Locked On Women's Basketball

Host Ben Dull is joined by Neil Olstad of Canis Hoopus and the Lynx Dynasty Podcast to preview the WNBA first round, single-elimination playoff game between the Los Angeles Sparks and Minnesota Lynx. Ben and Neil discuss the state of both team's heading into the postseason, how the health of Rebekkah Brunson, Nneka Ogwumike and Danielle Robinson may come into play, how the Sparks/Lynx matchup has evolved, how both teams would fare if they advance, then both close by making their prediction for Tuesday's game.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Join host Howard Megdal as he discusses all things All Star, the first half MVP, Coach of the Year, projected title winners and much more with a superstar lineup: Erica Ayala, Ari Chambers, Jasmine Baker, Blake DuDonis, Ben Dull and Mike Peden! Plus: Cheryl Reeve's comments on the league's efforts to promote itself, and even a bit of Los Angeles Sparks news! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Appalachian State head coach Angel Elderkin has managed to see it all and do it all in the sport of basketball already, even though she was born just over 40 years ago.Elderkin starred for Division III Southern Maine, she coached under legends like Tennessee's Pat Summitt and Virginia's Debbie Ryan, she's assisted programs like LSU and St. John's, picking things up along the way that have served her well as she continues the process of creating the culture for success with the Mountaineers, her first head job and a dream destination for her before the job ever opened up, she explained.Moreover, the remarkable Elderkin never stopped coaching, even after receiving a diagnosis of endometrial cancer, only going public once she started losing her hair during the treatment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Host Ben Dull recaps three of the five WNBA games from Sunday: Minnesota's 76-72 win in Dallas despite a late surge from the Wings playing without Liz Cambage, Atlanta's 87-83 win in Indiana, and a 97-94 overtime win by the Liberty in Chicago to snap their five-game losing streak.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Host Ben Dull recaps Mercury at Mystics, the lone WNBA game on the Saturday slate. Topics include: why DeWanna Bonner and Sancho Lyttle in tandem add so much to the Mercury defense, both teams utilizing a switching defense, Tayler Hill continuing to impress in her return from injury, and a note on positional designations for players in All-Star voting and why it matters league-wide.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Guest host Erica Ayala is joined by basketball legend Ann Meyers Drysdale. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Guest host Ben Dull is joined by ESPN's Kevin Pelton to discuss the intriguing Seattle Storm. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Host Howard Megdal is joined by Pokey Chatman, now in her second year of a massive rebuilding project with the Indiana Fever, to discuss her young, talented roster.Chatman gets into the weeds on exactly how she plans to utilize and develop Kelsey Mitchell, the second overall pick in the 2018 draft, and navigate her between the playmaker role and her ability to score while playing off the ball.Then there's how Victoria Vivians, the eighth overall pick in 2018, fits into Chatman's up-tempo offense, and where. Yes, the term "positionless basketball" comes up, no surprise given Chatman's innovations on that front.Other topics include how Candice Dupree will continue to grow into the role of top scorer, whether Stephanie Mavunga can be expected to grab all the rebounds as she did at Ohio State, timetables for Tiffany Mitchell and Shenise Johnson, and both short and long-term goals for the Fever in Chatman's eyes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Host Howard Megdal is joined by Lindsay Whalen, wearer of many hats. Whalen just completed an offseason where she participated in Minnesota Timberwolves broadcasts and worked for the Big Ten Network as well. She also accepted an ambitious new challenge: head coach at her alma mater, University of Minnesota, while performing the "Dawn Staley": continuing her playing career, the stellar, vital work she does at point guard for the Minnesota Lynx.Whalen discusses what her new schedule will look like, the important roles of her first two coaching hires, Carly Thibault-Dudonis and Kelly Roysland, along with how she came to see this as the best way forward for her professionally. What she'll take from observing Cheryl Reeve, what the legacy of her Minnesota Lynx will ultimately be, and how a recruit can ever say no to someone recruiting her from inside the locker room of a WNBA dynasty all come up.Plus, and perhaps most important, Whalen details the latest plans for Gentry, her Instagram alter ego.  Learn more about

Host Howard Megdal is joined by Ben Dull of High Post Hoops. The two discuss the thought process behind each of the first round picks in the draft.For instance, exactly why is Las Vegas so certain to choose A'ja Wilson, and how will she fit into the way Bill Laimbeer plays? What is it about Kelsey Mitchell that makes her such a great fit for Pokey Chatman's offense? Exactly how should Amber Stocks supplement the all stars she already employs at center (Stef Dolson), shooting guard (Allie Quigley) and point guard (Courtney Vandersloot)?And on it goes through an absurdly deep first round. Who is a better fit for Washington, the defensive wunderkind Gabby Williams or scorer nonpareil Victoria Vivians? How on earth is a player as talented and ready for the league as Kia Nurse possible falling to ninth in the draft? And can Monique Billings help teams more by bulking up and crashing the boards, or stretching her range beyond the three-point line? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Oklahoma head coach and Women's Basketball Hall of Famer Sherri Coale joins host Howard Megdal to discuss the compelling case the Sooners have for an NCAA bid. The top line is deceiving: despite an overall mark of 16-14, the Sooners are 11-7 in the Big 12, played the second-toughest schedule in the nation, and own wins over tournament teams like Belmont, West Virginia and South Florida. The two break down precisely how Coale schedules, why she does it, and how it impacts her team. There is also ample WNBA Draft talk, with Coale providing insight into how both guard Gabby Ortiz and center Vionise Pierre-Louis can help teams at the next level.Then Megdal is joined by Sarah Sommer, basketball writer at The Summitt and D3Hoops.com. Sommer is a high school and lower-division expert, and breaks down the local royals, from Jeff Jasper's Pascack Valley program to the current run from Old Tappan. Sommer also previews the Montclair State Sweet 16 game, a difficult mission—traveling to Amherst. Learn more about your ad

Host Howard Megdal is joined by basketball writer Michelle Smith, who covers the Pac-12 for the conference, writes about women's basketball for ESPNW and WNBA.com, sees all and knows all.The two discuss the weekend ahead in Seattle, where Final Four contenders like Oregon and UCLA vie for better NCAA seeds, and a dark horse, USC, looks to put a bow on an unexpectedly strong season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Host and Editor-in-Chief of The Summitt (SummittHoops.com) Howard Megdal is joined by Bill Laimbeer, head coach and general manager of the Las Vegas Aces. Laimbeer discusses the deals he's already made this month, the trio of elite guards he inherited from the San Antonio Stars, and how he plans to build around this group and whoever he might pick in the draft (A'ja Wilson seems likely). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Host and Editor-in-Chief of The Summitt (SummittHoops.com) Howard Megdal is joined by ESPN broadcaster and Basketball Hall of Famer Rebecca Lobo to talk about the upcoming Thursday night showcase game on ESPN2 between Texas and Baylor.The two discuss the perpetually increasing dominance of Baylor's Kalani Brown, along with how her evolving skills dovetail with the growth of Lauren Cox alongside her. Joyner Holmes and the state of her return to last season's effectiveness also comes up, while whether Baylor should be getting more respect among the bracketologists is also addressed.Then Lobo delves into whether she sees Connecticut or Mississippi State as the true number one team in the country right now. Plus, a dissection of precisely how ESPN managed to get Rebecca Lobo into a box during the Maryland-Ohio State game. SPOILER ALERT: she is not in an actual box. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After last season's surprise trip to the Elite Eight, Oregon's 2017-18 season has surpassed expectations once again. Host and Editor-in-Chief of The Summitt (SummittHoops.com) Howard Megdal discusses what's gone right and why with Kelly Graves, who has built the Ducks into a legitimate national title contender ahead of schedule. The two talk about the huge leap forward in efficiency from Ruthy Hebard inside as well as long-range threat Lexi Bando. How Maite Cazorla and Sabrina Ionescu share playmaking duties, and what that flexibility means for the team's ability to maximize offensive production is broken down. And the missing ingredient—a top-level defense, night in and night out—is finally here for the Ducks. Graves explains how it happened.And don't miss Graves talking about The Civil War—with Oregon getting two chances to break the 13-game losing streak to Oregon State this weekend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Host and Editor-in-Chief of The Summitt (Summitthoops.com) Howard Megdal is joined by Vanessa Blair-Lewis, head coach at Bethune-Cookman. Blair-Lewis has turned the program into a perennial power, winning two straight MEAC regular season titles and taking a pair of trips to the WNIT.Blair-Lewis is married to NBA official Eric Lewis, so the conversation begins with a look at not only how the two of them work family time into their busy and conflicting travel schedule, but also the psychological barriers to someone from the world of Team Coach navigating a marriage with someone from Team Ref.A look at the promising season for Bethune-Cookman so far, including leading scorer Angel Golden and rim protector Chas Brown is also included here, while Blair-Lewis outlines the goals she had for herself and the program when she began—along with what is next on the list of successes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Host and Editor-in-Chief of The Summitt (SummittHoops.com) Howard Megdal is joined by Texas head coach Karen Aston. The two discuss the development of Lashann Higgs, particularly her efficiency at the offensive end. Brooke McCarty's ability to create her own shot and improved distribution gets a closer look. Precisely how to work Joyner Holmes back into the mix, what she'll provide and how she'll change the dynamic of the team also comes up.Big-picture discussion of Texas goals, what the game against UConn will tell us on January 15, and much more come up in this wide-ranging conversation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Editor-in-Chief of The Summitt (Summitthoops.com) Howard Megdal is joined by Debbie Antonelli, the omnipresent voice of women's basketball who is on the call for Tuesday night's Connecticut-Oklahoma game at Mohegan Sun.The game offers more than just another look at the Huskies (and the Sooners, who boast an elite inside-outside combo of Vionise Pierre-Louis and Gabby Ortiz), but also a chance for Geno Auriemma to win his 1000th game as a coach.Antonelli, no stranger to landmark games for Hall of Fame coaches like Muffet McGraw and Pat Summitt, discussed what the numbers mean, what unites these greats of the game, and what separates each of them.In addition, we talk about just what sets this Connecticut team apart, including the remarkable progress of Crystal Dangerfield and Kia Nurse.Then it is on to Knoxville, where Antonelli recently took in Tennessee-Texas. She tells us whether this is the Holly Warlick team everyone has been waiting for, and we spend, oh, a good five minutes gushing over the imminent retu

After a long, successful tenure by Bill Laimbeer, the New York Liberty are now Katie Smith's team. Laimbeer said he thought it was time. The consensus around the league reinforced this.So what does Katie Smith think? Listen and find out.Smith discusses a broad range of topics, from what will remain the same in her charge and what will change for the Liberty, to precisely how a New York team that consistently reaches the playoffs but has yet to break into the Minnesota-Los Angeles range can take the final steps necessary to win the Liberty their first WNBA title.Plus, Smith weighs in on the differences between coaching and dentistry (spoiler alert: there are many!), how she reconciles her all-time great play with coaching those who are simply not as accomplished as she is, and precisely how much she is going to rely on the great Tina Charles, New York's star, in 2018 and beyond.There are plenty of reasons for optimism in the year ahead for the New York Liberty, but perhaps none as clear as the ascension of Kat

For new Atlanta Dream head coach Nicki Collen, the decision to leave the Connecticut Sun was far from an easy one.Collen, working with Curt Miller, helped shape the Sun into the next elite WNBA team in the eyes of many. But the challenge, and the opportunity to finally take ownership of a coaching job after decades in the trenches as an assistant both at the collegiate and professional level was too enticing to pass up.The long and winding road for Collen has included stints assisting her husband, Tom, all while raising three children. But when Tom exited coaching, it led to Nicki finally getting her chance to prove herself, and she spoke about what that means to her personally and professionally.Hear Collen discuss her early pro tennis dreams, life as a young basketball player with professional dreams, along with in-depth dissection of just how the Sun got so good so fast, and the many puzzle pieces she gets to arrange in Atlanta to bring that same success, and perhaps even more, to the Dream.Collen on what