By Caitlin Phelan
Inside the world of women’s sports, this week was highlighted by the 2023 Women’s National Basketball Association Draft. Stars like Aliyah Boston and Diamond Miller were just some of the talented players drafted Monday night. In other WNBA news, Britney Griner revealed she will be releasing a memoir detailing her “unfathomable” time in Russian prisons. Additionally, the countdown to the World Cup is on, and The United States women soccer team is preparing with multiple international friendlies against Ireland and other federations. Lastly, the NCAA women’s gymnastics will be held this week, and Oklahoma is looking to retain their title.
Basketball:
The draft is coming off of last week’s NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament, which logged 9.9 million views, the highest viewer ratings in history of a women’s basketball game. Many of the women we saw play in last month’s tournament were featured on Monday night’s draft. With interest in women’s basketball at an all-time high, the WNBA is hoping to continue the momentum.
To nobody’s surprise, South Carolina’s forward Aliyah Boston was the No. 1 overall pick, selected by the Indiana Fever. Boston is the reigning Naismith Defensive Player of the Year and a four-time Lisa Leslie Award winner as the top college center, along with a laundry list of other awards she has accumulated throughout her collegiate career.
The Indiana Fever arguably won Monday night’s draft, walking away with Boston, as well as many other notable picks, including standout point guard Grace Berger from Indiana, sharp shooter Taylor Mikesell from Ohio State, power forward LaDazhia Williams from LSU, and small forward Victaria Saxton from South Carolina.
The Fever will get strength, good defense, and playmaking at the point guard position from Grace Berger. Berger will also bring many Hoosier fans with her, as she was an extremely popular player at nearby Indiana University. Mikesell is one of the best 3-point shooters in the draft. Williams and Saxton will provide the Fever with more depth at the forward position. Overall, the Fever were one of the most successful teams at last night’s draft, and accumulated multiple talented players who will help them this upcoming season.
Other notable players drafted Monday night include Diamond Miller from Maryland, who went at No. 2 overall to the Minnesota Lynx, Maddy Siegrest from Villanova, who set all kinds of scoring records last season, was selected at No. 3 by the Dallas Wings, and Haley Jones from Stanford was selected by the Atlanta Dream at No. 6.
In other WNBA news, Britney Griner is set to release a memoir detailing her experience in multiple Russian prisons last year. Griner, who is a WNBA All-star with the Phoenix Mercury, was arrested last year at an airport in Moscow on drug-related charges and detained for nearly 10 months in prison. “That day [in February] was the beginning of an unfathomable period in my life which only now am I ready to share,” Griner said in a statement released on her Instagram on Tuesday, April 11. Griner added she also hopes to bring awareness to other Americans wrongfully detained in Russian prisons. The memoir is set to be released next spring.
Soccer:
Moving to women’s soccer, the countdown is on for the Women’s World Cup, now less than 100 days away. The World Cup will be hosted by Australia and New Zealand, starting in late July and going through most of August. The United States women are the reigning champions and currently ranked No. 1 in FIFA’s rankings. The U.S. women have their sights set on winning their fifth World Cup. The team also gladly welcomes back the best defensive midfielder in the world – Julie Ertz – who was on maternity leave. Ertz made her long awaited return last week in the U.S.’s friendly against Ireland.
Gymnastics:
This week, NCAA women’s gymnastics championships will begin on Thursday, April 13 in Fort Worth, Texas. Eight teams will battle it out, and Oklahoma is looking to pull off a second consecutive national title. Oklahoma is the current favorite, but teams like Florida, UCLA, Utah, and Kentucky are looking to dethrone Oklahoma. The finals will be broadcast Saturday, April 15, at 1 p.m. on ABC.
