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Take 5: New Year’s edition

By Blake DuDonis

DICK CLARKS NEW YEARS ROCKIN EVE WITH RYAN SEACREST 2018 Live performances from Times Square in the heart of New York City, are featured on Americas biggest celebration of the year, DICK CLARKS NEW YEARS ROCKIN EVE WITH RYAN SEACREST 2018, airing on the ABC Television Network. (Photo by Lorenzo Bevilaqua/ABC via Getty Images)TIMES SQUARE BALL DROP
DICK CLARKS NEW YEARS ROCKIN EVE WITH RYAN SEACREST 2018 Live performances from Times Square in the heart of New York City, are featured on Americas biggest celebration of the year, DICK CLARKS NEW YEARS ROCKIN EVE WITH RYAN SEACREST 2018, airing on the ABC Television Network. (Photo by Lorenzo Bevilaqua/ABC via Getty Images)TIMES SQUARE BALL DROP /
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LAS VEGAS, NV – DECEMBER 11: Head coach and President of Basketball Operations Bill Laimbeer attends a news conference as the WNBA and MGM Resorts International announce the Las Vegas Aces as the name of their franchise at the House of Blues Las Vegas inside Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino on December 11, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. In October, the league announced that the San Antonio Stars would relocate to Las Vegas and begin play in the 2018 season at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. (Photo by Brandon Magnus/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV – DECEMBER 11: Head coach and President of Basketball Operations Bill Laimbeer attends a news conference as the WNBA and MGM Resorts International announce the Las Vegas Aces as the name of their franchise at the House of Blues Las Vegas inside Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino on December 11, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. In October, the league announced that the San Antonio Stars would relocate to Las Vegas and begin play in the 2018 season at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. (Photo by Brandon Magnus/Getty Images) /

Question 3: What changes in the world of women’s basketball are you most intrigued about seeing in 2018?

Potkey- The change I am most intrigued about seeing is the WNBA moving to Las Vegas and having Bill Laimbeer at the helm. Las Vegas and Laimbeer just seem ripe for fun things. Laimbeer has a proven track record of success in the league and is a perfect choice to develop and mold this young team through a move. The Aces (formerly San Antonio Stars) have the No. 1 draft pick for the second straight year, and will likely take South Carolina star A’ja Wilson.

Hopefully having a WNBA franchise in Las Vegas can help Debbie Antonelli’s push to get the Sweet 16 there if the NCAA ever relents on holding events in the city. In this day and age, it’s silly to stay away from Las Vegas simply because of the city’s ties to gambling when gambling can be done on the internet in any state. Times have changed. The NCAA needs to change if it can help grow the game. Professional sports are realizing the positives of Las Vegas with the Golden Knights playing their inaugural NHL season in the city and the Raiders preparing for the NFL’s impending arrival in 2020. The Aces have a potential-filled young core, and it would be great to see the franchise have success again while attracting new fans to women’s basketball in a new WNBA city.

Megdal- Las Vegas with A’ja Wilson and the three guards playing for Bill Laimbeer is going to be fascinating. New town, new coach, a year under Kelsey Plum’s belt, healthy Moriah Jefferson, my goodness. And Wilson’s evolution even means they can play her with Kayla Alexander, too.

Dull- We were robbed of seeing Washington Mystics in a playoff series with a healthy Tayler Hill. Their guard rotation was paper thin after she went out. They missed her dearly against the Lynx, especially her ability to get all the way to the rim — something no one else on their roster could replicate. 

DuDonis- If you follow me on Twitter, you’re aware that I’m pretty vocal about the lack of coverage women’s basketball gets. Actually, it is more about the type of coverage. Look, non-women’s basketball fans aren’t going to tune in to watch UConn beat someone by 30. That is some weird falsehood people seem to accept for some reason. Women’s basketball fans watch women’s basketball. So, let’s start getting teams on TV that HAVE already caught the attention of those outside of the sport.

South Carolina’s national championship did reach those outside of the sport, so why aren’t we seeing them more? Mississippi State taking down UConn caused huge ripples outside the sport, so why aren’t they on more? These are just two examples of many to be used. That is one, small way we can grow the sport. If ESPN and others are going to care enough to put women’s basketball on TV, let’s start mixing up who we are putting on. I look forward to seeing this happen more, even if its naive of me to hope for that.

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