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USA Today
6 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Wisconsin women's basketball signs international center
Wisconsin women's basketball signs international center Wisconsin women's basketball landed a commitment from Croatian center Dorja Zaja on Friday. At 6-foot-3, Zaja joins the Badgers after suiting up for Croatia in FIBA's 2024 U20 Women's EuroBasket action. She played in six contests during the 2024 slate and averaged 12.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per appearance. She also denied 15 shot attempts and snared 32 defensive boards as an anchor in the paint. In addition to her FIBA action, Zaja laced up for Tresnjevka in the Croatia-Premijer League. In 25 regular-season games, the future Badger accounted for 9.4 tallies in just under 21 minutes per contest. Zaja is currently playing in the postseason for Tresnjevka before traveling to Madison. Zaja is Wisconsin's seventh commitment under new head coach Robin Pingeton this offseason, following Illinois forward Shay Bollin, Stony Brook guard Breauna Ware, Howard guard Destiny Howell, NC State guard Laci Steele, Southern Illinois forward Gift Uchenna and Missouri State guard Kyrah Daniels, all of whom were transfer portal additions. While the Badgers' portal activity is encouraging for fans, the team needed to address the center position following the departure of standout forwards Serah Williams and Carter McCray following the season. Uchenna, Bollin and Zaja now figure to pick up those front-court minutes during the 2025-26 slate. Pingeton, who was hired following the resignation of coach Marisa Moseley this spring, has now finalized her roster for the 2025-26 season. The program experienced significant turnover after nearly every member of its 2024-25 roster departed via the transfer portal or graduation. Without Williams, arguably the greatest player to ever play for Wisconsin's program, the Badgers will ignite a new era of hoops under Pingeton. UW will look to improve on a 13-17 output last season, which also included a 4-14 record in Big Ten action. Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion
USA Today
15-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
3 way-too-early reasons why the New York Liberty won't repeat as WNBA champions
3 way-too-early reasons why the New York Liberty won't repeat as WNBA champions Will the New York Liberty repeat as WNBA champions? That's one of the biggest storylines of the 2025 season as it begins this week. The Liberty beat the Minnesota Lynx last year in a thrilling five-game series to capture the franchise's first title. Though winning was a collective effort, star Sabrina Ionescu had a defining moment that changed the series. Also, finals MVP Jonquel Jones and her consistency were key to the team's success, along with unsung hero Nyara Sabally. MORE WNBA: 2025 WNBA betting: Odds, picks for win totals, playoffs, awards, more While New York's championship roster is largely untouched, the Liberty experienced an offseason of change, including trading for guard Natasha Cloud. So, inevitably, the questions will start. Will the Liberty run it back? Do they have enough talent and depth to overcome the field? Here are three reasons why the Liberty won't repeat as WNBA champions. Reasons why Liberty won't win the 2025 WNBA championship 1. The Liberty can't replace the production of Betnijah Laney Hamilton Liberty forward Betjinah Laney-Hamilton won't play this year. Laney-Hamilton suffered an offseason knee injury (left meniscus) while playing in Unrivaled. Despite missing 12 games in 2024 with right knee issues, the Liberty veteran was a trusted source of offensive production, often hitting timely buckets while averaging 11.8 points and 4.2 rebounds throughout the season. What's more, Laney-Hamilton is arguably one of the most underrated defenders at her position in the WNBA. She can be a lockdown defender while withstanding the physicality that teams often throw at her, which makes her game so special and hard to replicate. Anyone who they throw into her role (standout Leonie Feibich, or otherwise) might struggle to create impact on both sides of the ball like Laney-Hamilton does. 2. EuroBasket absences will impact the Liberty's mid-season progress In June, FIBA will hold the Women's EuroBasket tournament. It's expected to run from June 18 to June 29 and feature Europe's top basketball teams. The tournament will also feature many WNBA athletes, including three players from the Liberty. Leonie Fiebich, Marine Johannès and Nyara Sabally will all be away from the team. At a minimum, they will miss around six games during that stretch and possibly more, given travel time and needed practices with their home countries. While New York isn't the only team impacted across the league and could certainly withstand those absences, being without them could prove costly if the Liberty can't come out above .500 during that stretch. 3. Repeating as WNBA champions is hard to do As cliché as it sounds, winning a championship, let alone two back-to-back, is hard to do. In the history of the WNBA, there have only been three teams to win consecutive championships. The Houston Comets won four titles, earning rings from 1997 to 2000, and the Los Angeles Sparks won back-to-back titles in 2001 and 2002. Then, it took 21 years to get a repeat champion before the Las Vegas Aces did it in 2022 and 2023. The field will adjust in 2025. Napheesa Collier and the Minnesota Lynx will likely still be bitter about losing to New York the way they did. (Remember their meltdowns on defense and that questionable Game 5 Breanna Stewart foul?) Additionally, the Las Vegas Aces probably haven't forgotten about New York eliminating them from the playoffs and trolling the team on the way out. There are also teams like the Indiana Fever, Phoenix Mercury (and more) who made huge offseason acquisitions to contend with the Liberty. The target on their back has grown, and so have the expectations.
