Editor’s Note: To close out the year, we are recognizing our best stories of 2022. This is the sixth in that series, originally published on Aug. 5. The other stories feature the NWSL’s journey to a historic CBA, Naomi Girma’s rise to stardom, the Indiana Fever’s new era, the rebirth of Indiana basketball and Kelsey Plum’s untold story.

Brittney Griner has been detained in Russia for 169 days. On the 168th day, the WNBA star was convicted of drug smuggling charges by a Russian court and sentenced to nine years in a penal colony.

Many from throughout the world of sports have been vocal about her wrongful detention — including WNBA players as well as many coaches. One notable figure, though, has remained silent.

LSU women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey, who coached Griner at Baylor, has not issued a public statement on her former player’s plight. During Griner’s time at Baylor from 2009-13, she helped the team to an undefeated season and a national championship, one of three Mulkey won during her 21-season tenure at the school.

Just Women’s Sports reached out to the LSU athletic department Thursday for comment from Mulkey on Griner’s conviction, but no statement was provided as of Friday. An athletic department spokesperson said he would reach out if Mulkey does release a statement.

While Griner’s college coach has not issued a statement, her alma mater has spoken out in support of the former Bears standout.

Baylor women’s basketball issued the following statement when Just Women’s Sports reached out for comment on Griner’s conviction: “With the unsettling news of the verdict and sentencing of Brittney Griner, we continue to pray for her ongoing strength and safety throughout her detainment. We recognize the extraordinary complexity of this situation, yet we remain hopeful of the day she will again set foot on U.S. ground.”

Baylor University put out a statement back in March when news of Griner’s detainment first became public, calling the news of Griner’s detainment “alarming.”

“Our thoughts and prayers are with BG and her family,” the statement read. “Right now, our foremost concern is for her safety and well being during this difficult time in Russia and her eventual safe return to the United States.”

In July, the Baylor athletic department released a video in support of Griner, saying that the Baylor family “stands with Brittney” and that “it’s time to bring her home.”

Current Baylor coach Nicki Collen, who took over after Mulkey left for LSU in 2021, spoke out Thursday, writing on Twitter: “Prayers for BG’s safety and a plan to bring her home soon! I didn’t get the chance to coach BG but I got to coach against her, see her heart for her others up close, and I coach every single day at a place that she helped make great.”

Prayers for BG’s safety and a plan to bring her home soon! I didn’t get the chance to coach BG but I got to coach against her, see her heart for her others up close, and I coach every single day at a place that she helped make great. 💛💚🧡💜 #WeAreBG https://t.co/Inv6C1Zak3

— Nicki Collen (@NickiCollen) August 5, 2022

Other collegiate head coaches have voiced their support. South Carolina’s Dawn Staley has tweeted about Griner nearly every day since the news broke of her detainment.

“We will not stop advocating for [your] release,” Staley tweeted Thursday in the wake of Griner’s conviction. “Hold on to God unchanging hand. We love you, BG!”

In December 2021, ESPN’s Mechelle Voepel wrote about a falling out between Griner and Mulkey that occurred back in 2013, after Griner told reporters that she was encouraged to keep quiet about her sexuality while at Baylor. While Griner said her comments were not directed toward Mulkey in particular, the comments still led to a rift in their relationship.

While Mulkey told ESPN last December that she “will always be grateful for what Griner did at the school,” the two were not in contact at the time of Voepel’s article.

Former Minnesota men’s basketball player Kendal Shell turned to Twitter to call out Mulkey’s silence on Griner’s detention.

“Kim Mulkey being silent while one of her own goes through this is very telling,” wrote Shell. “BG went to war for her and that Baylor program everyday. Too many coaches that only care about what you can do for them on the court but could care less about you as a human off the court.”

Kim Mulkey being silent while one of her own goes through this is very telling. BG went to war for her and that Baylor program everyday. Too many coaches that only care about what you can do for them on the court but could care less about you as a human off the court.

— Kendal Shell 🏁 (@KendalShell) August 4, 2022

WNBA player Angel McCoughtry hit back at Shell, writing: “Let’s not do this! First of all. You don’t know how people deal with things. Maybe she’s in her prayer closet in silence. So let’s not judge before you know what’s going on.”

As McCoughtry points out, Mulkey could be lending her support to her former player in private, though the coach does maintain an active social media presence.

Regardless, Mulkey’s continued public silence about Griner’s detention in Russia is growing louder by the day.

Zimbabwean swimming legend Kirsty Coventry made history on Thursday, when she became both the first woman and first African ever elected president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

At 41-years-old, Coventry will also be the youngest president in the organization's 131-year history and the 10th individual to ever hold the office.

"As an nine-year-old girl, I never thought I would be standing up here one day getting to give back to this incredible movement of ours," the five-time Olympian said in her remarks.

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An extensive Olympic resume, in and out of the pool

The Auburn University grad and seven-time Olympic medal-winner — including back-to-back golds in the 200-meter backstroke at the 2004 Athens and 2008 Beijing Games — retired from competition after the 2016 Rio Olympics.

At that time, Coventry was already three years into her IOC membership, after initially joining as part of the governing body's Athletes' Commission. She joined the Executive Committee in 2023.

"I will make all of you very, very proud and hopefully extremely confident in the decision you have taken," Coventry said to her fellow members in her acceptance speech. "Now we have got some work together."

That work that awaits Coventry in her eight-year mandate will include navigating the 2028 LA Games and selecting a host for the 2036 Summer Games.

Her first Olympic Games at the helm, however, will be the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, giving her less than a year to prepare before the Opening Ceremony kicks off.

Coventry to continue IOC efforts to promote gender equity

Coventry will have a few months to adjust before assuming her new office on June 23rd, when she will succeed her mentor, 71-year-old Thomas Bach.

Bach will have served the IOC's maximum 12-year tenure in the role when he steps down, having led the governing body to stage the first-ever Olympic Games with equal numbers of women and men competing — a mark captured at the 2024 Summer Games in Paris.

With gender equity as a driving force in his leadership, Bach also increased the number women serving as both IOC members and in the organization's leadership roles, with women comprising seven of the body's 15-person executive board.

Coventry is one of those seven women, and Bach specifically hand-picked her as his successor.

The legacy she inherits isn't lost on Coventry, both in the efforts of Bach and in the women who paved the way — perhaps none more directly than IOC member Anita DeFrantz, a 1976 Olympic bronze medal-winning rower for Team USA and the only other woman to ever run for IOC president.

Recognizing the election's historic significance, 72-year-old DeFrantz overcame significant health issues to travel to Greece in order to vote for Coventry — with her ballot securing the exact number of votes Coventry needed to win.

"I was really proud that I could make her proud," an emotional Coventry said.

The NCAA is leveling the playing field, with Women’s March Madness teams in line to receive their first-ever prize payouts based on tournament performance — a mechanism the men’s tournament has enjoyed since 1991.

Sparked by 2021's landmark NCAA gender equity review, the NCAA will distribute a total of approximately $15 million to individual conferences based on how many games their teams play, with each March Madness performance "unit" worth about $113,000.

This year's inaugural $15 million purse represents 26% of the competition's $65 million media rights valuation — putting it proportionally on par with the percentage allocated to the men's fund.

That overall prize pool will jump to $20 million in 2026 and $25 million in 2027, before switching to a successive 2.9% increase per year.

"We are all playing in the same March Madness," said UNC Greensboro head coach Trina Patterson, whose No. 16-seed Spartans will face No. 1-seed USC in the first round on Saturday. "The treatment for the men and women should be equal. We get a unit!"

March Madness teams get additional NCAA tournament perks

While the performance payouts are new this year, women's March Madness teams also receive perks like charter flights throughout the tournament, which can make all the difference for smaller programs eyeing an upset.

"Everyone is so excited about the experience. Going from the bus directly to the plane, everyone was so happy," March Madness debutante William & Mary head coach Erin Dickerson Davis told ESPN ahead of her No. 16-seed team’s First Four victory on Thursday.

Columbia junior Perri Page, whose No. 11-seed Lions defeated Washington in their own First Four matchup on Thursday, echoed Davis' sentiment, saying, "It was cool going to the charter, and we've been taking it all in."

"We've been enjoying the whole season," the forward added, noting "It's great we can make money for the school now."

"It should have always been that way. Women's basketball has been fighting for equality for a very long time," said Davis. "I've been in this business for many, many years. I played college basketball. It's a long time coming."

"You got to start somewhere, and I think we've been so far behind," added Columbia head coach Megan Griffith.

"This is more like the whipped cream. I think the cherry on top is going to keep coming — but it's really good so far."

Less than two months before the season tips off on May 16th, the WNBA dropped its full 2025 national broadcast slate on Thursday, rewarding last year’s most in-demand teams with a significant uptick in screen time.

Fueled by the fan fervor around 2024 Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark, the Indiana Fever will see a league-record 41 of their 44 regular-season games aired nationally this season.

That tally includes all five Fever matchups against regional rival Chicago, after the pair's June 23rd game averaged 2.3 million viewers — becoming the most-watched game of the 2024 regular season.

Just behind Indiana in earning significant national broadcast coverage are two-time WNBA champs Las Vegas, who will see 33 of their games aired across the country. As for the reigning champions New York Liberty, they trail the Aces by just one game, with 32 of their 2025 season games garnering national attention.

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Record WNBA ratings spur big broadcast moves

Thanks to 2024’s monster ratings, big-name networks are increasingly recognizing the WNBA as a profitable summer product, with broadcasters expanding their coverage as the league prepares for its 11-year, $2.2 billion media rights contract to kick in next year.

With the 2025 WNBA season expanding from 40 to 44 games per team, ION is leading all broadcasters with 50 regular-season games, with ABC/ESPN, CBS Sports, NBA TV, and Amazon Prime all taking a piece of the pro women's basketball league's pie.

Broadcasters are also moving games off of their sports-specific networks and onto flagship cable channels, with a record 13 matchups — a full half of Disney Networks' 26 regular-season games — set to air on ABC, including the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game.

The league will also see its first-ever regular-season games earn primetime broadcast TV slots, with CBS Sports elevating two of its 20 games — the June 7th and August 9th battles between the Chicago Sky and the Indiana Fever — to its flagship network, CBS.

As the WNBA shoots for an even more impactful 2025 season, broadcasters are helping to boost the charge, offering increased access to the league’s brightest stars and biggest games.

The NCAA tournament tips off in earnest with the bracket's 64-team first round on Friday, as eager March Madness fans look beyond the chalk to eye the competition's underdogs after a rollercoaster 2024/25 basketball season.

Early upsets aren’t exactly the norm in the women’s tournament. Only one lower seed won their first-round matchup in 2024, and no team below a No. 3 seed has ever gone the distance, but in a season of increased parity, a few lower-rated squads are rounding into underdog form.

Breaking down potential March Madness bracket-busters

For potential March Madness upset instigators, late-season momentum late season momentum is the name of the game — a dangerous factor in any single-elimination tournament.

Even without superstar grad Caitlin Clark, No. 6-seed Iowa capped their regular season on a high before narrowly losing to No. 4-seed Ohio State in the Big Ten tournament's quarterfinals. Should they advance past No. 11-seed Murray State in their first-round Saturday matchup, the Hawkeyes are poised to give No. 3-seed Oklahoma a run for their money in the second round on Monday.

Entering as a No. 10-seed, Ivy League tournament champs Harvard will have their hands full against No. 7-seed Michigan State on Saturday, but Crimson senior Harmoni Turner and her season-average 22.5 points per game could tilt the scales in Harvard's favor.

After edging out first-round opponent No. 11-seed Iowa State, No. 6-seed Michigan is playing like an upset contender. Now a potential second-round matchup against No. 3-seed Notre Dame — fresh off a recent losing skid — awaits the young squad. 

With the brackets locked and the teams loaded, the prospects of twists and turns make the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament especially exciting — even if this year’s frontrunners appear destined for Tampa.

How to watch Women's March Madness games this weekend

The Big Dance officially begins at 11:30 AM ET on Friday, when No. 11 Iowa State tips off against No. 6 Michigan on ESPN2.

Saturday's slate will complete the 2024/25 NCAA tournament's first round, with No. 6 Iowa beginning their Madness run against No. 11 Murray State at 12 PM ET on ESPN.

No. 10 Harvard will start dancing a few hours later, with the Crimson facing No. 7 Michigan State at 4:30 PM ET on ESPNews.

All games in the 2025 March Madness tournament will have live coverage across ESPN networks.