After many twists and turns, Li Yueru’s WNBA dream finally comes true
By Xiaotao Zhong Medill Reports When Li Yueru was preparing for her first game for the Chicago Sky, she told Tencent Sports she needed to start her WNBA career by playing some exceptional defense. She did exactly that last Saturday. Just more than two minutes into her WNBA debut against the Las Vegas Aces on […]
Is UConn good for women’s college basketball?
By Allie Burger The history of the DePaul’s women’s basketball program can be summed up in a walk down a wide hallway on the second floor of McGrath-Phillips Arena. The corridor, linking the offices of longtime coach Doug Bruno to his assistants, is a testament to the success of one of America’s premiere college programs. […]
Pat Summitt’s reach and inspiration seen in Illinois athletes
By Erin Barney Pat Summitt was a game changer. Not just in the cliché sense of the phrase, though. The former University of Tennessee women’s basketball coach and winningest coach in Division I history certainly was a pivotal figure. But she transcended the common expression and literally changed women’s basketball. Summitt died yesterday in Knoxville, […]
Reflections: Pioneers in women’s basketball look back at progress in the sport
By Hannah Gebresilassie “We’re girls and we just want to have fun,” said 90-year-old Mary Wersells, the first girls’ basketball coach at Simeon High School as she reflected on the history of the sport. Nearly four decades ago, Title IX was enforced which prohibited discrimination against female athletes. This opened the doors for pioneers in […]
Chicago Sky Tamera Young uses basketball to empower youth
By Hannah Gebresilassie WNBA’s eight-year veteran Tamera Young uses basketball as a platform to serve Chicago’s youth. The Wilmington-native graduated from James Madison University and became the first WNBA player from the school. After becoming CAA Player of the Year, Young was selected as the no. 8 draft pick by the Atlanta Dream in 2008. […]
With strong tournament showing, Wildcats ‘bring some life’ back to team
Text by Michelle R. Martinelli Video by Hannah Gebresilassie The Northwestern women’s basketball team’s performance in the Big Ten tournament left an obvious question: Where has that team been all season? Despite a disappointing 4-14 finish in the Big Ten regular season, the Wildcats (18-15) played like they had finally found their chemistry and became the lowest-seeded […]
Freshman guard returns home for Big Ten tournament
By Michelle R. Martinelli Video By Hannah Gebresilassie INDIANAPOLIS — As a 9-year-old girl standing on an empty court at the Big Ten Tournament, Jordan Hankins was in awe of how huge it looked. Although she wasn’t intimidated and took advantage of being able to shoot around before the teams and their fans showed up, […]
Wildcats eliminate Badgers in overtime in first tournament game
By Michelle R. Martinelli Video By Hannah Gebresilassie INDIANAPOLIS — Northwestern freshman guard Amber Jamison’s dominating defense forced a turnover with four seconds left in overtime Wednesday to help secure the Wildcats’ 76-72 victory over Wisconsin in the opening game of the Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Jamison finished […]
Wildcats foul up against Michigan in home finale
By Michelle R. Martinelli The Northwestern women’s basketball team didn’t need to do anything crazy to beat Michigan. It didn’t need a buzzer-beater or a miraculous run in the last two minutes. It just needed to hit its free throws scattered throughout the game. Instead, the Wildcats made 9-of-15 at the line, and those six […]
Analysis: Lack of depth leading to energy woes for Wildcats
By Michelle R. Martinelli The Northwestern women’s basketball team has a big problem. It’s not the fact that the Wildcats are on the verge of dipping below .500 for the season. It’s not that they once were ranked as high as No. 12 for two weeks and are now nowhere to be seen. Not even […]
