Stanford commit Lauren Betts named WBCA Player of Year
Lauren Betts, the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2022, on Tuesday was named the Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Association (WBCA) Player of the Year.
The 6-foot-7 center and Stanford commit punctuated her high school career by leading Grandview High School (Aurora, Colo.) to a 5A state championship win. Betts scored 13 points in the team’s 52-40 win over Valor Christian (Highlands Ranch) on March 12 and averaged 17.2 points, 11 rebounds, 3.6. blocks and 3.5 assists per game for the season.
— Stanford Women’s Basketball (@StanfordWBB) May 10, 2022
Betts’ crowning comes after Sidwell Friends (D.C.) guard Kiki Rice, a UCLA commit, claimed multiple National Player of the Year awards, including JWS’ inaugural honor.
Rice was named to the WBCA Coaches’ All-American team, along with Betts and eight more national standouts. Find the complete list below:
Janiah Barker, Montverde Academy (Fla.), 6-3, F, Texas A&M
Raegan Beers, Valor Christian (Colo.), 6-2, P, Oregon State
Lauren Betts, Grandview (Colo.), 6-7, C, Stanford
Isuneh Brady, Cathedral Catholic (Calif.), 6-3, P, UConn
Timea Gardiner, Fremont (Utah), 6-3, F, Oregon State Chance Gray, Winton Woods (Ohio), 5-9, PG, Oregon Maya Nnaji, Hopkins (Minn.), 6-4, F, Arizona Ayanna Patterson, Homestead (Ind.), 6-2, W, UConn
Justine Pissott, Red Bank Catholic (N.J.), 6-2, W, Tennessee
Kiki Rice, Sidwell Friends (D.C.), 5-11, PG, UCLA
Josh Needelman is the High School Sports Editor at Just Women’s Sports. Follow him on Twitter @JoshNeedelman.
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Sam Kerr Acquitted of Harassment Charges in London Trial
Chelsea FC star Sam Kerr was found not guilty of racially harassing a London police officer on Tuesday. A Kingston Crown Court jury acquitted the striker of all charges after four hours of deliberation.
The 31-year-old Australia national was tried for allegedly causing "racially aggravated harassment, alarm, or distress" to PC Stephen Lovell. The allegations followed a heated January 2023 dispute between a local taxi driver and Kerr and her fiancée, USWNT star Kristie Mewis.
Kerr, who identifies as Anglo-Indian, did not deny calling the officer "stupid and white." Instead, she argued that the police treated her differently due to her skin color. Kerr called her words a "poorly" expressed comment on the officer's "power and privilege."
After the verdict, Kerr released her own statement on social media. "I can finally put this challenging period behind me," she wrote.
"While I apologise for expressing myself poorly on what was a traumatic evening, I have always maintained that I did not intend to insult or harm anyone and I am thankful that the jury unanimously agreed."
"I would like to thank my partner Kristie, my family, friends and all the fans for their love and support, especially those who attended court each day."
Kerr looks ahead with harassment trial now in the rearview
Kerr spent the last year recovering from a January 2024 ACL tear. However, she recently re-signed with the London club after originally joining the WSL frontrunners in 2019.
The prolific goalscorer is on track to return to the pitch for both club and country in approximately two months. While this leaves her out of selection for the upcoming 2025 SheBelieves Cup, Kerr could rejoin in time for Australia's April friendlies against South Korea.
This morning, The Athletic reported that Kerr left the proceedings surrounded by family. As she exited, she flashed a "friendly smile" and told the court officer she "hoped to never see them again."
JWS Staff
Feb 11, 2025
UConn Skids, Notre Dame Soars in Latest AP Poll Top 25 NCAA Basketball Rankings
A recent string of Top 10 upsets made its mark on Monday's updated AP Top 25 Poll, as undefeated No. 1 UCLA continues holding court above the shifting chaos.
Notre Dame rose to No. 2 for the first time since 2019, buoyed by strong performances against Stanford and then-No. 21 Cal last week.
Climbing to No. 3 was Texas, who claimed the boost by ending South Carolina's multi-year SEC unbeaten streak on Sunday. As a result, the defending champion Gamecocks fell from No. 2 to No. 4.
On the other hand, No. 15 Tennessee is on the upswing, as last Thursday's upset win over UConn lifted the Vols four spots while sending the Huskies skidding from No. 5 to No. 7.
No. 20 Oklahoma State achieved the week's biggest win, however, as Saturday's 85-55 blowout victory over then-No. 12 Kansas Sate gave the Cowgirls a five-spot boost.
Teams jockey for AP Poll positions as March Madness looms
While a jump in the rankings certainly provides bragging rights, it also impacts both conference and NCAA tournament seeding as the regular season winds down.
ESPN's Bracketology currently has UCLA, South Carolina, Notre Dame, and Texas taking the NCAA tournament's four No. 1 seeds. Notably, two of those teams — the Bruins and the Longhorns — are rookies in their respective conferences, showcasing significant dominance fresh out of the realignment gate.
Meanwhile, other major players like LSU, USC, and UConn still have time to pad their resumes en route to their conference showdowns, which will tip off in early March.
1. UCLA (23-0, Big Ten) 2. Notre Dame (21-2, ACC) 3. Texas (24-2, SEC) 4. South Carolina (22-2, SEC) 5. LSU (25-1, SEC) 6. USC (21-2, Big Ten) 7. UConn (22-3, Big East) 8. Kentucky (19-3, SEC) 9. Ohio State (20-3, Big Ten) 10. NC State (19-4, ACC) 11. TCU (22-3, Big 12) 12. North Carolina (21-4, ACC) 13. Duke (19-5, ACC) 14. Kansas State (22-3, Big 12) 15. Tennessee (17-6, SEC) 16. Oklahoma (18-6, SEC) 17. Maryland (19-5, Big Ten) 18. West Virginia (19-4, Big 12) 19. Georgia Tech (20-4, ACC) 20. Oklahoma State (19-4, Big 12) 21. Alabama (20-5, SEC) 22. Michigan State (18-5, Big Ten) 23. Florida State (19-5, ACC) 24. Creighton (20-4, Big East) 25. Baylor (20-5, Big 12)
JWS Staff
Feb 11, 2025
Napheesa Collier Talks the Future of Unrivaled on ‘Sports Are Fun!’ with Kelley O’Hara
Welcome to another episode of Sports Are Fun! presented by TurboTax.
The second episode of Sports Are Fun! dropped today, with soccer icon Kelley O'Hara, sports journalist Greydy Diaz, and JWS intern BJ professing their hottest takes all things women's sports — joined this week by WNBA superstar and Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball co-founder Napheesa Collier.
"It felt like everyone is making money off of women's sports except for the women in the sports," Collier said, reflecting on developing the offseason league's profit-sharing business model.
"And so, we offer the highest average team salary in women's sports, and we're giving equity to everyone who's playing."
In addition to chatting with Collier about all things Unrivaled, the crew also gets into even more WNBA offseason moves, Midge Purce's return to Gotham, Hope Solo's TST team, South Carolina and UConn's upcoming NCAA battle, and so much more.
Collier gives 'Sports Are Fun!' the inside scoop on Unrivaled
Guest star Napheesa Collier takes the group on a deep dive into offseason league Unrivaled. She talks through everything from dealing with injuries and living with teammates 24/7 to handling a business and going head-to-head in this week's 1v1 tournament.
"I mean, we're all in in one place, right? Our locker rooms are all in one hallway, we share food spaces, training spaces like cold tubs, saunas — all communal areas except for locker rooms." Collier says, describing the league's Miami campus. "It's really fun to see that behind-the-scenes stuff happening in real time."
"I have my own room, which is unlike what happened in college," she continues with a laugh. "I would compare it more to the Wubble, except, you know, we have free will this time around. But the the close proximity I actually really like — I think it's really fun. I think it's super convenient, just having everyone in one space. Cutting back on travel also is so, so nice."
Of course, the future is bright for the first-year league. For its second season, Unrivaled is planning to take the show on the road, dropping into cities around the country to give fans a front-row seat to the 3×3 action.
"We are planning to do on-the-road games where we go to a city for a night and we basically play in a full arena and then we make it a whole event for the fans," Collier says, detailing Unrivaled's plans for a takeover tour similar to what the PWHL is currently staging around North America. "Definitely not all the games — just a couple. You can hit markets that aren't necessarily cities where you can bring [regular-season] basketball."
About 'Sports Are Fun!' with Kelley O'Hara
'Sports Are Fun!' is a show that’ll remind you why you fell in love with women's sports in the first place. Join World Cup champ, Olympic gold medalist, and aspiring barista Kelley O'Hara as she sits down with sports journalist Greydy Diaz and a revolving cast of co-hosts and friends. Together, they're talking the biggest, funnest, and most need-to-know stories in the world of women’s sports.
From on-court drama to off-field shenanigans, to candid (and silly) chats with the most important personalities in the space, this show screams "Sports Are Fun!"
Unrivaled 1v1 Tournament Busts Brackets in First-Round Blowouts
Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball launched its inaugural 1v1 tournament on Monday night, with a slate of first-round upsets already busting a few brackets.
The evening's biggest twist came courtesy of Unrivaled co-founder and No. 1 seed Breanna Stewart's matchup against No. 8 seed Aaliyah Edwards, with Edwards earning a marquee victory by shutting out her Mist teammate 12-0 in less than two minutes of gameplay.
Due to a spat of injuries affecting the 1v1 contest, a lone second-round bye emerged in the bracket just beyond the Stewart-Edwards matchup. Consequently, Monday's victory punched Edwards's ticket all the way into the tournament's quarterfinal round.
"Tough night for me but shoutout to my Mistie @AaliyahEdwards_!!! Keep that thing going and go get that bag 💰!!" Stewart posted in support after her loss.
Also claiming a massive upset win on Monday was the Lunar Owls' Shakira Austin, who ousted Rose BC's Chelsea "Point Gawd" Gray with a dominant 12-2 scoreline.
The significant margins of victory across the 1v1 contest are in large part due to the tournament's "make-it, take-it" rule.
In a break from traditional 5×5 play and Unrivaled's 3×3 format, the unique 1v1 rule rewards scoring with both points on the board as well as continued ball possession. Therefore, athletes can string together long scoring stretches as long as they don't relinquish the ball.
Lunar Owls show out as 15 players remain in 1v1 tournament
With a $350,000 total purse on the line, intensity on the Unrivaled court ramped up in the head-to-head competition.
Putting the first round behind them, 15 players remain in the running for the $200,000 first-place prize.
Notably, all five Lunar Owls players who entered the 1v1 competition — Unrivaled co-founder Napheesa Collier, Skylar Diggins-Smith, Allisha Gray, Courtney Williams, and the aforementioned Austin — survived Monday's bouts.
This gives the squad, who also leads the 3×3 league as the only remaining undefeated team, the best shot at claiming the $10,000-per-teammate payout should one of them win the 1v1 title.
How to watch Tuesday's Unrivaled 1v1 tournament
Tuesday's session includes both the second round and quarterfinals of the 1v1 competition.
The action tips off with a blockbuster 7 PM ET battle between Rose BC's Kahleah Copper and the Lunar Owls' Allisha Gray.