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✊🏽 HAPPY WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH
Hi Hoops Fans!
March is upon us. In addition to being tournament time and one month closer to the WNBA season, it also means we can celebrate women of all kinds and cultures!
In today’s newsletter, we recap:
The new Athletes Unlimited Basketball champion
Money Moves by Serena Williams and Sabrina Ionescu
The NCAA Women’s Basketball Poll ahead of Conference Tournament play
Women’s History Fact:
Did you Know…
Before POSE gave audiences a glimpse into drag ball culture, the 1900 documentary film PARIS IS BURNING told the story of Angie Xtravaganza and other NYC house mothers.
"I knew [the ballroom scene] in the sense of how black and brown trans and queer folk gathered in community and performance and gathered to take care of one another in a world that doesn't take care of them," POSE writer and producer told TV Guide.
"I don't think I saw footage of it until I saw Paris Is Burning. So there's no way to separate my exposure to this space beyond that."
We look forward to sharing more about the history of various women throughout the month.
With love,
Erica L. Ayala, Head Black Rosie in Charge (HBIC)
👑 MADDY WEARS THE AU CROWN
Maddy Siegrist led the 2025 AU Basketball season with 292 total points scored and seven consecutive 20+ point games. She led the AU Basketball leaderboard with 7,052 points. Photo credit: Athletes Unlimited Basketball
From 12th to 1st!
Dallas Wings forward Maddy Siegirst dominated in her second season of Athletes Unlimited. The 6’4” forward set a new all-time scoring record with 7,052 points, besting 2024 champion Allisha Gray by 71 points.
The Villanova alumna averaged 24 points and recorded 10+ points in nine of her 12 games.
2025 Athlete Unlimited Final Leaderboard:
Maddy Siegrist - 7,052 points
Odyssey Sims - 6,595 points
Crystal Bradford - 5,304 points
Maya Caldwell - 4,860 points
2025 AU Basketball All-Defensive Team: L to R - Odyssey Simms, Alysha Clark, Crystal Bradford, Shey Peddy, Elizabeth Williams. Photo Credit: Athletes Unlimited
All-Defensive Team
Elizabeth Williams
Crystal Bradford
Alysha Clark
Odyssey Sims
Shey Peddy
Defensive Player of the Year:
Shey Peddy
Newcomer of the Year:
Tyasha Harris
Athletes Unlimited will return to Music City next. Last week, the league announced a multi-year deal for AU Pro Basketball in Nashville.
The 2026 AU Pro Basketball season will occur from February 4 to 28 at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium.
💰MOVES - WOMEN INVESTING IN WOMEN
Serena Williams. Image via the Toronto Tempo Bluesky account.
The Toronto Tempo has a new partner!
Earlier this week, tennis legend and entrepreneur Serena Williams announced she joined the Tempo’s ownership group.
“This moment is not just about basketball; it is about showcasing the true value and potential of female athletes — I have always said that women’s sports are an incredible investment opportunity. I am excited to partner with Larry and all of Canada in creating this new WNBA franchise and legacy.”
Williams will help with jersey designs, merchandise collaborations, and plenty more. Williams’ involvement will help build even more anticipation for the Tempo’s inaugural season in 2026.
There is much anticipation ahead of the Tempo’s WNBA debut. Both WNBA preseason games in Canada (first Toronto and then Edmonton) sold out as fans created a fun atmosphere for the players on the court and viewers at home.
Interest in the league continues to rise, and having global superstars like Williams connected to the league will help bring even more eyes and investment dollars to the league.
Moving from the court to the pitch, Sabrina Ionescu made a big investment of her own. The Liberty star will be joining Bay FC as a commercial advisor.
The Bay FC team and I look forward to driving branding partnerships for the Bay FC athletes and contributing to the overall success of the Club. As someone with deep ties to the Bay Area, this opportunity holds even more significance, and I am truly honored to be a part of such a special endeavor to continue to grow women’s sports.”
Ionescu has had a big start to 2025, playing in Unrivaled, participating in the NBA’s Paris Games, and traveling to Asia as part of her first Nike tour as a signature athlete.
Ionescu is one of the game’s popular players, and she has been able to build on that to expand her reach to exciting new ventures.
🏆 USC MAKES HISTORY
March 1. USC celebrates Big Ten championship. Image via the USC Women’s Basketball Twitter account.
We are witnessing GREATNESS in Southern California!
On February 13, JuJu Watkins had the game of her life as she led USC to an upset victory over then-undefeated UCLA.
On Saturday, the two teams faced off in a rematch, this time at Pauley Pavilion and unfortunately for the Bruins, history repeated itself.
The Trojans put on a show in a sold-out arena as they swept the season series with an 80-67 win.
Watkins didn’t have as much dominance in the game as in the first matchup, but she still put on a show with 30 points in 38 minutes. She also got some love from hometown hero and basketball icon Cheryl Miller.
Cheryl Miller was fired up for Juju, dang
— CJ Fogler (@cjzero.bsky.social) 2025-03-02T04:30:30.845Z
Per USC, this was the team’s first conference championship since they won the PAC-10 in 1994. It was also the Trojans’ first win at Pauley Pavilion since January 2019.
As we enter Conference Tournament season and the NCAA Tournament shortly thereafter, USC is riding a hot streak and might make even more history before it’s all set and done.
📰 WHAT WE’RE READING!
At Black Rosie Media, we love to give flowers to other writers and creators in women’s basketball.
Here’s what we’re reading:
Valkyries’ Natalie Nakase spent offseason with unexpected mentor: Celtics’ Joe Mazzulla by Noa Dalzell for Breakaway
Angel Reese has taken a massive leap in Unrivaled, and it’s great news for the Sky by Noa Dalzell for Breakaway
How Diana Taurasi's fiery competitive streak ignited a women's basketball revolution by Andrés Soto for the Los Angeles Times
Adapting on the Fly: Celeste Taylor’s Ready to Make Her Mark in Year 2 by Michael Waterloo in Winsidr
A Day in Watts in Search of JuJu Watkins by Andrew Haubner for No Cap Space
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📈 AP TOP 25 - WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
The final week of regular season play brought plenty of drama and a coin toss!
As we mentioned at the top of the newsletter, USC, led by JuJu Watkins, is next level. Their second win over UCLA has the Trojans (and one alumna named Cheryl Miller) fired up!
While South Carolina will split the regular season SEC title with #1 Texas, the Gamecocks will enter the Conference Tournament as the first overall seed, thanks to a coin flip. Yes, for real!
AP Rankings (as of March 3 ):
1 Texas
2 Southern California (↑2)
3 UConn (↑2)
4 UCLA (↓2)
5 South Carolina (↑1)
6 Notre Dame (↓3)
7 North Carolina State (↑2)
8 TCU (↑2)
9 LSU (↓2)
10 Oklahoma (↑3)
11 Duke (↑5)
12 Kentucky (↑3)
13 Ohio State (↓1)
14 North Carolina (↓6)
15 Maryland (↑4)
16 West Virginia (↑2)
17 Baylor
18 Tennessee (↓7)
19 Alabama (↑1)
20 Kansas State (↓6)
21 Oklahoma State
22 Florida State (↑2)
23 Creighton (↓1)
24 Michigan State (↓1)
25 South Dakota State
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