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Who are the UConn Huskies without Paige Bueckers?

Olivia Nelson-Ododa, Mir McLean, Christyn Williams and Caroline Ducharme will all get more playing time and responsibilities in Bueckers’ absence. (Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Shortly after Paige Bueckers went down with a non-contact injury in the final minute of UConn’s Dec. 5 home game against Notre Dame while leading by 18 points, Geno Auriemma told reporters Bueckers was still in the game partly because “she’s a pain in the ass to have on the bench because all she does is complain about why she’s not playing.” But he also admitted, “I don’t like our team without her on the court.”

One week and two Bueckers-less games later, an ugly loss followed by an uplifting win, we’ve gotten a glimpse of who UConn is without their star player. The Huskies’ 57-44 loss to Georgia Tech was the first time since 2006 that a UConn squad had scored fewer than 45 points in a game and the first time since 2012 that they’d lost to an unranked opponent. It also dropped UConn to No. 7 in the AP poll this week, their lowest ranking since 2007.

After the loss, Auriemma told the media, “We’re disorganized as a group right now, from the coaching on down, everybody. There’s just no sense of [having] a plan of how we’re going to execute, how we’re going to get a bucket, who’s going to get it for us.”

Auriemma and his staff are no doubt hoping this marks their low point of the season, especially now that they are down to eight active players after two entered the transfer portal and Azzi Fudd, Nika Mühl and Aubrey Griffin are out with their own respective injuries. All four injured players are expected to make full recoveries this season, with Bueckers’ return timeline being the longest. The sophomore is expected to miss eight weeks as she recovers from a successful surgery to repair an anterior tibial plateau fracture and a lateral meniscus tear.

The diminished squad followed up the Georgia Tech loss with a much-needed confidence boost when they beat UCLA 71-61 last Saturday. But their biggest challenges are on the horizon, the first of which comes Sunday against No. 6 Louisville’s strong defensive squad.

“I think the biggest thing that’s an issue is consistency. Just because we see them put it together at the end of the UCLA game, they’re going to have to try to do that coming off an exam week against a better team in Louisville,” says Alexa Philippou, who covers the program around the clock for Connecticut’s Hartford Courant.

With three other top-ten matchups on the calendar before Bueckers is expected back, the Huskies’ response to this identity crisis will be put to the test repeatedly. Here’s what we know so far about who UConn is without the reigning National Player of the Year.

Senior safety net

Evina Westbrook, Christyn Williams and Olivia Nelson-Ododa are the reason there hasn’t been a complete implosion upon losing Bueckers. They are all senior starters who have played top-tier college ball without Bueckers before. Yes, they all need to step up their on-court performance, but the fact this trio of senior leadership is in place is saving the Huskies from complete disaster.

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Senior Evina Westbrook has been tasked with filling the point guard role in Bueckers' absence. (John Jones/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Westbrook, a redshirt senior who played her first two seasons at Tennessee, will take over as offensive facilitator while Bueckers and back-up point guard Mühl are both out. It was clear from the start of the Georgia Tech game that Westbrook is ready and able to fill this role; she notched five assists and committed just one turnover when they went to the locker room tied at the half. And against UCLA, the 6-foot Oregonian who played point guard until transferring to UConn, tallied another seven assists along with 17 points and one turnover for the game.

“She’s always been a good facilitator even if she wasn’t the primary point guard on this team,” says Philippou. “I thought she looked so much more aggressive in trying to look for her own shot and to get to the rim against UCLA. That’s why she was able to single-handedly keep UConn in the game early. She can’t just facilitate in that role. She’s going to have to put some of the offensive scoring load on her shoulders and she did that really well against UCLA.”

It was when Westbrook took a more passive approach in ball management in the second half against Georgia Tech that UConn’s offense was at its worst, scoring only four points in the paint and shooting 21.4 percent from the field.

Part of that responsibility lies with Williams. There’s no doubt the team’s second-leading scorer behind Bueckers feels enormous pressure to get the ball in the hoop for her team, but so far that pressure is causing her to force it instead of waiting for the cracks to reveal themselves. And with her elite ability to get to the rim, hit the mid-range jumper or pull-up outside the arc, the guard can exploit even the tiniest opening.

Since arriving in Storrs as the nation’s top recruit in 2018, Williams has played in every single game but one and started in all but two. After scoring 13 points on 31.6 percent shooting, and going only 1-for-8 from 3 with four turnovers against Georgia Tech, Williams had a similar stat line versus UCLA. The difference in the win was she hit two of her three 3-point attempts, a good sign that her decision-making might be recovering from the heightened pressure.

“Historically, Christyn has gone through these ruts, these highs and lows of confidence. We saw that her sophomore year, we saw that her junior year,” Philippou recalls. “I think what was most notable about the UCLA game was that she found a way to get herself back into it in the second half, which maybe a younger Christyn Williams wouldn’t have done. Maybe she would have shut down all game.”

It won’t be surprising if the player with the biggest production increase in Bueckers’ absence isn’t a guard at all, but instead Nelson-Ododa, UConn’s senior center. After a quiet start to the season, Nelson-Ododa has shifted into a higher gear in terms of initiative and confidence on the offensive end of the court. She averaged just 4.25 shot attempts in UConn’s first four games this season, but is now averaging nine over their last four matchups, resulting in double-digit scoring in all four contests. Against UCLA, she was just two rebounds shy of a third double-double in a row. Her near 60 percent shooting percentage is the highest on the team.

“I don’t think Olivia Nelson-Ododa is a player who is going to be putting up Aaliyah Boston-esque numbers on a daily basis, especially against the best teams,” says Philippou. “But I think starting in that South Carolina game, we did see a different player than we saw most of last season even. She just played with an intensity and a focus, really a tenacity, that hasn’t always been part of her game.”

Youngsters who could benefit

If UConn’s season had gone according to plan, freshmen like Caroline Ducharme and Amari DeBerry would have been fighting for scraps of minutes on the floor. Now, with a significantly reduced roster, these youngsters, especially 2021 fifth overall recruit Ducharme, will get much more playing time.

The learning curve will be steep, as evidenced by Ducharme’s performance against Georgia Tech, where she missed a couple of easy buckets to go 1-for-5 from the field with three turnovers. But instead of working through those mistakes gradually over the course of the season, her development will be fast-tracked. Against UCLA she improved to 30.8 percent shooting with 14 points, two assists, two blocks, a steal and only one turnover. She also hit all four of her free throws on a night when the rest of her team was just 50 percent from the line.

“Caroline Ducharme, pretty much guaranteed, would not have been playing this much if all these injuries hadn’t happened,” Philippou says. “She’s looked better and better, and in this last game in particular, she finally looked like that player that Geno’s been saying he’s had in practice.”

The other freshman Philippou thinks could gain from these unfortunate circumstances is 2021 top overall recruit Azzi Fudd, who’s expected to return from a foot injury shortly after the holidays. After all the hype surrounding Bueckers and Fudd’s on-court chemistry, it seems counterintuitive to imagine Bueckers’ absence as somehow boosting Fudd’s game. But recalling the freshman’s four-game start to the season, Philippou notes, “She was just too hesitant. I think she was overthinking things. It seemed like she was a little bit of a perfectionist and she didn’t want to make a mistake. But she’s going to be asked to take on a bigger role with Paige out … They’re going to be asking her to be more aggressive on offense and if she can get that going, then maybe that puts her on a faster track than before.”

After Auriemma raised the alarm bells, he even sounded optimistic after the UCLA game that UConn could come through this better prepared for a deep tournament run than they were before.

“Now when Paige and the rest of our players do come back, there’s more people in the party instead of outside hoping to get in, and feel like they belong here and can contribute not just when they have to, but they’ll be able to contribute as part of the natural flow of our offense,” the coach said.

With only a two-game sample size since Bueckers went down and a forthcoming stream of other injured players to reintegrate with the team, UConn’s identity will be a new puzzle to solve each week. But if the Huskies can keep the rest of their roster healthy, they have the senior leadership necessary to keep them afloat on the scoreboard and in the locker room and the underclassmen who can exploit this opportunity for the betterment of the team in the long run.

The next step in UConn’s journey begins against Louisville on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Tessa Nichols is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports.

USC’s McKenzie Forbes: From Gap Year to the NCAA Tournament

As part of our 1-v-1 video series, USC’s India Otto sat down to interview her teammate McKenzie Forbes. 

Here are five things to know from our conversation with the graduate transfer from Folsom, California.

#1 Inspired by USC’s Head Coach, Lindsay Gottlieb, McKenzie wants to be a basketball coach or work in the front office in the future.

When weighing in on what makes a good coach, McKenzie said x’s and o’s are important but “Coaching is a lot of relationship managing and people managing. I think you have to be a good people person and be able to build those relationships, but also in that same breath, you can’t be afraid to have people dislike you in moments. I think that’s a big part of leadership.”

#2 McKenzie says the trajectory of her career changed when she made the decision to transfer from Cal to Harvard.

 In order to transfer, she was forced to take a gap year and spend a lot of time in the gym. “I completely transformed my body and, going into the Harvard season, felt like I was a completely different player. Going to Harvard and playing in a more mid-major conference, I had the ball in my hands a lot more than I might have if I transferred to another Power 5. It really developed other parts of my game.”

#3 How does McKenzie think USC will do in the Women’s College Basketball Tournament?

“I’m not going to give a typical interview answer. I want a Final Four. We have that potential and capability. Like why not? Why not us? I think we have all the pieces.”

#4 Her older brother, Marcus, was her biggest mentor growing up.

“He was basically my trainer from Elementary school on until he went to college.”

#5 Fun facts about Forbes:

She can juggle and she was the quarterback of her Pop Warner football team. “I was slow but I could throw it!”

Watch the full conversation on the Just Women’s Sports YouTube channel.

Christen Press back training with Angel City FC

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 15: Christen Press #23 of Angel City FC waves to fans following a game between the Portland Thorns and Angel City FC at BMO Stadium on October 15, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Katharine Lotze/Getty Images)

Christen Press continues to inch her way back to a return, having returned to training with her club team Angel City. 

Angel City FC coach Becki Tweed said on Wednesday that Press is back with the team full-time as she continues to make her way back from an ACL injury. While she’s still working on rehab, her being back with the team gives staff a better picture of her progress. 

"Christen [Press] is back with us full time which is amazing,” she said. “Having her in and around the team every day, continuing to work hard on rehab ... she's in a space where being in with the team is really important to her and her progression as well.”

The status update comes days after Press posted videos to social media that featured her doing lateral movement in cleats on grass. 

“Look out world she’s on the move !” Press captioned it. 

Press has been sidelined with an ACL injury since 2022, which caused her to miss the 2023 World Cup. She’s since had four separate surgeries to help repair her ACL.

Press told The Athletic a month ago that she’s been “relentless” in her optimism with her recovery despite it being a “slow process.”

“I have a bit of relentless optimism,” she told The Athletic. “I never, ever doubted that I would make it back on any of the timelines I’ve been on."

"Every single time I’ve heard, ‘You have to have surgery,’ I’m completely shocked,” she said. “When somebody asks me how it’s going, I’m like, ‘It’s going great. And it was going great every time. So I don’t know what to tell you anymore!’”

Sophia Smith re-signs with Portland on record deal

(Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports)

Sophia Smith is now the NWSL’s highest-paid player. 

The Portland Thorns announced on Wednesday that they have signed Smith to a new contract through the 2025 season, with an option for 2026. While the terms of the deal were not disclosed, the team did reveal that Smith is now the highest-paid player in the league on an annual basis.

It’s the latest in what has been a series of record-breaking contracts in the NWSL offseason. 

Chicago Red Stars forward Mallory Swanson, Bay FC forward Racheal Kundananji, and Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda all signed multi-year deals worth between $2 million and $2.5 million in total. While Smith’s contract is shorter and not worth as much over the long-term, the annual worth is higher. 

“We are over the moon to have Soph commit again to the Thorns. She is a proven, world-class talent and one that we are excited to have contribute to the team’s continued success,” said head coach Mike Norris in a statement. “We look forward to working with her in a Thorns jersey as she continues to shine as one of the top strikers in the world.”

In just four seasons in the NWSL, Smith has led the Thorns to five trophies – including the 2022 NWSL championship – while winning league and championship MVP in 2022. In 61 appearances with Portland, she has 34 goals – including a brace to start this season against Kansas City. 

She’s also a member of the USWNT, having scored 16 goals in 44 international appearances.  Set to become a free agent at the end of this season, she told ESPN she “thought of all the options” but ultimately Portland felt like the right decision.

"There is no place like Portland," Smith said in a small roundtable interview that included ESPN. "I don't believe there's an environment like Portland to play in and it's a city that's so special to me and a city that I feel like I've grown up in almost and become who I am."

She also told ESPN that the team’s new ownership “changes everything.” The club is now led by the Bhathal family, who bought the club after Merritt Paulson was forced to sell it following his part in the NWSL’s abuse scandal. 

"Since I've been here there has been a lot of things going on with this club -- a lot of not-great things going on with this club -- and I have just been waiting for some stability and some reassurance that this club is headed in the right direction, and the Bhathal family coming in is doing exactly that, if not more,” Smith said. 

"Their vision for this club is so exciting, and you can just tell how passionate they are about making this what it should be and continuing to push the standard in women's soccer globally.”

Caitlin Clark offered $5 million to compete in Ice Cube’s league

IOWA CITY, IOWA- MARCH 25: Guard Caitlin Clark #22 of the Iowa Hawkeyes celebrates as time runs out in the second half against the West Virginia Mountaineers during their second round match-up in the 2024 NCAA Division 1 Women's Basketball Championship at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on March 25, 2024 in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images)

Caitlin Clark has been offered $5 million to play in Ice Cube's Big3 league, he confirmed on social media Wednesday after the offer leaked.

"We intended the offer to remain private while Caitlin Clark plays for the championship," Ice Cube wrote on social media. "But I won't deny what's now already out there: BIG3 made a historic offer to Caitlin Clark. Why wouldn't we? Caitlin is a generational athlete who can achieve tremendous success in the BIG3."

While there has yet to be a women's player in the league, both Nancy Lieberman and Lisa Leslie have been part of the league as coaches and won championships.

"The skeptics laughed when we made Nancy Lieberman the first female coach of a men's pro team, and she won the championship in her first year," Ice Cube continued. "Then Lisa Leslie won it all in year two. With our offer, Caitlin Clark can make history and break down even more barriers for women athletes."

Ice Cube, whose name is O’Shea Jackson, says that the offer was made with the intention that Clark be able to compete in the WNBA “offseason.” Clark is largely expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA draft in April. But it’s unclear how the scheduling of the two leagues would work. 

The 2024 Big3 season is set to tip off on June 15, with 10 games spanning through mid-August. The WNBA regular season, meanwhile, begins on May 14 and ends on Sept. 19.

On “The Pat McAfee Show” on Wednesday, Jackson said that the league has yet to hear back from Clark. 

“We just need an answer, as soon as they are ready to give it to us,” he said. “It’s always 50-50 till we get a no. At the end of the day, it’s a generous offer.”

The offer – as well as the confusion on Jackson’s part about the timing of the WNBA season – caused some current WNBA players to react. 

"It's funny cause I be seeing his son at W games.. they don't talk?" wrote former No. 1 pick Rhyne Howard

"So no other women's basketball player has came to mind in the last 7 years?" wrote Lexie Brown, adding that she'd support if Ice Cube wanted to build a women's iteration of the league. She later discussed it on the Gils Arena Show, noting that his reasoning of wanting to “uplift and support WNBA players and women athletes” is a “cop out.”

Kalani Brown, meanwhile, told Clark to "take that money" and start a women's Big3.

WNBA salaries has been a talking point in recent months as more collegiate stars declare for the league. WNBA stars have often made more money playing abroad than they have in the WNBA. Clark is expected to be the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft on April 15, with a rookie salary of $76,535 for lottery draft picks (Nos. 1-4) that rises to $97,582 by her fourth season. But she also has an NIL valuation of almost $3.5 million.

Diana Taurasi famously skipped the 2015 WNBA season at the request of her Russian club, who paid her more to sit out than she would have made in the W. Her contract with the club was reportedly near $1.5 million per year.

Jackson also seemed to suggest that his league could be an alternative to going abroad

“America’s women athletes should not be forced to spend their off seasons playing in often dismal and dubious foreign countries just to make ends meet,” he wrote. Although it’s unclear whether or not the rapper intends to make offers to additional WNBA players. 

While the league does hold prioritization rules in its CBA, those typically apply only to players playing in overseas leagues. It’s unclear whether or not that would prevent Clark’s participation in the Big3 league.

WNBA players that don’t want to go overseas currently have the option of playing in Athletes Unlimited, which competes in the WNBA offseason.

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