Welcome to Good Game with Sarah Spain, where we're listening to new music from Mountjoy Camp and counting pros while we put Big X's on our calendars so work doesn't interrupt our college hoops watching. It's Thursday, March sixth, and on today's show, we'll be chatting with ESPN's Alexa Philippoo about just how mad this March will be, her front runner for Player of the Year and her favorite memories
of Diana Tarassi, plus keeping tabs on unrivaled rosters. A legislative win we can actually celebrate Anna twenty four year pro decides it's time to hang them up.
It's all coming up right after this.
Welcome back slices. Here's what you need to know today. Let's start with some news out of Washington, DC. A bill that would have redefined Title nine with the goal of prohibiting transgender athletes from playing school sports has failed in the Senate. The bill, which passed in the House in January, would have codified into law Trump's executive order threat to remove federal funding from schools that allow transgender girls and women to compete on teams consistent with their
gender identity. As a result, of the bill failing in the Senate. That executive order is all that exists at the federal level for now to Unrivaled, where we've got some roster movement to update you on heading into the final weekend of the regular season.
First up the good news.
Marina Mabry made her Unrivaled season debut earlier this week, playing twelve minutes in the Phantom's ninety two to seventy nine loss to the Lunar Owls on Monday, and Mabor even Millie Rock during her introduction, showing off her biggest area of improvement so far at Unrivaled dance moves. The Phantom are currently last in the standings looking for a Hail Mary to close out the regular season. Maby's return helps because they won't have Sabrina Yenescu for the final run.
Per the league, Yenescu is done for the season due to prior commitments that she made before signing on for the league's inaugural season. Lace's BC player Natisha Heideman has been reassigned to the Phantom to help even out team numbers. We've been super enthusiastic about Unrivaled all season, but I do think by next year need to tighten up some
of these things. I don't know that they'll be treated as completely legitimate if they have players who are incapable of playing out an entire season because of commitments, or if they're consistently moving around players from team to team. But for now we understand season one some kinks iron out unrivaled regular season wraps up this Monday, with the top four teams qualifying for the semi finals on March sixteenth.
The Lunar Owls and.
Roseby C have both locked up playoff spots, with Vinyl Missed Laces and Phantom fighting for the final two. Speaking of Sabriana and NSCU, she also made news this week by being introduced as an investor in NWSL team BAFC. She'll also be serving as the club's official commercial advisor, a role that, according to the team's press release, will allow her to quote support BAFC athletes as they work
to build their portfolio of brand endorsements. End quote more NWSL Houston Dash forward Yuki Nagasato has announced that she's retiring from soccer following a twenty four year professional career. The Japanese international made her Olympic debut in two thousand and four, and was a member of the country's twenty eleven World Cup winning squad. She played eight seasons in the NWSL, spending time with the Chicago Red Stars, Racing
Louisville and Houston Dash. In twenty twenty, Nagasato also made history as the first woman to play for a Japanese men's team when she joined her brother's team, which played in Japan's second tier professional league. Yuki is a fan favorite, a team favorite, and an all around wonderful, joyful light of a person. The game will really miss her more.
Soccer. Let's start by.
Rewinding back to last May, when FIFA announced its intention to host a Women's Club World Cup in early twenty twenty six, featuring sixteen teams from leagues around the world like the NWSL, WSL and more. Now, the soccer organizing body says it needs more time and is postponing the event until twenty twenty seven at the earliest, per the Athletic The decision was made with input from clubs, confederations, leagues and players unions, with those groups also advocating that
FIFA hosts a smaller four or six team event next winter. Instead, keep you posted as we learn more. To motorsports news, friend of the Show, Catherine leg will make her NASCAR Cup Series debut this weekend, competing in the Shriners Children's five hundred in Phoenix on Sunday. In doing so, she'll become the first woman to compete in a Cup Series race since twenty eighteen. Way to go, Catherine, and if any of you slices miss that episode with her, go back and listen ahead of Sunday's race.
We'll link to it in our show notes.
Speaking of friends of the show, Bob's letter Alana Meyers Taylor will be in action at the World Bobsled and Skeleton Championships in Lake Placid, running today through Sunday and March fourteenth through sixteenth.
These are the first.
Bob Sled and Skeleton World Championships to be held in the US since twenty twelve. Want to see how Alana does, We'll link to the website where you can find the schedule and race results in our show notes. Speaking of fast cold sports and yet another friend of the show,
We've got a little cross country skiing news. The bi annual World Championships in that sport are currently underway in Norway, and on Wednesday, the American duo of Jesse Diggins and Julie Kern won silver in the team sprintcond and straight podium finish in the event after they claim.
Bronze two years ago.
And last, but not least, we want to send a huge congratulations to US women's national team and Portland Thorns forward Sophia Wilson formerly Sophia Smith, who's pregnant with her first child. Wilson and her husband Michael, a wide receiver for the NFL's Arizona Cardinals, made the announcement via a post on Instagram yesterday and included photos of the two holding sonogram images and the caption quote, life just keeps
getting sweeter, speaking asweet. If you haven't seen Michael rattling off all of Soph's acomplishments and saying.
If she can do it, he can do it. Get ready for some serious cheese in, y'all.
We'll link to that video and their baby announced post in our show notes. We're wishing you a happy and healthy pregnancy. So we got to take a quick break. When we come back, we're talking besketball. I love that, but I shouldn't be singing right now. My voice is trash. Alexa Philipoo caught up with her yesterday. It's coming up next.
Joining us now.
She covers college hoops and the WNBA for ESPN. Previously covered the Yukon Huskies and the Connecticut Sun for the Hartford Current, and her work has appeared in the Dallas Morning News, Seattle Times, and Cincinnati Enquirer. A Stanford alum, her past jobs include interning at the House Committee and Oversight and Government Reform, and founding and working as head chef of gourmet cookie company Mad Moose Bakery.
It's Alexa Philippoo, a high school chef.
I did not think that was going to ever see the light of day on something work related, but yes, I loved Here's the thing, Sarah, though, I like to bake the cookies, but I don't eat cookies.
So like it was like I lost out most of the fun. I just was doing it because I enjoyed it, but I never.
Really Okay, Yeah, where'd we get the name Mad Moose Bakery?
Oh? It's honestly a long story. But I was selling them to my cousin and his nickname was Moose. I don't even remember how that came about. So it was a playoff of like moose, like the animal, but then like moose, like you know, a dessert.
Moose, So chocolate moose. Yeah, exactly right, sounds sounds very high school.
Well, congratulations on being entrepreneurial even at a young age. And congratulations on the ESPN contract extension that was just announced. So you're sticking around with the Worldwide Leader. Happy to hear you'll be sticking around, especially because we love getting your expertise on all things college hoops. Conference tournaments are underway, so any upsets you're watching.
For upsets, I mean, I think we have to talk
about the SEC. I mean at the time that we're recording this, I know, like Tennessee just they won their game very comfortably against Texas adem but they're a nine seed in the in the SEC tournament, which is wild, right, So that conference is just so deep, So I don't know, necessarily it feels like, yes, maybe we'll have South Carolina and Well Text I guess like be the ultimate teams that will face off in the final, But just because of the depth of the conference, then you know, you
just don't know. Maybe if a certain if Kentucky gets hot, if at Tennessee refinds its groove after that huge loss to Georgia, so maybe we'll see some upsets. And then you know, acc I want to see if Knitter Dame kind of refinds its groove, if anyone else can really challenge them, or if you know, it's really they're still the team to beat. So those are the two I really have my eye on. And then I think with Big ten, we're probably just expecting UCLA USC Part three,
Big twelve. Yeah, I think I would probably picked TCU at this point to they seem like they're the best team right now, especially with Kanadasity a little injured, So.
Yeah, who knows.
We'll have to see. Well.
And with Notre Dame, you mentioned NC State, you know, technically the number one seed because of the tie breaker in that one. So yeah, it's whether or not they can be the team that they were kind of most of the season, or they have a particular issue trying to beat the wolf Pack in this tournament. Going forward,
let's look ahead to the NCAA tournament. For new or maybe for those who are unfamiliar, how much do these conference tournaments matter and how much does regular season success impact seating.
Yeah, I think, well, obviously we have a wealth of data up to this point that the committee is using to decide what the bracket looks like, and we were able to see specifically with those top sixteen teams in the reveal last week, what they're thinking was up to that point. Of course, so much has happened literally since that reveal that day, there were a ton of upsets.
Throughout the last week, there have been a ton of upsets, and I think what's unique about this year is that you know, you have it's all also, we should say different for each conference and different for each team. Some teams are fighting to make it into March period, but when we're talking about some of these real contenders or the power for you know pretty much which teams are
probably going to make it. But then it is, like you said, all about seating, and for this year, it's really interesting because the top sixteen teams, it feels like a lot is fluid. There's still number one seeds up for grabs. The teams that get to host those are the top sixteen seeds I've been referring to, So that's all really fluid as well. There's been upsets like Ohio State losing that like right now, they're not slated to hosts.
According to Charlie Gums projections, could a team like Maryland go on a run and get back in that position. Kansas State is a little bit of a precarious spot too, So we're looking at who's going to host. We're also looking at who's going to get that number one overall seed, and I think that who ends up having a really strong run the next week is We're going to termine a lot of that. So I think it's exciting because there's a lot of intrigue and it doesn't feel like anything in the Stone.
So much parody wide open field.
You mentioned we got our first look at what the top sixteen looks like from the Basketball Committee before those upsets and thing offers tournaments. But UCLA, Texas, USC and Notre Dame the number one seeds. And to your point about the home advantage, it's a debate that's raged for several years in the women's game of should we still be giving home court advantage and host opportunities to teams or should it be like the men's tournament where it's
neutral sites. Do you think we're still at a place in the women's game where it's beneficial to have those home sites and to encourage tickets and attendance and everything by you know, placing them in basketball hotbeds, or are we at a spot where we might be able to move toward neutral sites.
Personally, I love that teams could host in a women's game, and I think there's nothing like I just remember actually one time walking into it was a second round game here in stores. I'm saying here in Stortside. I'm literally here in stores after having to do some interviews here and so just walking into the gamble pavilion and it was like an atmosphere for a second round game. I was not expecting, but it was electric. You could feel just like the tension brewing, and it was a really
actually tough game for Yu Kong. As we're playing, I think it might have been you see yes at the time or yeah, that sounds right. So I think it's great. I think you know, they're really well attended. You're not seeing environments where it's like no one's in the stands
and it's like, what's the point here? And my argument for keeping that too is like you should you know, I know this doesn't apply to maybe some of the lower mid majors, But for the most part, if you're in the conversation to host, you know you have the like if you want to host like investor program, do well in the regular season and in your conference tournament, and then you can be in a position to have that you know, quote unquote advantage. So I think it's great.
I would probably be really disappointed they move away from it. I see why people like neutral sites, but like, we do get neutral sites obviously once we get to the regionals and then the final four, so we have that built in. But I just think campus sites, it's still college athletics. And yes, also too, they're gonna be upsets, like we're seeing more and more upsets in the women's game.
So hopefully it's a good balance, like for the whole scope of the tournament that you have a little bit at that college field, but also the neutrality and the later on.
How many teams deep do I have to go for you to say that they have a legitimate chance to win it.
All, I'd say six. Do you want me to name them or do you want to game them together?
Yeah, let's hear.
Yeah, So I think, let's you know you have at the top Texas USC. I might be messing up the exact rankings right now, South Carolina, UCLA, Yukon and Notre Dame. Notre Dame, I think those are the six for me. Some people like to put else you in there, but I haven't seen that championship level play for them. I mean I wouldn't be I don't think i'd pick them to make the final for her right now, but I wouldn't be shocked if they do, because they just obviously
have the talent. But yeah, for me, it's been to six that I really think have the shanga shot. I think that's been honestly pretty consistent throughout the season that those above the rest.
Yeah, they've kind of shuffled around the top the top rankings. Are there any potential dark courses? Is there a team maybe LSU is one, but is there a team that you think if everything is hidden, yeah, they could do some damage.
Yeah, I think so. The Big twelve is interesting because I feel like they've it's been like a very the ones completely emerge as a power, like you kind of saw that from TCU, but then they've had their own ups and downs. Kansas State. I think it's unfortunate Aoka Lead has been injured, especially towards like the end of
the season, so that's a factor for them. But like those are two teams I would definitely watch, like if they really catch fire at the right time, Kansas State again would need I think Aoka Lead healthy and contributing and on the floor to be able to go in a run. And TCU obviously, I know we talked about them before the last time I was on with their kind of duo of Helly Van Left and Stoner Prints and then I don't know if I feel that strongly about this in the sense that they just were upset
in a really kind of maybe tellyway against Georgia. But Tennessee again, like they have to they could probably Like I guess what we could say about them is like, obviously they could lose to anyone. They just lost to Georgia, but I also think it could beat a lot of good teams, and we saw them against a lot of the good SEC teams earlier this year, come really close to Vega, and then they have the big win against you go too against.
Yeah, any under the radar storylines, we should be following either on the court or off the court.
Entering the tournament.
I'm just really interested to see. You know, this is the first year after you know, Caitlin Clark had kind of taken the whole basketball scene by storm. I think a lot of people in the sport were saying, you know, she's obviously a star in her own right, but there were other stars too that were, you know, really doing great things. And so now that you know she's moved on to the WNBA, I'm really eager to see which stars are going to show out the most in March.
Is it going to be the pagebackers, and is it going to be the you know, the Juju Watkins or you know, could Hana Hidalgo be in that conversation, or maybe it's you know, other people we haven't talked about yet, like Mikaela Blake for example at Vanderbilt. She's one of the best freshmen in the country. There's another great freshman and Sarah Strong who could really make her name in March as well. So I just it's always that like time where you're just like, who's going to be that
team or that player that really emerges. Like last year we didn't think NC State would necessarily do that, and then they're there in the final four for the first time since you know, they had been there since like ninety eight or ninety nine. So I just love that kind of anticipatory feeling of like you just don't know exactly what's gonna happen or who's gonna, you know, really
pop off. And then and then once like we get there, I'm just look very fascinated to see, like who's actually in Tampa by the end of it, if it's going to be one of mostly from that group of six that we talked about, or maybe you know some people were surprised.
Yes, And the stakes are really higher than ever, not just because of the eyeballs and the fan interest, but for the players, nil opportunities, the chance to make your name on the highest stage, the chance to get people to know you and make you a household name, really happens so much during tournament time. And then also this is the first year that leagues and teams get paid
when their teams advance. For such a long time, there were payouts on the men's side, and there was a real benefit to investing in your program and watching it go far and on the women's side, you go win the whole damn thing and you get nothing. And so the fact that the women and the teams and leagues are getting paid when there are teams advance just ups the ante on everything. It makes everything bigger and more important.
At tournament time, you mentioned a couple of the names, Hannah, Paige Juju front runners for player of the year if I give you Juju Watkins, Hannah Hidalgo, Paigebackers, Lauren Betts, and then Tanaia Latson who's leading the league in scoring, leading the country in scoring. Is there anybody that really for you has already sealed it up personally?
I know some places have started to make their kind of proclamations, at least some of the media sites. I don't necessarily know if it's one hundred percent of done deal. I think Juju Watkins might have the edge because of those games against UCLA, because the fact that they won
the Big Ten title and they want it outright. You can say enough about what she's done this year and specifically just like she has help around her, but she's still the centerpiece of everything they do, and she's taking on so much in different areas before But you know, if if USC stumbles in the Big ten tournament, in Hanna Hidalgo goes on a run, or Pagebackers suddenly takes over,
or baby Lauren Betts finds her way again. I think it's it's interesting because these are humans making their own decisions on this, and the voting process I think probably differs based off each award or based off you know, if it's a publication for claiming someone the player of the year. So I think it's a little bit still up forgots. I don't think someone's completely separated themselves, but right now would probably say that, like the edge probably
feels like it's it's juju. But we'll see what people say.
Another big thing to watch for during the tournament is how YU confers and whether that will affect star senior guard Azy Fud's decision to stay for another year she has eligibility or go to the WNBA draft. Her most recent quote was, we'll see about the fifth year.
That's what we've heard. Do you have a strong opinion on what her choice should be.
She's such, she's in a unique situation because this is really her first fully healthy year or I don't even know if fully mostly. Yeah, since really her freshman year. So I think she's she does seem to really love it at Yukon and to be able to play more here might be something that she wants to do. She might want to be able to prove like I can do like a whole healthy season, or I can come back and you know, I can compete it for a
national championship. You know, if she's back here with Sarah Strong leaning away, that's a pretty good, you know, two player duo that would that would be really able to compete for a championship. So but then at the same time, you go into the w n b A and you're able to just start your pro career right away. Maybe she would rather do that than you know, people talk about, you know, the risk of getting injured again or whatnot. Obviously, you know, there's only so much you can do can
control for that. But yeah, and then at the WNBA, it's it's also very interesting this year because right like these players that are getting drafted this year, they're rocked into a rookie scale contract that's probably not going to be what the rookie scale contracts look like next year. Yeah, because the CBA, right the CBA will look a lot different, So there's a ton of factors. She was joking that she's not a great decision maker, which I relate to
I stressed out about decisions like that. So yeah, so I'm really curious to see what she does. But I think what's really just been great about her story is that she's been able to really show, you know, why she was a number one overall recruit, why she was so hyped coming out of high school, because of what she's been able to do, especially in that South Carolina game. So hopefully either way, you know, she'll have a really good path ahead of her.
Let's switch gears to the w NBA.
Were there any really big off season moves that you think changed the trajectory of a team, like maybe the team that took the biggest leap as a result of the move they made this offseason.
I think it's got to be the Indiana fever. I mean the way that they were able to I mean they they overhauled their roster, not by getting rid of you know, their two stars, but like everyone around them, right, So the players that they brought in are championship pedigree players. They're veterans there and then from a best ball standpoint, right, it makes a lot of sense like bringing it able to bring in a player like Natasha Howard as an upgrade from Melissa Smith. No, you know, no kind of
diss on Melissa Smith, but it's Natasha Howard. And then you have Dewana bon or Sophie Cunningham. I have an experience point guard to back up Kaitlyn Clark and Sydney Coolson. So I mean, I think the Fever are showing that they are in the contender conversation, and that is not necessarily where most of us we weren't. We just weren't sure if they would be able to make that leap that soon. And you know, basically your two of Caitlin or your two of Kaitlyn and Aaliyah Boston being in
the on the court together. So I think by far that they they really made the most noise. And for agents.
Speaking of noise of free agency, Marina Maybray asked for a trade out of Connecticut after they essentially got rid of their entire starting five.
She was only there for part of the season.
After being traded from the Chicago Sky they said we will not trade you, not only because of what we gave up to get you, but because we're also optimistic about adding pieces around you and having you on the team. I see both sides of this, like why do you want to play around that doesn't want to be there?
And also, we can't afford to have no leverage in a trade situation when you've already made public that you want to leave and not get back enough in return for somebody that we gave up pieces to have and build around. Where do you sit on how this will be received by the rest of the WNBA watching the Connecticut Sun operate, or even by Maybury and her ability to if she sticks around, put it behind her and play hard and well for that team.
Yeah, it's a really interesting situation because we haven't, at least since I've started covering the w BA, we haven't had a ton of really public, you know, trade requests and then a team just coming out and saying we're not gonna follow through with that. But I think, you know, Marina Mayby is someone who is really competitive, and so I I have a hard time imagining her completely just like wanting to, like, I feel like when she's if she's.
Not gonna James Harden it Yeah, like.
She's gonna want to win and want to like do well, and you know, she's if she can prove her worth, like whether or not she's in. Let's assume she's still at the Sun and she can prove her worth in twenty twenty five, that would set her up well in twenty twenty. Sorry, I'm just like what twenty twenty six?
Like what year is it? Yeah, what year is it?
And how are we already in twenty twenty six? But yeah, she can prove her worth in twenty twenty six, So you know, I think the Sun are hoping it's a sort of situation where she really just decides when she things settle down, you know, I can you know, they want her to be the centerpiece, right, they want her to have the ball in her hands a lot, So they're hoping that's an advantageous situation for both Marina and
for the team. I think around the league, you know, it's just really interesting the different paths that all these different teams on and the fact that like everything is going to be a blank slate essentially in twenty twenty
six is playing into this too. But right now, I think for the Sun, you know, they have some pieces that they want to you know, they have you know, the Tina Charles or Marina Mabreen, Natasha Clouds still on the roster you know as of now too, so you know they could kind of try and compete with them. But also the long term I think there are they really are trying to kind of retool their roster and build with a younger core. So that's something that might
take some time to actually see come into fruition. But it's like so interesting because of the different timelines that all these teams have, and there's not really a ton of teams that are fully kind of committing to like a full rebuild and the you know in the traditional sense. I think maybe with the Mystics having so many first round draft picks, they might kind of be a little bit more like on that line. And they also have
obviously new Ga Avenue head coach too. But a lot of teams are trying to compete or you know, be really good this year too, and I think part of that is just also there's so much attention on the league now that no one wants to no one wants to look bad off year, have off year, and then also like they want to maintain. They want to maintain and apeel for free agents going into twenty six too, so there's that element as well.
One of the teams with the biggest changes of the Phoenix Mercury, not just because of the shuffling of a handful of players, but because Diana Tarrassi did officially tell us that she was retiring. We kind of knew it with that farewell video, but you never know what dts, so we were holding out hope and now that she
has announced her retirement. You were part of putting together a really great story for ESPN untold stories about the retired WNBA legend from her teammates or competitors, coaches, family members.
Did you have a favorite from that story?
I did, and it was something that actually didn't make the final cut, so I waited talk about it. So I talked with Morgan Valley, who was this assistant coach at Yukon now and was Diana's roommate in college, I think for multiple years, and it was just it wasn't as much like of a specific moment, but it was more so like the story behind the bun that I
thought was just like incredible. But basically she was describing to me, how like Diana used to like lay down on the couch and like have her hair hanging off the back of it, and then she would have like a brush and the hairspray and this whole get up and there was they used this like massive and I was kind of confused about this, but I guess this
was the thing. It was like a massive like Rice Crispy treat that was like used as like a table and so because like they're in this like cramped dorm, you know, and so like she's using this whole like kind of setup to do the pair, to do the bun. Apparently at one point there was you know, she was doing more of like a ponytail situation. But I loved I just like could clearly picture Diane just like laying back and like spending all the.
Time get it as tight as possible.
And of course then you know has it's a living kind of legend at this point and of itself. So right, I love that little bit of it.
Where did the Rice Krispy treat fall into place?
Here?
This is she was using that as a table to lean against, or maybe it looked like a Rice Crispy tree, but it wasn't.
Actually, it was definitely. Morgan definitely said it was a Rice Krispy treat and they were using it as it sounded like using as a table to like put some of the stuff on, because they didn't have maybe like a huge table to begin with her a kind of stuff in the dorm.
So and I'm like, interesting, I'm looking it up right now and the world's largest allegedly is only two pounds, so it just doesn't feel like it'd be big enough to use as a table. But I am seeing someone on TikTok holding a relatively large.
Rice Krispy treat.
So we'll have to do some further research on exactly how you can make a table out of a Rice Chrispy tree.
I think I have to definitely follow with her about that, because that's us.
Yeah, leave it.
Leave it to Tarasi to somehow give us the most mysterious story possible, even when it's just about doing her hair.
Well, everyone can check out that story.
We'll link to it in the show notes because it's great to hear from all sorts of people just sharing their stories about DT and it's always great to hear from you. So thank you so much for giving us some time and your expertise as we get really excited for these conference tournaments in March madness.
Yeah, thanks for having me, Sarah.
We got to take another break.
When we come back, one team finds a win in a step situation, stick around, welcome back slices.
We always love to hear from you, so hit us up on email.
Good game at wondermedianetwork dot com or leave us a voicemail at eight seven two two o four fifty seventy and you know what I'm going to say. Yep, don't forget to subscribe, rate and review, give us five stars.
Tell us you love us. It's easy watch.
Women's basketball coach lost to Doge cuts stick sound to lead his team to the NAIA Tournament, rating ten out of ten Middle fingers to the Doge Bags Review. Nearly twenty five percent of the workforce at Haskell Indian Nations University was fired last month as part of Doge's haphazard and politically motivated cuts, including fourth year women's basketball coach Adam Strom. My buddy Kevin Blackistone wrote a story for The Washington Post about Strom's firing, writing quote, I guess
in the six trillion dollar plus federal budget. Getting rid of the Native American women's basketball coach at an indigenous university established by the government ostensibly in part to write some of its voluminous wrongs against the Native people that trampled makes a big difference.
End quote.
More from blackistone on Haskell University quote, Haskell is one of at least thirty five TCUs or tribal colleges and universities. They are not unlike HBCUs historically black colleges and universities. They too, were born out of refusal by this land's settler colonial class to provide any meaningful education to the progeny of the millions of indigenous people it really preferred to eradicate, or the progeny of the millions of humans
it traffic from Africa to exploit. Blackistone continues later quote the mission of TCUs and HBCUs is to educate the marginalized ethnic and racial students referenced in their titles, and Haskell is even more pointed as part of a treaty and trust signed between American Indians and this country, Haskell's mission is specifically to lift up those who are members of federally recognized tribes or can prove native ancestry through blood.
Last fall, Haskell enrolled nine hundred seventy eight students from one hundred and forty six tribes. Seventeen make up the women's basketball team. And that's how their women's basketball coach got swept up in the mailstream of malefaction metastasizing across the country because he was a federal employee at a federally funded entity.
End quote.
It's an infuriating story of politically motivated cuts to a place that doesn't deserve it and can't afford it. But Strom isn't walking away. Instead of leaving the team, he stayed on as an un paid volunteer and just led his squad to a fifty seven to fifty two win over Northern New Mexico in the Continental Athletic Conference championship game, earning a berth in the NAIA National Tournament. We are
all rooting for you, Haskell and coach Strom. We'll link to that blackistone article in the show notes if you want to read it now, it's your turn, rate and review.
Go do it right now, do it, do it. Thanks for listening.
See you tomorrow, Good Game Alexa, Good Game Haskell Women's hoops. You you eliminating programs and firing people under the guise of saving money when it's really about cutting jobs and efforts that help marginalize folks that you don't give a shit about. Good Game With Sarah Spain is an iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You can find us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or
wherever you get your podcasts. Production by Wonder Media Network, our producers are Alex Azzie and Misha Jones. Our executive producers are Christina Everett, Jesse Katz, Jenny Kaplan, and Emily Rudder. Our editors are Emily Rutterer, Britney Martinez and Great Lynch. Our associate producer is Lucy Jones and I'm Your Host Sarah Spain