Locked On Women’s Basketball: Unrivaled GM Clare Duwelius talks new league, WNBA and more

First, they dicussed what led Duwelius to this dual role in particular, and how her experience in Minnesota working under Cheryl Reeve prepared her for the job with Unrivaled.

“It was an opportunity that I thought was really enticing for me,” Duwelius explained. “… I’ve had the great privilege of working among … some of the best people, the best organization, a brilliant mind in Cheryl Reeve. I’ve been with Minnesota for over a decade, and I’m super proud of the time that I had there and obviously learned a lot. But what I thought was really exciting for this position was it’s brand new, and it’s innovative. The opportunity that I saw is that I could put my fingerprints on something that is exactly what the players need. It’s player-centric, and I think that’s what was really exciting for me. I get to do a little bit of everything, which I’ve always loved, and so that was kind of what pulled me in and drew me to it almost immediately. Not to mention working alongside the best athletes in the world, which has always been of paramount importance to me.”

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Then, they talked about the potential Unrivaled has to put top-tier women’s basketball on display in an easily accessible way, during the WNBA offseason.

“I think it’s going to be so amazing to see these players in this environment,” Duwelius said. “… different match-ups, different teammates, seeing different skill sets that are going to be on full display. it’s different, it’s different than five-on-five, obviously, but I think the players will showcase some of their different skill in this format. And, of course, I’m just excited that I’m going to be having one of the best seats in the house and witnessing it every night. And so, yeah, [Unrivaled’s Club Selection show, which aired on Nov. 20] was amazing. I was really excited to be part of the selection process that everyone got to enjoy yesterday. It was amazing sitting around that table with some of basketball’s best minds and just talking about the skill [sets], talking about the differences in our game versus five-on-five, and just trying to pair up, make the best parity, and have the best players that will compliment each other. But when you got down to it, every single team was like, ‘Ooh, that’s a good one. Oh my gosh … that’s going to be a contender.’ And that’s what it was, you know, one through six for for all the rosters. And it’s just going to be so incredibly exciting to see what kind of storylines develop as we get through the season.”

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Tune in to hear more about the upcoming Unrivaled season, which begins on Jan. 17 in Miami, with streaming on TNT and truTV. The regular season will run until March 15, with the post-season taking until March 17. Make sure to subscribe to the Locked On Women’s Basketball podcast to keep learning about the WNBA, women’s college basketball, basketball history and much more!