Welcome to the first “All-Encompassing Women’s Basketball Roundup,” where I recap everything that catches my eye in the WBB space.
My new favorite player
I’m putting my ball knowing on the line. In my house, my husband and I have a system. if one of us fires off a take, be it benign or outrageous, the other can pose a question: “Are you putting your ball knowing on the line? If you truly believe in the take, you must say yes. And if said take proves false, well then, tragically, you don’t know ball.
My reputation is officially at stake, with all of you holding me accountable. But first, a little backstory.
The first time I saw Serena Sundell play as a freshman for Kansas State I knew she had it. She made mistakes, but they were all in pursuit of the right plays. I could tell from that first game she was going to be an excellent point guard. I was not quiet about it. I hyped up Sundell so much that I would get messages like: “Your girl Serena played well today!” I also started referring to myself as a Serena Sundell truther. She was special and it was my (self-appointed job) to spread the good word. Sure enough, during her senior year, Sundell led the country in assists and worked her way into the WNBA draft, going 26th overall to the Seattle Storm.
Now that Sundell has graduated, I need a new player to stake my reputation on. It only took one game for me to find her: Vanderbilt’s freshman point guard Aubrey Galvan.
Galvan, a four-star freshman guard from Deerfield, Illinois, made her debut in a 74-65 win over Cal in the Oui Play event in Paris. She played 39 minutes and finished with 7 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists. A near-triple-double in the season opener, in Paris, against a high-quality opponent? Yeah, I’m buying in. Feel free to hop on the Galvan train with me. If you’re willing to risk your ball-knowing, that is.
I’m scared of UConn and you should be too
It felt like déjà vu watching UConn run up a 25-9 first quarter advantage over Louisville on Tuesday night. Seven months ago we saw the Huskies blow through UCLA in the Final Four and then South Carolina in the national title game to claim the program’s 12th national championship. In a 79-66 win over Louisville, the vibes were similar.
Paige Bueckers was in the house, but not on the court, yet, the Huskies didn't look like they were feeling the effects of losing one of the program’s all-time greats. Instead, they leaned on another, an up-and-coming great that was recently named Big East Preseason Player of the Year, and one that is a clear favorite for the overall Player of the Year awards.
That is, of course, Sarah Strong.
Her freshman campaign was so impressive that I wondered if the strides she made this year would be subtle. Because, to be frank, it was hard to picture a better version of the 6-2 forward. But here we are. Somehow, she is exponentially better.
In the win over Louisville, the Huskies often had Strong initiating the offense at the point forward spot. Her vision as a passer is impeccable, and Strong also understands where her teammates want the ball. She formed instant chemistry with transfers Serah Williams and Kayleigh Heckel and has even taken on a vocal (Wait, what?) leadership role. After being in several press conferences last season where Strong gave three-word answers to questions, seeing her speak up in the huddle is both jarring and exciting.
Then there is Azzi Fudd 2.0. A healthy, happy Fudd is something we’ve been missing over the last few seasons. What we have seen, however, is her incredible resilience. Fudd only played 42 games over her first three seasons, thanks to constant injuries, and wasn’t even fully healthy to start last season. Someone with less mental fortitude may have given up after so many setbacks. Instead, Fudd returned, helped her team to a National Title and took home the Final Four MOP award. That wasn’t a neat bow on her college career, though. It was just the beginning and I can’t wait to see what this final season brings.
KK Arnold also impressed at the point guard spot, and Heckel was a force off the bench. Williams will get more comfortable as the season progresses, and fifth starter, Ashlynn Shade will probably never shoot 1-7 from beyond the arc again.
UConn looked polished, talented and downright dominant in its debut. The only way this team would get scarier is if Bueckers could make good on her joke about playing for a sixth season.
Hang in there, Bethesda, I promise this will be funny some day
Bethesda University, a school that plays in the National Christian College Association, lost to CSU Northridge 103-13 on Tuesday. Even worse than the final score: CSU Northridge opened the game on a 72-0 run before Shyann Morreo hit a 3-pointer with 4:22 left in the third quarter for her team’s first points. Even worse than that: Bethesda only had five players, as the rest of the squad was out with the flu.
It must have been downright miserable for the Bethesda players to stay out on the court for 40 minutes of calamity. But, years from now, it’s going to make one hell of a story. I would know.
I went to high school in a farming community, where FFA reigned supreme and basketball was an afterthought. For one of our first games of my senior year, we drove four hours over the Rocky Mountains to square off with Regis Jesuit, a private school that just so happened to be the best team in the state.
The top six players on that team went on to play Division I basketball, and their seventh player went DII. We had one player on our team that played DII and one who played NAIA. The rest of us ended our careers in high school. Naturally, we got crushed, 78-23. I remember making a stellar cut to the lane only to catch the ball and be swarmed with what felt like 100 players, resulting in – you guessed it – a turnover.
After the game, they gave us sympathy Subway sandwiches for our drive home. They didn’t even have condiments, so I had to eat a pathetic, dry sandwich and then spend four hours looking out the car window and imagining I was in a sad movie. At the time, I was mortified. Now, I think it’s hilarious.
And by the way, we had a complete roster, so I can’t even use the flu excuse.
Family ties
One of my favorite things about basketball is the way it connects people. Sometimes it brings strangers together, other times, it allows us to get closer to the people we share DNA with. The family connections were strong in Week 1, starting with Tennessee twins, Mia and Mya Pauldo. Basketball has long shaped their lives and relationship, and on Tuesday, they made their college debut together. The Vols ended up losing 80-77 at the hands of NC State, but you know the saying “misery loves company?” Well, that applies here, too. If you have to lose, it’s better to do it beside the person you love most in the world.
Meanwhile, in Oklahoma, senior center Raegan Beers was facing off against her little sister, Rylie Beers, who is a freshman for Belmont. Big sis came out on top, leading Oklahoma to an 84-67 win with 29 points and 10 rebounds. Rylie didn’t see the court, but their family still celebrated the moment by wearing t-shirts that featured cartoon versions of both sisters. Plus, Rylie’s time will come. And with Raegan graduating this season, she will soon be able to join the rest of the Beers clan in the crowd to cheer on Rylie. No sibling rivalry here.
Mia and Mya and Raegan and Rylie have always been close, but for Kate Koval and her older brother Nick, it took going far from home for them to feel that connection. Koval, who transferred to LSU this season from Notre Dame, and Nick, who is a graduate student at LSU, have an eight-year age gap. That means it was hard for them to relate to each other as they grew up. Now, they live together and go out for coffee every weekend. They are far from their native country of Ukraine, but the Kovals have found a way to bring home to Baton Rouge.
Mid-major statline of the week
South Dakota State senior forward Brooklyn Meyer had 33 points on 14-20 shooting, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 blocks in a 78-62 win over Creighton.