Hailey Van Lith is reportedly on her way to TCU, says Talia Goodman of The Next Hoops.

The former Louisville star joined LSU for the 2023-24 season, but a disappointing run in Baton Rouge saw her enter the transfer portal once again at the season’s end. Van Lith opted to use her fifth year of eligibility versus declaring for the WNBA draft.

Van Lith was admittedly less effective as a Tiger. Her field goal percentage decreased from .411 in 2022-23 with Louisville to .388 at LSU. She also went from averaging 19.7 points per game to just 11.6, due in part to a change of position from shooting guard to more of a point guard role.

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At an end-of-season banquet last week, LSU coach Kim Mulkey used her speech to wish Van Lith well, calling her "one of the hardest working players that I’ve ever coached."

"Her aspirations were to get drafted this year," Mulkey said, according to NOLA.com. "And she realized, 'I need another year, and I need to go back to a place where I can relax and get back to my normal position.'

"And what do you do? You hug her, and you wish her well."

The decision to commit to TCU may come as a surprise after Van Lith paid a visit to Mississippi State last weekend. The Horned Frogs finished out the 2023-24 season 21-12 overall, coming in 9th in the Big 12 and scoring an average of 69.5 points per game. The program also made headlines in January when they held mid-season open tryouts in response to an onslaught of sidelining injuries.

Stanford has found its replacement for legendary head women's basketball coach Tara VanDerveer in associate head coach Kate Paye.

The Cardinal confirmed the hiring on Tuesday via a press release. Paye was largely expected to replace the longtime head coach, as the college mentioned they were still negotiating Paye's contract when they announced VanDerveer's retirement.

In Tuesday's statement, Paye reported that she was "humbled" to have been tapped to lead the women’s program.

"Stanford University has been a central part of my life for as long as I can remember and I am humbled to have the opportunity to lead its women’s basketball program," Paye said. "I’d first like to thank Tara, who has played such a pivotal role in my career for her friendship and guidance. It’s not what she’s done, but how she’s done it, that has had such a profound impact upon me."

A Woodside, California native, Paye played under VanDerveer from 1992 to 1995, taking home a national title her freshman year. After graduation, Paye briefly joined San Diego State as an assistant coach before making her professional debut with the ABL's Seattle Reign in 1996. After finishing her playing career with the WNBA's Seattle Storm, she joined the team’s coaching staff in 2007 and has been with the organization ever since, picking up another national title win — this time as associate head coach — in 2021. Paye's brother John played quarterback for Stanford from 1983 to 1986, while also serving as a point guard on the basketball team.

In her own response, VanDerveer said that she was "grateful" that Stanford picked Paye to follow in her stead. Last week, the decorated coach stated that this year would be her last after 38 seasons at the helm and three national titles under her belt.

"She has long been ready for this opportunity and is the perfect leader for Stanford at this time of immense change in college athletics," VanDerveer noted. "Kate was the choice for this job and I am confident she will achieve great success as head coach."

The Chicago Sky made a splash in Monday night’s WNBA draft, taking Kamilla Cardoso and Angel Reese in the first round. 

South Carolina’s Cardoso, who was the 2024 Final Four Most Outstanding Player, went third to the Sky. The day before, the team had swapped picks with the Minnesota Lynx to land the No. 7 pick as well, which they used on Reese, the 2023 Final Four MOP.

Now, the two will team up in Chicago after battling each other in both college and high school

"She’s a great player, and I’m a great player. Nobody's going to get no rebounds on us," Cardoso joked afterwards, while Reese expressed excitement about playing under new Sky head coach Teresa Weatherspoon.

"Being able to be a Black woman and as a head coach, and everything she's done at the NBA level, I just knew everything they were bringing to the table," Reese said of the Sky. "Player development is something that I was looking for and they looked for in me. I'm super excited for this move."

Former NBA star and Chicago Sky co-owner Dwayne Wade welcomed the pair to Chicago.

“The foundation is set,” he wrote.

The Sky have entered re-building mode after winning a WNBA title in 2021. This offseason, they traded franchise cornerstone Kahleah Copper to the Phoenix Mercury for a package that included the No. 3 picked used on Cardoso.

Now, Cardoso and Reese will be looking to jump-start the team's return to contention.

Caitlin Clark is officially a member of the Indiana Fever, with the Iowa superstar going No. 1 overall in the WNBA draft on Monday night. 

Clark has been the consensus top pick since declaring for the draft on February 29, a few weeks before the onset of Women's March Madness. But for her, the call up was still full of emotions. 

"When you're just sitting at a table waiting for your name to be called, that really allows the emotions to feed you," Clark said. "You're with your family — obviously, playing a basketball game, I'm not out there with my family — so sharing that moment with them and enjoying it, and people that have really had my back and believed in me more than anyone, is super special."

Clark wasn't the only one pausing to take in the moment. As fans and commentators noted during the broadcast, it took a little more time than usual for Indiana to announce their pick — Fever GM Lin Dunn later told the media that she spent 15 to 20 seconds ensuring Clark's card adhered perfectly to league regulations before handing it over. She didn't want anything to get in between her team and a player she calls a "perfect fit."

"She's from the Big Ten, the Midwest — is there any place better for her than Indianapolis, Indiana?" Dunn said. "I think this is the beginning of us getting back on track to win another championship."

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Clark echoed the sentiment.

"That's definitely our goal, is to get back to championship habits," Clark said. "For myself, I can't imagine a more perfect fit, a better place for me to start my professional career, an organization that really just believes in women's basketball and wants to do everything the right way. So I couldn't be more excited to get there."

She’s also particularly excited about linking up with former collegiate rival Aliyah Boston.

"Going to an organization that has, in my eyes, one of the best post players in the entire world, my point guard eyes just light up at that," Clark said of the former South Carolina star. "She's going to make my life easy."

Clark's four-year contract with the Indiana Fever has been reported at $338,000. Kicking off at the league's guaranteed first-year base salary of $76,535, it jumps to $97,582 by 2027.

In the hour following Indiana's official pick, sporting goods brand Fanatics sold out of the superstar player's No. 22 Fever jersey in nearly every available size. Each jersey retails for $99.99.

Caitlin Clark made a surprise appearance on “Saturday Night Live” over the weekend, which quickly went viral.

The Iowa star showed up on the show’s Weekend Update segment to playfully call out Michael Che’s history of making jabs at women’s sports.

It started when Che joked that Iowa should replace Clark’s retired No. 22 “with an apron.” 

When Clark entered, Che said that he was a fan. But Clark wasn’t convinced – especially not when co-host Colin Jost brought the receipts of Che’s jabs.

“Really, Michael? Because I heard that little apron joke you did,” she said, before making him read some jokes of her own in retaliation. Clark finished her segment by shouting out the WNBA greats that came before her. She then got in one final dig – bringing Che a signed apron as a souvenir. 

When Che promised to give it to his girlfriend, Clark delivered her last playful dig of the night.

“You don’t have a girlfriend, Michael,” she said.

Afterward, SNL castmember Bowen Yang told People that the 22-year-old and teammates Gabbie Marshall, Kate Martin and Jada Gyamfi – who joined her at Studio 8H – “were so cool.”

“She's so charming and witty,” Yang said. “They were just the most stunning, noble people.

“Athletes just have this air about them. They know they're amazing. I mean, these are people who have numeric attachments and values to their performance. That's something that comedians never have.”

Oregon State leading scorer and rebounder Raegan Beers announced on Thursday that she is entering the transfer portal. 

"Thank you for all of your endless love and support these past two years," she posted on social media. "I will never forget my time at OSU and I am thankful for the opportunity I had to meet and play with incredible people. My journey as a Beav was a special one and I am grateful for my teammates, coaches, fans, and friends who have changed my life throughout my time here."

A sophomore forward, Beers is a two-time All-Pac-12 selection who averaged 17.5 points per game last season while shooting 66.4 percent from the field. She also added 10.3 rebounds en route to earning third-team All-American honors from the AP. 

She’s the fourth Oregon State starter – and seventh player overall – to hit the portal this offseason. She joins Talia von Oelhoggen and Timea Gardiner in the transfer portal, as well as starting freshman Donovyn Hunter. 

Beers and Gardiner were both top-10 recruits in ESPN rankings coming out of high school. 

With the dissolution of the Pac-12, the program will join the WCC next season and no longer be a part of the Power 5.

Conference realignment is hitting the team hard, with coach Scott Rueck saying during the tournament that he knew it could seriously affect his team moving forward. 

"That's reality," Rueck said. "I can't control that, other than just keep doing what I'm doing. I think the opportunity within that for a leader provides a discipline that you'd better be on your A-game all the time. You'd better take care of people, and you'd better provide a great experience. That's the approach going forward and what happens, happens. We'll find a way."

Caitlin Clark will have her No. 22 retired by Iowa, the school announced on Wednesday. 

Clark became the all-time leading scorer in college basketball this season, and was also named the consensus national player of the year for the second year in a row. She also helped lead Iowa to back-to-back runner-up finishes in the NCAA tournament. 

"I would say you've all inspired me as much as I inspired you," Clark said during a team celebration at Iowa's Carver-Hawkeye Arena. "And you allowed me to live out my dream every single day, and for that, I'm very thankful. It's been very special, and this place will always be home to me."

The star is largely expected to be the No. 1 overall pick by the Indiana Fever on Monday at the WNBA draft. She finished her college career with 3,951 points and 1,144 assists.

Her jersey will be just the third number retired in program history, which Clark called “super incredible.”

"There's been a lot of good 22s who have come before me and played for this program, whether it was Kathleen Doyle or Sam Logic,” she said. “That number holds a lot of weight, far beyond me. I'm really grateful, and it will be a special day when it happens."

For the first time ever, the women’s college basketball national championship outdrew the men’s national championship.

According to ESPN and Nielsen, the matchup between Iowa and South Carolina drew more than 18.9 million viewers on average.

Meanwhile, the men’s matchup between UConn and Purdue drew 14.8 million viewers – four million less than the women’s championship. 

According to Nielsen, it’s the first time that the audience for the women’s final was larger than the men’s.

The women’s championship peaked at 24 million viewers, and is an 89 percent increase from 2023 – plus a 285 percent increase from 2022. It’s also the most-watched basketball game – collegiate or professional, men's or women's – since 2019. 

In a statement, ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro called the championship game a “fitting finale” to March Madness. 

"These exceptional athletes, coaches and teams captured our attention in unprecedented ways and it's incumbent on all of us to keep the incredible momentum going," Pitaro said.

The viewership caps off a massive run for the tournament, which included Iowa and LSU drawing a then-record 12.3 million viewers. The matchup between Iowa and UConn then broke that record with a peak audience of 14.2 million.

Stanford head coach Tara Vanderveer is retiring after 38 seasons, the school announced on Tuesday evening. 

She finishes with a record of 1,216-271 as head coach at Idaho, Ohio State and Stanford. Her 1,216 wins are the most in college basketball history.

Vanderveer’s last day on the job will be May 8, the 39th anniversary of her hiring at Stanford. 

In her time at Stanford, Vanderveer won three national championships and made 14 Final Four appearances. She also coached the U.S. women’s basketball team to Olympic gold in 1996, a team that has long been credited with sparking the founding of the WNBA. 

"Basketball is the greatest group project there is and I am so incredibly thankful for every person who has supported me and our teams throughout my coaching career," VanDerveer said in a statement. "I've been spoiled to coach the best and brightest at one of the world's foremost institutions for nearly four decades.

"I've loved the game of basketball since I was a little girl, and it has given me so much throughout my life. I hope I've been able to give at least a little bit back."

Throughout Vanderveer’s career, at least 12 of her former assistants have gone on to head coaching jobs in basketball. A number of her players have also gone on to become professional athletes, including Nneka and Chiney Ogwumike, Haley Jones and Karlie Samuelson. Additionally, current Stanford senior Cameron Brink is largely expected to be a first round pick in the 2024 WNBA draft. 

Vanderveer’s departure comes as the Cardinal join the ACC next season following the dissolution of the Pac-12. 

"The joy for me was in the journey of each season, seeing a group of young women work hard for each other and form an unbreakable bond. Winning was a byproduct," Vanderveer said in a team release.

The coach will continue to work with the athletic department in an advisory capacity, according to the school. Negotiations with longtime assistant Kate Paye to become her successor are already underway.

“Tara built one of the sport's iconic program's almost immediately upon her arrival at Stanford, and then maintained that standard for nearly four decades,” Stanford athletics director Bernard Muir said in a statement. "An energetic and positive teacher, a Hall of Famer, a trusted friend and mentor, Tara's impact is simply unmatched, and I don't think it's a stretch to characterize her as one of the most influential people to ever be associated with this university.”

With South Carolina’s national title win on Sunday, Dawn Staley has cemented herself as one of the greatest college basketball coaches of all time, in the middle of what's becoming a South Carolina dynasty. 

Over the past eight seasons, Staley has led the Gamecocks to five Final Fours and three national championships (2017, 2022, 2024). Staley's Gamecocks have also won eight SEC tournaments and eight regular season conference titles since she took over in 2008. 

On Sunday, her team capped off a 38-0 season, becoming the first team to go undefeated since UConn in 2016. They’re just the 10th team in women’s college basketball history to do so.  

They did it in front of a women’s basketball record viewership of 18.7 million, which peaked at 24 million viewers on ABC. It’s the most-watched basketball game on any network, men's or women's, college or professional, since 2019. 

“I think it just cements her greatness in this time where there is so much parity in the game,” Seattle Storm assistant coach and former LSU coach Pokey Chatman told Andscape. “The rules literally have changed in the game. She’s been able to maintain the highest level of basketball – retainability, respectability, everything in between.”

What makes the feat even more impressive is the fact that Staley won it all while replacing her entire starting five from last year.

At times, she’s likened this year’s team to a daycare – and even said she contemplated retirement prior to the season starting. 

She went on to win Naismith and WBCA Coach of the Year – same as the previous two seasons – and is a two-time AP National Coach of the Year. She’s also a seven-time SEC coach of the year. 

“A lot of people don’t want to see her here. I think they kind of side-eye her in some places and she is unexpected to be in those places. But she’s there and she’s 10 toes down and she’s keeping her head up, her chin up and going head forward into all adversity or anything that looks abnormal,” said former Gamecocks forward A’ja Wilson. “She’s already GOATed in my eyes but another championship is another thing that a person can’t take away from her. 

“A lot of people try to discredit her in different places like ‘well she’s still got to do this.’… She still just continues to be herself. … It’s just another cherry on the cherry on top of her legacy.”

Adding to Staley’s legacy is the fact that she was an equally-as-impressive player, leading Virginia to three Final Fours and was twice named Naismith College Player of the Year. She went on to become a six-time WNBA All-Star, and won three Olympic gold medals with Team USA as a player. She’s also won a fourth gold medal as a coach.

At a time of unmatched parity in college basketball, Staley has built a modern dynasty at South Carolina.

“Dawn Staley is the leader of women’s basketball right now,” Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said after Sunday's loss. "For a while it was Pat [Summitt], then it was Geno [Auriemma]. And now it's Dawn setting the bar for everyone else."

Even as the Gamecocks have gone on an unprecedented 109-3 run over the last three seasons, Staley has been lauded for her grace and sportsmanship. In her postgame comments on Sunday, Staley took the time to commend Iowa star Caitlin Clark for her contributions to women’s basketball.

She also shouted out both her bench players — who had 37 points — and last year's seniors, who were ousted in the Final Four by Iowa.

“It was emotional for me because of how it ended last year,” Staley said. "You carry the burden of every single one of your players, all the coaches and staff members that put so much into our team."