March 13, 2025 

Locked On Women’s Basketball: Four Unrivaled players talk playoffs

Burrell: 'This game, it can go either way at any moment'

On the latest episode of Locked On Women’s Basketball, host Gigi Speer talks with four players from four different teams — Courtney Williams, Kayla McBride, Brittney Sykes, and Rae Burrell – about the upcoming Unrivaled playoffs. The players discuss how they’re preparing for the finals, what they expect when they return back to their WNBA teams, and more.

Continue reading with a subscription to The Next

Get unlimited access to women’s basketball coverage and help support our hardworking staff of writers, editors, and photographers by subscribing today.

Join today


Order ‘Rare Gems’ and save 30%

Howard Megdal, founder and editor of The Next and The IX, released his latest book on May 7, 2024. This deeply reported story follows four connected generations of women’s basketball pioneers, from Elvera “Peps” Neuman to Cheryl Reeve and from Lindsay Whalen to Sylvia Fowles and Paige Bueckers.

If you enjoy his coverage of women’s basketball every Wednesday at The IX, you will love “Rare Gems: How Four Generations of Women Paved the Way for the WNBA.” Click the link below to order and enter MEGDAL30 at checkout.


Speer opens the show by chatting with Courtney Williams of Lunar Owls BC. Speer acknowledges Lunar Owls’ success this season and asks how Williams feels knowing there’s $50,000 on the line for league winners. “That’s money, and that’s a lot of it,” Williams says. “Anytime that money’s on the line, that puts an extra chip on people’s shoulders.”

Next up, Speer chats with Kayla McBride of Laces BC. Speer asks McBride about her strategies for staying grounded during her busy basketball seasons. “Constant check-ins,” McBride answers. “Because it can become a whirlwind, … so I always try to check in with myself, whether it’s journaling, kind of getting my thoughts down. … Just being very mindful of where I’m at.”


The Next, a 24/7/365 women’s basketball newsroom

The Next: A basketball newsroom brought to you by The IX. 24/7/365 women’s basketball coverage, written, edited and photographed by our young, diverse staff and dedicated to breaking news, analysis, historical deep dives and projections about the game we love.


Later on, Speer chats with Brittney Sykes of Rose BC, and Speer asks her to talk a little bit about the team’s season. “Just going into the playoffs, we had that mindset of solidifying our second seed and owning our destiny,” Sykes says. “Just being able to, you know, drive our own boat.”

Speer ends the episode by chatting with Rae Burrell of Vinyl BC. Speer asks Burrell what it will take to take down the number one team. “We need to come in with the energy and start with it,” Burrell asserts. “This game, it can go either way at any moment.”

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!


Want even more women’s sports in your inbox?

Subscribe now to our sister publication The IX and receive our independent women’s sports newsletter six days a week. Learn more about your favorite athletes and teams around the world competing in soccer, tennis, basketball, golf, hockey and gymnastics from our incredible team of writers.

Readers of The Next now save 50% on their subscription to The IX.


Written by The Next

Leave a Comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.