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- 👑 PHEE IS 1 of 1!
👑 PHEE IS 1 of 1!
PLUS, things are heating up in NCAA Women's Basketball!
Black Rosie
February 20, 2025
✊🏽 HAPPY BLACK HISTORY MONTH
Hi Hoops Fans!
Today’s digest includes Brian’s recap on the Unrivaled 1v1 Tournament. We will also break down the most recent AP Women’s Basketball Poll now that no undefeated teams remain.
Earlier today, we also dropped a new Gold Medal Dispatch newsletter focused on whether the 4 Nations Faceoff will be the men’s equivalent to the women’s hockey Rivalry Series co-hosted by Hockey Canada and USA Hockey since 2018.
Subscribe to the Gold Medal Dispatch to stay in the know on current Olympic news and exclusive Black Rosie Media archives from Beijing 2022 and Paris 2024.
Next week, we’ll take you back to the Team USA House in Paris through the eyes of women’s sports media personality Ari Chambers.
BLACK HISTORY FACT
Did you know Althea Gibson was the first Black tennis player to compete in a pro-world tennis tour and the first Black woman to win a Grand Slam title?
The Harlem native would go on to amass 11 Grand Slam wins. Gibson would also become the first Black athlete on the women’s pro golf tour in the 1960s.
Check out this conversation with former Boston Globe reporter Sally H. Jacobs, author of the latest biography Althea: The Life of Tennis Champion Althea Gibson, and Katrina Adams, the Black executive to lead the United States Tennis Association (USTA).
With love,
Erica L. Ayala, Head Black Rosie in Charge (HBIC)
🏆 PHEE STANDS ALONE
Napheesa Collier celebrates her 1 v 1 Tournament victory. Photo via Unrivaled.
Unrivaled completed their 1-on-1 Tournament on Valentine’s Day, and Napheesa Collier continued her dominant run in Florida. After beating fellow UCONN Huskie Azura Stevens in the semifinals, she took on another Huskie in the Finals. Aaliyah Edwards was an underdog throughout the tournament and beat All WNBA mainstays Breanna Stewart, Allisha Gray, and Arike Ogunbowale in route to the championship round. The final round was a best of 3, and after falling behind 1-0, Phee went to work
With the win, Collier earned $200,000 for herself and $10,000 for each of her Lunar Owls teammates. Along with the victory, Collier hopes it can lead to some changes in the youth game going forward:
"You see guys or boys playing in the parks, like pickup or one-on-ones, and you don't see that on the women's side as much.
So that's something we're trying to change, just that atmosphere where everything's not as organized basketball, but just playing in your backyard or at the park."
The success of the Unrivaled Tournament has led to discussions that their peers in the NBA may look to do a similar event during their All-Star Weekend in 2026. The men’s and women’s games have become more intertwined in recent years, and that partnership should continue to blossom.
Unrivaled resumed team play on Tuesday, February 18, with Rose BC vs Vinyl BC and Phantom BC vs. Laces BC.
Newly acquired Betnijah Laney-Hamilton got the Laces back in the win column. The 2024 WNBA champion will remain at Unrivaled as a reserve player.
Collier and the Lunar Owls look to continue their dominance.
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