before. And towards the end of it, one of the very last questions was she was asked about one thing she'll miss about him. And one thing that was kind of sarcastic and one thing that was more sentimental. And it was one of the few times that I thought in the course of that press conference she really stopped for a second, collected herself and really thought about what she wanted to say. And she talked about his sarcasm and his quick witted humor. And she said his ability to let you know that he doesn't like you and that he hates coaching you and that you're the worst thing that's ever happened, but on the other side of it, how much he has your back. And I think that speaks to exactly what you're talking about, Chantel and their relationship. And Paige went on to talk about Diana and how Gina would call Diana annoying and that she calls Paige annoying and that maybe he just is attracted to annoying people. All of his favorite players are just annoying people. And that's kind of the trend. And for me, I wrote on South Carolina Today, and so I was watching the press conference on the TV post game and when Paige walked in with a net around her neck, that was just a noticeable scene for me because so often you see coaches when they cut a net down after a regional walk in with the net around their neck. And here it was not Gino Auriemma who was kind of boasting that he had the neck necklace, it was Paige Beckers who had it in. And I thought that was kind of a fitting scene in my mind.
- [29:43]
Shantelle Jennings
I also thought that her quote about how annoying he is at her press conference the other day reminded me of when we had Geno on the podcast. Podcast and he was joking about how grateful he was when Paige came to UConn. He was saying, like, oh, I was so grateful after, you know, coaching here for 35 years to have someone come in and teach me everything I didn't know and tell me how I don't know anything about basketball and tell me everything that I'm supposed to know about basketball. Like, they're just both so sarcastic and they sort of like, have that turn of phrase and quick wit that it's like, you know, you can just sort of imagine what those practices are like.
- [30:14]
Zena Kada
Yeah. Sabrina, this whole concept has been around. Paige needs a championship in order to cement. And I put this in quotes. I'm putting air quotes up, guys, to cement her legacy. You think about Diana championships, Maya Moore championships, Brianna Stewart championships. Paige had not gotten a championship, but Geno was adamant that she didn't need that in order to cement her impact and her legacy on UConn. Now that she's won one, what does that say?
- [30:43]
Sabrina Merchant
I think he was bold faced, lying. I mean, you can't be a UConn great without having a championship.
- [30:48]
Zena Kada
I'm so happy I asked you.
- [30:49]
Sabrina Merchant
I mean, maybe like, you know, this one game doesn't affect everything that she's accomplished at UConn, but when you look back at it, you want to see that one ring or star, however you denote it, you know, when you walk into Gamble Pavilion. But yeah, I think you can't say that you're one of the best to walk through UConn if you can't do it. Literally everybody else did.
- [31:06]
Zena Kada
Fair. I mean, you get those chairs that. I mean, I always think about reading Chantel's articles about the practice facility and the practice gym at UConn. The chairs are from the Final Fours. They're from these tournaments. It's like you can't walk in there, pour your blood, sweat and tears out and not get one yourself in a championship.
- [31:26]
Sabrina Merchant
Well, at least she does have the four chairs.
- [31:27]
Zena Kada
She does have the four chairs, but she doesn't, right? Exactly. She now has a championship. Ben, what do you think? She's got the ring. How does this change the story that is Paige Becker's?
- [31:35]
Ben Pickman
I mean, it's like part of the first sentence, right? Or part of the first paragraph in a way that she made it seem like on Saturday she kind of was asked about legacy, and she said, it's not for me to decide. It's for people to write. And now when you write this story, this becomes very much part of the top line history of what she will be able to do with this program.
- [31:54]
Sabrina Merchant
Does it matter to you that she wasn't the best player in this Final Four?
- [31:57]
Shantelle Jennings
No, because I absolutely don't think that the most outstanding player award went to the most outstanding player. But, yeah, I don't think, like, what stood out to me after the game was that Gina was talking about what's been really hard for him over the last few years is that everyone treats playing UConn like playing for national championships. So if they beat UConn, it's like, oh, my God, we beat UConn. And he was saying, you know, the last few years, we haven't had our full complement of players. We've never been fully healthy. We've never been able to show up to this point and be fully healthy. And so he was saying that, you know, those Final Fours that didn't end in a national championship over the last five years, like, they didn't hurt as much because he was like, they didn't really beat UConn. They beat a patchwork of UConn players. I think this one would have been much different because they were healthy. This was the full UConn team. They're missing Ayanna Patterson, but, like, this is the team they have, right? And this is their full complement. And so, you know, I think it's interesting, like, 10 years from now, if Paige hadn't won this, if UConn hadn't won it this year, like, that does become, like, the second line of the paragraph, you know, where it's like, paige Becker's the most decorated player to ever play at UConn who did not win a national championship. Like, she becomes that player. I was in stores this fall, and Gino is telling me, you know, he. He. He told me. He was like, I don't think it defines her legacy. I could put five players on the floor who didn't win a national championship here against five players who did, and it'd be a pretty good game. And I said, yeah, but they wouldn't win, would they? And he was like, well, probably not, because there's not that many of them. I was like, yeah, that's the point, because players come here to win national championships. And so I think it would have changed her legacy a little bit. I think it would have forever been the sort of shadow that followed her her entire career.
- [33:35]
Zena Kada
And now it doesn't have to shout out to Ryan Ruko on the broadcast. I didn't hear this, but he said the final page of the Book of Beckers. And I was like, okay, Ryan, not too late.
- [33:47]
Shantelle Jennings
Nice turn of phrase. Nice turn of phrase.
- [33:49]
Ben Pickman
Read Chantel's article for more tones of phrase.
- [33:52]
Zena Kada
There you go. There you go. Okay, now let's transition because that story is done. But the story of UConn is not over. And Gino was asked about continuing to coach at UConn, particularly thinking about his age. He's 71. He is the oldest coach, men or women basketball to win a national championship.
- [34:20]
Shantelle Jennings
Shout out to Ma Vopel for saying, correct, I am a senior citizen like you.
- [34:24]
Zena Kada
Yes, senior citizen. To another senior citizen, he asked that question and, you know, there wasn't a direct answer. What I appreciated, though, Geno said that even though, yes, he's 71, being around his kids is what he said, but being around kids like his players keeps him young. He didn't keep. He wasn't direct about will he keep coaching. But let's think theoretically. Let's say he does the work that UConn is about to put in next year. AZ Fudd is returning. Sarah Strong is going to be a sophomore, and there's still more talent to be had at UConn overall. And I also want to talk about South Carolina because Joyce Edwards is also just a freshman and Mylaja Faweilly is still an underclassman, now is about to be one of the leaders on this team. So let's start with South Carolina thinking about the future. How do they regroup from this? They're graduating one of the most winningest classes of South Carolina's history.
- [35:29]
Shantelle Jennings
Yeah. Let's say two national championships with four Final Four appearances. Like this is one of the greatest sort of dynasties, four year dynasties of college basketball classes ever.
- [35:38]
Zena Kada
Thank you. And that leadership is out the door. The composure, the poise, the maturity, the experience of a Brie Hall, a Raven Johnson, Sanai Fagan.
- [35:47]
Sabrina Merchant
Raven Johnson could stay.
- [35:48]
Zena Kada
Oh, that's true. That's right. She has not declared yet. Declared either way. So that is a big potential loss there for South Carolina. How do they regroup? Ben, I'll start with you.
- [36:01]
Ben Pickman
Well, Dawn Staley said afterwards that there are some things in the works that might happen very soon. She didn't specify who or when those would be, but she did allude to some things and that's not exactly so surprising.
- [36:13]
Sabrina Merchant
She did say the words portal specifically.
- [36:15]
Ben Pickman
Yeah. So.
- [36:16]
Zena Kada
And she's been mentioning the fact that she's been on the phone during this whole tournament on. Regarding the portal. Sorry.
- [36:22]
Shantelle Jennings
I should also say that I've. I've long anticipated that. So April 7th is the date Monday April 7th, which is when a lot of you might be listening to this podcast, is the date that the house settlement is going to be finalized with nil stuff, which means that after Monday, more , less, the NCAA is going to be regulating all nil payments and the money that is exchanged. And so if players kind of want to avoid that, they need to make some decisions and sign some contracts essentially by midnight tonight or whenever the decision comes down. I guess so.
- [36:51]
Zena Kada
Wow.
- [36:51]
Shantelle Jennings
I'm curious if she means very soon, like the next few hours.
- [36:54]
Ben Pickman
Yeah, we don't know. I mean she talked about saying that they needed some experienced players that can come in and contribute right away and bring some leadership to this core group. And what I think is pretty interesting about that is two things. One, as you mentioned, Chantel, South Carolina in their past title winning seasons has had stars in the center. Asia Wilson, Camilla Cardozo, Aaliyah, Boston, in those title winning years, they didn't have one on this team. The other thing that I think is interesting though is this group's culture was very altruistic, right? It was, you know, everyone was playing 25 minutes or fewer per game. No one took more than 11 shots per game. It was figure out on which night who stepped up. It was by committee. Do things change a little bit in the culture of that locker room? It's a question I have. I mean, she obviously knows the people she wants to bring in and she's going to be thorough in that evaluation. But there probably will be some change in dynamic just like there was when they got to Hina Papow in of bringing in a senior or a junior out of the portal. Do things change a little bit? I don't really know. And she talks a lot about process and players who stick with them year over year. I'm just curious if players who thought they were kind of getting their turn maybe don't get their turn as quickly because of the portal. That's an open question. I think we all hope to see a little bit more Milasia Faweilly next year. I think Tesha Johnson also could step up and roll. There's a lot of talent still on this team. Joyce Edwards is going to be a star.
- [38:24]
Shantelle Jennings
Ashlyn Watkins is supposed to be back this summer. She said, I think that's huge. Like this is a much different team. Yeah, she said it would be. She's. Well, I believe what she said.
- [38:33]
Ben Pickman
My doctors will be mad.
- [38:33]
Shantelle Jennings
She said the doctors might be mad by me saying this, but she said later this summer.
- [38:37]
Sabrina Merchant
And so she told racial in January.
- [38:40]
Shantelle Jennings
Yeah, so it could be a very like an eight to nine month turnaround for her. And so in that case, like this is a very different team. If Ashlyn Watkins is sort of roaming the paint area and can play on and off of Chloe kits like that's, that's a four or five combo that I really like.
- [38:55]
Zena Kada
Okay, I'm thinking about when you talk about people waiting for their turn, number one name that pops into my is Sanai Rivers. Right. Someone that left South Carolina to go get Hirsch due. And then the other name that comes to mind is Tenay Latson. But I don't want to speculate on who could come out of the portal into joining South Carolina because you guys are reporters and I'm just a person podcasting. Anywho, so I want to ask about UConn because they don't have Paige Beckers, but they got some solidly strong talent still within this team.
- [39:32]
Ben Pickman
Was it pun intended or not?
- [39:33]
Shantelle Jennings
I don't think it was solidly strong.
- [39:34]
Zena Kada
I didn't even mean to do that. So there we are. Until I say like fud around and find out, that's when I'm like, great shirt, great shirt, great shirt. Sabrina, talk to me about UConn next year.
- [39:46]
Sabrina Merchant
Well, by the time you guys are listening to this, it'll be Monday and my top 25 for the 2025, 26 season will be out. And lo and behold, UConn is number one. You know, they basically everybody coming back except for Paige Beckers and Caitlyn Chen. And while Caitlyn Chen was a very important piece of what they were trying to do this year, I think KK Arnold, Nash and Shade can pretty comfortably fill in that role. You saw that already in the national title game when Caitlin Chen played all of what, 18 minutes. And the more productive stints came from Shane Arnold. Admittedly, filling in Paige Beckers role is a lot bigger of a challenge, but that's where you expect Sarah Strong to take on a larger role. You expect Easy Fludd to take on a larger role. They've got Ali Ziebel, some other younger freshmen coming in who can backfill what KK Arnold and Ashlyn Shade are going to do. So I think this is really just a bet on Sarah Strong being the best player in college basketball next year. And frankly, I don't really see a reason why she couldn't be. I looked at the player over these six games of the NCAA tournament and the way she guarded Reagan beers, the way she single handedly shut down the South Carolina front court what she was able to do against USC in a game where they were deliberately trying to take her out. I mean, and Chantel and I were joking about the, you know, Geno not smiling all game. I feel like the first time I really did see him smile was when Sarah Strong had a three to give her 22 points on the game in the fourth quarter. And he kind of just broke that.
- [40:58]
Shantelle Jennings
Broke him.
- [40:58]
Sabrina Merchant
Yeah, that's the one. I think she would be my front runner right now for national player of the year. And when you have that like, which they already did in Paige Becker's, you're going to be okay.
- [41:08]
Shantelle Jennings
And they'll get Ayanna Patterson back from injury, and so I think that'll be, you know, a help to their front court. I also expect UConn to go portaling. I expect every team probably to go portaling to an extent. They're bringing in three players, so I'm not going to be able to do the math exactly on their scholarship numbers, but they could look to bring in. They've brought in a port of player every year, basically for the last few years. That has impacted them somehow. That has become a starter. You think of Dorga Juhas, you think of Caitlyn Chen. So I think. And especially coming off a national championship, people are going to want to come to UConn. They're going to want to play with Az Foot and Sarah Strong.
- [41:42]
Zena Kada
And I think people are seeing a different side of Geno now. Even I feel like some. If you're a recruit, you're looking at Gino and you're like, oh, he might be more approachable than he has been in the past few years. I don't know.
- [41:52]
Shantelle Jennings
I mean.
- [41:53]
Sabrina Merchant
Or not. If you're Ashlyn Shade.
- [41:55]
Ben Pickman
They also have one of the most interesting kind of recruits coming in that they've ever had next year in, I think it's Blanca Quinones.
- [42:03]
Sabrina Merchant
Tell us more. Leave it to Ben to bring him a four player.
- [42:05]
Ben Pickman
We've watched her, but she's, I think, 6-162 wing from Ecuador. She's the first ever South American player that they had in the program. And she's been playing pro in Italy these past couple years. She's played on her senior national team already, and she has professional experience. We saw her, I want to say, Sabrina, at the Basketball Without Borders camp at WNB All Star in Phoenix. And she was one of the best players in that camp, you know, playing in front of WNBA scouts and other college coaches and really impressed in that showcase. Super athletic. I think they're super excited about getting her in the, in the program.
- [42:40]
Zena Kada
How do you get international shadows?
- [42:44]
Ben Pickman
We'll have draft talk next week, later this week, and then we'll have more of it done.
- [42:48]
Zena Kada
And that's what's so crazy is that draft is literally next weekend. All right, well, we're going to close it out. That's going to be it for today. But before we go, I just want to ask you guys, favorite game of the tournament.
- [43:06]
Sabrina Merchant
I'll go first. I think Kentucky, Kansas State was my favorite one.
- [43:09]
Zena Kada
That was fun.
- [43:10]
Shantelle Jennings
Give me double overtime, all the points. Alabama, Maryland, still crazy.
- [43:14]
Zena Kada
111, 108. Final score, crazy game.
- [43:16]
Ben Pickman
I guess I'll go to a game I was in person for. I think tcu Notre Dame was, was pretty notable just because of the stakes and the storylines.
- [43:25]
Sabrina Merchant
What has transpired for Notre Dame since exactly?
- [43:28]
Ben Pickman
A super memorable game, though. Maybe close second and third for the South Carolina squeakers in the Sweet 16.
- [43:34]
Shantelle Jennings
I thought you were going to pitch.
- [43:35]
Sabrina Merchant
UNC, Duke, NC State, LSU was also there.
- [43:38]
Ben Pickman
UNC Duke did not make the list of favorites.
- [43:39]
Zena Kada
That was going to be mine. That was going to be mine. Even though that was the game that NC State left.
- [43:43]
Shantelle Jennings
I love a game that doesn't get to 40 points.
- [43:45]
Sabrina Merchant
Well, Duke did well. Worst game.
- [43:47]
Zena Kada
I think worst game. We can collectively say it's the Duke unc.
- [43:50]
Shantelle Jennings
Yeah.
- [43:51]
Zena Kada
Yeah. A league game. Okay. All right, that's it for today. Thanks, Sabrina, Chantel, Ben, thank you, all of you that are watching us and also listening to us. We've got all these camera angles. I don't know who to look at. Anywho, you guys have had some very long days and some very long nights throughout this tournament. Please, the hotel is here. We're literally at your hotel. Go get some sleep. Maybe celebrate Cheers one good time because you've got some really great coverage throughout this entire tournament. And as a fan, we appreciate you. So thank you. And also all of you listening and watching, don't forget, go read at the Yahoo. Sports Hub. Let me make sure I say it right. Sports.yahoo.com women-sports on behalf of the athletic, I'm Zena Keita. Thanks for listening and watching, y'all. Until next time, no off season is hosted by Zena Kada with Chantelle Jennings, Sabrina Merchant and Ben Pickman. It's produced by Tanika Perot. Our executive producers are Andrea B. Scott and Cassius Fleming. Our theme music is by Marcus Bagala. Brenna Haupt 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 our director of audio operations.
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Zena Kada
Remember blowing into a video game cartridge.
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Or taping songs off the radio?
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Zena Kada
How about Saturday morning cartoons?
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Zena Kada
Did we just age ourselves?
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Two comedians getting nostalgic and asking that nagging question, Are we old?
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- [47:33]
Sabrina Merchant
Acast.com.