Can the Dream take the next step?

Following a franchise-record 30 wins in 2025, the Atlanta Dream shook up the WNBA landscape by trading for Angel Reese, and now they are looking to get to the WNBA Finals.

Reese made her pre-season return to Chicago to face the Sky on April 29.

It was a friendly atmosphere for both sides as the Chicago fans gave their former star a standing ovation. Following the game, everyone looked ahead to what promises to be an exciting future for the Dream.

"It was honestly the first time seeing her since the trade, so I was just telling her to 'go be great, go kill it,'" Sky head coach Tyler Marsh said.

"She's with a championship-caliber team, so you saw some of her talents and things that she can do with them tonight. She fits in perfectly and she'll be great."

Throughout Reese’s career, we’ve seen her gradually add more to her arsenal. Her motor on the court is endless and with a new environment and chance to make it to the postseason for the first time, the sky is the limit.

“My first impression is she’s an All-Star-level player already, and I think she has some room to grow because she’s only been in the league a couple years,” Dream head coach Karl Smesko said.

“I don’t think she’s satisfied with where she’s at. She wants to be one of the very best players in the league, and I think she has that potential.”

Alongside Reese, the Dream have All Star talent such as Allisha Gray, Rhyne Howard, and Brionna Jones. Atlanta had a chance to win their first playoff series since 2018 last year, but bad fourth quarter habits led to a nightmarish ending at the hands of the Indiana Fever. With a retooled roster, Atlanta should be among the top four teams in the WNBA this season.

Everything is lined up for the Dream to go on a big run. They’ve got stars leading the roster. They have a passionate fanbase ready for great hoops. And they’re motivated to avenge a bitter end to 2025.

Now is the time for Atlanta to make their move, and we’ll see how they do.

Here’s what you need to know today:

⛹🏽‍♀️ Watching the Sun set
Connecticut Sun fans prepare for a long goodbye.

💰 Across the Black Rosie Media Network
The Seattle Storm begin the preseason.

💰 Money moves
The NCAA Tournament will look different starting in 2027.

Upcoming games
The end of the WNBA preseason.

📰 What we’re reading
Some great writing that’s come across our desks.

THE CONNECTICUT SUN PREPARE FOR THE END

Goodbyes are never easy, and Connecticut Sun fans will be saying goodbye to their WNBA team all year long.

With the team being sold to Houston Rockets ownership, 2026 is the last year for the WNBA in Connecticut for the foreseeable future, if not ever. To mark the occasion, the franchise is embarking on a “Sunset Season.”

Throughout the year, the Sun will honor their franchise history, revitalize basketball courts across the community, etc. As the WNBA’s popularity continues to grow, the league is welcoming fans from all over the world. However, the loyal and dedicated fans in Connecticut are being left behind.

“I’m very, very sad,” Sun season ticket holder Angel Earle told the Hartford Courant. “But you know what, I’m going to enjoy this season to the fullest, because I know it is the last. Just give all the energy I can give to the girls. I’m a fan whether we win, lose or draw. I’m never, ever going to veer from it, but I’m going to be sad to see the girls so so far away … It’s just like, no, why are you taking our girls away?”

The Sun matter.

The team gave Connecticut great, competitive hoops and will leave lasting memories. Although they were done wrong by the WNBA, the connection they built with the fans will last forever.

As the Sun sets, they should cherish these final moments with the fans.

WEATHERING THE STORM!

The Seattle Storm have had a busy off-season, and with the pre-season underway, we’re getting a chance to watch their new talent in action.

Seattle wrapped up their pre-season slate with a matchup against the brand new Portland Fire on Wednesday 29. Seattle won 91-81 to end the pre-season at 1-1. Over the two game slate, we saw some solid performances and young players like Flau’jae Johnson making an early name for themselves.

The Storm have a lot to figure out when it comes to assembling the final roster before their season opener on May 8. On the latest episode of Tempestade Talk, Erica L. Ayala and Roberta F. Rodrigues discussed the latest surrounding the Storm

Here is the upcoming BRM podcast schedule:

MORE MADNESS

The NCAA is making March Madness even madder.

The women’s & men’s tournament is expanding from 68 teams to 76 teams beginning in 2027.

The NCAA Tournament last expanded in 2011, and everyone had started getting used to the format after all these years. Now, we have to get used to a messier, more chaotic new format.

So far, the news has been met with derision across the greater basketball community. So the question is “Why is the NCAA doing this?”

As it usually does with the NCAA, the big conferences decided to flex their muscles once again.

Thanks in large part to college football, conferences in the NCAA have undergone constant transformations throughout the 2020s. Everything else flows from that and if it means schools like Stanford have to be in the ACC, so be it. Power conferences rule the day and every other institution has to follow their lead.

We likely have another transformation awaiting us in the near future, so get ready for even more seismic changes.

Expanding the Tournament probably won’t go well. The NCAA is oversaturating the product and stretching players thin.

More teams won’t guarantee better basketball and extending the season will weaken play across the board. At this point, everyone's just hoping for the best.

Here’s the schedule for the next few days

At Black Rosie Media, we love to give flowers to other writers and creators in the women’s basketball community.

Here’s what we’re reading:

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