Locked On Women's Basketball

There are a couple of new additions to the first round of our 2023 WNBA draft boards! Host Hunter Cruse and co-host Joshua Welch discuss their updated rankings, Celeste Taylor's signature performance to help Duke take down No. 6 ranked NC State, and a lot more fun, random conversation.Photo credits: Left - Duke Athletics; Right - Icon Sportswire, AP Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Where is Candace Parker playing in 2023? What about Skylar Diggins-Smith and Jonquel Jones? Who wins the natty? Are draft picks traded? And much much more….Host Jackie Powell is joined by Bay Area New Group's Alex Simon for a very special year end show. The pair look ahead to 2023 in women's basketball and make bold predictions starting from WNBA Free Agency all the way through the NCAA Tournament, the WNBA Draft and then finally the WNBA finals.Read Howard Megdal's WBB Wednesday where he ponder's the language the Sun use to describe Alyssa Thomas and Jonquel Jones.https://www.theixsports.com/basketball/sun-connecticut-jonquel-jones-alyssa-thomas/2011's remake of Footloose and its opening scene:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJZeWUumO0E Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The 2023 WNBA Free Agency is soon approaching, so there's no better time to look ahead at some free agent sleepers that could make an impact on the margins for a contending team or playoff hopeful. Host Hunter Cruse is joined by co-host Joshua Welch to explore the games of Lexie Brown, Kia Nurse, Arella Guirantes, and plenty more.Photo credits: Left - Eric Gay, AP; Right - Kamil Krzaczynski, AP Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Host Michelle Smith and UCLA head coach Cori Close discuss all things Bruins. That includes a hot 12-1 start to the season and No. 10 ranking as well as the challenge of the Pac-12 schedule. Plus, they look to the future and talk about what it will be like to move to the Big Ten in 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Russell Steinberg of The Boardroom and Alex Simon of Bay Area News Group join The Next's Em Adler and Isabel Rodrigues for some holiday fun: the NCAAW States Draft! Each panelist selected 10 states and will get all of those states' NCAAW teams, with teams earning our panelists 1 point for making the NCAA Tournament and 1 point for each tourney win. Who drafted the best group of states? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

WBL trailblazer and former LAPD captain Anita Ortega joins host Natalie Heavren to discuss how she got started playing basketball as well as her time at UCLA and the San Francisco Pioneers. The pair also discuss Anita’s time in the LAPD as well as her officiating career and what she’s learned along the way.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Which WNBA draft prospects made Santa’s naughty and nice lists? Host Em Adler is joined by co-host Joshua Welch to profile the staggering two-way play of Ohio State’s Jacy Sheldon, the concerns with Syracuse’s Dyaisha Fair, and a dive into potential late-round gems.Photo credits: Left - Barbara J. Perenic, Columbus Dispatch; Right - Diana Valdivia, The NewsHouse Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What have we learned from the Ivy League non-conference slate? What’s there still to learn? The Next’s managing editor, Ivy League beat writer and Mystics beat writer Jenn Hatfield joins host Natalie Heavren to discuss all things Ivy League. The pair chat non-conference surprises, Jenn’s recent stories and what to expect in conference play. Natalie and Jenn also recap their favorite Atlantic 10-Ivy League matchups so far. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Maddy Siegrist is Villanova's indispensable player, and she joins host Howard Megdal as the two talk about the many skills she brings to the table together at Mohegan Sun Arena, just ahead of her 32-point effort on national television last weekend against Iowa State. Siegrist has somehow improved her already-deadly shooting this season, along with growth on everything from her defensive chops to her ability to navigate double teams. Hear about her origin story, what the holidays look like back home in Poughkeepsie, NY and much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Host Howard Megdal is joined by Florida State' sensational freshman, Ta'Niya Latson. For Latson, 2022-23 has been about setting a standard she holds for herself, but that no one else, especially so quickly, has ever reached, from her efficiency from the field to the way she's leading this Seminoles team despite her youth. On what brought her to Tallahassee, her relationship with head coach Brooke Wyckoff, and so much more on a player we're going to be covering here at Locked On Women's Basketball and The Next for a long, long time. Latson and Megdal caught up at Mohegan Sun Arena this past weekend, before Latson dropped 24 on UConn in front of a national TV audience. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert joins Howard Megdal to discuss the many interlocking economic issues facing the WNBA in 2023. The two talk WNBA expansion, marketing, media rights and 'transformation', along with the order of these priorities and how they are looking in the years ahead. For a comprehensive understanding of the space, don't miss this in-depth conversation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Belmont head coach Bart Brooks sits down with The Next's Missy Heidrick to discuss everything about the Bruins. They discuss why Brooks believes this team is the best he's had despite their 3-7 record, what the school's move to the Missouri Valley Conference means for the program (hint: winter coats) and what Brook's favorite spot is on the Nashville school's campus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What makes UConn guard Nika Mühl such an exceptional passer? Host Hunter Cruse hops in the film room to break down her game, in addition to a heuristic on evaluating pass-first guard prospects.Photo credit: (AJ Mast, AP) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

DiDi Richards is here to also discuss League Marketing Agreements (LMAs) in addition to her Team Marketing Agreement (TMAs) with the New York Liberty. How has she used LMAs and TMAs to open up more opportunities for herself and for the W? What does a typical off-season day look like for Richards? How did she land her own Sports Talk show on Amazon Prime? Host Jackie Powell discusses all of this, a metaphor about Trojan Horses and more with Richards. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Now that Brittney Griner is back in the United States, a question many are asking is what is the WNBA doing to keep players at home rather than overseas? One of the W's main initiatives to address this issue is the institution of the league's Player Marketing Agreements (PMAs). Host Jackie Powell sits down with Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier to discuss the program, its purpose and her involvement in it for its first two seasons of existence. Also, what would she believe the future holds for PMAs? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The newly-named general manager of the Minnesota Lynx, Clare Duwelius, joins host Howard Megdal on the heels of her announced promotion to talk all things Lynx basketball. What's the team's strategy at the number 2 overall pick? What is the plan to replace the production of Sylvia Fowles? And how will the team utilize its ample cap space in the free agency frenzy ahead? Clare also shares what it means to become a parent and a GM in the same year, what the growth of front offices generally means for the league, and the larger legacy of Cheryl Reeve all in the sprawling conversation. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Host Howard Megdal catches up with Lexie Hull, who announced she was joining Athletes Unlimited this week. It will begin 2023 after a busy year that saw Hull play for Stanford, the Indiana Fever, and USA Basketball 3X3 in 2022. What does it all mean for Hull's game and development? How does she feel about her role within the larger framework of how women make a living playing hoops in this country? And why is her mom such a great Twitter follow? All this and more in the latest podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Host Missy Heidrick is joined by The Next contributor Michelle Smith to talk about the lessons we've learned, and haven't, so far in the 2022-23 NCAA women's basketball season. What were the takeaways from South Carolina-Stanford? Just how good can Utah be? Is Maryland ready to join the elite? And how can Louisville and Tennessee right the ship? These questions and more, answered. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The WNBA Draft is an inexact science, so what should you look for when evaluating how a prospect's game will translate to the next level? Host Hunter Cruse is joined by co-host Joshua Welch, two of our draft analysts at The Next, to discuss their scouting process, some statistical indicators, and plenty more.They also tie their philosophies to the loaded freshmen class -- including scouting notes on Florida State's Ta'Niya Latson and Ohio State's Cotie McMahon to name a few.Photo credits: (Left - Joseph Scheller, Columbus Dispatch & USA Today),(Right - Florida State Athletics) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What has Arizona shone this season? Who are the contenders for the second-best team in the Pac-12? Host Natalie Heavren is joined by Pac-12 reporter at The Next Michelle Smith to discuss all things Pac-12 from the first month of the season including Helena Pueyo, what the teams fighting for second place in the conference still need to prove, what Smith is most looking forward to watching in Pac-12 conference play and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices