Thank You, Women’s College Basketball
An open letter of gratitude to everyone who made this season both possible and unforgettable
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It’s been more than a week since over four million people collectively held their breath as Aari McDonald’s last-second heave caromed off the rim, giving Stanford its first national title in 29 years. I’ve used that time to a) catch my breath and b) reflect on all that happened over the past 12 months. Recalling many of the plots and subplots this unique season offered, I found myself inspired, angry, disappointed, and awestruck. Don’t worry; I’ll explain this veritable roller coaster of emotions below. However, amid all this season’s chaos, there was one feeling that persisted. Gratitude.
Thank you, Tiana Mangakahia
The word inspiration is overused, but if it doesn’t apply to you, Tiana Mangakahia, I just don’t know when it should be applied. Thank you for inspiring the basketball world. You demonstrated that because of initiatives like Play4Kay, breast cancer is not a death sentence.
You earned first team all-ACC honors and led the nation in assist rate in each of your first two seasons with Syracuse. In fact, your assist rates of 61.0% and 52.2% in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons, respectively, are the two highest in the entire Her Hoop Stats database (which goes back to the 2015-16 season). Simply mind-blowing. Then, on June 18, 2019, you were diagnosed with stage 2 grade 3 invasive ductal carcinoma, breast cancer. After several rounds of chemotherapy and a bilateral mastectomy, you were declared cancer-free in November 2019. Over the next year, you tenaciously fought to get back into basketball shape, culminating in a return to Syracuse’s roster for the 2020-21 season. That alone is remarkable. But, after more than 600 days away from the game, you posted the sixth-best assist rate and the second-highest assists per game in the country this season! That defies all logic.
In the press conference after your team’s second round loss to UConn, you said, “It’s just a blessing to be able to play this sport.” In a year that has been trying for many, it has been an absolute blessing hearing your story and watching you play, Tiana. Thank you.
Thank you, Sedona Prince
Thank you, Sedona Prince, for shining a light on the inequities female athletes continue to face. As I’m guessing you know, the embarrassing difference in weight rooms was symptomatic of a systemic issue - namely, the lack of resources women’s athletics receives relative to their male counterparts. Your now-famous TikTok video captured the nation’s attention and forced many to address this stark reality.
America East Commissioner Amy Hutchausen responded to your video with the following: “I hope it opens a broader examination of how we invest, support and make decisions in the sport of basketball at all levels within our system. There are complexities and tensions to be sure, but moments like this should force us to re-examine how we got here. This isn't just about dumbbells or swag bags. This is about our fundamental expectations for fairness and equity and ensuring the outcomes of our decisions can meet those standards to deliver a quality experience for our student athletes.”
In a recent LinkedIn post, former Deloitte CEO and current WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert characterized efforts to devote additional resources to women’s sports as a business imperative: “... I clearly see the disparities in sports—but why? Is it a question of whether diversity, equity, and inclusion really is a business imperative? We continue to see study after study that validates that having gender-diverse leadership leads to higher productivity, is critical for innovation, and leads to being more profitable. It’s why it is even more perplexing to me that the current media rights fee gaps and underinvestment in, and dearth of marketing for, women’s sports is just generally accepted by the sports ecosystem.” Engelbert also discusses the circular logic often used to discredit pushes for additional investments in women’s athletics: “Moreover, this imbalance is based on circular logic. Media companies and agencies that advise corporations on their sponsorship dollars say there are not enough ‘eyes’ on the women’s game, yet if those companies don’t step up to give exposure to the game, how can we make progress?”
Is the NCAA listening? The jury is still very much out on that. However, the recent NCAA women’s volleyball tournament debacle is equal parts disappointing and frustrating and is precisely why others in the basketball community - school administrators, the media, coaches, players, and fans - need to continue to call out such inequities in the future. As a business imperative and as a moral imperative, you and your fellow female athletes deserve better.
Thank you, Dawn Staley and Adia Barnes
Representation matters. The more members of a particular racial or ethnic background or gender that are shown in a role, the more it becomes normalized and catches the eyes of aspiring applicants, hiring managers, and others in positions of power. According to the NCAA Demographics Database, which provides a general overview of trends of racial and ethnic group representation by sport over the period 2012-2020, Black players have represented roughly 45-50% of the total population of women’s basketball players, whereas Black coaches have represented only about 20-25% of the total population of women’s basketball coaches.
Speaking about why she was cheering for Head Coach Adia Barnes and her Arizona squad to reach the Final Four, South Carolina Head Coach Dawn Staley encapsulates why it was so monumental that this season’s Final Four featured two Black coaches for the first time in history. "It was not for any other reason besides us being represented at the biggest stage of women's college basketball," she said. "And that's because there are so many Black coaches out there that don't get opportunity because when ADs [Athletics Directors] don't see it, they don't see it -- and they're going to see it on the biggest stage of a Friday night, that two Black women are representing two programs in the Final Four, something that has never been done before.”
So, thank you, Adia Barnes and Dawn Staley. You haven’t just reached the highest levels of women’s college basketball, you’ve been unequivocal successes in your roles. In so doing, you have helped create opportunities for aspiring women’s basketball coaches in the Black community.
Thank you, Everyone Who Made This Season Possible
I am awestruck by how you, women’s college basketball players and staff, pulled it off. You had to endure thousands of COVID tests, not knowing if the next test could be the one to derail your team’s season. You had to play in empty stadiums. Some of you unluckier teams had to play on the road far too often. You kept away from friends and family, knowing that a single slip-up could jeopardize your team’s entire season. The sacrifices asked of you were no doubt unfair.
Despite these circumstances, you delivered a season that never ceased to entertain - four different AP No. 1 teams during the regular season (tied for the most ever); a Maryland offense so prolific it felt video game-like; Paige vs. Caitlin on ABC in the Sweet Sixteen; No. 13 Wright St. upsetting No. 4 Arkansas in the First Round; the Baylor vs. UConn Elite Eight instant classic; a Final Four where two of the three games came down to the final shot; and, oh yeah, the other Final Four game only featured Arizona shocking the basketball world by knocking off perennial powerhouse UConn. You get the picture.
So, thank you for bringing a badly needed dose of normality into millions of homes for the past several months. In a year that many people would prefer to forget, your collective efforts made this season unforgettable.
Sincerely,
Adam Vachon
Thanks for reading the Her Hoop Stats Newsletter. If you like our work, be sure to check out our stats site, our podcast, and our social media accounts on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.