Welcome back!
I hope you all had a wonderful holiday break. Before we get to today’s newsletter, a little housekeeping. I’ll be debuting the first Inbox-and-One mailbag on Thursday! If there is something in women’s basketball that you are curious about, simply reply to this email and include your question. I’ll answer as many as I can in the next edition.
I’m writing this newsletter in a St. Louis airport waiting for leg two of my flight from Milwaukee to Boston after spending Christmas with my husband’s family in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. It was a joyous few days that included several rounds of 31 (a card game), laughs with loved ones and a Packers game.
While waiting to board my first flight, I found myself in the holiest of places — an airport Chili’s — watching No. 4 UCLA defeat No. 19 Ohio State. Part way through the game, Lauren Betts went up for a shot and missed, only for the rebound to be scooped up by her sister Sienna, who laid it in for an and-one. When Sienna scored, Lauren was ecstatic. She stomped her feet, let out a roar and chest bumped her little sister.
Then, my phone vibrated with a text from one of my older sisters.
I love how excited Lauren is for Sienna. It gave me the weepies.
“Weepies” is what my sister Ellen calls it when she’s so overcome with emotion that her eyes well with tears. It happens a lot when she watches sports, and more specifically, when she watches women’s sports. The added element of sisters certainly made her even more emotional.
Sienna and Lauren weren’t the only sisters on the court. Ohio State’s Kennedy and Jaloni Cambridge are also siblings. Sisterhood is all over women’s college basketball. Kylie Kitts, who also plays for Ohio State, is the sister of Chloe Kitts, who is on roster at South Carolina, but out with an injury this season. Back in November, Oklahoma’s Raegan Beers played against her little sister Rylie, in a game against Belmont. And at Tennessee, twins Mia and Mya Pauldo are starting their careers as Vols.
Sisterhood has made its way into the coaching ranks, as well. Oklahoma State’s head coach Jacie Hoyt is assisted by her little sister Terran Hoyt, who I chatted with last March when the Cowgirls played a first-round tournament game in Storrs.
Terran grew up wanting to be just like Jacie, she told me. She played basketball because of Jacie. She worked hard because Jacie did. And now, she was coaching because of her older sister.
It’s a mindset I can relate to. I have two sisters, Emily and Ellen. When they were little, everyone called them “The E Sisters.” Then I came along. My dad wanted to call me Grace, but my mom didn’t want me to be left out. So they named me Eden, and I never was. All my life I’ve looked up to Emily and Ellen, wanting to be like them in every way. Our careers have taken us on vastly different paths: Emily works in academia, Ellen is an engineer and I, of course, write about women’s basketball. But we’ve always been close. And now, I’m lucky enough to live in the same city as them.
Which is how, a few days before I left for the UP, I found myself at a friend’s Christmas party, huddled in a corner chatting with them about basketball. Through my job, it’s become our shared passion. Just one more thing to keep us connected. A collective interest to further our bond of sisterhood.
But perhaps the best part of sisterhood is that it isn’t limited by blood, age, race, sexuality, or any other parameter that society sets. And at that Christmas party, my sisters and I weren’t being anti-social. We were joined by others, including my dad’s friend from high school, a woman named Tracie. As each of us moved to Boston, Tracie took us under her wings, and over the years, she’s become a second mother to the E Sisters. Tracie has always been a major sports fan. She once flew from the east coast to San Francisco and back in a day to catch a 49ers game. She played basketball briefly, but mostly was part of a cheer squad in high school that chanted things like, “Jump ball, jump ball! Falcons get it!” It’s a personal favorite of ours, and I laugh every time Tracie re-enacts said cheer.
The rise of women’s basketball has also captivated Tracie. In between mouthfuls of cheese and crackers, the four of us discussed her decision to name Kelsey Plum her new favorite player, something that has been up in the air since Diana Taurasi retired. She also expressed excitement for JuJu Watkins to return next season and pride in my latest article.
It’s moments like this that make me love the game even more. Basketball has united me with so many people. It’s brought me closer to my blood sisters and allowed me to deepen the sisterhood I share with other women.
And on the court, it does the same. Because after Sienna scored and celebrated with Lauren, she was congratulated by the rest of her teammates. They are all sisters, not by blood, but by ball.
Now you’ll have to excuse me, suddenly I too have the weepies.