Welcome to Good Game with Sarah Spain, where we're still battling the plague. Shouts to everybody out there dealing with any one of the several annoying ass illnesses going around right now. It's Wednesday, January twenty ninth, and on today's show, we're skipping the need to know and getting straight into my conversation with Beg and Perry, head of Basketball for
Athletes Unlimited. We talked about what to expect from the league's fourth season, tipping off on February fifth, including new players, a new location, and the stars steak stats and stories. You should know that Combo's coming up right after this, joining us now. She's the head of Basketball for Athletes Unlimited, overseeing the strategic planning and execution of all basketball operations and player personnel matters. A former college basketball analyst and
former studio analyst for the Miami Heat. Most importantly, she's a former d one hooper for Cordell University. Let's go, It's Megan Perry. I think you might be our first Cornell grad on the show.
Really that can't be well. First, thank you, thank you for having me, And if I am the first, I'm glad to blaze the trail for the many Cornelians to come after.
Yeah, I feel like, what am I doing with my life? If I'm not using my power and influence to elevate the profile of fellow Cornelians. It's almost like I'm not in charge around this bitch. What am I doing? I gotta start just force feeding people Cornell grads? All right, that's fair.
It starts today.
It starts today, It starts with you. Okay. The fourth season of Athletes Unlimited gets going February fifth. For those who aren't familiar, let's give the league my patented four US's treatment, so star stake, stats and stories give them all the information that they need to dive in to this season of Athletes Unlimited. Let's start with the stars. Who are some of the biggest names that are gonna be playing this season.
You can expect some of the names that you already know and some new names. I'll say our roster, which we're really excited about. Over half of our roster.
Or new names.
And we have this healthy amount of players with WNBA experience and a number of players that you will find currently on a roster, names that you will know already. Three time WNBA champion Alisha Clark headlines our roster this season. You'll find names like Isabelle Harrison, Sidney Colson, Alissa Hilly, Jalen Sharad, I mean, just keya nurse. The list goes on and on and on. We have a healthy balance
of vets, new and young emerging talent. And I will say for those that are just women's basketball fans, right you've been following the game from sometimes their their high school days to their collegiance space and then what they are doing professionally, these will be names that you are familiar with and you will know and you'll have a chance to plug in to this part of their professional journey.
Yeah, it's a great opportunity for five on five basketball in the offseason for w players, for those trying to make a W roster. And one of the biggest complaints we seem to have every year, particularly right after the draft and as the rosters are getting set for W is some of our favorite players that we watched in college can't find a spot. It is such a tight league.
I can't remember what the new number is. We've been saying one forty four for so long that now I got to be like okay plus the Valkyries and then eventually there will be this team, but somewhere more than one forty four but still not a lot is what limits some of these players from finding a professional spot. So you're right, there are faces that people will remember really enjoying watching in the college game, we had the faces of the league. Of course, Sid Colson and Teresa
plays on sit in TP on this very show. There are as much comedians as they are basketball players. They're two of the ogs that have really established themselves in this league in the past. Are there others that you can point out to us that like they're walking back in like big woman on campus style, like you know, I'm here to show up.
Let me say this to you, Sarah, that overall, like we have such a competitive roster in the space, so for four weeks our players coming together to compete to crown the individual champion. There are there's a little bit of new blood in right, and there are some old vets and familiar names and spaces that very much so recognized the stakes or what's at stake. But I will
say some names you should pay attention to. Obviously returners as in Mattie Segrest, I think is a name that often flies under the radar.
For sure.
We know what TP can do, what Sid can do, what Lexi Brown, and she's kind of been kind of managing some health challenges, is really in prime condition. I think I have a really great another great AU Pro basketball season. I would say some new names that you may not be thinking of, and some things that some people that should be on the radar. Dejah Fair we speak about the college landscape when we talk about ballers and straight up hoopers.
Very excited to welcome Dasha to the family.
When you think about NCUBA all time leading scores, it goes Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Plumb, Dejah Fair, and Kelsey Mitchell, right, And so that's a name that I know will keep our scores table really busy and stands super engaged.
And we have a number of others.
When I think about some of our vets, I'll say new to AU this year, but keya.
Nurse and Ria Hartley.
Names that women's basketball players know for their amazing collegiate careers and professional careers, but new to AU and we'll definitely mix.
Up that leaderboard that you were speaking about.
I'm pumped already, I'm excited. I'm excited for this. Okay, let's talk about stats, because that's really important for us to understand how everything works on AU. Can you explain how the scoring works for AU basketball, just how it's both an individual and a team competition.
Absolutely, so I want to make clear to everyone overall.
AU Pro Basketball was founded with the premise that we want to create another space for professional women's basketball players, whether they are here domestically, or they have extensive experience overseas, or if they're fresh out of the college space right trying to figure out their professional trajectory.
We created a space for five on five basketball, the game that you know. It is that simple.
But what's cool about AU is we've layered on top of that a scoring system, a scoring system that highlights individuals' ability to compete, because at the end of the season, we crown one individual champion, but we also fully embrace team basketball. So our format is driven by a leaderboard. I often tell people, think of the Peloton leaderboard. I don't know if we have Peloton all Peloton errs if you will out there, sure, but there's a basketball for basketball.
It's the AU Pro Basketball leader board.
And for forty players that we have on our roster, they are ranked on that leaderboard. And how do they get that ranking. It's determined by their own court performance. They get points tied to the leaderboard for positive plays. You're three pointers, you're a sess, you're an awesome place. There's also negative points for turnovers and things that are you know, that don't serve the game as well, so they're rewarded for that, but they are also rewarded for team points.
Team wins is what we call them.
We incentivize every single moment in AU pro basketball matters because it's not just about winning the game as the team, it's also about.
Winning each quarter.
So let's say regular game, it could be seventy five to one hundred and you're like, I'm done, I'm kind of tuned out. Not in AU, because the team that wins the quarter. There's also compensation tied to these wins, right, So where you fall on the leaderboard absolutely matter, and so our players are competing like a playoff like environment the entire time. So what you can expect is five on five basketball with a really cool innovative scoring system that engages our fans in a new way.
Yeah, we're never going to get those late blowouts where everybody's dragging ass. You're always incentivized to keep playing and getting those stats and getting those good plays. What's a great game for a player? Is it similar to a WNBA stat line?
That's really interesting.
I think when I think about that question, it's a great it's I mean, it's going to be different.
And I'll say why is it different for every player? I mean, every player.
Comes into AU with a different reason. Right, So for some players, it might be that this is a space that I use to become my best self in preparation for the WNBA season. As I'm already have a confirmed roster spot on the WNBA, Right, there might be another player where they are working to earn that opportunity, or there might be a player where they're like, I'm not quite sure where I want to go in my career.
I really enjoyed being a part of this community, right, And I've been playing professionally for fifteen five whatever years overseas, and this is my opportunity to play with a new group, right, a new family. So a good game it varies, but I would say our games are high scoring, our games are fast paced our games. It is not an anomaly
to see a forty point performance from a player. Right, I would say, you know, a good AU Pro basketball game just like any other five on five games, twenty points, ten rebounds, six success right, blocks and steals.
That's filling the stat sheet.
I think is really what fans continue to love and how they engage, and that's what our players do. So that's a good game. But it'll vary based on what that player is there for.
We got to take a quick break when we come back more with Megan Perry. What are the stakes? How big is one good game or bad game? Both in terms of team play like making it to the playoffs depending on the length of the season and how many games they play, and then in terms of individual play if you have a really bad game or really good game in terms of accumulating points, what are the stakes for each game we're watching?
So the stakes are high, and I'll tell you because of our format, our leaguest player driven right down to how they play the game. Across our forty players, they
are split into four teams. Each team has a captain and every single week, the captains draft players onto their teams and your draft, You're right, so where you are drafted, so how you play is determined oftentimes where you fall during that draft, and so our players are competing the entire time, not only for that position on the leaderboard, but also you're thinking about where you might be drafted, who you might be playing with, what compliments you, what doesn't.
And this season, one change that we did make is that the way that we go about selecting our captains this season, we will create we think a little bit more variation at the top of the leaderboard in terms of who might be a So.
The captains will be determined for.
Week one, We'll have a random pool of returners that we will select from to be captains for week one, or for weeks two and weeks three. Our captains will be selected by that prior week's top performers. So it's almost like you got to lock in and you got
to bring your game every single week. So it's not that you could have an amazing performance for one week or one game that in that series and then kind of lay out no, every single moment matters, and at the end of the season, that last and final championship week that we call Week four, it's it's accumulative scores from that leader board that we take a look at to crown that one individual champion. So to put it simply, every moment matters.
Yeah, yeah, the stakes are high, the math is required, but not by us, thankfully, y'all do that for us, and then we watch and you tell us what happened
and how the points added up and all that. That's right, Yeah, I mean, that's one of the most fascinating parts and always has been for me, about the AU model for the leagues that are combining team and individuals, is this idea that like, if you're a big shit talker, if you're a little dirty, if you start fights with opponents, then you're setting yourself up to potentially be on that person's team the next week and have to mend some fences.
And I'm not speaking from personal experience or anything. I'm just saying that would have been hard for me. I'm very competitive and whoever's not with me is against me, and so to switch that up is a very interesting element of all this.
Well, we respect that, and I'll say that's what's the cool part of AU. I Mean, we talk about the game. It speaks for itself, but I think there's layers right that go on top of the game, from the captain selection to like, yeah, you could be a terrible teammate, but you might have to see that person next week. And we're all all together as a family for that
time on the ground for the season. So all those dynamics do come into play, so you have to watch closely and follow along the I'll call them the healthy storylines that.
We call it the tea we at t over here.
Oh there's t let's.
Talk about the stories and the storylines. Are there any in particular we should follow, maybe someone coming back from injury, someone who's looking to get back on a w roster that was but has slipped off the tail end, anything that we should watch for.
Yeah. Absolutely.
When I think about the big storylines this season, I think one is going to be about the new pool of players.
And it has to write its own story.
One of the names that we're most excited about, I would say, and I say we because I work in collaboration with our Player ex Executive Committee our PEC, which is the pool of players that hand selects the talent that we bring into the Aupro Basketball family each year.
But I'll say the name Melissa.
Peelee rings really loud, right, and Alissa Pilly being the high draft pick that she was for the twenty twenty four season, coming off of a season in which her team was really close to taking that WNVA championship home, having that experience, and now for her to be able to kind of settle into her own and kind of
show us what's next for Alissa Peely. I'm really excited about following her story in her journey because I really do think the best is yet to come for what she can do on court, uh and as well evolving Alyssa off the court, because we know the presence that she has in the indigenous community uh and how she inspires and impacts people, you know, across across the landscape.
So we're excited about Alissa.
I would also say, when I think about vets, one of the top vets that comes to mind, actually there's two, Elizabeth Williams.
Elizabeth Williams is coming off in front of the show.
Yes, Yes, we love we love E.
And so she's going to be a new member of the AU Pro Basketball family this season, and I think, quite frankly, her leadership speaks for itself. Anyone that knows her knows I almost call her like president. She has that that presence right about her. But I think her coming back and how she's going to be able to perform from injury.
And then I will also say we think about the free agency storylines.
I mean that's that's ever present, and so we do have a couple of free agents within the AU Pro basketball family. Alicia Clark's a free agent, Zndy Colson's a free agent. Jalen Sharad is a free agent coming off for a championship run with the New York Liberty. And then let me also say, when I think about younger talent and names that you may not be familiar with just yet but need to know, there's a player by the name of Mackenzie Forbes who I think has a really interesting story.
Mackenzie.
If you're a super like basketball junkie, you know she played basketball. I believe that cow then went to Harvard University so rep in the IVY League. Shout out to that, and then spent some time at USC and she played
alongside Juju. But she is a versatile, a versatible like Tweener, and that I think she's gonna make some noise and lastly, I'll say when we talk about names in storylines, Alicia Clark, Alisha Clark, Isabelle Harrison, Jordan Horston, we have some names which have i would say, elevated themselves amongst the W
and B A ranks that are coming. And let me say, they're competitors, so it's not that they have something to prove, but they always show up and give their best, and so I'm excited to see how that manifests for the season for AU Pro Basketball.
So we'll keep our eyes on some of those and many more.
You know, Yeah, I want to shout out. You mentioned Elizabeth Williams, you kind of you know, you call her president. She just got her Masters in Global health in December, so friend of the show, Smarty Pants Leader, she'll be fun to watch. And also we'll be watching TP because when she was on our show, she did say that in her future plans she would love to get back
into the W if she could. And I know, obviously playing AU is part of her story and part of her desire to keep getting better, competing and finding way back on a roster. So we'll be watching for that as well. The seasons in Nashville first time, anything special we can look forward to in the music city.
So much, how much time do I have talk about it?
I'll say, what we're really excited about when I think about out Nashville, and a lot of people ask you, is why did you choose Nashville one. If you know anything about women's basketball, you know about the rich history that exists across the entire state of Tennessee, right, and so it makes sense for us to bring professional women's basketball back to a space that has been just ripe. I think a space for women's basketball fans, for talent that exists there, and it only feels right to make
that space home. I will say that Nashville specifically has been an amazing partner and host for a U Pro basketball. They they were I would say, very friendly. I won't call it aggressive, but wonderful and courting us. Courting us
we love. Yes, we have been courted. And when I think about the evolution of sports, like the history that exists, the innovation in which like the newness of a U Pro Basketball, and this generation bringing that together and in that state, as well as the clash of sports music culture, it is a fit. And so we are really excited to bring that blend to music city. So you're going
to see basketball, that's a given. The product on the floor unquestionable, right like that, that is solid, And what I think fans are going to enjoy the most this season is like seeing the blend of how we've integrated parts of the Nashville community into our you know, our game presentations, and how we are kind of reaching out to many members of the community. The HPCU community will be around and thriving, and just how we are embracing
the culture that exists there. I think that's what's most exciting. And if SID and TP were on here, they would probably be talking about music and karaoke. I think said I'm.
Coming because you said every game. So yeah, yeah, it's a party. It's a party.
It's a party. Nashville is a good time. If people have not made it out to Nashville, getting out on Broadways, seeing all the live music, go to Husk, go to Loveless Cat, they get all the good food. I mean, it's a scene down there. It's a really good time. How could people watch?
Oh I love that question and so I cannot wait to be able to share dropping shortly what the distribution will look like for this season. But I will say you can find AU pro basketball. You're going to be able to find it in familiar places that you found it in seasons before, in some new places this season.
So I will not get myself in trouble by sharing anything that's not been publicly announced just yet, but I will say all the details for the AU Pro basketball season can be found at auprobasketball dot com.
Follow our social handles.
We put all the deats there, and stay tuned because we will be announcing that very shortly.
Love it. Last question for you, we know Unrivaled is getting a lot of enthusiasm and excitement this new three on three league happening. Does that affect the viability of AU basketball. It's a different format, but it's trying to pull some of the same players that probably were playing AU before.
I would say no, and I'll say no because for a couple of different reasons. So one, I'll let me step back and say I've been working in women's basketball for nearly twenty years. I won't date myself too much, but professionals basketball a long time, and so what is exciting is to see the growth. There is room for everyone and the game demands more opportunities for women's basketball players at a professional level, So that one that's reason one I think definitely, Like we are both working to
build this community together. And when we think about AU Pro Basketball, as you mentioned, what's different about us, we are five on five versus a three on three format, But that also means our offering is different to our players, and so it's not that we are competing for the same pool of players are We are distinctly different because we offer a model that fits certain players' needs right and may not fit others, like just like any other league.
So AU Pro Basketball, I think we will continue as we are in our fourth season and continue to grow beyond that to welcoming a flourishing, healthy pool of players and talent that continues to increase. You know, we've had past champions a part of our league, as in you know, Alicia Gray and names that you're gonna know like Melissa Smith, right like, we have some names that are part of our community and we want to continue to foster that.
And I think in our upcoming announcements you'll see the evidence.
Of the pool of talent that we've been able to put together.
Really, I think will communicate the our trajectory and where we're headed, which I really think is up.
Sarah, It's up.
I love it more hoops the better. Thank you so much for coming on. I'm going to try to find some ways to shoehorn a lot more. Uh, just you know, any Cornell appearances, but just you coming on will reminisce about the bars that no longer exist and the fun times at the place we used to love that has changed completely. USLS is still there, okay, so long as that we can congregate there. Thanks again for coming on, Megan.
Thank Sarah, appreciate you having me.
Thanks so much to Megan for joining us. Want to point out that AU did announce their broadcast partners after we recorded this interview, so you can catch this season's games on the WNBA app, ESPN Plus or the fan
Duel Sports Network starting February fifth. Also shout out to the folks who are going to be working the season's broadcasts, including friends of the show Cindy Brunson, Cheryl Swoops, and Ri Chambers, the person behind the ubiquitous and oh so accurate phrase the WNBA is so important, Damn straight, Ari, we got to take another break be right back. Welcome back slices. We love that you're listening, but we want you to get in the game every day too, So
here's our good game play of the day. Take a look at the athletes Unlimited roster and decide what player you think is going to win Season four. We'll throw the link to the roster in our show notes. And don't forget that certified slice. Joey Maldonado made us a handy calendar with the days, times and channel for most of the sports going on right now, including AU basketball.
We'll put it in the show notes. Again. 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 oh four fifty seventy and don't forget to give us those stars, y'all. Subscribe, rate and review. It's really easy. Watch that code of ashiness that road salt leaves on cars, rating zero out
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See you tomorrow. Good Game, Megan, Good Game, Athletes, Unlimited Hoops You Plague. Good Game with Sarah Spain is an Iheartwomen 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 Rutterer.
Our editors are Emily Rudder, Britney Martinez, and Grace Lynch. Our associate producer is Lucy Jones and I'm your host Sarah Spain