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Hi Hoops Fans!

I spent the last five days taking in Unrivaled and all I can say is: aptly named!

The league kicked off with Phee vs. Stewie and Jewell Loyd vs. Skylar Diggins-Smith 👀 on the first night. Things settled in from there, and three teams emerged as early favorites. Diggins-Smith and the Lunar Owls, Kayla McBride and the Laces, and Teresa Weatherspoon’s Vinyl BC are all undefeated.

I was personally impressed by the facility. The experience for the athletes has no match, especially regarding the ability to use the league for development.

Through their partnership with Samsung Galaxy, players wear trackers and collect data they can use to elevate performance and establish individualized training programs. Tablets will provide access to real-time data for each of the league's six teams and coaching staff.

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As far as recovery, athletes have access to an infrared sauna, a Finnish sauna, red light bed, two contrast tub rooms with private showers, and two recovery lounges. Unrivaled has also provided access to private sessions with a chiropractor + manual therapist, pilates instructor, and massages. The league also has a private chef on-site daily.

I’ve shared BTS content for our growing Slack Channel. As the social media landscape changes, Slack, YouTube, and our newsletters will be the best places to find our work in real-time.

Join our Slack Channel for FREE to view the genuinely Unrivaled Basketball facilities.

With love,

Erica L. Ayala, Head Black Rosie in Charge (HBIC)

UNRIVALED RECAP

After the first week of play, it’s already clear who came to play, who came to have a good time, and who is still recovering from injury. The Mist, Phantom, and Rose BC teams struggle to find cadence.

Mist player and 2024 WNBA rookie Rickea Jackson emphasized the importance of efficiency, especially as a player coming off the bench.

“I played eight minutes. And it's like, in a real game, you play 40 minutes. So it's like, I just have to be more efficient, focusing more at the beginning of the games. You get short spurts in the game. So it's like you gotta be productive in those short times,” Jackson said.

Her head coach, Phil Handy, followed up by taking responsibility for not doing enough to put Jackson in a position to impact the game.

“It's not her; it's not on her. I will always take responsibility for where I can improve as a coach. So looking at that, yes, I have to do a better job,” he said.

The comments underscore the importance of a good start. For Vinyl player Rae Burrell, Unrivaled is teaching the young star about pace.

“Keeping the pace on whatever we feel is necessary to run, or to not run. It also depends on the personnel that's on the floor. So if it's somebody that we know we can run more against, we're going to run more against. If it's somebody that you know can keep up with that a little bit more, then sometimes we'll be able to slow it down,” she said.

“At the end of the day, I think it's our decision to decide,” adding that is where she’s hoping to grow as the Unrivaled season continues.

Effectively, this season for Rae is focused on game management, and Vinyl, along with the Laces and Lunar Owl are winning at that game.