Cameron Brink revealed her fiancé took an unconventional approach to getting her attention at Stanford this week, with the WNBA and Unrivaled Basketball star saying Ben Felton sent her an email instead of sliding into her DMs.

Felton, who competed on Stanford's rowing team, apparently made his move via a straightforward email.

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"Hey Cameron, Wanted to chat you up but I think dms are a bit creepy. Not that an email is much better so here's my number," Felton wrote.

The strategy worked, as Brink and Felton began dating in March 2021.

Felton later proposed in September 2024 at the Shangri-La Paris Hotel in France, surprising Brink with the engagement after she attended a Balenciaga show during Paris Fashion Week.

Brink helped lead Stanford to two national championship games during her four-year college career, establishing herself as one of college basketball's premier players before going pro at the 2024 WNBA Draft. Brink now plays for the LA Sparks and Unrivaled Basketball's Breeze BC.

The couple plans to marry at Stanford's Memorial Church on campus, with Brink telling People Magazine she hopes to exchange vows at the location where their relationship began.

Felton's approach proved more effective than a typical DM, as Brink's large following made standing out difficult. However, the email introduction caught her attention and sparked a lasting relationship.

The couple's Stanford connection remains central to their love story.

USA Basketball dropped its 18-player December roster on Monday, selecting both standout vets and fresh faces for the national team's final training camp of 2025.

Taking place at Duke University from December 12th until the 14th, five 2024 Paris Olympic gold medalists — Kahleah Copper, Chelsea Gray, Brittney Griner, Kelsey Plum, and Jackie Young — will anchor the Team USA lineup.

Notably, a full 10 players will join the senior team for the first time next month, as young WNBA superstars like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Paige Bueckers, and Cameron Brink earn their first call-ups.

A pair of NCAA stars will also attend the December camp, with the national governing body tapping both UCLA senior center Lauren Betts and USC junior guard JuJu Watkins on the roster — though Watkins will not participate in on-court activities as she continues to rehab an ACL tear.

Along with the full camp roster, USA Basketball also dropped its December sideline leaders, with current WNBA head coaches Nate Tibbetts (Phoenix Mercury), Natalie Nakase (Golden State Valkyries), and Stephanie White (Indiana Fever) comprising the assistant coaching staff for the previously announced senior national team head coach Kara Lawson.

December's camp is the team's first step toward the World Cup qualifiers in March, when the US will compete despite having already qualified for the 2026 FIBA World Cup by winning the 2025 FIBA AmeriCup in July.

Overall, the clock starts now for USA women's basketball managing director Sue Bird, who is in charge of cultivating the best team for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

The USA Basketball December Training Camp Roster

The LA Sparks are hitting their stride, riding an 8-2 record into a Tuesday night home matchup against the reigning WNBA champion New York Liberty.

Despite falling to the No. 7 Golden State Valkyries over the weekend, LA's recent run has lifted the Sparks to No. 9 in the WNBA standings, with four of their last five wins coming against teams above the playoff line — including a 101-99 victory over No. 2 New York on July 26th.

"That's just learning how to win," Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts said on Sunday. "The worst thing you can do is fear losing."

Bolstered by 2024 No. 2 overall draftee Cameron Brink's return from injury, a Tuesday win could launch the Sparks into postseason positioning — but they'll have to top a motivated Liberty side looking to avenge their Sunday home loss to the No. 1 Minnesota Lynx.

"I think the most important part is when it gets hard for us, tough for us, we don't really stay together, and I think we have to do a better job," New York guard Marine Johannes told reporters.

The Liberty will take the court without veteran star forward Breanna Stewart, who is targeting an end-of-August return from a bone bruise in her right knee.

How to watch the LA Sparks vs. New York Liberty on Tuesday

The No. 9 Sparks will tip off against the visiting No. 2 Liberty at 10 PM ET on Tuesday, with live coverage on NBA TV.

The No. 6 Seattle Storm continue to lose ground, sliding down the WNBA standings after falling to No. 1 Minnesota 91-87 on Tuesday night — even as injured Lynx star Napheesa Collier watched from the sidelines.

Sitting as high as No. 4 this season, the Storm are now on a three-game losing streak, despite a string of very narrow score lines.

"We know those deposits are going to pay dividends coming up, but yeah, I think this group needs to feel a win," Seattle Storm head coach Noelle Quinn said after Sunday's 78-74 loss to the No. 5 Indiana Fever.

While Seattle is skidding, another West Coast team is on the rise, as the No. 9 LA Sparks recorded their seventh win in eight games on Tuesday, snapping Indiana's five-game winning streak with a 100-91 LA victory.

The win lifted the Sparks over the No. 10 Washington Mystics in the standings.

Forward Rickea Jackson and guard Kelsey Plum combined for 50 points to book the win, while newly returned forward Cameron Brink tied her career-high with five registered blocks on the night.

Ultimately, while some teams are struggling, others are surging toward the postseason, leaving the lottery-likely to decide whether to throw their weight behind a playoff push or shift their focus to next year.

The No. 9 Golden State Valkyries emerged as the WNBA's big winners on Tuesday night, with the 2025 expansion side shaking off a tough Sunday loss to the last-place Connecticut Sun with a 77-75 win over the No. 5 Atlanta Dream.

Golden State forward Cecilia Zandalasini scored a team-leading 18 points off the bench — including the game-winner — as Golden State built up a 30-point third quarter to narrowly hang onto the lead.

"We were talking about resilience, so it felt really good, especially on the road," starting guard Tiffany Hayes said after the win.

While Golden State secured momentum with the upset win, Tuesday's result wasn't quite enough to catapult the Valkyries over the postseason cutoff line.

Both the No. 7 Las Vegas Aces and the No. 8 Washington Mystics held fast to their playoff positions with Tuesday victories over No. 10 LA and No. 12 Chicago, respectively — denying both the Sparks and the Sky any headway in pushing out of their current lottery slots.

LA did see some upside in forward Cam Brink's return from injury, with the 2024 No. 2 draft pick contributing five points and three rebounds in her limited 14-minute performance.

With such parity, any WNBA team — including Golden State — can make a run up the 2025 table, so long as the squads at the top cede any ground.

Second-year LA Sparks forward Cameron Brink is gearing up to make her long-awaited return on Tuesday night, stepping back on the WNBA court after missing more than a year of action due to a June 2024 ACL tear.

Brink's return couldn't come at a better time for LA, as the Sparks continue to take serious aim at a postseason run after rattling off five wins in a row.

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The 2024 No. 2 overall draftee will likely be on a minutes restriction as she works her way back into full-game fitness, with the Sparks easing her in during their Tuesday matchup against Las Vegas.

"It means the world," Brink told the Long Beach Press Telegram about her WNBA return earlier this week. "I'm just very excited, very humbled by this experience. It's no easy thing to come back from."

Brink's comeback will close out a trio of WNBA games on Tuesday:

• No. 9 Golden State Valkyries vs. No. 4 Atlanta Dream, 7:30 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): After a hot start, the Valkyries slid into a free-fall, leaving Golden State hoping to improve on their 2-6 July record against a gelling Dream side.

• No. 12 Chicago Sky vs. No. 8 Washington Mystics, 7:30 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): The young Mystics are currently clinging onto the final playoff spot, with a chance to push ahead against the injury-riddled Sky.

• No. 7 Las Vegas Aces vs. No. 10 Los Angeles Sparks, 10 PM ET (NBA TV): The Sparks are the shiniest team in the WNBA right now, but they'll have their work cut out against an Aces team desperate to bust out of the mid-table doldrums.

As the fight for survival takes over the 2025 WNBA standings, the No. 10 LA Sparks are eyeing a spot above the postseason cutoff line — but the path to the Top 8 is anything but clear-cut.

With 2024 No. 2 draft pick Cameron Brink nearing a return from last year's ACL tear, the Sparks enter Thursday's clash with the long-suffering No. 13 Connecticut Sun on a three-game winning streak, giving the young squad a distinct edge.

However, LA's 9-14 record exposes their inconsistencies, having dropped two games to the No. 11 Chicago Sky in late June before turning things around ahead of the All-Star break.

The Sparks have a long way to go before playoff contention, but Thursday's lopsided matchup presents an opportunity to keep building:

• No. 10 LA Sparks vs. No. 13 Connecticut Sun, 7 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): LA tries to make it four in a row while the Sun hunt their fourth win of the season.

• No. 6 Las Vegas Aces vs. No. 7 Indiana Fever, 7 PM ET (Prime): An injured Caitlin Clark will once again ride the bench for this tight showdown, with the Fever able to retake sixth place should they snap the Aces' three-game winning streak.

• No. 4 Seattle Storm vs. No. 11 Chicago Sky, 8:30 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): Seattle attempts to bounce back from Tuesday's upset loss to the No. 12 Dallas Wings, while an up-and-down Chicago looks to stir up momentum for a second-half push.

Only eight teams will earn spots in the 2025 WNBA postseason and, while there's plenty of games left to play, the time to make moves is now.

Tuesday's WNBA tilts feature a season-first clash between two young pro cores, as the No. 11 LA Sparks host the No. 7 Washington Mystics in the teams' last tilt before the 2025 All-Star break.

While Washington is a consistent presence above the playoff line in this season's standings — thanks in large part to the Mystics' two All-Star rookies, Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen — LA is still finding their way.

Led by champion veterans Kelsey Plum and Azurá Stevens, the Sparks' roster includes youthful talent like forward Rickea Jackson and rookie guard Sarah Ashlee Barker, with this month's return of guard Rae Burrell from injury also boosting the young LA lineup.

"She's just the energizer bunny," Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts said of Burrell. "She puts pressure on the defense. I feel like she's getting in a groove."

Even more, the Sparks are eyeing the return of their 2024 No. 2 overall draftee Cameron Brink, with the forward inching close to competitive play just over a year after an ACL tear ended her rookie campaign.

Currently sitting in a lottery position, LA will aim to dig out a win — and some much-needed midseason momentum — in their last game before the All-Star break:

• No. 7 Washington Mystics vs. No. 11 Los Angeles Sparks, Tuesday at 10 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): Fresh off a Sunday victory over the No. 13 Connecticut Sun, the Sparks will look to claim their first back-to-back home wins this season when they try to upend a Mystics side that's comfortable playing in the clutch.

• No. 6 Indiana Fever vs. No. 13 Connecticut Sun, Tuesday at 8 PM ET (ESPN): The Fever are on a roll, hoping to tack on a third-straight win as they eye a deep post-All-Star run.

While most WNBA stars hit the court running this weekend, a few saw their 2025 campaigns already shortened as teams released season-opening injury reports.

Phoenix forward Kahleah Copper will miss four to six weeks of play, the Mercury reported on Saturday, after the 2024 Olympic gold medalist underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on her left knee last week.

Another knee injury has LA's Rae Burrell sidelined for the next six to eight weeks, after the fourth-year guard took a knock to the right leg just 41 seconds into the Sparks' 2025 debut win over Golden State.

On Friday, the Mystics released updates on both second-year forward Aaliyah Edwards and rookie guard Georgia Amoore. While another assessment of the Unrivaled 1v1 runner-up's back injury will occur in two more weeks, Washington confirmed that the Australian standout will miss the entire 2025 WNBA season after undergoing a successful surgery to repair her right ACL.

Seattle's Katie Lou Samuelson is also out for the full 2025 campaign, with the 27-year-old Storm forward recovering from last week's successful surgery after tearing her right ACL in practice on May 1st.

Kitley makes long-awaited WNBA debut as Brink eyes return

In more uplifting news, LA's Cameron Brink is on track to return to the Sparks sometime next month, one year after her standout rookie season came to a halt in a left ACL tear.

Already celebrating, however, is 2024 second-round draftee Elizabeth Kitley, who battled back from injury to make her WNBA debut and score her first league points in Las Vegas's Saturday loss to New York.

The Aces took a draft chance on Kitley, despite the center suffering an ACL tear in her final NCAA postseason. In response, the former Virginia Tech star successfully translated her year-long delayed shot at a pro career by surviving Las Vegas's brutal 2025 roster cuts.

Notably, Kitley's close friend and collegiate on-court counterpart with the Hokies is the aforementioned Amoore, who will aim for a rookie-season redo of her own next year.

Former perennial contender Stanford basketball's 36-season NCAA tournament streak are likely over, as the unranked Cardinal fell out of the ACC tournament in the first round on Wednesday.

No. 14-seed Clemson delivered the 63-46 tournament-ending blow to No. 11-seed Stanford, who shot just 31.5% from the field to score their fewest points of the season.

"We’re not going to let this one game define us or who we are," said head coach Kate Paye. "We’re hopeful we get to continue to play, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to be here today."

March Madness chances dim with Stanford loss

While the NCAA basketball committee will have the final say on March 16th's Selection Sunday, the loss is a statistical death knell for Stanford's March Madness hopes, as the Cardinal drops to an underwhelming 16-14 record with Wednesday's loss.

Stanford has featured in every edition of the NCAA tournament since failing to advance in the 1986/87 season, racking up three national championships and 15 Final Four berths in that time.

The Cardinal holds the second-longest streak of appearances in the Big Dance, trailing only eight-time champion Tennessee, who have featured in every one of the NCAA's 42 tournaments.

The dramatic drop-off comes during a season of significant change for the Cardinal, who saw star Cameron Brink graduate into the WNBA, legendary head coach Tara VanDerveer retire after 38 seasons at the helm, and standout forward Kiki Iriafen transfer to USC last spring.

Even more, the dissolution of the Pac-12 had Stanford joining the ACC in last summer's conference realignment fray.

Rebuilds shape NCAA as top teams become 2024/25 underdogs

While the Cardinal experienced arguably the biggest upheaval since last season, they're far from the only top NCAA program enduring a rebuilding era.

After losing a handful of 2023/24 standouts, Stanford’s former Pac-12 foe Oregon State — who now competes in the West Coast Conference — faces slim national prospects after going unranked all season despite last year’s Elite Eight finish.

Similarly, back-to-back Final Four contenders Iowa also finds itself on shaky ground, taking the No. 11 seed in the steep Big Ten tournament as they strive to rebuild in the post-Caitlin Clark era.

All in all, the 2024/25 NCAA bracket will likely look a little different than in years past, as former March Madness shoo-ins struggle to find their footing amid graduating stars, heightened transfer portal activity, and conference realignment growing pains.

Iowa eyes bracket-busting March Madness run

Of all the rebuilding programs, Iowa is potentially the team most poised to make some noise during March Madness, with the Hawkeyes snagging some key ranked wins already this season — including last month’s upset of No. 2 USC.

With Clark’s alma mater aiming to bust brackets in the Big Dance, the Hawkeyes will use Wednesday's big 81-54 win over No. 14-seed Wisconsin to fuel them in Thursday's second round of the Big Ten tournament, where they'll face No. 6-seed Michigan State.

Earlier this season, Iowa fell in a slim 68-66 December loss to MSU, and the teams enter Thursday's matchup with nearly identical season records.

How to watch Thursday's NCAA conference tournament games

The unranked Hawkeyes will tip off against the No. 24-ranked Spartans at 9 PM ET. Live coverage will air on Fox Sports.