The Her Hoop Stats Podcast: WNBA & NCAA Women’s Basketball

We’re coming off one of the most memorable All-Star weekends ever.  We dive into an eventful weekend in Vegas with Her Hoop Stats Founder, Aaron Barzilai. Then, 76ers Data Scientist Ivana Seric tells us her story. She’s one of an increasing number of women making big waves in the NBA. Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts.  There's a new feature conversation every Monday, and in between you'll get some tremendous bonus content.  Please rate and review the broadcast to help others find it while we work diligently to grow the women's game. Feel free to reach out with comments or questions to: podcast@herhoopstats.com.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Confession: Cynt Marshall isn’t neccesarily a women’s basketball figure. BUT, she is a woman, and she is in basketball. The Dallas Mavericks CEO was recently named one of the 30 Most Powerful Women in Sports by Adweek ($). She was brought in last year by Mark Cuban to turn around a culture that had become extremly toxic for women. By all accounts, Marshall is well on her way to turning around the Mavericks. The vibrant soon-to-be 60 year old connects personally with anyone she comes in contact with. She loves life, she loves people, and she’s making an impact. On Satuday, July 20, Marshall spoke at the Dallas Wings Inspiring Women Night. We got Cynt’s permission to use her chat for our program, and we couldn’t be more thankful. We know that you’ll be inspired and moved by one of the most infectous personalities in sports leadership. Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts.  There's a new feature conversation every Monday, and in between you'll get some tremendous bonus content.  Please rate and review the broadcast to help others find it while we work diligently to grow the women's game. Feel free to reach out with comments or questions to: podcast@herhoopstats.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

WNBA expansion is a hot topic.  While many believe it should be a long-term goal of the league, incoming commissioner Cathy Englebert recently told the Chicago Sun-Times, “As I transition into my new role, one of my priorities right now is to make sure each and every one of our 12 existing franchises is doing as well as they possibly can before we seriously consider expanding.” Daniel Escott and Max Abrahams are passionate about bringing a WNBA franchise to Toronto.  They certainly have detractors, who have voiced their own opinions about the pair's audacious goals.  In this episode, hear why Daniel and Max think Toronto is ready, and why they think it can happen in time for the 2020 season. Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts.  There's a new feature conversation every Monday, and in between you'll get some tremendous bonus content.  Please rate and review the broadcast to help others find it while we work diligently to grow the women's game. Feel free to reach out with comments or questions to: podcast@herhoopstats.com. Or you can find John Liddle on Twitter: @JohnLiddleVoice See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Shea Serrano (@SheaSerrano) of The Ringer has only been a women's basketball fan for around two years now, but he's all in!  The writer is known for his best selling books: The Rap Year Book, and Basketball (And Other Things).  In October he'll release his first hardcover offering, Movies (And Other Things).  We talk about his writing style, his awesome generous following, "The FOH Army," and of course his fandom of the Las Vegas Aces.   Acheil Tac (@BIG_A23) has a really neat story.  Born in Sudan, her family moved to Egypt when she was a child, then at age nine her family migrated to the U.S., settling in the Dallas area.  Tac first competed in the game of basketball as a freshman at Sachse (TX) High School, and blossomed into a Division I prospect.  After four years at the University of North Texas, Acheil moved on to play professionally in Switzerland.  But an injury caused her to take a year off from the game, and in that year, she wrote a book!  The Reality Behind the Glamour of College Athletics helps guide future college athletes through the recruiting process, playing career, and even post-collegiate career. Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts.  There's a new feature conversation every Monday, and in between you'll get some tremendous bonus content.  Please rate and review the broadcast to help others find it while we work diligently to grow the women's game. Feel free to reach out with comments or questions to: podcast@herhoopstats.com. Or you can find John Liddle on Twitter: @JohnLiddleVoice See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ari Chambers (@ariivory) has been a social media staple for WNBA fans for many years.  The multi-talented journalist has parlayed that coverage into a job with Bleacher Report/House of Highlights. Ari knows the game, but more importantly, wants to connect the fans with the personal stories of the WNBA athlete. Maybe one day Ari will be doing a story on our next guest, Hailey Tucker.  The lanky 6-3 guard who shoots the ball routinely from 35’ had multiple D1 offers when coming out of Bartlesville (OK) High School.  But in the end, she chose Southwestern Oklahoma State, and Division 2.  She became an All-American, two time conference player of the year, and led her team to the D2 title game as a senior. Hailey just announced she would start her pro career in Sweden. Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts.  There's a new feature conversation every Monday, and in between you'll get some tremendous bonus content.  Please rate and review the broadcast to help others find it while we work diligently to grow the women's game. Feel free to reach out with comments or questions to: podcast@herhoopstats.com. Or you can find John Liddle on Twitter: @JohnLiddleVoice See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Kelly Graves likes to keep it loose.  Always has, always will, and he refuses to change his approach as his team prepares for their biggest season yet.  Oregon lost a tight Final Four matchup with eventual champion Baylor in 2019.  With a host of starters back, including triple-double machine Sabrina Ionescu, it's not hard to envision the Ducks hoisting a trophy in April of 2020. In this in-depth interview, Coach Graves discusses his superstar senior (Sabrina), why he might have a future prime minister on his team, why he thinks the three point line should be moved back NOW, a long-lost Wendy's commercial he appeared in, and so much more. Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts.  There's a new feature conversation every Monday, and in between you'll get some tremendous bonus content.  Please rate and review the broadcast to help others find it while we work diligently to grow the women's game. Feel free to reach out with comments or questions to: podcast@herhoopstats.com. Or you can find John Liddle on Twitter: @JohnLiddleVoice See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week’s episode of the Her Hoop Stats Podcast is like two shows in one.  Because not only is Katie Smith one of the best players in pro basketball history, she would now be considered a long-time coach in the WNBA.   Smith is in her second year as the head coach of the New York Liberty after several years in an assistant’s role.  It’s a challenging job, but Smith’s determination to succeed, and her unwavering commitment to her process, gives you confidence she will build the Liberty into a contender. In this show we break down the 2019 Liberty roster.  Then we dive into Coach Smith’s philosophies, her influences, and the reason she chose coaching after an incredible playing career. Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts.  There's a new feature conversation every Monday, and in between you'll get some tremendous bonus content.  Please rate and review the broadcast to help others find it while we work diligently to grow the women's game. Feel free to reach out with comments or questions to: podcast@herhoopstats.com. Or you can find John Liddle on Twitter: @JohnLiddleVoice See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Episode 5 of the Her Hoop Stats Podcast is perfect for any Iowa Hawkeye fan, or any small-town athlete eager to make it big.  Megan Gustafson is an incredible story.  The unlikely basketball phenom out of tiny Port Wing, Wisconsin discusses her journey. She was on top of the world as the consensus national player of the year after her masterful senior campaign with Iowa.  But just weeks later she was one of the final two players cut from the Dallas Wings roster. But circumstances will not hold down Megan Gustafson. Listen as she describes her journey in detail, and the confidence she has that she’ll accomplish every future goal. You can keep up with Megan on her blog, She’s Got Faith. We also talk with Linda Price from the Wayland Baptist (Hutcherson) Flying Queens Foundation about the team’s coming induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts.  There's a new feature conversation every Monday, and in between you'll get some tremendous bonus content.  Please rate and review the broadcast to help others find it while we work diligently to grow the women's game. Feel free to reach out with comments or questions to: podcast@herhoopstats.com. Or you can find John Liddle on Twitter: @JohnLiddleVoice. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Tamika Catchings has worn many hats inside and outside the WNBA.  Now, the all-time great is taking on a new challenge as VP of Basketball Operations with the Indiana Fever. We chat about her new role, her philosophy of building toward a championship, her perspective on the new CBA, Breanna Stewart’s Achilles injury, changes at her alma mater, and overcoming every challenge she’s ever been up against. We also talk with the new radio play-by-play voice of the Minnesota Lynx, Sloane Martin.  She’s the first full-time female voice in Minneapolis-St. Paul pro sports history.   Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts.  There's a new feature conversation every Monday, and in between you'll get some tremendous bonus content.  Please rate and review the broadcast to help others find it while we work diligently to grow the women's game. Feel free to reach out with comments or questions to: podcast@herhoopstats.com. Or you can find John Liddle on Twitter: @JohnLiddleVoice. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Another bonus edition of the Her Hoop Stats Podcast finds host John Liddle back at Dallas Wings Media Day to talk to some of the team's impact players. Arike Ogunbowale discusses her whirlwind end to her career, the ups and downs of the last two seasons, and what it's going to take to play the point at the pro level. Kayla Thornton gets after it defensively, so she's excited to have a coach that focuses on that end of the floor.  Kayla also discusses her career progression and the food in South Korea. Allisha Gray is a player to watch for the Wings this season.  While she's incredibly capable of putting the ball in the hole, she's ready to get down and dirty as a "Roughrider." And Glory Johnson also loves defense.  But the vet has a different perspective of the game that we're really interested in: body recovery after a pregnancy.  Glory gets very real...and talks about why she was thankful her nurse had small hands. Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts.  There's a new feature conversation every Monday, and in between you'll get some tremendous bonus content.  Please rate and review the broadcast to help others find it while we work diligently to grow the women's game. Feel free to reach out with comments or questions to: podcast@herhoopstats.com. Or you can find John Liddle on Twitter: @JohnLiddleVoice. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.