No Offseason: The Athletic Women's Basketball Show

In this NCAA regular season wrap up episode, the whole crew is back together. Zena, Ben, Sabreena and Chantel sit down to discuss their picks for national player of the year, freshman of the year and coach of the year – talking through the ins and outs of their selections and why certain players didn't quite make the list. Plus: why coach of the year is probably the toughest award to hand out. -Fo...

Zena and Chantel chat with the Vanderbilt duo about navigating the ups and downs of a season, Blakes' 55-point record-setting game this season and how the pair plan to build Vanderbilt. Plus, Ralph — who played with Diana Taurasi at UConn — shares her favorite memories of Taurasi (spoiler: it involves locking Taurasi in a bathroom). -Follow Zena on X: @itszenakeita -Follow Chantel on X: @chantelje...

It finally happened. On Tuesday, Phoenix Mercury star Diana Taurasi announced her retirement from the WNBA after 20 seasons. Ben and Chantel react to the news, and reflect on various aspects of Taurasi's legacy. They tell some of their favorite Taurasi stories from her UConn, Mercury and Team USA days and share what separates her from others in the sport. Then, they briefly touch on what's next fo...

Heading into the final week of the regular season, Zena, Sabreena and Ben discuss which WNBA Draft prospects they have their eyes on. They discuss which players have moved up draft boards this college season, which players have fallen and who's stock could improve the most during postseason play. -Follow Zena on X: @itszenakeita -Follow Ben on X: @benpickman -Follow Sabreena on X: @sabreenajm __ N...

Sabreena and Chantel sit down with UConn head coach Geno Auriemma. They discuss how much the women's basketball landscape has changed in the 40 years since he arrived in Storrs, how building a program is different than maintaining a program (and what he misses about that building process), how freshmen players have become more adaptable to the college game and which of his pre-NIL players would've...

Zena, Sabreena and Chantel look back at a week that changed both the AP top-6 and their own perceptions of the women's basketball landscape. They discuss UCLA's first loss of the season, UConn finally looking like a title contender against a quality opponent, South Carolina's rough loss at home and how Texas' win over LSU pushed the Longhorns to the No. 2 overall spot in the AP. In a year that has...

Taking a quick break from leading the No. 2 Fighting Irish, Miles and Westbeld stop by the pod to share stories from this season, their individual injury recoveries and their beloved cat, Bean. Then Zena does a "love letter to the bigs" where she discusses a few players around the NCAA that have been exciting to watch. Finally, Ben breaks down the Unrivaled 1-on-1 tournament ahead of the finals, w...

In a season that has maybe more contenders than ever, Ben, Zena and Chantel take a look at the three programs — UConn, Tennessee and Stanford — that have most shaped women's college basketball and are in unique positions this season. They examine how each program impacted the sport, where they stand in the national landscape this year and what to expect from them moving forward. Then, they ponder...

Zena and Sabreena chat with Cal head coach Charmin Smith and fifth-year senior Marta Suárez about the surprising success of the Golden Bears in their first year in the ACC and the culture that this eclectic group has developed in Berkeley. Then, Chantel and Sabreena dive into some other teams that have exceeded expectations in 2024-25, with a heavy dose of SEC programs. Finally, Ben gives a quick...

Bracketology with Mark Schindler is back on The Athletic and he talks to Zena about his process in preparing for the big dance. They cover everything from what the NCAA selection committee is looking for in seeding teams to his predicted number 1 seeds to dark horses he thinks could cause waves in this year’s tournament. Listen here and read more on his Bracketology series live on The Athletic sit...

Zena and Ben take a brief detour from college and professional women's basketball for a special edition of the show. They are joined by Las Vegas Aces star A'ja Wilson and Ben Nethongkome, the senior footwear designer for Nike Basketball, to go behind the scenes of how Wilson's signature sneaker came to life. -Follow Zena on X: @itszenakeita -Follow Ben on X: @benpickman __ No Offseason is a part...

Zena, Ben, and Sabreena run through the biggest surprises of WNBA free agency as well as what moves will be most impactful, and share some unreported details from the offseason thus far. Then, Ben and Sabreena chat with Sabrina Ionescu about being a free-agency spectator and the atmosphere at Unrivaled.  -Follow Zena on X: @itszenakeita -Follow Ben on X: @benpickman -Follow Sabreena on X: @sabreen...

In this special episode of The Athletic Women's Basketball Show, Chantel Jennings brings you the story of Notre Dame freshman forward Kate Koval. Kate grew up in Ukraine, and moved to the US, solo, at age 15 to pursue her dreams of basketball stardom. Less than a year after she arrived, though, Kate's world was upended again, when her home country was invaded by Russia, rending her family apart in...

Zena, Sabreena and Chantel discuss what they learned from both teams in No. 2 South Carolina's win over No. 5 LSU, and what they expect moving forward. Then, taking a cue from the Gamecocks' Joyce Edwards, they analyze the nation's top freshmen this season who have not only impressed but helped raise their teams' ceilings. -Follow Zena on X: @itszenakeita -Follow Chantel on X: @chanteljennings -Fo...

The first domino of the WNBA offseason has fallen as Kelsey Plum and Jewell Loyd are on the move as part of a three-team blockbuster trade between the Aces, Storm and Sparks. In this emergency podcast, Zena and Ben discuss why and how this three-team deal came together and break down the implications of the reported agreement for each team, as well as what the trade could mean for other free agenc...

Connecticut Sun head coach Rachid Meziane joins Zena, Ben and Sabreena to discuss his path from coaching in France to being in the WNBA. They discuss his coaching philosophies, impressions from a past WNBA training camp visit, and what his hiring could mean for international players and coaches. -Follow Zena on X: @itszenakeita -Follow Ben on X: @benpickman -Follow Chantel on X: @chanteljennings -...

First, Zena and Ben share all their impressions from the debut weekend of Unrivaled. Ben was in the arena and provides all the sights and sounds. They discuss the atmosphere, style of play, business dealings and future of the league. Then, Sabreena and Chantel dive into what was a big week for women's college hoops financials. Dawn Staley became the highest-paid coach in the sport, units are final...

In anticipation of Unrivaled tipping off its inaugural season, Ben and Sabreena connect with two of the league's stakeholders, Chelsea Gray and Luke Cooper, to talk about how Unrivaled came together. Chelsea shares the process of being recruited by co-founders Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier and why this league is important for WNBA veterans. As the president of basketball operations, Luke ex...

UCLA, South Carolina, USC and Notre Dame certainly look the part of Final Four-worthy teams. So, Zena, Sabreena and Chantel take a look outside of the AP top-four teams to four other groups and ponder: Final Four contender ... or not? They discuss what LSU, Maryland, Kansas State and Texas have to do to get into that upper echelon or what might ultimately hold them back from getting to Tampa this...

Sabreena and Ben are joined by recently-hired Dallas Wings head coach Chris Koclanes. They discuss Chris' journey from working as a financial advisor in New York City to getting into women's basketball. He shares the advice he received from Curt Miller and Lindsay Gottlieb, how his older sister Belle provided mentorship as a fellow coach, how he hopes to shape the Wings' future as and even discuss...

Will Paige Bueckers turn pro? Will Tennessee make the Elite Eight? Will new super teams emerge in college hoops? Zena, Sabreena and Chantel each make bold predictions for 2025 around women's basketball business, March Madness and the changing landscape of the sport -Follow Zena on X: @itszenakeita -Follow Chantel on X: @chanteljennings -Follow Sabreena on X: @sabreenajm __ No Offseason is a part o...

Celebrate the end of 2024 with a look back at the best of this year in women's basketball. Zena, Sabreena, Chantel, and Ben reflect on the best games they saw, their most memorable reporting experiences, the players that brought them the most joy, and all the other moments that stand out from a record-breaking year.  -Follow Zena on X: @itszenakeita -Follow Ben on X: @benpickman -Follow Chantel on...

It’s a holiday mailbag episode! The full crew of Ben, Chantel, Sabreena, and Zena answers your questions about what to expect for the rest of the NCAA season, the WNBA offseason, Unrivaled, and more. -Follow Zena on X: @itszenakeita -Follow Ben on X: @benpickman -Follow Chantel on X: @chanteljennings -Follow Sabreena on X: @sabreenajm __ No Offseason is a part of The Athletic Podcast Network Email...

Zena and Sabreena welcome Annemarie Farrell to the podcast to dive into the world of women's sports trading cards. Annemarie, who runs the women's sport card Instagram account "women on Topps", introduces us to the trading card community and how to get involved as a collector. She also details the history of women's basketball cards and explains the recent boom in the industry, including how Caitl...

With conference play underway, Zena, Chantel, and Sabreena break down what to expect in the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, and SEC. They give their favorites to win each conference, which other teams could spoil the party, and players and trends they're keeping an eye on. -Follow Zena on X: @itszenakeita -Follow Chantel on X: @chanteljennings -Follow Sabreena on X: @sabreenajm __ No Offseason is a part of...