🌤 GROWING PAINS IN UNCASVILLE

The New York Liberty led wire-to-wire and handed the Sun the second-largest defeat in WNBA history. It was a challenging moment for this group, but every day presents an opportunity to improve.

“I went back to the drawing board and thought I need to set the right tone for the team anyway I can,” Marina Mabrey said. “I can do what I do, but if I don't make everyone else better, it's not going to help our team."

We’ve talked a lot about the rebuilding Connecticut Sun here at the Women’s Basketball Roundup. When all of their stars departed this off-season, it signaled that they were entering a rebuild. The team has some young talent and vets who are willing to be valuable teachers. There will be brighter days, but last weekend was one of the darkest in team history.

The Sun got back to work, earning an upset victory over the Atlanta Dream on Friday night. The game was notable not just for Mabrey’s 34 points, four rebounds, and four assists, but for the amazing defense of the Sun’s first-round draft pick, Saniya Rivers.

It’s been a tough few months for the rookie, but she’s got the support of basketball fans all over the world. She was assigned to guard Dream star Rhyne Howard and helped hold her to 6-16 shooting from the field. Saniya put the cherry on top of her great game with this awesome block:

The Sun attempted to build on that win, but lost by 35 points to the Washington Mystics. Such is life for a young team.

As the Sun enters uncharted waters, the players will have to stick together and continue building in this manner.

The latest Black Rosie Media podcasts:

• Tempestade Talk S2.E6: More Trouble for the Seattle Storm?

• Gotta Get Up S3.E6: 2024 WNBA Champions off to an 8-0 Start!

💔 COURTNEY VANDERSLOOT TEARS ACL

On June 7, the Chicago Sky played their first game at the United Center, facing off against the Indiana Fever. The Sky lost by a bunch, but the story coming out of the primetime affair was the status of Courtney Vandersloot.

Early in the first quarter, Sloot went down with a non-contact injury and had to be helped to the locker room by her teammates and Sky personnel. Everyone was hoping for the best, but on June 8, everyone’s worst fears were confirmed.

Best wishes to Sloot as she recovers.

In other VanderQuigs news, Allie Quigley has officially retired and apologized for the accidental Irish Goodbye, lol!

In her farewell message on The Players’ Tribune, Quigley shared that her break-turned-retirement was a result of her journey to motherhood. We shared the great news about Baby Jana Christine in a preview edition of the Women’s Basketball Roundup.

Like all parents before, Allie had her life beautifully and irrevocably changed since having a baby.

Quigs shares many great nuggets from conversations she had during her rookie year, including one with Ann Myers Drysdale, as well as her experience winning her first WNBA championship with her hometown team, and an incredible story about a shared car ride with her wife.

From being cut four times to being one of the greatest shooters in the game, tip of the hat to you, Allie.

Thank you for everything!

📰 WHAT WE’RE READING

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:

• NY Liberty becoming one of the great WNBA teams ever? by Lucas Kaplan for Netsdaily

• How a UConn star used a Florida clinic to get back to basketball after debilitating concussions by Mitchell Northam for Breakaway

• Festival Frenzy 2025: CMA Fest Plays It Safe by Hunter Kelly for The Nashville Scene

• Dressing Up for a Day of Black Joy by Jaha Nailah Avery for the New York Times

• Misty Copeland Changed Ballet. Now She’s Ready to Move On by David Marchese for the New York Times

• The Truth About Black Responsibility In Hollywood by Candice Frederick for the Huffington Post

• Funk Gets Stronger: A Sly Stone Tribute Mix by Jack Reidy for Passion of the Weiss

⛹🏽‍♀️ UPCOMING GAMES

Here’s the schedule for the next few days (Eastern Standard Time)

💰MONEY MOVES

THE LANDSCAPE OF COLLEGE SPORTS HAS PERMANENTLY CHANGED

On June 6, our very own Erica L. Ayala was on the scene at the Women’s College World Series and wrote about the amazing NiJaree Canady. Canady has been one of the biggest stars in the tournament and will be someone we keep an eye on going forward. And while Canady is there, she and every student-athlete will have to adjust to a brand-new reality.

That Friday evening, it was announced that the House v. NCAA case had been settled. The settlement is worth $2.8 billion and will be paid out to athletes who were in the NCAA in 2016 and leading up to the present day.

The case has been years in the making, and the long and short of it is that, due to this ruling, schools will now be able to pay athletes directly for the first time. It’s something that didn’t seem possible many years ago and will change the game for athletes all across the board.

"It's historic,” former TCU star Sedona Prince told ESPN. “It seemed like this crazy, outlandish idea at the time of what college athletics could and should be like. It was a difficult process at times ... but it's going to change millions of lives for the better."

So, have the athletes finished the story? Not quite, as Chris Hummer of CBS Sports points out:

It appears that each school will have a salary cap of $20.5 million for its athletics program. That number is expected to rise each year and could reach as high as $33 million by 2035. And as Hummer pointed out, chances are universities will devote the majority of their money to their men’s sports teams, especially if they have big-time college football teams.

What does all of this mean for women’s sports on the collegiate level? It’s impossible to predict at this point in time. What does help is that fan interest has continued to skyrocket. Whether it be in basketball, softball, or numerous other sports, the money has started to flow in, and the athletes can take a bigger piece of the pie. 

As the sports landscape continues to evolve, fans will play a significant role in ensuring that these athletes receive the love, respect, appreciation, and compensation they deserve.

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