In her 15-year coaching career at South Carolina, Dawn Staley has won two NCAA championships, reached four Final Fours and taken her place as one of the top coaches in the game.

And last season, as the Gamecocks journeyed to their second title, Staley also became a style icon.

The 52-year old coach’s fashion started conversations throughout the season, especially in contrast with the more traditional outfits coaches wear as they patrol the sidelines. Her wardrobe featured a Burberry hoodie, a black leather jacket and footwear to make any sneakerhead jealous.

She cemented her status during the national championship game as she patrolled the sidelines in a green letterman-style Louis Vuitton jacket and a matching pair of shoes.

Every time South Carolina plays, viewers pay attention to what Staley wears. And in the first two games of the 2022-23 season, the coach used her wardrobe to make a statement.

Both of her outfits centered around Brittney Griner, the Phoenix Mercury star who has been wrongfully imprisoned in Russia since February.

Against Eastern Tennessee State on Nov. 7, Staley sported a sweatshirt with Griner’s face on the front and her jersey number on the back. And when her team took on Maryland on Nov. 11, in a much-anticipated contest televised on ESPN2, Staley wore a shirt that read “Phree BG” in the style of the Phoenix Mercury logo, with Griner’s No. 42 on the front.

In regard to her BG-inspired clothing, Staley told Just Women’s Sports via the team’s communications department that “there is no formal plan to do something every game.” Rather, it’s “all a game-time decision.”

Still, whether it’s through her wardrobe or her words, Staley continues to make statements about Griner in an effort to bring her home.

“I think about her every day,” Staley told reporters after her team’s win over Maryland. “I hope she doesn’t lose hope … We have to be her hope.”

Since Griner was arrested at a Russian airport for carrying a small amount of hashish oil in her bag, Staley has been at the forefront of the movement to keep Griner’s name in conversation.

Staley’s Instagram and Twitter accounts are full of daily photos of her orange “Free BG” pin, the black block letters standing out against the bright background.

She accompanies the photos with the number of days Griner has been detained – 273 as of Thursday – as well as a message of love and support for Griner and the hashtags #FreeBrittneyGriner and #WeAreBG.

Staley told Insider in October that she speaks about Griner so frequently because “BG is an incredible person with a big old heart.”

The two have a personal relationship that makes her detainment even more difficult for Staley to stomach. She coached Griner and Team USA to the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

More than that, though, Staley believes in always doing the right thing, a way of living her mother instilled in her long ago.

“I’m my mother’s child,” she told Just Women’s Sports in June. “I grew up in a disciplined household, and I watched my mother be the example of doing the right thing. And the right thing isn’t always popular, but the right thing is the right thing.”

Among the basketball community, Staley’s support of Griner is met with positive reactions, but when she puts those views out into the world – and out onto the internet – there is always some negativity. She doesn’t care.

“We have to give a voice to the voiceless,” she said.

And right now, Griner is voiceless. The 32-year-old is serving a nine-year sentence in a Russian penal colony in the town of Yavas, 310 miles from Moscow.

Within the sphere of women’s basketball Griner has received an outpouring of support. Her teammates and friends in the WNBA continue to push her name forward, through social media, interviews, clothing and photos.

Friend and teammate Skylar Diggins-Smith wore an outfit dedicated to Griner during All-Star weekend, and the court where the game took place featured her initials. The players also came out in the second half of the All-Star game wearing No. 42 jerseys with Griner’s name on the back.

Now, college teams are following the WNBA’s lead.

Baylor, the program Griner led to a national title in 2012, is wearing patches on their jerseys with her initials, the number 42 and a heart to show their love and support for the WNBA star.

Baylor coach Nicki Collen and the Bears program have been vocal in their support of Griner, even as Griner’s former Baylor coach and current LSU coach Kim Mulkey has remained silent.

“BG’s family. She’s Baylor family,” Collen said in September. “To me, anything we can do to help her and her family is important.”

𝟒𝐱 Defensive Player of the Year
𝟑𝐱 Big 12 Player of the Year
𝟐𝐱 Naismith Trophy Recipient
𝟏𝐱 NCAA Champion

BG left her mark with @BaylorWBB. This season they'll honor one of the greatest Lady Bears of all time with this patch. pic.twitter.com/6RaRG9pHn9

— Phoenix Mercury (@PhoenixMercury) November 8, 2022

Stanford held a moment of silence for Griner before its opening game of the season, and the Cardinal plan to wear patches for her as well – they’ve been ordered but have yet to arrive.

Activism has long been a part of women’s basketball, as players constantly speak about causes that are important to them, from the Black Lives Matter movement to LBGTQ+ rights, among others. For many of those athletes and coaches, speaking up is second nature.

“We are tireless when it comes to doing things the right way and speaking up for all the right reasons,” Staley said of the women’s basketball community.

And right now, they are tireless in their fight for Griner and her freedom. That fight comes in many forms: through words, through actions, and sometimes through wardrobes. And for Staley, it’s all of the above.

Star LSU guard Flau'jae Johnson knows exactly what she'd get head coach Kim Mulkey for Christmas.

"Blue crabs," she told Just Women's Sports in November, days before DICK'S Sporting Goods declared her Greatest Wrapper in the Game, a promotion touting the college senior's own wrapping paper line and online video series. "Me and her, we like to eat blue crab."

Ranked No. 5 in the AP Top 25 Women's College Basketball Poll, LSU is never far from the Final Four conversation. But Johnson — who's increasingly brought a personal touch to her leadership role on the Tigers — has ambitions that extend far beyond finishing out her collegiate career on top.

Already an NCAA champion with eyes on next year's WNBA draft, the 22-year-old dynamic guard  has cemented her legacy as a multi-talent. She's a decorated musician and rapper, an interdisciplinary studies major with a minor in sports administration, and a menace on the court with a motor that never quits. 

"I gotta be me first," she said — and that's the secret to her success.

As LSU's leading scorer, Flau'jae Johnson is off to the races

Johnson knows that the Tigers' nonconference schedule rarely features marquee matchups. 

"We don't play nobody in our nonconference schedule," she said. "From December on out, that's when it gets really [exciting]." 

Mulkey often schedules a slow start for the team, gradually building towards peak form once LSU enters SEC play in January.

That hasn't stopped the Tigers from showing the country what they're capable of this season. They've scored more than 100 points through all eight matchups so far, setting a new NCAA record for consecutive 100+ point games. 

Johnson's progress has featured heavily in every blowout win. She leads the team in points, assists, and three-point percentage per game. But she sees her greatest growth in the intangibles.

Flau'jae Johnson steps up as LSU coach Kim Mulkey's right hand

A self-described loner, Johnson strived to connect with new teammates throughout her four years in Baton Rouge. It's an especially important task as part of an LSU team that thrives through the transfer portal. 

The Tigers won the NCAA championship in 2023 — Johnson's freshman year — led by transfer forward Angel Reese, who was then joined the following year by high-profile transfers Hailey Van Lith and Aneesah Morrow. This season, former South Carolina Gamecock MiLaysia Fulwiley has entered the mix, with Johnson quickly creating chemistry. 

"Ballers just want to ball, like hoopers just want to hoop," she said. "You find different ways to bond and gel with teammates." 

When the accomplished hip hop artist's not in the groove working on music, she's trying to extend a hand to the team's freshest faces. "It's been a new job for me as a leader on the team," she said. "It's been easy though, because we just want to hoop."

Year-in, year-out, the Tigers' success relies on picking up instructions and learning schemes quickly, with Johnson — a player very comfortable with Mulkey's system — stepping up to take on the role of team liaison. 

"You've just got to read everybody, their emotions, how they're feeling, and you've just got to be there for everybody," she explained. "But that's not hard for me, because I'm an older sister."

Holiday trips and Secret Santas: Flau'jae Johnson's familial drive

Family is everything to Johnson. Being a college basketball star can make the holiday season tough, as the season runs straight through time she'd love to spend back home in Georgia. And with conference play on the horizon, she knows she has to stay focused on the court now more than ever.

"I kind of put that out of my mind, that I won't be with my family until I go pro, because it used to be hard on me seeing my little brothers go trick-or-treating and stuff without me," she reflected, noting how excited she was to use her own DICK'S wrapping paper to shower her family with gifts this year. 

Her favorite college holiday memory also involves her family, when her entire family traveled to the team's Thanksgiving tournament in the Bahamas. 

"My momma snuck food on the plane — literally the whole Thanksgiving, she cooked it and froze it and put it under the plane," she said, beaming. "And we had a smash Thanksgiving meal in freaking the Bahamas."

This year, Johnson's already looking forward to her team's annual Secret Santa exchange, while also planning to spend her limited time off this winter on a surprise family cabin trip to Colorado The world of NIL has opened up a whole new realm of possibilities for Johnson to spread her growing wealth, and she's taken to those opportunities with easy charm.

Setting sights on No. 1, from Baton Rouge to the WNBA

Far from settling for a decorated college run and lucrative personal brand, Johnson is also locked in on making a smooth transition to the WNBA. The calendar year for rising pros is a physical gauntlet, with the draft taking place just weeks after what LSU hopes will be a deep NCAA tournament campaign.

"I'm so ready to go pro," she said. "I really want to establish myself, to show I could be the number one pick in the draft. I feel like my talent level is there, but I've got to execute." 

"The W is fascinating," she added. "It's forever growing, and it's powerful women doing these things. So I'm just excited to be in that group."

Johnson has recently been focusing on her fitness, anticipating increased physicality at the pro level — while also aiming for balance. "They're not going to be swinging me around like I'm a little rag doll," she laughed. "[But] I feel like my mind is the most important part. I want to grow, I want to get better."

Of course, other than committing to winning at all levels, Johnson doesn't know exactly what her future holds. For now, she'll continue to make music, sharpen her game, and stay true to herself. As a player with so many gifts to give, the rest will come naturally.

Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) stocked up by adding 43 former NCAA and Olympic stars to its ranks on Monday night, with Talons utility player Maya Brady — niece of retired NFL legend Tom Brady — leading the charge as the No. 1 overall pick by the incoming Oklahoma City Spark in the league's expansion draft.

Starting the inaugural 2025 AUSL campaign on injured reserve, the former UCLA standout went on to feature in six games for the championship-winning Talons, registering one double, one home run, and five RBIs on the season.

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The now-six -team league absorbed the previously independent Spark as part of an initial expansion plan, acquiring the Oklahoma City-based squad with the intention of finding permanent homes for all AUSL teams in the near future.

Also joining the AUSL next year is new franchise Cascade, which snagged Volts pitcher and former University of Oklahoma ace Sam Landry as the No. 2 overall pick on Monday.

Though the four original teams protected five players each, the Spark and Cascade raided their rosters in the expansion draft, claiming stars like infielders Sydney Romero (Talons) and Jessi Warren (Volts) as well as pitchers Alana Vawter (Blaze) and Payton Gottshall (Volts) for their debut lineups.

Immediately following the expansion draft, all six teams took part in an allocation draft, selecting athletes from either the 2025 AUSL Reserve Pool or those previously competing outside the league.

Former Oklahoma and Oklahoma State pitcher Kelly Maxwell earned the top pick in the allocation draft, with the new Cascade player joined by other recent NCAA softball legends like former Sooners Kinzie Hansen, Jayda Coleman, and Jocelyn Alo, Florida State's Kat Sandercock and Sydney Sherrill, Washington's Sis Bates, and Clemson's Valerie Cagle.

US Soccer officially launched the Kang Women's Institute on Tuesday, creating a new platform dedicated to "advancing health, performance, and development for women and girls across the sport" funded by $55 million from multi-team owner Michele Kang.

"For far too long, women and girls have trained under systems and standards built for men, and the Kang Women's Institute is an essential first step in changing that," US Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone said in a federation statement. "By grounding our work in real research and evidence, we can finally give female players the support, care, and understanding they deserve.

"This is the beginning of a much larger effort, and Michele has helped us take a huge leap forward in reshaping the future of the women's game for generations to come."

After adding a $25 million investment last April to her original $30 million pledge to US Soccer in 2024, Kang is going all in on addressing the stark lack of sports medicine and exercise science research into women athletes — and female physiology at-large.

"This Institute will put female athletes at the center of US Soccer's scientific research and build the evidence, systems, and standards that will allow women and girls to reach their full potential," promised Kang.

The Institute also outlined its early initiatives in Tuesday's press release, with injury prevention and workload management, developmental best practices, and physical and mental player well-being headlining the projects.

"This is not just about closing a research gap," said Kang. "It's about creating a future where every player has the knowledge, care, and opportunity to thrive."

The PWHL is rapidly looking to ramp up expansion, with EVP of business operations Amy Scheer saying this week that the third-year pro hockey league could welcome "two to four" new teams as soon as next year.

"If I was a betting woman, I'd say it'd be four teams. And then I think we'll hold at 12 for a bit," she told CNBC Sport, noting the league's immediate success with 2025/26 expansion sides the Vancouver Goldeneyes and the Seattle Torrent — the latter of which shattered the US women's hockey attendance record in their Friday home opener.

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Accordingly, the PWHL will continue testing possible new markets using the league's historically packed Takeover Tour, with this season's 11-city route expanding to feature seven new host venues.

"What does the support of women's sports look like there?" Scheer said, outlining the league's criteria for assessing potential markets. "If there's an NHL team, what does that look like? Or from the building, is there government support there? How does it impact travel? So there's a lot of factors."

As for the league's notably speedy expansion pace, Scheer told Front Office Sports that the PWHL has "proven that time is overrated."

"The more our numbers grow, the more value we have as a league, the more value we have against our partnerships we sell, the more merchandise we sell," Scheer explained. "Those two things — growth and profitability — are not separate."