Ten Things I'm Thankful For

Happy Monday-after-Thanksgiving, friends!

What a week of basketball. I spent the week in Las Vegas watching and covering the Players Era Championship, featuring Texas, UCLA, South Carolina and Duke. It was a blast and the ball was top-notch. I’ll definitely be back.

Not a blast was the red-eye I decided to book in order to save $50 for my journey home. I arrived back in Boston and promptly slept for 21 of the following 25 hours. But now, I’m refreshed, and ready to chat with all of you. In honor of the holiday season, here are ten things (mostly basketball-related) that I’m grateful for this year. 

When I was Vegas, I chatted with Betsy Kneepkens, whose daughter Gianna plays for UCLA, and she said something that really struck me.

“Every one of these girls playing has a story,” she said. “You don’t get here without one.”

Betsy is right. It takes a lot to get to the Division I level, and every player who is here went through their own highs and lows – both on and off the court – along the way. I’ve said this before, but Thanksgiving seems like the perfect time to reiterate: It’s a privilege to share those stories. I’m forever grateful that these athletes trust me with their stories, and that I get to share those stories with all of you. If you’re interested, I profiled Gianna for Hoops HQ.

Whether it’s at a rest stop on the way to Connecticut, or an overpriced sandwich in an airport, I eat a lot of garbage when I’m traveling for work. It’s also easy to get the first takeout option I see and scarf it down in my hotel after a game. But, I do get to travel to some cool places, so I’m trying to be better about checking out the food scene wherever I am. For my Las Vegas Thanksgiving, I was lucky enough to venture off the strip and into Chinatown, where I shared a feast at Weera Thai with Tennessee beat writer Cora Hall. Pad Thai, Crab Rangoon and Thai iced tea might be my new Thanksgiving tradition.

If you’ve ever edited my work in an official capacity, I urge you to skip this section. Because I’m sorry, but it’s not you. I’ve had several incredible editors over the years, but when it comes to strictly grammar, punctuation, spelling and things of that nature, no one does it better than a woman named Kileen Laase. Yes, we share a last name, and yes, she’s my mom. Every time I publish anything, be it in this newsletter or as a freelancer, I get a text from my mom. The first thing she says is always “Great job!” Followed by: “I found a few corrections to be made.”

Truly nothing gets past her. She takes her job very seriously and while I love to tease her about her second act as an unpaid editor, I am grateful. How many people can say their mom is that invested in their craft?

When I was a kid, I thought ordering room service was the fanciest thing a person could do. I thought you had to be Cher or something to partake. That’s not a random reference either. I was obsessed with Cher (but that’s a story for another time).

So sometimes, after a long day’s work, I’ll treat myself. On Thursday after I filed my story on Rori Harmon breaking the Texas assist record, I ordered a piece of chocolate cake and ate it in the bathtub. I think Cher would be proud.

OK, that is enough of my nonsense. This is a basketball newsletter and basketball you shall get! Starting with Harmon.

Texas coach Vic Schaefer calls her the best point guard in the country and I agree wholeheartedly. I think a lot of people forgot just how talented Harmon is, because after suffering an ACL tear in December of 2023, she spent all of last season trying to get back to full speed, while learning to trust her body again.

Harmon looked solid, but was definitely missing a little bit of bounce and confidence. Now, she’s back. In the Players Era Championship, Harmon was electric. Her resume looks like this: 26 points against UCLA, nine assists to break the Texas program record and a game-winning shot against South Carolina, wins over the No. 3 and No. 2 teams in the country and tournament MVP honors.

Welcome back Rori Harmon! I cannot wait to watch her for the rest of the season.

Every time she plays I find myself saying something along the lines of “OMG AUDI CROOKS,” and guess what? I love it.

First, Crooks is easily one of the kindest people in college basketball. She’s easy to cheer for, which is great, because imagine having to see a player you hate score 47 points on 19-25 shooting. Would not be pleasant. Instead, I get to sit on my couch, smiling like a weirdo because she is way too fun to watch.

Oh, and that insane stat line? It came against Indiana, a team that’s just outside the top 25. Say it with me: “OMG AUDI CROOKS.”

LSU is talented. I just want to get that out there, because Thanksgiving is no time to be bitter. But, I simply can’t get excited about the Tigers scoring over 100 points a game when they are playing such a weak schedule.

This is nothing new, as Kim Mulkey makes a point to schedule like this every season, but that doesn’t make it any less frustrating. I think this team is going to be one of the best in the country, but it’s certainly hard to know for sure when the Tigers have yet to play a power four opponent.

In fact, they haven’t even played a good mid-major. A December 4 contest against Duke is their first “test” of the season, if you can even call it that. The Blue Devils are underperforming, starting the season 3-5.

After that game, LSU goes back to playing the same weak competition that it has been facing all season. That means the first actual test for the Tigers doesn't come until NEXT YEAR. The Tigers open SEC play with No. 16 Kentucky. So yeah, I’m thankful for SEC play because I can’t keep watching the Tigers win 112-35.

The South Carolina star spent three years in Kenya trying to secure a visa in order to play basketball in the United States. She was denied four times before finally getting approved after two seasons playing for Kenya’s Zetech University and then a professional team in the Kenya Basketball Federation.

Finally, the 6-foot-6 center made her way to Mississippi State for a season before transferring to South Carolina for her senior year. Coach Dawn Staley says the team will try to get Okot a waiver to play another year, but that may not be necessary. The center is so dominant that she may be heading to the WNBA in May.

Okot is averaging 14.4 points, 11.1 rebounds and 2 blocks per game. If that’s not impressive enough, get this: Okot only started playing basketball five years ago. FIVE. Regardless of what happens at the end of the season, I’m grateful I got to see Okot do her thing in a South Carolina jersey. I know Staley is, too.

It’s December and people are already losing their minds fighting for their favorite player to go No. 1 in the WNBA draft.

The overall consensus is that UConn’s Azzi Fudd, UCLA’s Lauren Betts or Spanish prospect Awa Fam will be selected first by the Dallas Wings. All three are super talented and fun to watch. They all bring vastly different skillsets, and apparently, rabid fan bases. Luckily for me, I just get to enjoy watching them play basketball and don’t have to make the difficult decision, or face the backlash.

I know, I know, this is cheesy, but it’s also true. I love covering this sport and having dedicated readers like you to connect with every day! Whether you pop in to read every once in a while, or you pour over every single word (Hi mom!). I'm grateful you’re on this journey with me.