Debbie Antonelli is more than just an analyst or studio host, she is a driving force for improving the quality, the exposure, and the awareness of women's college basketball. A former point guard in her own right, Antonelli is still directing, leading, promoting. One of the more active social media participants, Antonelli also directs two holiday tournaments, is a voter in the AP polls, and visits schools and their teams to help breakdown the game and give media training. Often a guest on Dishin & Swishin, it is a pleasure to welcome Antonelli back to talk about some of the players and happenings in this college basketball season.

Talk about living life to the fullest! Kara Lawson is the trailblazing analyst on Washington Wizards NBA telecasts, women's basketball analyst as part of ESPN's lead team of coverage, and just for fun, a contributor to USA Basketball, including helping manage the 3 x 3 teams. Whew, I get tired just thinking about that schedule, but Lawson was kind enough to squeeze in some time for a Dishin & Swishin podcast on her way to the airport for a Mystics road trip of five games in eight days. One of the more knowledgeable people in the game, Lawson helps breakdown the NCAA women's basketball season, and the first games played, including the unreal game between Louisville and Ohio State she helped broadcast from Columbus. Which teams should we be looking out for this year and can anyone beat UConn? Who are some of the top players to keep an eye on? What should we expect from her alma mater, Tennessee? These are just a few of the topics covered on this week's Dishin & Swishin. It's NCAA women's basketball season! Enjoy! And Enjoy the podcast!

Nicki Collen is living the Dream; the Atlanta Dream that is. The former Connecticut Sun assistant coach is the new head coach of the Atlanta Dream, becoming the second assistant coach to be elevated to a head coaching job in the WNBA this offseason (Katie Smith in New York is the other). She takes over a team that is an enigma, to say the least. Their best player sat out last season. They still had three all-stars, and a very strong candidate for Rookie of the Year. Yet they finished the season 10th in a twelve team league, closing the year with a 2-8 record in their last ten games. It will be Collen's job, her first head coaching job at the pro or college level, to stabilize the franchise, bring Angel McCoughtry back to the team, and get the returning players to buy into the spacing, fast paced and three-point shooting offense that she wants to run. Not having a first round draft choice will hurt that progression, but without question Atlanta will pursue free agents and trades to improve their chances. It is a pleasure to welcome coach Collen to Dishin & Swishin for the first time! We wish her well as she builds her staff and sets up her support system and team. Enjoy the podcast!

No tricks, just treats from Dishin & Swishin on Halloween! There's no question about it; 2017 was one hell of a year for Dawn Staley. Coach of NCAA women's basketball national champion South Carolina would be great on its own, but to also be elevated by USA Basketball to the head coach of the Senior National team makes it phenomenal. It is a pleasure to kick off Dishin & Swishin's NCAA coverage by talking with one of our favorite guests, coach Staley, to discuss the upcoming NCAA season and her summer camp with USA Basketball. After touring the country and Japan with her new bestie, the "netlace" in tow, Staley also had her first USA camp as head coach this summer. Now, though, it's back to business; winning the difficult SEC, returning to the NCAA tournament, and a trip to Columbus, Ohio, site of this year's Final Four. Even though the Gamecocks lost three WNBA first round draft choices in Rookie of the Year Allisha Gray, Kayla Davis, and Alaina Coates, the cupboard is far from bare. Returning is the odds on favorite for national player of the year honors, forward A'ja Wilson. Already a tremendous talent, on Dishin & Swishin Staley talks about what she asked Wilson to improve on for this season, and it is enough to make even the best of teams nervous at the thought! A loaded backcourt featuring returnees Tyasha Harris and Bianca Cuevas-Moore will be counted on for more offense this year. Graduate transfer Lindsey Spann from Penn State is already being a leader, according to Staley, and transfer post Alexis Jennings from Kentucky will need to make an impact on both ends of the court. Can South Carolina repeat? It won't be easy, but the possibility is real! One this is certain, their coach will be pushing them to reach their maximum potential. And really, what else can you ask for in a coach?

There are few people in the women's basketball world with a more complete resume than Katie Smith, and that was before she was named head coach of the New York Liberty. A record breaking college career, ABL sucess and championships, WNBA records and championships, the player's representative for the USA Basketball senior national team selection committee, assistant coach in the WNBA, and broadcaster for NCAA games. Now add head coach of one of the most important franchises in the WNBA, the New York Liberty. The Liberty is not just any franchise. It's New York City, right by the league offices, playing in Madison Square Garden, "the mecca." On the court they have had success, albeit not championship level success. Off the court they are community leaders, winners of the first WNBA season long Community Assist award. It is Smith's job to take them to the next level on the court, a first championship for the Liberty. Smith not only has her own pedigree, she has played and coached with some of the very best, including Brian Agler and Bill Laimbeer. It will be fun to see the evolution of head coach Katie Smith and where she can take the Liberty. It is a pleasure to welcome Smith back to Dishin & Swishin. Topics covered include: What is next for the Liberty? How do you make inconsistent players more consistent? The importance of being a part of the community The changing of the guard in USA Basketball, when and how do you turn over roster spots Good luck to Katie Smith as she begins the next chapter in her career! Enjoy the podcast!

The WNBA season came to a close this week in a blaze of glory, with the two best teams for the second year in a row battling for five entertaining and exciting games. Congratulations to the Minnesota Lynx on their fourth WNBA championship. In addition to game five being played, the off-season maneuvers of WNBA franchises began in earnest with the Seattle Storm hiring veteran coach Dan Hughes as their new head coach, replacing Gary Kloppenburg, who was Seattle's interim coach after the team fired Jenny Boucek on August 10th. Hughes "retired" after the 2016 season as coach and general manager of the San Antonio Stars, but a year away from the WNBA convinced him and his family he needed to go back into coaching. Hughes returns to Dishin & Swishin where he has been a guest previously both as coach of the San Antonio Stars and college basketball analyst. Topics covered include: - Impressions of the WNBA finals, and how to compete in the same conference as Minnesota and Los Angeles - How to stabilize the inconsistencies and improve the Storm's playoff seeding - What to say to those that see him as "just another coach" instead of someone new and younger - Building a roster for 2018 and what to expect. - Can he catch a fish?

This weekend at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California, the USA Basketball Senior Women's National team will have their official changing of the guard. It is there that the first training camp A.G. (After Geno), will be held. Dawn Staley takes over as head coach, and between players in the WNBA finals and a few missing for other reasons, the 18 participants will generally speaking be a group of young players vying for the few spots that may be available. Carol Callan returns to Dishin & Swishin for this week's podcast, and if anyone knows about transitioning to new coaches and new ways of conducting business, it is Callan. Callan is responsible for all USA Basketball women's team programs, including competitions, trials, training camps, and serves as a liaison to women's competition committees. Topics covered include: - How do players not in the USA pipeline get camp invites - Eligibility before and after international representation of other countries - Adjusting to a new head coach and the importance of this and other camps this year - Building a cohesive team when you only meet for a few days, a couple of times per year, including the importance of veteran players like Bird and Taurasi - USA Basketball's first "Women in the Game" conference being held this weekend for high school and college students Enjoy the podcast!

No team has won back-to-back WNBA championships since the 2001-2002 Los Angeles Sparks. That means incredible championship teams like the Detroit Shock, Phoenix Mercury, and Minnesota Lynx have not been able to pull it off. Our guest on this week's Dishin & Swishin was part of that Sparks team that defeated the Charlotte Sting and then the New York Liberty to win back-to-back titles, DeLisha Milton-Jones. It is a pleasure to welcome Milton-Jones back to Dishin & Swishin. Why is it so dfficult to repeat? What is different in the second year than the first year? Do the 2017 Sparks have what it takes to repeat? Do the 2002 Sparks celebrate when a defending champion gets knocked off like the 1972 Miami Dolphins celebrate being the last team to go undefeated? Insightful conversation with a person who has played with and against many of the important players and the coaches in this year's WNBA finals. Milton-Jones gives you some key things to look for early in the series. Will this be the year? Enjoy the podcast!

As the WNBA playoffs continue, it is a pleasure to welcome the Coach and Executive of the Year, the Connecticut Sun's Curt Miller, back to Dishin & Swishin to help break down the semi-final round. Minnesota and Los Angeles, the top two seeds, both hold 2-0 advantages over Washington and Phoenix, respectively, with game three on the trailing teams home court on Sunday afternoon. Miller takes the time to talk about what happened in the first two games, the impact of the short turn around between series, whether the second should be single elimination or a series, and what both teams need to do to survive and advance. Then, it's a fun "fill in the blanks" conversation, as Coach and GM Miller discusses the answers to questions like "I won coach of the year when my team did _______" and "the thing I was most pleased with this season was ____________." Of particular interest, "If I could have a do-over, on one thing this year, it would be _______." A fun conversation with the man that has turned the Connecticut franchise around, and made them a contender in only his second year with the team. Enjoy the podcast!

The elite coaches, the very best in their field, become synonymous with their programs. Pat Summitt and Tennessee, for example, or Geno Auriemma and UConn. The newest member of the Naismith Hall of Fame, Muffet McGraw and Notre Dame fit the bill. If you look at McGraw's bio on Notre Dame's website, the very top line is a quote from former Notre Dame athletic director Gene Corrigan when McGraw was hired in 1987: ""If we searched for an entire year. I don't think we would find anyone better suited for our program." He could have said 30 years and he would have been right! Over 750+ wins and 30 years later McGraw is still a dynamo; the type of coach that demands excellence on and off the court, and pushes her student-athletes to be strong, diversified and dynamic women. It is a pleasure to salute McGraw on her induction into the Hall of Fame with two of her very best players. Both have had tremendous success on and off the court, and personify the coaching career and achievements with student athletes achieved by McGraw.. First, we chat with San Antonio Stars General Manager Ruth Riley, the Most Outstanding Player when Notre Dame won McGraw's 2001 national championship. Then, after a recent game in Connecticut, we talked with Dallas Wings guard Skylar Diggins, who helped trigger the resurgence of Notre Dame to the Final Four caliber team every season that it is now. Congratulations on induction into Springfield Coach McGraw.  It seems like another perfect fit. Enjoy the podcast!

This weekend the halls of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame will be opened to one of the legends of women's basketball. Rebecca Lobo is a woman whose success off the court as well as on has earned her a spot in the Hall, just down the road from where she grew up in Massachusetts, and about an hour from the University of Connecticut where she introduced women's basketball to so many now rabid Husky fans. There are articles all over talking about Lobo's career as a player, her influence on the women's basketball community and more. We will let those show that side of Lobo. We will show you a little bit of a different side we hope. Today we are celebrating Lobo with two people that know her as well as anyone, her ESPN broadcast partners Ryan Ruocco and Holly Rowe. As individuals, Ruocco and Rowe are two of the very best at what they do, covering everything from baseball and softball, football, and men's and women's basketball. It is a pleasure to welcome both back to Dishin & Swishin to talk about the Lobo we see and don't see; the person that greets the fans, tweets about her family and airports, but also the friend and confidant that puts in the work and prep with her colleagues to help make the broadcasts sound so good. Congratulations Rebecca on induction into the Naismith Hall of Fame! Well deserved, and it is a pleasure to know you, and call you a friend. Enjoy the podcast!

It is a pleasure to welcome ESPN & ESPNw writer Mechelle Voepel and the AP's Doug Feinberg back to Dishin & Swishin for a roundtable discussion of the playoffs and also postseason award selections. The first two rounds are single elimination games, and after discussing the appropriateness of this format, the roundtable discusses and makes their prediction on the Seattle at Phoenix and Dallas at Washington matchups. Will there be an upset? Who or what should we be looking for in these games? Connecticut and New York will host the winners of Wednesday's games on Sunday, and then Los Angeles and top-seed Minnesota await the winners of those games. Can Connecticut turn things around after struggling their last half dozen games? Can New York's grind it out, defensive style win a playoff game this year, after getting upset by Phoenix as the number three seed last year? Then it's on to a discussion of postseason awards! The AP has just announced their awards, and Feinberg, who is the purveyor of the votes, and Voepel, who is a voter, discuss their thoughts on postseason honors. A great way to wrap up the regular season and get you ready for the postseason! Enjoy the podcast!

Instead of talking about the WNBA or the upcoming women's college basketball season, today we talk with Sarah Hillyer and Ashleigh Huffman, co-founders and directors of the Center for Sport, Peace, and Society at the University.of Tennessee, and producers of a new short film called "Pat: A Legacy of Love." No one has had a bigger impact on women's basketball than the late Pat Summitt, and to this day, throughout the world, that impact is still being felt. On September 7th, at the Bijou Theater in Knoxville, an "orange carpet" fund raising event will air the film Hillyer and Huffman created. In 2007, Hillyer traveled to Sulaymaniyah in Iraq's Kurdish region to host the country's first women’s basketball camp. Hillyer realized the Iraqi women's basketball players needed basketballs and other equipment. So she and Huffman asked Summitt for help. Summitt provided Tennessee orange and blue basketballs for the young women of Iraq. In 2009 the coach invited girls from Iraq to attend one of her Knoxville basketball camps. In the podcast it is fascinating to hear how the name "Pat Summitt" was helpful in negotiating the difficulties with the state department in bringing these women into the United States. Not to give away the entire story, but the love and respect the young women from Iraq had for coach Summitt, and how they showed it, after Summitt's diagnosis of Alzheimer's, is moving and betting a person like Summitt. On September 7th, at the Bijou Theater in Knoxville, an "orange carpet" fund raising event will air the film Hillyer and Huffman created. Part of the proceeds from the event will go to the Pat Summitt Foundation. Please enjoy one of the more interesting and enjoyable podcasts I've had the pleasure to record.  Congratulations to the Center for Sport, Peace, and Society and Hillyer and Huffman on their work.

Diana Taurasi of the Phoenix Mercury is as polarizing a player as there is in the WNBA. To some, she is the G.O.A.T., and her amazing abilities on the court and extreme competitive nature make her a joy to watch. To others, she is a whiner and complainer, whose ego trumps her talents and makes her an object of criticism. The truth is there is something to be said for both; at 35 years old she continues to score and rack up technical fouls at an alarming pace.  The Mercury, where she has won multiple championships, continues to be a middle of the pack playoff team, despite having Taurasi and dominating center Brittney Griner. Sunday’s game in Connecticut saw both sides of the Mercury. They started fast, with Griner taking control in the paint. However, they got away from going to her, Taurasi was having an off shooting day, and the Sun caught the Mercury at the half. By the end of the third quarter, the game was virtually over as Connecticut dominated on both ends, Griner did not get many touches, and a frustrated Taurasi racked up another technical foul. After the game, I caught up with Taurasi and asked her a few questions about her game, Griner, and the playoffs: In the spirit of full disclosure, I fall into the G.O.A.T. camp, but even I think her disdain for referees and ability to rack up technical fouls is a distraction. How big a distraction come playoff time is to be determined, but she cannot risk any suspensions or missed games this year, that’s for sure!

We have a special two part podcast for you this week. In the first part, we break out the Dishin & Swishin roundtable for a discussion of what's going on around the WNBA with NBATV's Angel Gray and Fanrag's own Eric Nemchock. Topics include: - Two weeks in, what do we think of the Sky-Dream trade now? - How long should it take a team to gel? - A look at the rookies from this season - The growth and improvement of Chicago and San Antonio; can one of these teams follow the blueprint of the Connecticut Sun and jump into the playoff race next season? - Looking at the playoff races, including the impact of the coaching change in Seattle In part two, we talk to University of Maryland head coach Brenda Frese. Her Terps depart Tuesday for Japan, where they will represent the United States in the World University Games. It is only the third time in the history of the WUG that one school's team is representing the USA. After losing key players to graduation and transfer, Frese is looking forward to representing the United States, but also the extra game play to get ready for the upcoming NCAA season. Enjoy the podcast!

If you are new to Dishin & Swishin, the "In their own words" segments are shorter interviews than a normal podcast, usually around five minutes or less, recorded in person and unedited other than volume and noise. It is the subject's own words, unfiltered or several subjects. Today we caught up with Dallas Wings head coach Fred Williams after their tough loss to the Connecticut Sun. Williams discussed his young team and the surprise of being a playoff contender, rookies coming into the league at this time, and the difference in his team's home and away records. As an African-American man who coaches multi-national women, we asked Williams his thoughts about the events in Charlottesville.

Jeff Walz leads an impressive group of college players into the first four-team U23 tournament in Tokyo, Japan beginning August 12. The U23 team is bridge between the popular U18 and U19 teams, and the senior national team. Players have to be under 23 years old, but also have to have just completed their freshmen, sophomore, or junior years. Despite the absence of some marquee names like A'ja Wilson, who is injured, and a quartet of UConn players that attended camp but have a European trip instead, the committee has chosen an impressive array of talent from across the country to represent USA basketball. Coach Walz joins Dishin & Swishin to discuss the purpose of the U23 team, coaching for USA basketball, training camp and having players involved that couldn't play in the tournament, the makeup of the team, and his approach to the tournament.

Special thanks to Chris Poss for allowing us to use his amazing photos! The Chicago Sky have had a very strange season. A tumultuous off season featured the replacement of the head coach and general manager, trading of their biggest star, and a draft day debacle that either did or did not feature a trade but ended with an injured post player that has not yet played. The season opened no better, with a 1-5 May followed by a 2-7 June. Starting point guard Courtney Vandersloot and sixth woman of the year Allie Quigley missed the start of the year due to overseas commitments, then after only four games Vandersloot left to go represent Hungary at EuroBasket 2017. The bottom came on June 30th, when previously winless San Antonio knocked off the Sky, 89-82. During that game, Vandersloot took six shots. While she dished nine assists, she was not scoring the way the Sky needed her to. A funny thing happened the next game, one that could have been a disaster for a 3-12 team hosting first place Minnesota, the best team in the league. Vandersloot shot 16 times, hitting 11 of them. She scored 26 points, and dropped a then season-high 13 assists as the Sky upset the Lynx in a 100-76 blowout. That was the first of three wins in a row, and suddenly with two games to go in July, Chicago has won five of their seven games, and the playoffs aren't so far fetched. Granted this is still a team in process. Vandersloot, Quigley and Cappie Pondexter makes for a great three guard rotation, but it forces Tamera Young, who has been having an excellent season, into the crowded front court picture, where she seems to be losing minutes. There are a lot of posts dividing minutes, too ma

Hello, it's been a while! It's always nice to provide WNBA fans with additional information and content, so it is time for a new "In her own words" segment here on the website. As a reminder, the "In her own words" interviews are unedited audio from a pre- or post-game interview, in its entirety, without podcast enhancements or modifications. Yesterday, the San Antonio Stars fell to 2-17 on the season, the first under the leadership of general manager Ruth Riley and head coach Vickie Johnson. Some games they are competitive, others not so much. Not in question is that there appears to be good young talent on the roster, including guards Kayla McBride and Moriah Jefferson, this year's first round draft choices Kelsey Plum and Nia Coffey, plus young posts Dearica Hamby, Isabelle Harrison and Kayla Alexander. Two questions we have "heard" on twitter time and again throughout the season though. With the young talent and a team not making the playoffs, why are the veterans like Erika de Souza and Sydney Colson starting (in Erika's case) or getting minutes that could be developing players like Alexander and Plum?  Is it time, or will there be a time, when youth shall be served and they get the minutes?Plum was drafted number one overall, and all both Plum and Jefferson have played point and off the ball during their college careers. They rarely play together. Making it more intriguing is the fact that Johnson plays Colson-Plum-McBride and Colson-Jefferson-McBride but seems unwilling to play Jefferson-Plum-McBride as a combination. Obviously McBride's ankly injury yesterday defers the option to play the combo, but why the reluctance, and will we see it? I was able to ask both of these questions to Johnson post-game yesterday. The responses are interesting, and show a coach determined to continue to try to win games, not just develop players, but also a coach trying to teach her younger player

When I first started watching women’s basketball, many years ago at this point, one of the teams that captured my imagination and made the game so exciting was the New York Liberty, especially in the early years of the WNBA. Those teams were loaded with talent; Teresa Weatherspoon, Crystal Robinson, Sue Wicks, Rebecca Lobo, Kym Hampton, and of course Vickie Johnson. Johnson was always one of my favorites, as she always seemed to make the big plays and be in the right spots at the right times. She wasn’t a superstar but that’s what made her all the more fun to cheer for. Fast-forward a decade or so, and after the end of her career as a player and years as an assistant coach VJ as she will always be known to her fans is the head coach of the San Antonio Stars, where she is mentoring one of the youngest teams in the WNBA but also one with some extremely interesting players. In this, her first year, Johnson still has not been able to coach the starting lineup she anticipated having when selecting her roster. Kayla McBride just returned from playing in Europe, and in fact arrived on Friday, took her physical on Friday, and played Friday night in her first game. Second-year guard Moriah Jefferson still has not played after arriving with knee soreness and getting the flu. Finally, number one draft choice Kelsey Plum played in the first exhibition game before spraining her ankle and missing the first three games of the season too. Despite dropping those first three games, there has been bright spots for the Stars, and Johnson’s trademark defense, hustle, and intensity on both ends of the court. Veteran Monique Currie has been nothing short of sensational, leading the team and playing out of position wherever Johnson plays her. Young center Isabelle Harrison has been impressive at times and will continue to improve, while forward Dearica Hamby continues to impress with growth and improvement after recently having a baby. The team’