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Indianapolis Star
27-04-2025
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
Indiana Fever have room for one more on 2025 roster. 5 players vying for that final spot
Because of salary cap limits, Indiana can only afford to keep 11 players on opening day roster, leaving them a player short. Fever open preseason play May 3 against Washington at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. INDIANAPOLIS — The beginning of Fever training camp Sunday will officially start a fight for the final spot on the Indiana's 2025 roster — one that five players are aiming for. The Fever have 15 players coming into camp, and while league teams can carry up to 12 players on the roster, the Fever will only be able to carry 11 on opening day because of salary cap limitations. Indiana has 10 players signed to standard contracts, with five coming via free agency to join the Fever. Kelsey Mitchell, who is the Fever's designated core player making about $250,000, and Natasha Howard, who is making the regular league max, are the Fever's highest-paid players this season. Damiris Dantas ($100,000 salary) and Lexie Hull (around $88,000 salary) join Mitchell and Howard on protected contracts, meaning the Fever will need to pay them even if they are cut for any reason. The Fever also owe Katie Lou Samuelson around $106,000 because of a buyout of her contract that originally went through the end of the 2025 season. Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle. DeWanna Bonner, Sophie Cunningham, Sydney Colson and Brianna Turner all signed unprotected contracts, which means the Fever can cut them without monetary penalty. But cutting any of these players seems unlikely for the Fever brass. Aliyah Boston, who had her fourth-year option picked up for 2026, and Caitlin Clark are also still on their unprotected rookie contracts. They're not going anywhere, obviously. So, that likely gives the Fever 10 spots already filled heading into training camp and a salary cap hit of $1,394,827, per Her Hoop Stats. That leaves Indiana with around $112,000 in cap space. The league minimum is $66,000 for players with 0-2 years of experience and roughly $75,000 for players with 3 or more years. So the Fever only have enough room for one more spot on its opening day roster. Here are the five players vying for that final spot: Jaelyn Brown Brown, a 26-year-old guard, came to Indiana from Dallas in the four-team trade that also saw Cunningham head to the Fever from Phoenix and NaLyssa Smith head to the Wings. She had limited playing time in Dallas in 2024 because of various ailments, including a broken nose and an illness. She ended up playing 14 games, averaging 10.1 minutes and 2.6 points per game. She went undrafted in 2020 after four years at Cal and started her professional career overseas. She got her first shot at the WNBA with Dallas in 2024 and stuck on the roster, despite her injuries. If she were to make the roster, she would make the league-minimum $66,079. Jillian Alleyne Indiana signed Alleyne to a training camp contract in March. A forward, Alleyne has played most of her professional career overseas, most recently averaging 18.6 points and 13.8 rebounds with Turkey's Tarsus Belediyesi Mersin. Alleyne, 30, was the 20th overall pick by Phoenix in the 2016 draft, but did not stick on the opening day roster. She played five games for Minnesota in 2019 and signed a hardship contract with the Lynx in 2022. She would bring some frontcourt depth to the Fever, playing behind Boston, Howard, Dantas and Turner. She would make the league-minimum if she sticks on the opening day roster. Makayla Timpson Timpson was the Fever's first pick in the 2025 draft at No. 19 overall out of Florida State. She broke many of Natasha Howard's own FSU records, corralling 1,094 rebounds (over Howard's 1,046) and the program leader with 46 double-doubles in her four-year career. Timpson already has a connection to Howard with their similar positions and alma mater, and she could be a good depth piece for the Fever frontcourt. She would make $69,267 if she is on the opening day roster. Bree Hall Hall, who played with Boston at South Carolina for two years, is no stranger to success. She went to four straight Final Fours as a Gamecock, winning the 2021 national championship. She was the No. 20 pick in the draft by the Fever this year and will join a crowded guard room. Her defensive efforts could make her stand out on a team that is prioritizing defense this season, as well. Hall would make $69,267 if she makes the opening day roster. Yvonne Ejim The Fever's final pick of the 2025 draft at No. 33 overall, Ejim, a forward, is coming to Indiana as the back-to-back West Coast Conference Player of the Year at Gonzaga. Ejim averaged 14.8 points and 7.1 rebounds in her senior season and left Gonzaga as the second all-time leading scorer in WCC history. She would give the Fever some frontcourt depth behind their main rotational players.
New York Times
17-04-2025
- Business
- New York Times
WNBPA announces 2025 All-Star skills challenge, 3-point shootout earnings to increase
The prize pool for winning an event during the 2025 WNBA All-Star weekend in Indianapolis continues to increase. On Thursday, the WNBPA announced a renewal of its partnership with Aflac to award the winners of the league's 3-point contest and skills challenge a combined total of $115,000. The payouts will be equivalent to what NBA players receive, per that league's collective bargaining agreement, for winning the 3-point shootout ($60,000) and the skills challenge ($55,000). Advertisement The current WNBA CBA allocates just $2,575 to the winners of each event. On the eve of last year's All-Star weekend in Phoenix, the WNBPA and Aflac announced they were providing $110,000 in supplemental prize money for the first time. Winners previously only received what was allocated in the league's CBA. Atlanta Dream All-Star guard Allisha Gray won both events in 2024 and took home more than 62 percent of her season-long salary ($185,000 according to Her Hoop Stats) on one night as a result of doing so. 'This is the new standard. This is the new expectation,' WNBPA executive director Terri Jackson told The Athletic last summer upon the initial partnership being enacted. More money this year could draw bigger names to participate in both events. Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark previously declined the opportunity to participate in this past February's NBA All-Star weekend 3-point contest, with her representatives saying in a statement that she wanted her first 3-point contest to be in Indianapolis this summer. Talks around the first year of the partnership came together in around a week. It was so last-minute that participants in last year's events didn't know there would be an increased purse when they accepted the invites to participate. Jackson said that the fact that the agreement was brokered in short order also serves as a reminder to brands that there are multiple ways to support athletes. 'There's no longer this need or belief that you only partner with the league or the teams,' she said. A WNBA spokesperson previously said in a statement: 'We are always looking for ways for the players to earn more, including from corporate partners. Previously, the WNBA proactively went beyond CBA obligations to double the postseason prize money and instituting a full charter program.' Advertisement In addition to the increased prize pool this year, Aflac and the WNBPA will create a branded WNBPA All-Star Lounge, where players will be presented with their winnings. Aflac will be an official supplemental partner of the WNBPA. 'We're excited about what's ahead as we grow this together. It's not just about the rewards; it's about building a future where our value is undeniable,' WNBPA president and Seattle Storm All-Star forward Nneka Ogwumike said. The WNBA and WNBPA are in the middle of negotiations on a new CBA. The WNBPA has stated that it wants an equity-based model that evolves with the league's business success in its next agreement. The 2025 skills challenge and 3-point shootout will occur on July 18, with the All-Star Game set for the next day. (Photo courtesy of the WNBPA)
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Still irked by losses, and a perceived NCAA tournament snub, South Carolina enters Sweet 16 with plenty of fuel
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Tessa Johnson didn't think they would lose. The thought wasn't even on her mind because the South Carolina sophomore never had in her collegiate career. 'Coming into the season, I was thinking, OK, another undefeated season,' Johnson said. Players seemed to forget coming out of their 2023-24 undefeated national championship season how hard winning a title is, head coach Dawn Staley said ahead of the program's 11th consecutive Sweet 16. No. 1 South Carolina plays No. 4 Maryland in the Birmingham 2 regional on Friday (5 p.m. ET, ESPN). Advertisement 'You kind of get drunk off that success and think, oh, we can do it again,' Staley said. 'It's much harder than they could have ever imagined.' That lack of memory led to an upset at UCLA's house that shifted the rest of their season, and that of the NCAA tournament bracket, while hopefully providing what Johnson called a 'wake-up' call that lifting a trophy is difficult. Her first loss as a college athlete snapped a 43-game winning streak, and the Gamecocks' three losses this year are equal to that of the last three seasons combined. 'When you are winning a lot, it's kind of hard to remember that you can lose,' sophomore MiLaysia Fulwiley said. 'I think this year showed us that. It just made us want to even more, honestly. Now we understand how it goes.' Advertisement For the first time in four years, South Carolina is not the No. 1 overall seed, falling behind No. 1 overall seed UCLA in the NCAA women's basketball committee's eyes. It theoretically makes the quest for their first repeat title in program history even harder. Staley took issue with the decision on Selection Sunday and said on Thursday she should have been more clear she wasn't trying to 'diminish what UCLA earned and deserved and accomplished.' But she does believe South Carolina deserved it, and the committee should adjust their approach in the future. The Gamecocks played 19 Quadrant 1 games and won 16 of them. Maryland is the 16th team ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 poll that South Carolina will face this year, and it will be AP ranked teams the rest of the way should the Gamecocks keep advancing. Staley always stacks non-conference foes that will test her team in myriad ways with March and the Final Four on the mind. Advertisement 'It's not based on trying to pad wins, because we're not like that,' Staley said. 'We try to pad championships. The only way you do that is you play a really good, competitive non-conference.' Their three losses were to UCLA in November, and to Connecticut and SEC foe Texas in February. They are all top-two seeds in the field, and top teams in rankings. UCLA lost two games, both to rival USC, but has only two wins in the top 15 of Her Hoop Stats ratings, versus 10 for South Carolina. 'If we're unable to get a No. 1 seed because we lost in a head-to-head, I mean, would you play that?' Staley said. 'Would you think about playing UCLA if they're going to use that against us? Would you think about, if you lose to UConn, you know, by 29 points, but you compete and you got the No. 1 schedule in the country, and you could never get it back?' Staley said she will keep playing the high standard of schedule she manufactures because she's a competitor. Advertisement 'We're going to play the games,' Staley said, 'but I do need the committee to look at it from our vantage point, which is, you're telling me we can't ever — we lose three games. And to play the schedule that we play, we can't ever be considered for the No. 1 overall seed?' But it also prepares them for March and matchups like Maryland. The Gamecocks will need their best defense to show up while avoiding fouling. Maryland averages 81 points per game (10th), scoring 21.5% of its points from the free throw line (33rd). The tough defenses of either No. 2 Duke or No. 3 North Carolina await in the regional final. The margins become thinner in March, experience wields a larger impact and Staley hopes their experience playing the best without flinching will show itself late in tight games. Ultimately, the matchups are the only thing that matter, not seeds, and a team's tournament trajectory can shift in an instant. 'Every single one of our losses came at a time when we needed it, and we came out better because of it,' Staley said. 'I hope it's enough to get us to the finish line.'
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
March Madness: Paige Bueckers, Azzi Fudd and UConn look like an NCAA tournament juggernaut once again
The reason Lindsay Gottlieb felt 'disrespected' her USC Trojans were seeded as the fourth No. 1 was on full display in Storrs, Connecticut, during the first round of the NCAA tournament. A 50-point margin while shooting nearly 70% from the floor. Eight 3-pointers. Eleven steals. Nine blocks. Three players in double figures. And that was only the first half of No. 2 UConn's 103-34 monster home win over No. 15 Arkansas State. The Huskies' 69-point win is the largest margin of victory of the tournament so far, besting No. 2 overall seed South Carolina's 60-point victory and No. 2 seeded Duke's 61-point margin. The Huskies are one of the most experienced programs in March, and the most successful with a record 11 national championships. That they haven't won the trophy since 2016 barely matters. Head coach Geno Auriemma and his rolodex of No. 1 recruits are always ready to go come March and Gottlieb knows it firsthand. As the fourth No. 1 seed, USC is on a collision course for an Elite Eight rematch against UConn, the fifth overall seed by the NCAA Division I women's basketball committee. Gottlieb can make the argument that three-loss USC, the only program to defeat No. 1 overall season UCLA (and do it twice), could have slid up to the second or third No. 1 seed. That would have placed them with Duke or TCU. Instead, they will likely draw a familiar foe playing its best basketball of the season behind a healthy group of starters hungry for their first, and in some cases only, national championship. In the 2024 Elite Eight, the Huskies won 80-73, despite an injury-riddled season that left them without shooting guard Azzi Fudd. The senior also wasn't healthy for a December non-conference rematch in Connecticut that USC won, 72-70. In her first NCAA tournament game since March 25, 2023, Fudd came out aggressive to score 13 points with three 3s, two assists, three steals and two blocks in the first quarter. She finished with a team-high 27 points in 22 minutes, shooting 6-for-9 from beyond the arc and adding seven assists, six steals and two blocks. She's a projected first-round pick who has an redshirt year available, and has not announced whether she'll be leaving for the WNBA Draft. Freshman Sarah Strong guided the Huskies down low with 13 first-quarter points that grew to 20 by the game's end on an efficient 9-of-10 day. She's had a double-double in all four postseason games. It was her 12th 20-point game of the season, trailing Bueckers (14) and Maya Moore (14) for most by a freshman in UConn history over the last 25 seasons. And with 12 rebounds, five assists and five blocks (in 21 minutes), it's a stat line that's never been seen in the tournament since 2010, when Her Hoop Stats data began. Bueckers (11 points on 5-for-9 shooting) guided the offense and added four assists, two blocks and two steals. She has said it is in her final year at UConn and she's projected to go No. 1 to the WNBA's Dallas Wings. It is the second NCAA tournament Fudd and Bueckers are playing together. Jada El Alfy set the tone with four first-half blocks, giving UConn size in its starting lineup. Ashlynn Shade, an X-factor in their major wins, scored an efficient 20 in 17 minutes, including a nine-point second quarter. Caroline Ducharme, who missed all but 10 games over the past two seasons with head/neck injuries, chipped in with six points and four rebounds. That's a lot of pieces clicking together at the right time for any team to defend. No disrespect to the Trojans, who enter the tournament with one of the better defenses. Because not only do they have to stop UConn, they have to answer them. That could be difficult given their scoring draughts beyond player of the year contender JuJu Watkins. The concern for Gottlieb and everyone else: UConn is going vintage. They didn't break all-time scoring records (94 points in a half, 140 in a game), but did put them on watch. The Huskies went up 34-5 in the first 10 minutes and kept the pressure on down the back 30. The 34 points is the fewest they have allowed in the tournament since 2015. UConn became the fourth team in this tournament to break the century mark, joining South Carolina (108), Notre Dame (106) and Tennessee (101). To put respect on its name, USC will likely need to go through the game's resurging Goliath. It's looking like they'll have the chance next weekend.
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
6 things we learned from the women's basketball regular season
There is no frontrunner leaving the pack behind in the race for the 2025 women's national championship. No undefeated squad. No powerhouse trampling through the schedule. The non-conference schedule featured matchups of title favorites and top teams. None of them swept their way through, a signal we could be in for a March of upsets and non-No. 1 seeds making their way to the season's final weekend. Here's what we learned in the regular season: Watkins laid stake to a claim as the face of women's basketball in a record-setting freshman campaign and then backed it up as a sophomore. The 6-foot-2 guard is more efficient, limited turnovers and broke out of a shooting slump in the biggest game of USC's season. Her performances against UCLA — for which she admitted having more motivation — will become legend. She's now scored at least 30 points in four consecutive games against the Bruins, tied for the third-longest streak against any single opponent in Division I history since 1999-2000, per ESPN Research. The defensive side of the ball has been more impressive. She's averaging two blocks per game and racked up eight in the first win over UCLA, when the Bruins were ranked No. 1. Both games brought stars out in L.A., as fans have done for Watkins around the country. In Iowa City, fans marveled at Watkins on the court and signs for her dotted the sold-out arena on the day of Caitlin Clark's jersey retirement. UCLA, which ascended to the AP poll's No. 1 spot with a November win over South Carolina, appeared to many as the best team in the country amid a 23-0 start. Those wins over inferior opponents masked weaknesses that were exposed in the final weeks of the regular season when their toughest conference opponents awaited. The sample size is small (three opponents ranked top 14 in Her Hoop Stats rating and top 16 in NET), but UCLA's depth of talent hasn't come together in the big games. Though UCLA's record only shows two losses, it had to battle hard for a win over Oregon and survived an upset bid by Iowa that went to the final play. Head coach Cori Close had been sending out calls that the team had to be better moving forward — none louder than after its second loss to rival USC that won the Trojans the Big Ten regular season championship. 'We pretty much said, 'Look, this is the way this train is going. And if you don't think you can make changes to be on it, tell us now,'' Close said on Saturday night. 'I want to have everybody that goes with us to [the Big Ten Tournament in] Indiana to be going in the same direction. So the way we turn it around is people make a commitment and a choice and they be counted on.' UCLA folded defensively, was sloppy with the ball and failed to consistently feed center Lauren Betts, who has not been good enough as the team's star player in big games. She shot 10-for-24 with three assists in two losses to USC. Heading into the heart of March, the question is if there's time to right the train. South Carolina (27-3) lost as many games this regular season as it had the past three combined (109-3). The tight season-opening win over youth-laden Michigan in Las Vegas delivered a hint. A blowout loss to UCLA explained why this isn't a typical South Carolina team. And losing two of three in February highlighted that the Gamecocks were vincible. The Gamecocks lack the dominant center for which they've been known and have to find other ways to win. It has predominantly impacted their offensive efficiency and rim protection, and they aren't making as many 3-pointers. That slight drop doesn't mean they aren't capable of a Final Four berth or even a national title. They rank top 10 on both sides of the ball while maximizing rebounds and minimizing turnovers. Their depth is nearly unparalleled with head coach Dawn Staley able to dig deep for quality minutes. They also have experience in the weight of a full tournament run, exposure that can't be replicated any other way. It was this time last year questions abounded if a new starting five could lead South Carolina to a third title. And they did. The SEC tournament No. 1 seed came down to a coin flip on Sunday. That's how close and competitive the SEC is this year. South Carolina and Texas shared the regular season title with identical 15-1 records and a split of the two-game season series. The Gamecocks won the coin flip and will be the No. 1 seed. If they meet in the title game is far from certain given the depth of defensive juggernauts. They lead the SEC's deep roster of NCAA tournament teams that could make Elite Eight runs and, once again, take over the Final Four. Though the Big Ten is projected to put more teams in the tournament, the SEC has the power to finish further. LSU is one of the league's best rebounding teams running through its big three of Flau'jae Johnson, Mikaylah Williams and Aneesah Morrow. They average a combined 53.9 ppg, but will be without Johnson (shin inflammation) during the conference tournament. Johnson became the first of the big three to miss a game this season and Ole Miss came back from a 15-point deficit to win their regular season finale, 85-77. Kentucky rose back to the top with first-year head coach Kenny Brooks, who brought WNBA point guard prospect Georgia Amoore and sophomore forward Clara Strack from Virginia Tech. Amoore is one of the nation's best offensive leaders viable to heat up in the tournament, while Strack is one of the best rim protectors in the nation. Alabama upset LSU, then fell to SEC rookie Oklahoma. Ole Miss, Vanderbilt and Mississippi State have all been ranked following major signature wins. And Georgia put a cap on the chaos by toppling Tennessee, a roster better than its record, on the season's final day. The Bulldogs had a 1.7% chance to win, per ESPN Analytics, making it the second-biggest upset of the season. And even as Tennessee tripped up late, the Lady Vols showed the nation Kim Caldwell's high-octane hockey substitution system does work at the Division I level. Their pressure defense and ability to hit 3s early in the shot clock (as long as they're hot from range) will cause problems in the NCAA tournament. The Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd era has been more potential than performance. They were barely on the court together since committing to UConn in back-to-back seasons due to a litany of injuries to each. The Huskies' ceiling has always been about what the group could do together. That ceiling is as high as most expected — a title — and showcased primarily in a dominating win against South Carolina last month. Fudd played two of her best games in wins over St. John's and South Carolina, putting together six straight double-digit performances while shooting 50% or better from 3. Bueckers has been on her own scoring run. And freshman Sarah Strong is on track to win the national award for the best first-year player, averaging 16.1 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.5 blocks per game. Both Bueckers and Fudd could return to UConn for another year. They were both celebrated on Sunday for senior day, adding an urgency that this will be the final chance for them to win a title together. UConn made runs to the Final Four behind Bueckers with lesser teams. It's laughable to think back on the preseason's major quandary that point guards Olivia Miles and Hannah Hidalgo could thrive together in Notre Dame's backcourt. The All-Americans thrived in the regular season, averaging a combined 30.7 points and 9.7 assists per game. Along with Sonia Citron, they make up one of the best backcourts in the nation and rely heavily on hitting beyond the arc. Texas also welcomed its point guard back to the fold after Rori Harmon missed all of 2023-24 with an ACL injury. Madison Booker played out of her natural position to fill in at point guard. That experience and versatility aided both Booker and Harmon's improvement, pushing Texas to be the No. 1 team in the country by season's end.
