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Women's Basketball

Black Female Athletes You Should Be Watching

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Coco Gauff, A’ja Wilson, and Sha’Carri Richardson are some of the Black women in sports you should be keeping your eye on.

By: Noah A. McGee

The ladies are putting the sports world on notice. They’re here to stay.

With women’s sports continuing to grow it’s only right that we take note of some of the best Black female athletes who are dominating their sports. Coco Guaff just won the US Open, A’Ja Wilson just led the Las Vegas Aces to the best regular season ever and Sha’Carri Richardson just won the 100m at the world track and field championships.

The Black ladies in athletics are here to stay. Here are the ones you should be paying attention to:

Coco Gauff

The youngest lady on this list, Coco Gauff is only 19 years old and is already making waves in professional tennis. She recently won the US Open and has cemented herself as one of the faces of Women’s professional Tennis.

A’Ja Wilson

A’Ja Wilson has succeeded on every level of her basketball career. She was the number one ranked player coming out of high school. While at South Carolina, she was a national champion, NCAA tournament MOP, national player of the year, and a three-time first-team All-American. In 2018, she was drafted first overall in the WNBA draft and has since been named a WNBA champion, two-time MVP, a five-time all-star, a defensive player of the year, and rookie of the year.

This post-season, she’s hoping to lead the Las Vegas Aces to another WNBA championship.

Sha’Carri Richardson

Despite her controversial past, Sha’Carri Richardson has persevered to become one of the best track athletes in the world. A month ago, she the 100m at the world track and field championships in 10.65 seconds—a championship record time.

Jonquel Jones

Breanna Stewart may get all the attention as the best player on the New York Liberty, but Jonquel Jones is no slouch. She’s a four-time WNAB All-Star who won league MVP in 2021. She’s hoping to be apart of the reason the Liberty win a championship in 2023

Angel Reese

Angel Reese is among the most dominant players in the country and this past season was named a first-team All-America, the NCAA tournament most outstanding player (MOP), and an NCAA Champion. LSU legend Shaquille O’Neal named her the greatest athlete the university has ever produced. The only question left is, can Reese lead the Tigers to back-to-back titles?

Flau’jae Johnson

Angel’s teammate, Flau’jae Johnson is not just a talented hooper, she’s also a successful rapper. She went viral last year for a dope freestyle she had on Bars On I-95.

Naomi Osaka

Naomi Osaka has been a prodigy ever since she stepped on a professional tennis court. Despite being only 25 years old, she’s already won four majors, (two Australian Opens and two US Opens). Although she’s been on maternity leave for the past year, she’s ready to show that she’s still the best in the world.

Azzi Fudd

Azzi Fudd is a young college basketball player who just keeps getting better. Coming out of high school, she was the number one ranked player in the country and opted to go to the most storied women’s basketball program in the country, UCONN. During her freshman year, she helped lead her team to the 2022 Final Four. While the team didn’t make it that far in 2023, she’s hoping to lead a comeback this upcoming season.

Simone Biles

What can Simone Biles not do? She’s the most accomplished professional gymnast in the world. During the 2022 Olympics, she took a stand for athletes with mental health issues after she took a break during the games to focus on herself.

Aaliyah Boston

Following in A’Ja Wilson’s footsteps, Aaliyah Boston was also a star college athlete at the University of South Carolina. Currently, she’s the best player on a young Indiana Fever team and was recently named the 2023 WNBA Rookie of the Year.

Elaine Thompson-Herah

Usain Bolt ain’t the only successful Jamaican sprinter. The fastest woman in the history of the Olympics, Elaine Thompson-Herah set the Olympic record in the Women’s 100 Meters during the Summer Olympics in 2021. She edged out Florence Griffith Joyner’s long-standing record of 10.62 with a time of 10.61.

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce

Before Thompson-Herah set the Olympic record in the women’s 100 meters, fellow Jamaican sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce ran the fastest time in nearly 33 years: 10.63 during an event in June 2021.

Sydney Mclaughlin-Levrone

Sydney Mclaughlin-Levrone is also a track and field star who is among the fastest in the world. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, she won two gold medals, one in the 400-meter hurdles and another in the 4×400-meter relay. She also set the world record in the 400-meter hurdles in 2022, clocking a time of 50.68.

Candace Parker

Candace Parker is a basketball legend who’s been the best at every level of her career. As a rookie in the WNBA, she won the WNBA MVP and the Rookie of the Year award. In 2021, she cemented her status as a Hall of Famer after leading her hometown team, the Chicago Sky, to their first-ever WNBA championship.

Britney Griner

Thankfully, Britney Griner is back home after spending more than 100 days in a Russian prison during most of 2022. People may have forgotten, but Griner is still an imposing physical presence in the WNBA and had an awesome 2023 season despite the Phoenix Mercury struggling as a team. She’s a nine-time all-star and a WNBA champion.

Elana Meyers Taylor

I know some of us don’t pay attention to the Winter Olympics, but you might want to start, in order to watch bobsledder Elana Meyers Taylor do her thing. During the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, Taylor became the most decorated Black athlete in Winter Olympics history after taking home her fifth medal.

Erin Jackson

Along with being a brilliant athlete, Erin Jackson also has a degree in Materials Science & Engineering from the University of Florida. At the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, the talented speed skater won gold in the 500 meter.

Claressa Shields

The ladies have hands too. Claressa Shields is one of the best Boxers out there. She won a gold medal at the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics and is undefeated as a professional boxer.

Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer makes history as NCAA’s winningest coach

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By: Yi-Jin Yu | GMA

Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer is officially the winningest coach in NCAA history.

VanDerveer, 70, earned the record Sunday with Stanford’s win against Oregon State. The Stanford Cardinal beat the Beavers 65-56 in a home game at Maples Pavilion.

“Robin, it’s just a little bit surreal to be honest with you,” VanDerveer told “Good Morning America” co-anchor Robin Roberts on Monday. “You just take each game one at a time and I’ve loved coaching.”

“And you know, this was a really tough game,” VanDerveer continued. “Oregon State’s a great team and we had some players really step up. [Forward] Kiki Iriafen had 36 points. It was an awesome game and I was just really happy for our fans that we could do it at home. It was a full house and it was a great celebration. It was really amazing.”

Following Stanford’s victory, VanDerveer said she was impressed Oregon State also celebrated her achievement.

“I just also want to say that when I went through the line with the Oregon State players, each one of them congratulated me and I just thought that was first class,” VanDerveer said. “It was just an outpouring of love from the fans and it’s a little bit overwhelming. It was just really an awesome day.”

Stanford’s latest triumph brings VanDerveer to 1,203 wins, passing former Duke men’s coach Mike Krzyzewski for the most wins. Krzyzewski said in a statement afterward that VanDerveer was a “true guardian” of basketball.

“This is a tremendous accomplishment for Tara VanDerveer, who is already one of the most accomplished coaches in the history of basketball. This is yet another milestone to add to an amazing legacy,” Krzyzewski said. “More important than all the astounding numbers and career accomplishments, she’s positively impacted countless lives as a coach and a mentor. Tara remains a true guardian of our sport.”

VanDeveer said hearing from other top sports leaders like Krzyzewski has been “really meaningful,” too.

Throughout her four-decade career, VanDerveer has made it to the NCAA tournament 37 times, led her team to three national championships and even coached the USA Basketball National Team to an Olympic gold medal in Atlanta in 1996. But she’s most pleased with the growth of Stanford’s women’s basketball program.

“I’m most proud of the improvement and just the life impact that Stanford basketball has on the women I coach,” VanDerveer said. “I learned so much from the players on our team and to be at Stanford, around such great coaches, a great university and have my assistants that helped me. Basketball is a team sport and obviously I wouldn’t have accomplished this without great assistance and great, great, great players.”

As a coach, VanDerveer said she ultimately wanted to help young players become the “best versions of themselves.”

“I want to take them to a place that they can’t get by themselves,” she said. “I learned this, I think, from my piano teacher, where I was trying to teach myself and that was hopeless but I was making CDs in a year with a great piano teacher and I just want to help our team and each player be the best they can be.”

Rutgers Women’s Basketball lands 2024 Five-Star G Kiyomi McMiller

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Alec Crouthamel • TheKnightReport

In the wake of facing off against star Caitlin Clark, the Rutgers women’s basketball team landed another star in the form of a verbal commitment from five-star guard Kiyomi McMiller, who joins signee Zachara Perkins in the team’s 2024 recruiting class.

McMiller, who is in her second season playing at the Life Center Academy in Burlington, New Jersey, chose the Scarlet Knights over the likes of Ole Miss, Florida State, and Temple.

The 5-foot-9 point guard is currently ranked 22nd in the country according to espnW’s recruiting rankings.

On the court, McMiller is at her best with the ball in her hands as a scoring guard. She has great speed with the ball and elite handles to get past defenders and find an open look, even drawing (lofty) comparisons to former NBA star Jamal Crawford with her ability to dribble in space with the ball. Appropriately nicknamed “The Product”, arguably McMiller’s best trait is her creativity on the court, with or without the ball.

“I’m inspired by both of my parents,” she told Business of College Sports. “I get my creativity from my dad and my grandmother, which carries over to my dribbling. I’m always in the gym with my mom and dad working on my game.”

She’ll join a stacked guard room with youth and experience mixed in at Rutgers, with contributors such as Kaylene Smikle, Mya Petticord, Lisa Thompson, and Jillian Huerter. Head coach Coquese Washington, formerly a guard herself in college and in the WNBA, is putting together a room of guards that can attack off the perimeter to either set up teammates or take it themselves for the score.

Similarly, off the court, McMiller has also become a trailblazer. Back in February, she became the first high school athlete to sign a Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deal with the iconic Jordan Brand. Bringing that brand recognition to Piscataway will put more eyes on the program, and Rutgers as a whole.

The Silver Spring, Maryland native grew up in a basketball family, as both of her parents coached at nearby Montgomery College. Her father, Mike, also joined on at Life Center Academy as an assistant coach.

“It’s a dream come true being with the brand that stands for the same passion that I have for the game,” she said. “I look forward to encouraging basketball players to use their creativity and platform to define their purpose.”

McMiller and Perkins currently make up the program’s 2024 class, but Washington and the staff may not be done yet. Fellow five-star guard Mikayla Blakes, ranked tenth in the class, also has Rutgers among her finalists. There’s plenty of familiarity with the program, as Blakes attends Rutgers Prep in Somerset, and current Scarlet Knight Antonia Bates played for the Argonauts out of Easton, Pennsylvania.

Both Blakes and McMiller were listed as two of the top scorers in the class by espnW, and adding both players would bring a lot of attention and hype to a Scarlet Knights program looking to get back on track in the Big Ten.

Rutgers women’s basketball lands a 5-star recruit in Kiyomi McMiller

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By Kristian Dyer via Rutgers Wire

Kiyomi McMiller committed to Rutgers women’s basketball on Saturday afternoon, giving the Scarlet Knights the highest-ranked recruit since head coach Coquese Washington took over the program.

A five-star guard, McMiller is ranked the No. 22 player in the nation by ESPNW. She is a part of the 2024 recruiting class.

McMiller plays for Life Center Academy (Burlington, New Jersey). Through 11 games this season, she is averaging 29.5 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.

Playing a strong schedule both nationally and in-state, Life Center is currently 5-7 on the season.

She is the second-highest-ranked recruit in the nation in the 2024 class behind five-star guard behind Mikayala Blakes. ESPNW ranks Blakes as the ninth-best recruit in the nation.

For Washington, this is a huge recruiting win for her and the program. Landing a top-tier in-state target who is ranked among the best players in the nation is certainly an important building block for the Scarlet Knights

Caitlin Clark Makes History With 3,000 Career Points

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MADISON WILLIAMS | Sports Illustrated

Caitlin Clark made college basketball history on Wednesday, scoring her 3,000th point. Now, the Iowa superstar sits in a class all by herself.

Iowa star Caitlin Clark needed just 22 points when entering Wednesday’s game vs. Iowa State to make NCAA Division I basketball history.

In the third quarter, Clark hit a three-pointer to score her 3,002nd point in her Iowa career.

The shot made her the first basketball player, either men’s or women’s, in NCAA Division I history to record 3,000 points along with at least 750 rebounds and 750 assists. She is the 15th player in NCAA history to hit at least 3,000 points.

It was fitting that Clark reached this historical mark in Ames, Iowa, which is just 41 miles from her home town of Des Moines.

Clark has never won at Iowa State in her career. But, since she was at an opposing arena, the crowd wasn’t as electric for her accomplishment than if she was at home.

Clark and the Hawkeyes played in front of a sold-out crowd at Hilton Coliseum. Iowa games tend to be sold out in every location the Hawkeyes play at, in part thanks to Clark’s popularity. The Hawkeyes even started their season with an exhibition game in Kinnick Stadium in front of over 55,000 fans.

Santiago 2023: Azurá Stevens brings 3×3 glory to Team USA

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By Maggie Hendricks| Olympics

Standing with her 3×3 teammates, Azurá Stevens has an ear-to-ear grin on her face. They had just won the Pan American Games 3×3 women’s tournament for Team USA, and Stevens had excelled in her first try at a different kind of basketball. Stevens’ smile is something fans have grown used to, as it shows even when her team is not winning gold medals.

Stevens’ positivity shows when she is on social media. Her X (formerly known as Twitter) feed is filled with kind and encouraging words. Her Instagram and TikTok often show Stevens doing the latest dance trend, along with her teammates. Even after a WNBA season where her Los Angeles Sparks finished just outside the playoffs, Stevens keeps up the good vibes.

“It’s difficult. Life and the game bring a lot of different challenges. I think just trying to stay grateful for everything, even when things don’t feel like they’re going my way, just staying really positive and being as grateful as I can for every experience, because it brings a learning opportunity and so that’s something that kind of helps me to keep it even. Even when things aren’t,” Stevens said to Olympics.com.

How her parents fuel Stevens

Part of where Stevens learns her lessons about gratitude is from her parents. In 2020, she started a food truck with her parents that serves southern food staples: shrimp, grits and fish. Though her father runs the business, she works on the truck whenever she is home in North Carolina. Stevens said her parents are her biggest inspiration.

“From a young age, they’ve sacrificed so much for me to be able to chase my dreams. They still support me so much,” Stevens said. “They’re a huge inspiration, an example that they set for me growing up and then all the sacrifices they made for me to be able to follow my dreams.”

A new kind of challenge

Her attitude has been helpful as she tried 3×3. Stevens has excelled at five on five basketball. She won a WNBA championship with the Chicago Sky and an NCAA title at UConn, and was a sought-after free agent before she signed with the Sparks in the 2023 offseason. But 3×3? It’s a completely different kind of challenge for the 6-foot-6 (198 cm) player.

“Obviously, you’re not doing full court, which has a lot quicker pace. And there’s a lot of reading and reacting and just sort of slowing down,” Stevens said. “I think that’s something that’s been a little bit of a challenge for me so far as it’s a little bit of a slower pace because it’s half court, you know, but then when you score, you’re right on defense. that point in that regard and continuing to get comfortable with it.”

Now with a 3×3 gold medal in hand, Stevens is considering whether she will play basketball in the offseason. She will return to the Sparks in 2024 for her seventh season in the WNBA, and perhaps, Paris 2024.

“I’d love that opportunity. I’m excited to be part of that pool, and see how it goes from there,” Stevens said.

Iowa draws 55,646 to set record for women’s basketball game

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ESPN Associated Press

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Lisa Bluder’s idea turned into history.

The Iowa coach came up with the plan for her team to play an outdoor game at Kinnick Stadium, with the hope of setting a women’s basketball single-game attendance record.

Iowa did that, and more.

The Hawkeyes’ 94-72 exhibition win over DePaul in the “Crossover at Kinnick” on Sunday drew 55,646 fans, almost doubling the previous record of 29,619 set by Connecticut and Oklahoma in the 2002 NCAA championship game at San Antonio’s Alamodome.

“You know, you can have an idea and it could fall flat if nobody shows up,” Bluder said. “But, man, Hawk fans showed up today. Fifty-five thousand, breaking the record, getting to play outside. … It was a dream. It really was. It was just fabulous.”

“Fifty-five thousand? That’s pretty incredible,” said Iowa guard Caitlin Clark, the reigning national player of the year, who put up a triple-double of 34 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. “It’s hard to kind of imagine yourself playing basketball in front of 55,000.”

Bluder’s idea for an outdoor game came to her when 9,000 fans showed up for a campus celebration in April upon the Hawkeyes’ return from the NCAA championship game against LSU.

Sunday’s game was played under partly cloudy skies, with temperatures in the 50s and a gusty wind swirling around the north end zone where the court was set up.

“Great weather,” Bluder said. “It was raining all week, and then great weather today? I’m so thankful.”

The wind played havoc with some of the shots. The Hawkeyes were 36-of-73 from the field but just 6-of 22 on 3-pointers and 16-of-30 on free throws.

Clark hit one of her familiar long-range 3-pointers early in the second quarter, but she also air-balled a free throw in the second half.

“It was a little windy,” Clark said. “The cold was perfectly fine. It was a bit chilly, and I’m glad we play an indoor sport. I promise I’ll never air-ball a free throw again. The wind took that one, for sure.”

The game was Iowa’s answer to August’s “Volleyball Day in Nebraska,” an outdoor doubleheader featuring the national power Nebraska Cornhuskers and three other in-state college teams that drew 92,003 to Memorial Stadium in Lincoln for the highest documented attendance ever for a women’s sporting event.

“I think this was amazing,” DePaul guard Michelle Sidor said. “Sixty thousand people coming out for women’s basketball was pretty special.”

Women’s and girls basketball has a long and rich history in Iowa. Girls played six-on-six high school basketball more than a century ago — three offensive players, three defensive players, only two dribbles and none allowed to cross half court. The girls’ basketball state tournament, first held in 1920, was a huge event televised statewide and in neighboring states until the five-player game took over in the 1980s.

Last year, the Hawkeyes ranked second nationally in attendance and Iowa State was seventh.

“We’ve had basketball here since the 1920s,” Bluder said, noting that associate head coach Jan Jensen’s grandmother is in the state girls high school hall of fame. “I mean, this is deeply rooted in this state. So it’s just perfect that it was here.”

Iowa forward Hannah Stuelke, who grew up in nearby Cedar Rapids, said, “Breaking the record in our home city, my home state, is really amazing. I think it’s just really cool being able to change the game and change people’s mindset on basketball.”

Players and coaches from both teams also participated with the crowd in “The Hawkeye Wave,” the tradition of fans at Kinnick waving to young patients and their families who are watching games through the windows at the adjacent Stead Family Children’s Hospital.

Proceeds from the game are being directed to the hospital. A check for $250,000 was presented during a break in the game. Among the attendees were former Iowa players Megan Gustafson, the 2019 national player of the year, and Kathleen Doyle, the 2020 Big Ten player of the year.

“Before the game, I just talked to them about this being a historic day for us,” Bluder said. “How we were playing for more than just ourselves. Playing for the university, fighting for the children’s hospital. We just talked about playing for everybody else and and not for ourselves.”

Bluder’s team has never been more popular in the state. The program is coming off its best season, Clark is the returning Associated Press player of the year and a show-woman with her deep 3-pointers. Every home game this season is sold out.

“It’s hard to really wrap your head around everything that’s happening,” Clark said. “Obviously, you can imagine it but it’s never the same until you’re actually in the experience enjoying it and loving it.”

Aliyah Boston is the unanimous pick for WNBA Rookie of the Year

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By: Emma Hruby | Just Women’s Sports

Aliyah Boston is the unanimous selection for the 2023 WNBA Rookie of the Year award, receiving all 60 votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters.

The No. 1 overall pick out of South Carolina proved to be everything and more for the Indiana Fever this season, putting together one of the best rookie seasons on record. Her 14.5 points and 8.4 rebounds per game helped the Fever to 13 wins, an improvement from the five games they won last season.

Boston led all rookies in scoring, rebounds, steals, blocks and minutes per game. She also became just the sixth rookie All-Star starter.

In the first six games of her career, Boston averaged 15 points per game on 70% shooting – something no other WNBA player had done before. And she’s the first player in WNBA history to average 15 points per game on 60% shooting through 20 career games.

“Aliyah’s not normal. She’s not the normal rookie,” Fever veteran Erica Wheeler said. “She understands what it means to be a great teammate, and a great sister, too. She’s a franchise player.”

In August, Boston became the fourth rookie in WNBA history to have a 25-point, 10-rebound, four-steal game. She finished the season with 11 double-doubles to lead the 2023 rookie class.

Joining Boston on the All-Rookie team are Dorka Juhász and Diamond Miller of the Minnesota Lynx, Li Meng of the Washington Mystics and Jordan Horston of the Seattle Storm.

Stephanie White wins Coach of the Year with ‘overachieving’ Sun

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By: Josh Needelman | Just Women’s Sports

Stephanie White’s first season with the Connecticut Sun has been a success. Now, her work has been formally recognized.

White was named 2023 WNBA Coach of the Year, the league announced Sunday, having received 36 of 60 possible votes. The Sun earned the No. 3 seed in the playoffs after a 27-13 regular season despite significant roster turnover.

“We’re honest. We’re transparent. We expect a lot, they give a lot, and they expect a lot from each other, and they expect a lot from us,” White said in an interview with ESPN. “I think that allows us to, I guess for lack of a better term, overachieve when people think we might not be or would have been in the position that we’re in.”

The Sun lost Jonquel Jones, the 2021 WNBA MVP, and Jasmine Thomas in the offseason. Then, two-time All-Star Brionna Jones suffered a torn Achilles in June, ending her season.

But Connecticut marched on, with Alyssa Thomas and others leading the way. Thomas averaged 15.5 points, 9.9 rebounds, 7.9 assists and 1.8 steals during the regular season.

“Everyone here has had the expectation that we want to compete for a championship, and that’s just our mindset,” White said.

The Sun earned their seventh-straight playoff berth, and then beat the Minnesota Lynx, 90-60, in the first game of their opening round series.

“We know their back is against the wall, but we have to play like our back is against the wall every possession as well,” White said. “So I’m pleased with how we came out and performed, but I know that game’s over and we’ve got to do that again and we’ve got to take it to another level.”

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