January 6, 2025
Locked On Women’s Basketball: 2025 Coretta Scott King Classic preview
By The Next
Baylor, UCLA, Texas and Maryland will square off in the event
Every so often we get to take a brief pause from conference games for a special college basketball event. Coming on Jan. 20, 2025 is the inaugural Coretta Scott King Classic to be held at the Prudential Center in New Jersey and will feature four of the top women’s programs in the nation. On Monday’s episode of Locked On Women’s Basketball, analyst and host Missy Heidrick is joined by Michael Neuman, co-chair of Playfly Sports Consulting to talk about the impact this event will have on and off the floor, the partnerships it took to make it happen and the fantastic teams — Baylor, UCLA, Texas and Maryland — that will square off in this monumental event.
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In 2023, Playfly Sports Consulting collaborated with FOX to create the Women’s Champions Classic in New York, further expanding the visibility of women’s basketball. Following this success, the Coretta Scott King Classic idea was born, focused around the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. “It seemed like an ideal time… because one, it’s a national holiday,” Neuman said on the podcast. This event aims to offer “destination TV” for women’s basketball, following the model of annual fixtures like the NBA on Christmas Day or NFL games on Thanksgiving.
The Coretta Scott King Classic is not just a sports event; it symbolizes the intersection of diversity, empowerment and sports. This collaboration is a milestone in the continued rise of women’s sports, especially in the context of a media landscape that increasingly recognizes the value of women’s athletics.
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Here at The Next, in addition to the 24/7/365 written content our staff provides, we also host the daily Locked On Women’s Basketball podcast. Join us Monday through Saturday each week as we discuss all things WNBA, collegiate basketball, basketball history and much more. Listen wherever you find podcasts or watch on YouTube.
