Posts by The Next

Emily Adler (she/her) covers the WNBA at large and college basketball for The Next, with a focus on player development and the game behind the game.

A fully packed crowd of South Dakota State fans stands cheering, clapping and/or holding up three fingers in celebration.

Why scheduling a home-and-home with South Dakota State is a terrible idea

November 17, 2024

Only fools go to Brookings, S.D., yet smart coaches keep doing it

WNBA logo at the baseline of basketball court is pictured in the foreground of an arena

Awa Fam, a Spanish teenager, might be the next best WNBA prospect in the world

November 10, 2024

Fam is a 6’4 center who plays for Gernika in the Liga Feminina

New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart elevates for a jump shot over the smaller Courtney Williams of the Minnesota Lynx.

New York Liberty win 2024 WNBA Finals to capture first championship

October 20, 2024

Liberty outlast Lynx, 67-62 in overtime, to win first WNBA title

A collage of nine pictures of top 2025 WNBA draft prospects: In the middle, UConn guard Paige Bueckers screams in celebration; surrounding her, from top-left clockwise: South Carolina guard Raven Johnson dribble around an Iowa defender; UCLA forward Janiah Barker holds the ball out in one outstreched arm at the top of a crossover; NC State guard Saniya Rivers dribbles between her legs while looking toward the paint; Notre Dame guard Olivia Miles dribbles up the court; Notre Dame guard Sonia Citron holds her shot release while turning to jog back up the court in front of a full audience; Slovenian forward Ajsa Sivka moves up the court; South Carolina guard Te-Hina Paopao reaches in to deflect the ball from an Iowa player's dribble; Stanford big Kiki Iriafen holds the ball above her head in midair to release a jump shot over the extended arm of a defender.

Who’s Next — The Next’s 2025 WNBA Draft Board, V1.0

October 14, 2024

The most detailed 2025 WNBA draft resource available outside a team’s actual war room

Greg Bibb, general manager of the Dallas Wings of the WNBA, sits in front of a background that has the Wings logo and an insurance company's logo, smiling with his thumbs up

Sunday Notes, Week 17: Lessons from the 2024 WNBA season

October 6, 2024

The 2024 edition of Sunday Notes comes to a close

During a WNBA playoff game between Phoenix and Minnesota, Mercury guard Diana Taurasi stands crouched over a prone teammate with a concerned look, while center Brittney Griner looks on next to her. A couple of refs walk by, everyone in front of a large on-court section of fans.

Sunday Notes, Week 16: Let’s talk about the future with Indiana, Phoenix and more

September 29, 2024

What comes next for the four teams eliminated from the 2024 playoffs?

A WNBA game with three players from the Washington Mystics stand together, two looking toward one side of the court and one looking the other way, while a ref and three members of the Chicago Sky stand behind them looking off the court.

Sunday Notes, Week 15: Let’s talk about the future, with Los Angeles, Chicago and more

September 22, 2024

Exploring what the future could hold for the Sparks, the Sky, the Mystics, and the Wings

The New York Liberty huddle during the WNBA game between the New York Liberty and the Connecticut Sun at Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Connecticut

Sunday Notes, Week 14: Probable playoff matchup previews

September 15, 2024

This week’s look around the WNBA, focusing on the lottery and breaking down the likely first-round matchups to come in the WNBA playoffs.

Washington Mystics forward Emily Engstler holds the ball in her hand out to her side as she looks off-camera for an opportunity to pass, as a Dallas Wings defender stands to her other side in a WNBA game with fans out of focus in the background

Sunday Notes, Week 13: Aliyah Boston, Emily Engstler making strides

September 8, 2024

The weekly look around the WNBA breaks down Aliyah Boston developing her passing game, Emily Engstler’s hot streak and more

Chicago Sky center Kamilla Cardoso is shown from the waist up. She looks straight ahead.

Sunday Notes, Week 12: Kamilla Cardoso has arrived

September 1, 2024

Plus, Brittney Sykes’ 3-point shooting and a WNBA draft lottery update