Tag: NCAAW

Haley Cavinder unexpectedly de-committed from TCU to return to Miami alongside twin sister Hanna

Well, that escalated quickly.

In a sudden turn of events, Haley Cavinder will not be playing for TCU this season. She’s re-joining her sister, Hanna, in Miami. No, we are not joking.

If you’ve been following the story of the Cavinder twins, you might know that they retired from college basketball to pursue careers as influencers and then unretired to return to basketball. But their story took another unexpected twist on Thursday.

After Hanna Cavinder announced a return to Miami Hurricanes women’s basketball just a day ago, her twin sister, Haley — who originally announced that she was joining the TCU Horned Frogs in November — shared that she is NOT playing for TCU this season and will instead also return to Miami.

Here’s some of the rationale that Haley shared about her decision to team up with Hanna again:

“I’ve decided to return to the University of Miami and play with Hann for our final and fifth year. There is nothing more important than family and the bond I share with my twin sister. Being presented with the opportunity to play together one more time is something I cannot pass up.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/C56TTkbuPWi/?igsh=MWYwMDRsYXNrZDk2&img_index=1

The daughters of Gilbert Arenas and Zach Randolph will play for Louisville next season and yes, we all feel old

Yes really: Mackenly Randolph and Izela Arenas will play for Jeff Walz in the 2024-25 season.

You remember Gilbert Arenas and Zach Randolph, don’t you? They were stars of the NBA from the mid-2000s and through the early 2010s.

Arenas was a dynamic guard for the Washington Wizards who could score in bunches – once dropping 60 points in a single game – who made three All-NBA teams and was made infamous by one wild locker room incident (he now sometimes says ridiculous things about the WNBA).

Randolph was a bit undersized, yet an incredibly imposing throwback power forward who was twice an All-Star and who was the heart and soul of those grit-and-grind Memphis Grizzlies teams. Arenas and Randolph briefly played together in the 2011-12 season for Memphis.

Well, they’re both in their 40s now and several years into retirement. But we’re about to see their surnames on the back of jerseys in Louisville, Kentucky.

That’s because the daughters of both former standout NBA players will suit up for Jeff Walz’s Louisville Cardinals’ women’s basketball team next year as the cornerstones of an impressive recruiting class.

Mackenly Randolph (a 6-foot forward) and Izela Arenas (a 5-foot-9 guard) have been high school teammates at Sierra Canyon in California. And now, they’re going to join forces at Louisville in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Feel old yet?

Both players are tabbed as top 100 recruits in the 2024 class, and they’ll be paired with a third top-ranked prospect in Tajianna Avant-Roberts of IMG Academy. All three will play in the Jordan Brand Classic on April 21 in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Here’s what Walz – who has guided Louisville to four Final Fours since 2009 – said about them…

On Randolph:

“Mac displays a relentless pursuit of excellence. She is a tremendous leader on and off the court and brings with her a championship mindset. Her energy is contagious, and her versatility will be showcased in our system. If you need a rebound, she will pursue it. Need a bucket, she’ll manufacture points. She will win the hearts of the Cardinal faithful with her hustle, toughness and determination. She is a bonafide winner.”

And on Arenas:

“Izela is a bonafide scorer on an elite high school team. She hunts shots and is creative off the bounce. She also is an unselfish teammate and a great facilitator on the break. Izela is a consummate gym rat and has a love affair with the game. She is a proficient scorer from the 3-point line and can also attack off the bounce. Her toughness and grit are unmatched, and she will no doubt light up a room with her presence.”

Randolph chose Louisville over offers from Notre Dame and her father’s alma mater Michigan State, among others. Arenas also had offers from her dad’s school, Arizona, as well as Oregon and Iowa State.

Louisville was upset in the first round of the NCAA tournament this season by Middle Tennessee State. With Randolph and Arenas in the fold, expectations will be high for the Cardinals.

Hailey Van Lith’s transfer to TCU immediately makes the Horned Frogs a must-watch team in women’s hoops

Hailey Van Lith, Sedona Prince and Madison Conner – all on the same team.

A lot of eyes were already going to be on TCU’s women’s basketball team next season.

The Horned Frogs’ first campaign under head coach Mark Campbell was an eventful one this past year as TCU went 13-0 and was ranked in the AP Top 25 Poll for five weeks before the season was derailed by a three-game losing streak that also saw key players like Sedona Prince get injured. In fact, so many TCU players suffered ailments that the team had to forfeit two games – purely because the lack of able bodies – and then had to hold tryouts for walk-ons. Arizona transfer Madison Conner had a strong year, Prince eventually returned, and TCU won 20 games for the first time in four seasons.

So, a lot of folks were ready to see the encore with the roster as it was.

And now, joining Conner in that backcourt is Hailey Van Lith, according to multiple reports on Thursday.

The addition of Van Lith makes TCU a team that we absolutely have to pay attention to in the 2024-25 season.

While Van Lith’s struggles at LSU this past season were well-documented as she tried to turn herself into a pass-first player playing alongside Flau’Jae Johnson and talented posts in Angel Reese and Aneesah Morrow, we shouldn’t forget all that she’s accomplished in her career. Consider that, in each of Van Lith’s four college seasons, she’s been to at least the Elite Eight in every one, and helped Louisville reach the Final Four as a sophomore in 2022. Van Lith has played in 17 NCAA Tournament games, averaging 15.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists across those contests.

And she’s joining a TCU squad that looks stacked, on paper anyways.

Conner was on the Arizona team that went to the national title game in 2021 and was second in the nation in 3-pointers made this past season with 3.7 per game. Prince, while battling that injury, averaged 19.9 points and 9.7 rebounds per game while finishing fifth in the nation in blocked shots.

A lot of folks will also be watching this TCU team because of, well, the content!

The two star players here – Van Lith and Prince (with all due respect to Conner) – have massive followings on social media. Just look at these follower numbers:

  • Van Lith: 1.1 million on Instagram, 372,000 on TikTok
  • Prince: 172,000 on Instagram, 2.7 million on TikTok

Expect the posts to flow out of Forth Worth the same way that 3-pointers do this upcoming season.

Beyoncé sending Dawn Staley flowers has hoops fans creating magnificent memes

South Carolina is officially in the Bey Hive, and hoops fans created some absolutely hilarious memes

After Beyoncé sent Dawn Staley flowers to congratulate her and South Carolina on their immaculate season, hoops fans realized that Beyoncé had been watching the whole time and responded with magnificent memes.

I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again: WE ARE NOT TALKING ENOUGH ABOUT SOUTH CAROLINA’S UNDEFEATED SEASON. Apparently, Beyoncé likely feels the same way and recently sent Dawn Staley and the Gamecocks their proverbial and literal flowers.

Dawn was so pumped that she shared precious videos to X (Formerly Twitter) of her thanking Beyoncé and celebrating the certified stamp of approval that one of the biggest celebrities on the planet gave to South Carolina.

Right on cue, hoops fans immediately made a colossal realization: Beyoncé had seen all the wildly impressive things South Carolina did to win a national championship. They responded with some hysterically creative memes and tweets.

Here’s some of the best we found:

Why Hanna Cavinder says she’s un-retiring from college basketball and returning to Miami

“I had a purpose before everyone had an opinion.”

Hanna Cavinder is un-retiring from basketball and going back to a place she knows best: Miami.

On Wednesday, Cavinder shared the news that, like twin sister Haley, she is re-joining the college basketball world. Hanna has one year of NCAA eligibility remaining and plans to return to Miami, where she spent the 2022-2023 season. During her time with the Hurricanes, she averaged 3.8 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists coming off the bench.

Hanna ultimately shared these words with her followers via social media:

“Over these past few months, I have been itching to get back to the game that I thought I lost the love and passion for. Nothing quite fills the void that this sport brings me.

With that all being said, I have decided to return for one more season. Let’s run it back, Miami. I had a purpose before everyone had an opinion.”

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C53jr89MuES/?igsh=MWh6dHNsZzB2dHIybg==

Caitlin Clark fans may have to wait more than half the season if they want to get her WNBA jersey

Fanatics said Caitlin Clark jerseys sold faster than any other athlete in company history.

The Indiana Fever selected Caitlin Clark with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft and will now have plenty of new fans.

It was not exactly a secret that Clark was headed to the Fever with the top selection. Not only did she get a very Indiana-specific NIL deal but local businesses and muralists started the push to bring her to the team long before she heard her name called on draft night.

Yet those who want to support the superstar by buying a jersey of her new team may have to wait a bit longer. While it is for sale via Fanatics, this is listed only as a pre-order.

In fairness, per Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin, Clark that fastest-selling jersey on draft night of any athlete in company history.

Per the website:

“This is a special event item. Orders containing this product will be shipped separately. This item will be shipped no later than Wednesday, August 14, 2024.”

For what it is worth, the Fever will have played at least 26 of their 40 games by the date of that shipping estimate.

Of course, while there is a ton of excitement about Clark, it is disappointing for fans who want a jersey sooner rather than later.

It is also frustrating that folks who want to support other players on the Fever, like WNBA Rookie of the Year Aliyah Boston, do not even have an opportunity to buy her jersey on Fanatics.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=421393215 tag=692536588]

Caitlin Clark is reminding everyone she’s human before her WNBA debut with the Fever

“I’m not going to come out here and score 40 points a game. That’s not what I’m going to do.”

As the No. 1 pick in one of the most anticipated classes in WNBA history, Caitlin Clark has a lot riding on her shoulders. But, she says she will give herself grace and time to adjust her expectations for herself going into the league. Everyone else should remember that, too.

It feels like the entire country is talking about Caitlin Clark and the 2024 class after Monday’s historic draft. What kind of impact will they have? Will they face reality when they meet the league’s veterans? Will Caitlin Clark meet the moment as she’s expected to do?

If you ask Caitlin what’s been on her mind after being drafted, she might say giving herself grace in this new chapter of her life. Per James Boyd of The Athletic, Caitlin expressed to him that it’s a concept she learned to navigate in college and will take with her to the pros.

Here’s what she told Boyd and the media on Wednesday:

“Grace is a thing for everybody — that everybody could use in their life. Not everybody is perfect. People make mistakes…there’s going to be learning curves for me. I’m not going to come out here and score 40 points a game. That’s not what I’m going to do.

It’s learning from the amazing people I have around me and heaving a lot of fun, but also don’t lose who I am. That’s what’s gotten me to this point. [I will] continue to be myself, and I think a lot of good will come from that.”

Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso being drafted to the Chicago Sky has fans making Tim Duncan and David Robinson memes

The internet is gonna internet, and these memes are glorious.

The Chicago Sky shook up the first round of the WNBA Draft Monday night when they drafted Kamilla Cardoso and Angel Reese. The team’s decision has fans making so many memes, including Tim Duncan and David Robinson comparisons.

After her stellar play in the national championship, there was always a chance that Kamilla Cardoso would get drafted sooner than where she was projected. The Chicago Sky scooped her up at pick No. 3 and then came back and grabbed Angel Reese at Pick No. 7, a pick they didn’t own before April 14.

Truthfully, that’s one heck of a first-round draft haul. Cardoso and Reese will likely do some serious damage on the glass, and the front office should be thrilled after the Sky had a very shaky off-season.

Fans immediately noticed the endless possibilities of what happens when pairing the two players together. Rightfully so, they responded with tons of memes, including several of former Spurs greats Tim Duncan and David Robinson.

Here’s some of the best the internet has to offer:

Angel Reese shared an epic selfie with Caitlin Clark and 4 other top WNBA draft picks

That’s a whole lot of buckets in one photo.

NEW YORK — The WNBA Draft class of 2024 took in some of the best sights New York has to offer ahead of Monday night’s festivities, including some epic photos from the top of the Empire State Building.

Monday evening’s WNBA Draft will likely shatter all kinds of viewing records and become the start of some truly historic careers. This year’s draft class took time to remember such a huge milestone with a trip to the Empire State Building. After Caitlin Clark and Kamilla Cardoso lit up the building orange, several players also in attendance went to the observatory deck to take in the view.

But what’s better than the view from the 86th floor? A selfie with Angel Reese, Caitlin Clark, Cameron Brink, Aaliyah Edwards, Dyaisha Fair and Marquesha Davis to commemorate the moment. BOOM.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Caitlin Clark Indiana Fever jersey & gear” link=”https://fanatics.93n6tx.net/LXkXz3″]

We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. FTW operates independently, though, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

Caitlin Clark is really going to get congratulated in person at the 2024 WNBA Draft by Jake from State Farm

A trio you never knew you needed: Caitlin Clark, Jake from State Farm and the WNBA Draft.

The 2024 WNBA Draft is probably one of the most anticipated drafts in recent memory. The incoming rookie class is loaded with talent, including Caitlin Clark, the presumed No. 1 pick. It also includes another baller who more people need to cause a ruckus over — Jake from State Farm.

Since the announcement of Caitlin Clark’s NIL deal with State Farm, Jake has been seen in commercials like this one with Caitlin. He’s even shown up to watch her break the all-time NCAA scoring record. So, it makes all the sense in the world that Jake would be there for another moment in Caitlin’s career, the 2024 WNBA Draft.

Per Jacob Feldman at Sportico, Jake and TV personality Taylor Rooks are expected to be among the people who will congratulate Caitlin after she is drafted. State Farm has also said that it will highlight her career achievements in Times Square and send her a congratulatory message after she is drafted. The company is even partnering with ESPN to create a rolling Instagram story as more first-round picks are announced.