We all hope the increased appreciation for women’s college basketball continues into 2024. Here are a few more wishes that should ensure that will happen:
Injury-free seasons for all
My hope is the brightest stars in women’s college basketball are able to stay healthy and available. Already, star players like UConn’s Azzi Fudd have suffered season-ending injuries, stripping them from critical time playing the game they love.
Basketball is inevitably a high-injury sport, but at the collegiate level, time is more limited. For example, Paige Bueckers was a national sensation as a freshman, winning AP Player of the Year and Naismith College Player of the Year, among other awards, but injuries have hampered her since. Will she be able to stay on the court and compete at the same unprecedented level she previously was? My hope is that her surgeries and ailments are behind her.
Ultimately, players’ time in college is limited. And right now, there’s greater national attention on collegiate players than on professionals. So, ensuring NCAA’s stars—and all collegiate players, really—are able to capitalize on the opportunity is critical. I hope that Caitlin Clark, JuJu Watkins, Hannah Hidalgo, Cameron Brink, Angel Reese and the rest of the top players in the…
