Huddle Up with Coach Jackie
WNBA free agency, NCAA upsets, heartwarming hockey, and more from last week in women's sports!
Hiya!
Sorry this is a day late, I was distracted watching women dominate the Grammys.
I cannot believe most of the things that happened last week in women’s sports! It was a truly crazy one. Of course, men’s sports had to come in and try to keep up with crazy news of their own. I have never in my life watched a full MNBA game, and yet, I could not escape the Luka news. I didn’t even know his name a couple days ago, and now I know most of the intimate details of that man’s life. It’s upsetting to me. That is why it is so important this week to re-center women’s sports. Even now, I’ve taken up half of the first paragraph talking about a man. Quickly! Let’s talk headlines. Also, don’t worry, I’m giving soccer and basketball transfers and trades their own section.
Last Week in HEADLINES
🤸Livvy Dunne blamed stricter judging for lower attendance in NCAA gymnastics.
I highly recommend reading this article. I love Livvy, but integrity in scoring makes sports more entertaining. Also, attendance is up this year!
This is an excellent choice. Women’s sports means more to her.
🏉Women’s Elite Rugby announced its inaugural names and logos.
This makes me so excited. Have you picked a team yet? I’m tentatively a Denver Onyx fan.
Men are championed for their long careers, but according to this broadcast, Lindsey “should see a psychologist.” Let’s please do better!
🏀Angel Reese was still tied for most rebounds in Saturday’s Unrivaled game even though she was unfairly ejected.
It’s a bit wordy, but this is what the headline should have been. It made me so mad that the first time most major sports media talked about Unrivaled was when Angel became the “first ever player ejected.” They’re so obsessed with her.
Violence isn’t funny! Also, put some respect on Seimone’s name.
⚽Denver is officially confirmed as the next NWSL team coming in 2026.
VERY EXCITING!!!! but everyone saying this is Denver’s first professional women’s sports team is completely forgetting about rugby. Go Onyx (maybe I really still haven’t decided anything officially please don’t pressure me)!
🏀Mikayla Blakes sets new NCAA freshman scoring record with 53 points in one game.
This made me so happy. If you’re not watching Vandy wbb, you’re missing out!! They’re now nationally ranked for the first time since 2014.
My birthday is in less than a week…how quickly do y’all think I could go pro?
The league has four teams: Blaze, Bandits, Volts, and Talons. Lexi went to the Blaze. Do some research and pick your team!
🏀Nashville submits their bid for a WNBA expansion team under the name the Tennessee Summitt
Naming the Tennessee WNBA team after Pat Summitt is so incredibly perfect, and I love this ownership group (Candace Parker, Peyton Manning, etc.). Please Cathy let us have ONE THING!!!
I legit have never felt this sad about a man stepping down from a coaching job in women’s sports, but Dani Busboom Kelly is an NU legend and she deserves this.
Last Week in STORIES
Trades and Transfers
There was so much player movement last week in women’s soccer and women’s basketball. It honestly hurts my head to think about it all at once, but I will give you my big picture thoughts.
Basketball
So, going into the last week, we already had the three team deal that sent Kelsey Plum to the Sparks and Jewell Loyd to the Aces. I thought that was going to be the craziest move that happened during WNBA Free Agency. I was so naive. Here’s what went down last week…in the most general terms.
First, Connecticut’s Alyssa Thomas went to Phoenix. Sadly, this trade landed Natasha Cloud in Connecticut even though she openly dislikes that arena and very proudly represented the Mercury. Then, that same night, Brittney Griner announced that she’s leaving Phoenix and joining the Atlanta Dream. Next, Satou Sabally, formerly of the Dallas Wings, joined Alyssa at the Mercury. After that, it was announced NaLyssa Smith would be leaving the Fever and joining the Dallas Wings. Within 24 hours, Dijonai Carrington made the same move which is especially exciting because NaLyssa and Dijonai are a couple! They will play together in Dallas for the first time since they started dated when they were teammates at Baylor. If you didn’t see this Tiktok they made celebrating their reunion, you should watch it.
In less fun news for the gay fans, DeWanna Bonner signed with the Indiana Fever. This was a big surprise because many assumed she would join her fiancé, Alyssa Thomas, in Phoenix. While I wish they were still teammates, wives who play against each other is a pretty fun storyline to follow. Sophie Cunningham will also join the Fever next season. A lot of people are convinced that the Fever now officially have what it takes to make a championship run. I think that COULD be true, but I’m having trouble focusing on anything other than a Dallas Wings roster with Arike Ogunbowale, NaLyssa Smith, Dijonai Carrington, AND Paige Bueckers.
If you’re a Connecticut Sun fan mourning the loss of your starting five, I’m sorry. As a mystics fan, I’m sure we will suffer together next season. I’m here for you.
Soccer
The biggest comment in women’s soccer transfer news the past week is that “everyone’s going overseas,” and that is one aspect to focus on. Jenna Nighswonger and Crystal Dunn are both leaving Gotham FC for Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain, respectively. Free agent from North Carolina Kerolin signed with Manchester City, and of course, Naomi Girma joined Chelsea in a record $1.1 million deal. Those are big names and big losses for the NWSL, but I’m more interested in what the hell is going on at Gotham FC.
This time last year Gotham FC, the New York/New Jersey NWSL team, was on top of the world. They had just won the NWSL championship, and then pretty quickly afterwards signed multiple national team players: Tierna Davidson, Crystal Dunn, Emily Sonnett, and Rose Lavelle. Yes, that same Crystal Dunn that just left Gotham. And, nobody really knows why she left. Her post about the news seemed to imply that this move was not entirely what she wanted. It felt eerily similar to the post that Lynn Biyendolo (formerly Williams) made in December when her trade from Gotham to Seattle was announced. Both players shared sentiments about how they thought they would be at Gotham for the rest of their careers when they joined the team.
Now, this is usually where I would give my two cents on what might be happening at Gotham, but just yesterday, Gotham FC’s general manager Yael Averbuch West made a statement addressing exactly that. She said that, “external perspectives contrast with the deep confidence and belief we have in what we’re building at Gotham FC.” She said that they never wanted to build a super team, but instead a sustainable one. It seems to me that they maybe took on a little more than they could handle with so many high profile players, and those players realized they could get more individualized attention elsewhere. I don’t mean to contribute to the negative “external perspectives,” but I am such a big fan of both Lynn and Crystal that I find it difficult to give Gotham the benefit of the doubt. You should read Yael’s statement and draw your own conclusions.
I’d also be remiss if I didn’t bring up Chloe Kelly’s dramatic eleventh hour move from Man City to Arsenal. British soccer player Chloe Kelly grew up playing in the Arsenal youth academy and was even on their senior team for a couple years. As of late, Chloe has been on the England National Team and playing her club football with Man City. Although, “playing” is a bit of a stretch. This past season, Chloe only played in six matches total for Man City. It was pretty well known in the women’s soccer world that Chloe Kelly wanted to leave Man City, but as the transfer window was coming to an end there was still no announcement made. It seemed that Man City may have been holding on to her, perhaps against her wishes. With only one day left to make a move, Chloe took to social media to plead her case to leave. You can read everything she wrote, but as far as I’m concerned, you only need to know that it ended with, “Ultimately I just want to be happy again.” When players speak up, clubs should listen. It’s that simple.
Of course, like all things, there is some nuance here. Man City wasn’t keeping Chloe Kelly from leaving. They were mainly keeping Kelly from joining Man United, their direct rivals. She wanted to stay in Manchester, just on a different team, and Man City wasn’t having it. I understand the people who say “it’s just football.” But even from a tactical perspective, it is actively bad for your team culture to keep a player around that has expressed she wants to leave and that you clearly don’t need on the pitch. That’s why I’m glad that with truly minutes left in the transfer window, Arsenal signed Chloe Kelly on loan from Man City. Hopefully, now she can be happy again.
Two 22 Retirements on 2.2
This Sunday, 02.02.2025, two basketball icons retired their #22 jerseys. I was Sunday years old when I realized that A’ja Wilson and Caitlin Clark both wore the number 22. I can’t believe I hadn’t noticed before.
Let’s start with A’ja Wilson. I can’t believe her jersey hadn’t already been retired. Even before I started really watching women’s basketball, I’ve been a fan of hers. I grew up in Columbia, South Carolina, and as a girl who played sports in that city, I always knew her name. When I was in seventh grade, she was a senior at Heathwood Hall—the private school about 15 minutes from the one I went to. I remember playing volleyball in the seventh grade against Heathwood Hall at their gym and being absolutely intimidated by the giant poster of A’ja and her pearl necklace that hung on the wall. I remember thinking that it was the first time I’d seen a high school basketball poster actually be as big and dramatic as the Troy Bolton banners in High School Musical. I finally understood the hype.
Even after A’ja left for college at South Carolina (another 15 minutes away), the poster stayed up. Of course it did. If a place has even been slightly a part of making A’ja Wilson who she is today, they should immortalize her forever. That’s why South Carolina retired her jersey on Sunday. If the big statue on campus wasn’t enough for her impact to always be remembered, her Gamecock legacy is now double ensured. For #22, that just makes sense.
Meanwhile, Caitlin Clark’s jersey retirement happened just hours later. This is pretty much as soon as Iowa could’ve made plans to hang her jersey in the rafters, and yet because Caitlin’s so incredibly dominant in women’s basketball culture, it also feels like something that should’ve already happened. It was so fun to see the Iowa squad reunited, complete with Lisa Bluder in her casual, “I’m not a coach anymore,” slightly less formal sneakers. The real story of Caitlin’s jersey retirement was, pretty surprisingly, the game itself. Caitlin had joined the practice squad the night before the game, and she must have been very helpful, because Iowa pulled off a crazy upset win over USC. That’s the kind of stuff dreams are made of. The Caitlin Clark magic was immortalized off the court and brought back to life on it.
Heartwarming Hockey
This week I learned about the story of Abby Lin, a senior hockey player at Auburn, who got her jersey retired because she created the team. She grew up playing hockey, and when she found out Auburn didn’t have a women’s team, she decided to start the club herself. Not only did she start her team, she also contacted other SEC schools to see if she could help them start a team so Auburn would have someone to play against. Three years later, College Hockey South has a women’s division with ten teams, and I feel confident saying that wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for Abby. She would probably be humble and disagree, but that’s just the truth. I interviewed Abby, and put together a video with all the details that you can watch here. I’m really proud of it.
I reached out to interview her because I was also part of a club team at an SEC school for a traditionally northern sport. I was on LSU’s club rowing team. We literally rowed every morning in an actual swamp, complete with alligators and giant logs that can ruin an entire boat. At every turn, people did not understand what is was we were doing and why we thought Louisiana State University needed a rowing team. The simple answer is because we wanted to row, just like Abby wanted to play. Club sports are uniquely magical for the opportunities they present. I hadn’t rowed at all before I joined the team at LSU. Within one semester, it became my entire life and my whole college community.
It sucks to have to create the space you need, but it’s pretty amazing that it’s possible. If you can see it, you can be it. Abby didn’t see it, so she made it. Now, young girls in Alabama can see it, be it, and one day, better it. That is how women’s sports becomes the dominating force it is today. Yes, it’s the icons who have their jersey’s retired amid big exciting upset games. But it’s also women like Abby Lin, who had her jersey retired at the community rink 45 minutes away from Auburn’s campus. There is no big progress and small progress. There is only progress. There is only more girls who can see a future for themselves as an athlete. There is only up to go from here.
Next Week on my TV
There’s lots going on, so I’ll just get into it. Let me know what you’re watching in the comments!
Women’s surfing!!! Lexus Pipe Pro starts back up this morning at 7:45 Hawaii time
One thing about me is I LOVE to watch women’s surfing. The season just started over the weekend, so now is the perfect time to jump in. It’s also super easy to watch because the WSL account streams everything on social media. They also have a free app that streams events as well! Get into it because we will be talking about it next week.
World Alpine Skiing Championships on right now
This is streaming on Peacock for the next two weeks. I’m currently watching it as I type this. SO much fun. You can find the full schedule here.
UCLA vs. Ohio State women’s basketball Wednesday (2/5) at 9:30 EST
No. 1 in the country vs No. 8…tune in
LPGA Cognizant Founders Cup starting Thursday (2/6) at 11am EST - Sunday
If you don’t have the golf channel, I think you can start watching on Saturday on the NBC Sports app. I love to watch women’s golf on Sundays. It’s so relaxing.
Missouri vs. LSU women’s basketball Thursday (2/6) at 7:30pm EST
You know I don’t miss an LSU game.
Texas vs. Vanderbilt women’s basketball Thursday (2/6) at 9:00pm EST
GAME OF THE WEEK!!!! I will likely miss part of the LSU game if we are winning by the time this game starts.
Unrivaled - Friday and Saturday night
1 v 1 starts on Monday!
Millrose Games - Track and Field at 11:30am-6:30pm on Saturday (2/8) on NBC
Your favorite characters from the Olympics run inside too!
Paddington 2 any time you want on Sunday (2/9)
Sunday is my birthday and Paddington 2 is my favorite movie of all time. If you want to celebrate me, you can watch it. I will be tuning in. I love that bear.
That’s all for this week! Thank you for taking the time to read. I love women’s sports.
Have a good week,
Coach
Loved this wrap up! I follow mostly women's football (soccer to you Yanks ;D) for the FASWL and Australian league, so it's great to find a newsletter that summarises what's going on in women's sports. And I can wow my brother with all the basketball snippets I pick up.
Obviously then followed the Chloe Kelly news, was so awful. Alanna Kennedy also left Man City for Angel FC, and we've had a raft of young guns here in Aus heading towards the US so hopefully that injects some of that sustainability into the league!
Happy early bday! I am trying to be a track fan all the time, not just every 4 years, so I’m excited for Millrose! And verrrry curious to see how Grand Slam Track plays out.