Over the last month, The Athletic has spoken with more than 30 women’s college basketball coaches about an array of topics from name, image and likeness to athletic directors to X’s and O’s. These coaches, who hail from power conferences and high mid-majors, were granted anonymity to allow them to speak openly without fear of retribution from their own programs or the NCAA. Throughout the week, we’ll share coaches’ thoughts on the most pressing issues in their sport. Though not every response to each question is included, answers represent all opinions expressed.
It’s no secret that former NCAA president Mark Emmert — even before the weight room debacle during the bubble NCAA Tournament in 2021 — wasn’t well liked by many women’s college basketball coaches. That moment, when Oregon’s Sedona Prince posted on TikTok exposing the disparities between the men’s and women’s postseason facilities, went viral and brought a spotlight on how the NCAA had been treating its women’s hoops teams, but coaches and players felt the disrespect long before. So, to say some women’s basketball coaches are skeptical about what to expect from new incoming NCAA president Charlie Baker and his vision for the sport is a bit of an understatement.
So we picked the brains of…
