Chicago Sky star point guard Courtney Vandersloot is reportedly looking elsewhere after the Sky made her a “disrespectful offer,” according to ESPN’s Holly Rowe.

The news was later confirmed by Annie Costabile of the Sun-Times, who added that UMMC Ekaterinburg is pursuing the option of paying the star to sit out of the 2022 WNBA season.

A league source confirmed Holly Rowe's report. UMMC Ekaterinburg is pursuing the option of paying Sloot to sit out of the 2022 WNBA season. https://t.co/HBTlR3gsUP

— Annie Costabile (@AnnieCostabile) February 1, 2022

Vandersloot is an unrestricted free agent this offseason after helping the Chicago Sky to the 2021 WNBA Championship – the franchise’s first.

She was a key factor in the Sky’s final run, posting just the second triple-double in WNBA Playoff history in the Sky’s semifinal series against the Connecticut Sun. With 18 assists, she also set a new single-game playoff assists record, passing Sue Bird.

During the regular season, Vandersloot averaged 10.5 points, 8.6 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game.

Vandersloot has been a member of the Sky since 2011 when she was drafted third overall by the team. A three-time All-Star, she has been the WNBA assists leader six times, including each of the past four seasons. She has also been the WNBA’s peak performer five times.

The Chicago Sky have been active this offseason, placing the core designation on and later signing 2021 Finals MVP Kahleah Copper to a multi-year deal. They have also added 2019 Finals MVP Emma Meesseman to the lineup. But free agent Stef Dolson opted to sign with the New York Liberty on a multi-year contract.

Vandersloot’s wife and teammate, Allie Quigley, is also a free agent this offseason.

Two years after her breakout NCAA tournament performance as a freshman, No. 10 Iowa State center Audi Crooks has become an unstoppable force for the Cyclones as they look to better their first-round exit from last year's postseason.

The junior is leading the nation in scoring with a career-high 27.3 points per game, all while smashing her own Iowa State single-game scoring record with a 47-point performance against Indiana on November 30th.

"These scoring records are really team records, especially for me as a post," Crooks told the Des Moines Register after the Cyclones' 106-95 win over the Hoosiers. "I don't bring the ball up. Somebody else does that and I don't pass the ball in the paint. Somebody else does that."

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Crooks, who will turn 21 years old this Saturday, continued her scoring pace with a 30-point game against Northern Illinois on Sunday — registered in only 19 minutes of playing time during the 105-52 blowout win.

Her efficiency has been on full display in the young 2025/26 NCAA season, with Crooks currently sitting first in field goal percentage at 73.8% while averaging only 25.3 minutes of playing time per game.

"It's always fun to watch her cook. When you get the ball to her hands and it's going in, it's Audi-matic,"  said Iowa State guard Reagan Wilson following Sunday's victory.

How to watch Crooks and Iowa State in action this week

Crooks and the No. 10 Cyclones will take on their season's biggest test yet on Wednesday, when they'll host in-state rival No. 12 Iowa.

The two unbeaten programs will clash at 7 PM ET, airing live on ESPN.

No. 1 UConn honored one of the NCAA basketball program's legends on Sunday, hanging up the No. 10 jersey of Hall of Fame guard Sue Bird in a retirement ceremony prior to the Huskies' dominant 102-35 victory over DePaul — their ninth win of the 2025/26 season.

A two-time NCAA champion, Bird is now one of only three UConn women's basketball players with a number in the rafters, joining Rebecca Lobo and Swin Cash — and soon-to-be Maya Moore.

"This is home," said Bird. "This is where it started. So to see what we are about to see, my number up in the rafters next to these other legends, it's an incredible, incredible honor. Hard to put into words."

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"The amazing thing about [Cash, Lobo, Bird, and Moore] was the incredible amount of success they had after they left here," said UConn head coach Geno Auriemma during Sunday's jersey retirement ceremony. "That as great as their accomplishments were here, what they've done since they left has been nothing short of incredible."

Bird became UConn's first-ever No. 1 WNBA draft pick in 2002, with the floor general winning four titles with the Seattle Storm plus five Olympic gold medals as part of Team USA before retiring in 2022.

How to watch No. 1 UConn in action this week

After honoring their past superstar, the reigning national champions are now looking to the future, with No. 1 UConn gearing up for a ranked matchup against No. 16 USC on Saturday.

The clash between the Huskies and the Trojans will tip off at 5:30 PM ET, with live coverage airing on FOX.

Despite a few shocking upsets in the early rounds of the 2025 NCAA soccer tournament, the ACC has retained its status as the conference to beat, with the powerhouse sending three teams to this season's College Cup semifinals on Friday.

With two tickets to Monday's national championship match on the line, four-time title-winners and No. 3-seed Florida State will take on College Cup debutants TCU in Friday's first semi, with the No. 2 Horned Frogs booking their semifinals spot by ousting fellow SEC standout No. 1 Vanderbilt 2-1 last Saturday.

The nightcap, on the other hand, will be an all-ACC affair, as No. 2 Duke continues their hunt for a first-ever national title against the tournament's overall No. 1 seed, Stanford.

The three-time NCAA champ Cardinal has been unstoppable, outscoring their opponents 21-5 across the tournament's first four rounds to set up a season-first matchup with the Blue Devils.

The 2025 College Cup will take place for the first time at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City, home of the NWSL's Kansas City Current.

How to watch the 2025 College Cup semifinals

Friday's 2025 College Cup semifinals will begin with No. 2 TCU vs. No. 3 Florida State at 6 PM ET, with No. 1 Stanford's clash against No. 2 Duke kicking off at 8:45 PM ET.

Both semifinals — plus Monday's 7PM ET championship match — will air live on ESPNU.

Playa Society is honoring the 25th anniversary of the classic sports film "Love & Basketball" this week, with the popular women's basketball outfitter dropping a capsule collection entitled "First Quarter: Ball Better Than You" — an homage to one of the film's iconic quotes.

"This is a love story, about our love for 'Love & Basketball,'" notes Playa Society about the collection. "Our love for [lead character] Monica, who served as the first representation of an unapologetic female athlete in film. Our love for [writer and director] Gina Prince-Bythewood for her persistence in delivering culture and truth. And our love for the energy of it all that inspired Playa Society to fill in the gaps for women in sports."

"I am so humbled by the enduring impact of the film on both ballers and non-athletes, who are inspired by characters who believe in themselves enough to fight for an impossible dream," Prince-Bythewood said of the project.

With New York Liberty teammates and girlfriends Natasha Cloud and Izzy Harrison serving as models, the "First Quarter" collection includes T-shirts, hoodies, and more.

This week's drop is just the first in the works between Prince-Bythewood and Playa Society founder Esther Wallace, with the LA Sentinel describing their collaboration as "blending nostalgia, culture, and women's sports in a way that honors the film while pushing the narrative forward."

How to purchase from Playa Society's "Love & Basketball" collection

All items from the "First Quarter" collection are now available in limited quantities at PlayaSociety.com.