September 25, 2024
Locked On Women’s Basketball: Updates from Los Angeles and New York
By The Next
'The evolution of Sabrina Ionescu from elite player ... to complete superstar was there last night'
On the latest episode of Locked On Women’s Basketball, host Howard Megdal dives into the stories swirling around two franchises on opposite sides of the country—the Los Angeles Sparks and the New York Liberty. Megdal addresses the recent firing of the Sparks’ head coach Curt Miller and assesses what the Sparks need to do next. He also recaps Sabrina Ionescu‘s playoff performance and makes some predictions for the Atlanta Dream.
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Megdal opens the show by discussing the Sparks’ decision to fire head coach Curt Miller. But beyond analyzing the coaching decision, Megdal peeks into the future for the Sparks, regardless of who their next coach may be. “Cameron Brink … looked really amazing before she got hurt,” Megdal says. “Rickea Jackson was the second-best rookie in this year’s class. … The future is crazy bright.”
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Later on, Megdal reflects on how the New York Liberty were able to defeat the Atlanta Dream to advance in the WNBA playoffs. The answer to how is, simply, Sabrina Ionescu. “It was a remarkable thing,” Megdal says, reflecting on Ionescu’s performance. “She scored 36 points, she did it on 23 shots. She had nine assists and three steals as well. The evolution of Sabrina Ionescu from elite player … to complete superstar was there last night.”
Megdal closes out the show by seeing into the future for the Atlanta Dream. “In my view,” Megdal says, “the Atlanta Dream played about as well as you could’ve asked them to play. The Liberty have more talent top to bottom.” But, per Megdal, the Dream have elite talent and superstars, and “culture is being built.” The future remains bright for the franchise.
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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.
