The Roundup: 2020 In Review
Looking back at what happened in women's basketball this year
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As 2020 (finally) comes to an end this week, I wanted to reflect back on the last year in women’s basketball. Some of these memories feel like a lifetime ago, but they still managed to have a lasting impact on women’s hoops in a year that was like no other.
Some of the Best Moments in Women’s Basketball This Year
The WNBPA and WNBA agreed to a historic collective bargaining agreement (CBA) on Jan. 14, 2020. The new CBA offers an increase in total compensation, motherhood and family planning benefits; better travel accommodations; enhanced mental health resources; and career development opportunities.
Dive deeper:
Her Hoop Stats has been breaking down the 350-page CBA all year, and we’re continuing to do so! Check out our WNBA CBA and Salary Cap Explained FAQ page on the Her Hoop Stats website and be on the lookout for our WNBA CBA Explained articles in our newsletter.
Read our instant analysis of the CBA after it was agreed upon and signed by the WNBPA and WNBA.
Howard Megdal joined John Liddle on the Her Hoop Stats Podcast in January to give his reaction to the new CBA.
Most recently, Jacob Mox covered free agency basics in a two-part article before free agency begins on Jan. 15.
The WNBA adapted to provide the first-ever virtual professional sports draft and a successful shortened season in the WNBA bubble, or “Wubble.” The first round of the 2020 draft aired on ESPN and averaged 387,000 viewers, a 123% year-over-year increase from 2019. The draft also recorded a 33% increase in viewership since the last time the draft aired on ESPN in 2011 and was the most-watched draft since the Phoenix Mercury drafted Diana Taurasi No. 1 overall in 2004. The WNBA season was held at a single site in Bradenton, Florida; spanned more than 100 days, and had 87 games nationally televised. Average viewership for the season increased 68% and viewership for the WNBA Finals increased 15% from 2019.
Dive deeper:
How WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert saved the 2020 WNBA season (by Mechelle Voepel for ESPN)
Pop the bubbly: WNBA season a success (by Madeline Kenney for the Chicago Sun-Times)
Unplugged #46: Megan Gauer and Calvin Wetzel discuss the Finals, takeaways from the WNBA season, and what they expect for the 2021 season.
The WNBA led the way for social activism (as always). The league dedicated the season to Breonna Taylor, the SayHerName campaign, and Black Lives Matter. The league and WNBPA created a social justice coalition and launched a new platform to help drive impactful and meaningful change. Throughout the season, teams raised money to support Black-owned and minority-owned businesses in their local communities, encourage voter registration and participation, and advance LGBTQ+ initiatives, among so many other great causes.
The WNBA also banded together to campaign for Reverend Raphael Warnock, who is running against Atlanta Dream co-owner Kelly Loeffler for a U.S. Senate seat. Loeffler has publicly criticized the Black Lives Matter movement and even wrote to Engelbert to express her opposition to the league’s Black Lives Matter initiatives. Warnock received the most votes in the November special election and will face Loeffler in a runoff on Jan. 5. Players also decided to not play for two days in August in response to Jacob Blake’s shooting by a police officer in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Instead, they used the time to discuss actionable steps to implement change.
Dive deeper:
WNBA was clear leader in effecting social change in 2020 (by LZ Granderson for the Los Angeles Times)
Fighting for social justice is in the WNBA's DNA (by Eryn Mathewson and Leah Asmelash for CNN)
How Kelly Loeffler’s WNBA Team Became Her Most Passionate Opponent (by Molly Hensley-Clancy for BuzzFeed News)
The Washington Mystics' 2020 season will always be synonymous with social justice (by Jenn Hatfield for The Next)
Tierra Ruffin-Pratt speaks on police brutality and social injustice (by Jacqueline LeBlanc)
A guide to each team’s social justice initiatives during the 2020 season (by Jacqueline LeBlanc)
According to NCAA data, Black women only make up 2% of head coaching positions in Division I sports, and while that number is nowhere near where it needs to be, there was some progress this year. Niele Ivey (Notre Dame), Kara Lawson (Duke), Nikki McCray-Penson (Mississippi State) took over their respective programs as the first Black female head coaches in team history. Kyra Elzy took over as Kentucky’s interim head coach after Matthew Mitchell retired before the season began and was named head coach in December. Her hiring makes her the seventh Black female head coach in the SEC, the most of any power conference. All four women are also former Division I basketball players.
Dive deeper:
Duke’s Kara Lawson Has Built Her Success On Communication and Strong Relationships (by Jenn Hatfield)
'My voice matters': Notre Dame's Niele Ivey, Duke's Kara Lawson use new roles to speak out (by Lindsay Schnell for USA Today)
Mississippi State coach Nikki McCray-Penson on flag: ‘It was time for change’ (by McCray-Penson as told to Sean Hurd for The Undefeated)
Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer passed former Tennessee head coach Pat Summitt for the most wins in Division I women’s basketball history. VanDerveer got her 1,099th win on Dec. 15 against Pacific.
Dive deeper:
Tara VanDerveer’s side(line) project (by Lindsay Gibbs for Power Plays)
Stanford's Tara VanDerveer Now The Winningest Coach In Women's College Basketball History, Cementing Her Legacy (by Howard Megdal for Forbes)
Stanford women's basketball coach Tara VanDerveer defined by sustained excellence (by Mechelle Voepel for ESPN)
Michelle Smith’s WBB Feature: Tara VanDerveer (by Michelle Smith for the Pac-12)
Courtside #18: Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer gets the win record
It was also an exciting and eventful year for Her Hoop Stats!
Her Hoop Stats made upgrades to our stats site. We added WNBA stats for every season in W history, introduced the reSEARCH tool, added Lobo’s Look for WNBA and NCAA comparisons, and redesigned the layout of the site.
Her Hoop Stats added its third podcast to the HHS lineup: Courtside with Christy and Gabe. In 2020 alone, Her Hoop Stats has published 92 episodes across our three podcasts.
Her Hoop Stats awarded the inaugural Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year award to a very deserving Ciara Duffy, whose South Dakota squad only lost two games last season.
Published 222 stories on our newsletter (this article makes it 223 and there’s still more to come this week!)
The Best of Her Hoop Stats in 2020
We told stories about how those in the basketball world adjusted to quarantine and a “new normal” amid the global pandemic.
“Sometimes our safety [is] really a question mark”: A WNBA agent explains how coronavirus and wildfires are affecting basketball players overseas (by Jenn Hatfield)
Hoopin’ at Home: How basketball’s best are staying sharp during lockdown (by Calvin Wetzel)
"Ready to Rip and Roar": Five New Head Coaches on Their First 30 Days amid a Global Pandemic (by Jenn Hatfield)
Three, Two, One, Showtime: Debbie Antonelli Discusses Calling WNBA Games from Home(by Jenn Hatfield)
How the Washington Mystics Broadcasters Are Riding Out the Coronavirus Pandemic (by Jenn Hatfield)
We caught up with some college players from the past in our “Where Are They Now?” series that spotlights their athletic careers and what they have gone to do since retiring from playing.
Kelley Hunt, UConn Basketball (1994-1998) (by Jacqueline LeBlanc)
Suzie Miller, Harvard Basketball (1995-1999) (by Jenn Hatfield)
Tonya Burns-Cohrs, Iowa State Basketball (1981-1985) (by Zane Douglas)
Sam Quigley, DePaul Basketball (2006-2011) (by Jenn Hatfield)
We highlighted NCAA players and programs who took a stand for social justice.
Not even death threats can silence Christianna Carr (by Calvin Wetzel)
Ashlyn Dunbar refuses to shut up and dribble (by Calvin Wetzel)
Kansas Women’s Basketball Leads March For Justice (by Calvin Wetzel)
Women’s College Basketball is Balancing Talking with Action on Social Justice (by Jenn Hatfield)
A Few Other Stories We Loved
'It’s kind of forgotten about': Tiffany Hayes' Plan to Bring Elite Basketball to South Atlanta (by Bailey Johnson)
Fast, Competitive, and On the Rise: Inside the Women’s American Basketball Association (by Jenn Hatfield)
“Will I Ever Be Able to Play Basketball Again?: How Abby Dunkin and Bailey Moody went from almost losing the game they love to playing for Team USA (by Calvin Wetzel)
Jacki Gemelos: The Star Who Never Got to Shine (by Clay Kallam)
Other Great Stories From This Year
I Want My Damn Respect, Too by Cynthia Cooper-Dyke for The Players’ Tribune
Raphael Warnock called support from WNBA players a ‘turning point’ in his Senate campaign in Georgia. And it isn’t stopping for the January runoff. by Jamal Collier for the Chicago Tribune
Inside WNBA legend Maya Moore’s extraordinary quest for justice by Katie Barnes for ESPN
Maya Moore and Jonathan Irons: More Than A Love Story by Dave Zirin for The Nation
Your Silence is a Knee On My Neck by Natasha Cloud for The Players’ Tribune
Black Women in the WNBA Fought for More Money and Better Quality of Life — And Won by Tamryn Spruill for ZORA
Watch the WNBA pay tribute to Alyssa Altobelli, Gianna Bryant, and Payton Chester as honorary WNBA draft picks in 2020 (story by Graham Hayes for ESPN)
Need to catch up on what happened in women’s basketball this week? Here’s my recommended reading for the last few days:
Duke Blue Devils end women's basketball season amid coronavirus concerns (first reported by the Associated Press) by ESPN
Howard Megdal made 5 fearless WNBA predictions for 2021 for The Step Back.
Which are the best unbeaten Power 5 teams? by Mechelle Voepel for ESPN
21 assistant coaches ready to lead their own programs in 2021 and beyond by Chantel Jennings for The Athletic ($)
Before You Go
New WNBA baby alert!! Congratulations to Layshia and Jessica Clarendon on the birth of their first-born child!
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.