Tag: NCAA Women’s College Basketball

5 women’s basketball players at the 2024 Olympics to watch outside of Team USA, including Yvonne Ejim

Set Team USA to the side for a second. Let’s talk about Emma Meeseman, Rui Machida and Lauren Jackson.

Women’s basketball is underway at the Olympics. And sure, the U.S. national team are the overwhelming favorites. Why wouldn’t they be? The Americans have the only roster at the 204 Summer Games that is made up of only WNBA players from the top to the bottom and they are led by two of the best players in the world, A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart.

We shouldn’t doubt for a second that they won’t be able to win an eighth straight gold medal just because Team USA lost to a group of WNBA All-Stars,

But put the Americans aside for a second. Because there is tons of great women’s basketball to be played at these Olympics by folks who aren’t on Team USA.

Here’s a few players you should pay attention to that aren’t suiting up for the stars and stripes.

Emma Meeseman, Belgium

 (via Getty Images)

Fans of the Washington Mystics or folks who follow the WNBA closely will remember Meeseman, as she played a key role in helping the Mystics win the WNBA title in 2019 and was named Finals MVP. The former two-time WNBA All-Star – who last played in the W in 2022 with the Chicago Sky – is 31 years old and still playing some of her best basketball.

At the 2021 Summer Games in Tokyo, Japan, Meeseman led all Olympians in scoring with 27.3 points per game. And just because she isn’t in the WNBA anymore doesn’t mean that her game has dropped off. Meeseman is the two-time reigning league MVP of the Euroleague while playing for Fenerbahçe in Turkey, and was the EuroBasket MVP last year while leading Belgium to its first championship. If there’s a dark-horse challenger to upset the Americans, it’s Belgium, and Meeseman is a big reason why.

Yvonne Ejim, Canada

(Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports)

Ejim is among the handful of current college players suiting up for their respective countries in Olympic play this summer, and she might be the best. While playing for Gonzaga this past season, the 6-foot-1 Canadian was named the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year as she powered Gonzaga to a Sweet 16 appearance while averaging 19.7 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. Ejim was also voted Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in the West Coast Conference.

She’s coming back to Gonzaga for a fifth season this fall, but first aims to win some meaningful games for Canada alongside the likes of Aaliyah Edwards, Laeticia Amihere, Bridget Carleton, Kia Nurse, Natalie Achonwa, and fellow collegian Cassandre Prosper of Notre Dame.

Han Xu, China

(Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports)

The 6-foot-11 24-year-old played in 58 games with the New York Liberty between 2019 and 2023, averaging 5.8 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. While those numbers don’t pop off the page, Xu has excelled in international competition and was named All-Tournament First Team at the 2022 FIBA World Cup where she averaged 12.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per game, leading China to a silver medal. At the 2021 Olympics, Xu was fourth among all Olympians in blocked shots.

China hasn’t medaled in Olympic competition since 1992. Big performances from Xu could help them bring home some hardware.

Lauren Jackson, Australia

(Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty Images)

Yes, there is a women’s basketball player in these Olympics older than Diana Taurasi.

Lauren Jackson is back, playing in the Olympics for the first time since the 2012 Summer Games in London, England. And sure, perhaps Jackson is past her prime, but we shouldn’t doubt her ability to still be able to fill up stat sheets. In June, she poured in 50 points and 15 rebounds in a single game for her club team in Australia. At the 2022 FIBA World Cup, Jackson scored 30 points in the Bronze Medal Game, a win for the Opals.

The 6-foot-5 forward is one of the most decorated players competing in these Olympics. She is a former two-time WNBA champion, a three-time WNBA MVP, a seven-time All-Star and seven-time First Team selection, and was named to the WNBA’s 10th, 15th, 20th and 25th anniversary teams. She’s led Australia to four medals in Olympic competition and is seeking one more.

Rui Machida, Japan

(Photo by Takashi Aoyama/Getty Images)

At the 2021 Summer Games in her home country, Machida was a must-watch. She led all Olympians in assists, dishing out 10.8 neck-breaking dimes per game. In Japan’s semifinal win over France, Machida set the Olympics’ single-game assist record with 18. With her as the floor general, Japan won its first medal in Olympic play in 2021, taking the silver.

Machida’s breakout performance in Tokyo earned her a contract with the Washington Mystics for the 2022 season, where she averaged 5.6 points and 8.1 assists per-40 minutes across 36 games. Now, Machida is back in her comfort zone, playing on the Olympic stage.

Virginia Tech students sang ‘Enter Sandman’ after the NCAA banned the school from playing it and it was so much better

Sleep with one eye open, NCAA.

If you’ve ever been to a sporting event in Blacksburg, Va., then you’ve likely heard Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” blared over loudspeakers. The song came out in 1991, but it became a tradition at Virginia Tech in 2000 when the school played it during the season opener for football at Lane Stadium.

The song has stuck around the Hokies ever since and has been embraced by the women’s basketball team, which has a No. 1 seed in this year’s NCAA tournament.

But while the Hokies earned the right to host games at Cassell Coliseum this year, the NCAA aims to keep its on-campus host sites as neutral as possible. One way the NCAA does that is by threatening to fine the host if it plays its traditional hype songs during tournament games, like Virginia Tech’s “Enter Sandman”.

While the NCAA can stop that music from being played over speakers, it can’t stop fans in the building from singing. So, that’s exactly what Hokies fans did on Friday night when Virginia Tech tipped off against Chattanooga.

And it was pretty awesome, and authentic, and probably more memorable than it would’ve been by just playing the song.

Elizabeth Kitley and the Hokies topped Chattanooga 58-33 on Friday in front of an announced crowd of nearly 9,000 fans.

And the Virginia Tech fans did it again on Sunday as the Hokies were tipping off against No. 9 South Dakota State.

This is happening at other schools too, it was just the most noticeable at Virginia Tech, where fans took the matter into their own hands. At Duke on Saturday night, folks inside Cameron Indoor Stadium didn’t hear Cascada’s “Every Time We Touch” before the Blue Devils thrashed No. 14 Iona.

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Be sure to check out other March Madness goodness from us:

Destanni Henderson couldn’t make South Carolina’s championship parade so Dawn Staley made sure she was there in spirit

This is how you show your players love.

One thing about former South Carolina guard and current Indiana Fever draftee Destanni Henderson is that nobody is going to outwork her. Nobody.

She’s going to get her practice reps in. She’s going to hit the gym. She’s going to do whatever it takes to put herself in the best position to succeed. Henderson has always been that way during her rise to stardom.

If you need proof of that, look no further than where she is right now.

The WNBA draft was just on Monday. Henderson was picked by the Indiana Fever in the second round of the draft. She’s already in Indiana getting her bearings straight.

Of course, South Carolina just won its second National Championship last week in Women’s Basketball. Henderson absolutely starred in the championship game, too. They held their championship parade on Wednesday but Henderson couldn’t make it because she was already in Indiana putting in work.

Knowing what she was doing and where she was at, South Carolina Head Coach Dawn Staley wore a pair of shorts from her clothing line to make sure she was there in spirit.

It was an extremely cool gesture from a head coach that is extremely loved by her players. You can certainly see why here.

“I miss Henny, too. Henny’s already in Indy, but I got her shorts on…Henny, I got your shorts on today…Go get your dream, Henny.”

What an extremely thoughtful gesture from Staley. She’s making sure Henderson is still there in spirit and that’s awesome.

Henderson certainly appreciated it herself.

What a cool moment. You absolutely love to see it.

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WNBA Draft: The 10 players you should know ahead of the draft

Here are 10 prospects to keep an eye on in the WNBA draft

The WNBA is starting to rev things up again. Thursday night’s draft is already upon us and, next thing you know, we’ll be in the swing of the regular season come may.

But before we get into that, though, these teams have to pick the players that are going to make their futures brighter.

The Dallas Wings are poised to run things on draft night with three of the top five picks in hand ready to build out what they hope becomes a dynasty.  This year’s draft class might not be as coveted as last year’s with a bonafide star in Sabrina Ionescu waiting at the top, but there’s still plenty of talent to choose from.

Here’s a quick run down of 10 of those names ahead of the draft.