Swish Appeal recently held a long (and fun!) interview with Caitlin Bickle, a 2019 NCAA national champion with the Baylor Bears.

The 6-foot-1 forward/center who was selected to the 2023 All-Big 12 Second Team and 2023 Big 12 All-Defensive Team also is the newest member of the Connecticut Sun. In 2023, Bickle was invited to the Sun’s training camp. Since then, she worked on her game in Greece and now, more than a year later, will join Connecticut’s roster. She’ll also be playing for San Martino in Italy next season.

We talk about her time at Baylor, playing for head coach Kim Mulkey and with NaLyssa Smith, making the WNBA, her equestrian career and her tattoos. Some highlights from the interview include:

On playing for Coach Mulkey:

I think it’s just a whole different level of basketball. I don’t think people really realize that once you go from high school to college or any level, you know, kind of up a step, just like when you go from college to pro, it’s all so different. I think just the expectation of perfection. If people even walked in on one of our practices, you’d be like, “Oh, okay, well, that makes sense why they won a national championship.”

On being a pass-first big:

I think I like assists more than I do like scoring like, truth be told; you can ask anyone from my college team. That was my thing, I think I get more excited off of that than anything else. And so I’ve told our guards [in Greece], I’m like: “Go!” Because if I get it in transition, it’s easier for me to hand it off to someone or to kick it up ahead for an open shot.

A special thank you to Orlando J. Castaño, Jr. of 4front Sports for arranging the interview.

The WNBA is back! Nearly one month after an epic All-Star Game, play resumes in the 2024 WNBA season on Thursday, Aug. 15, with 14 or 15 regular-season games remaining for each team.

As teams fight for playoff (or lottery) positioning over the final stretch, here’s what Swish Appeal’s staff would like to see happen:

Death of a dynasty?

Last year, the Las Vegas Aces had a chance of ending the season with the best winning percentage in WNBA history. This season, they have already lost more regular-season games than they did in 2023. They currently sit fifth in the standings.

The dominant juggernaut has disappeared, and the Aces suddenly look vulnerable. Have they gotten better? Do they look like the best in the W? Meanwhile, the New York Liberty look ready, and the Connecticut Sun seem primed for a Finals run. A’ja Wilson is still the best player, but this is a team sport, and if Kelsey Plum can’t be good enough defensively and Chelsea Gray doesn’t return to her Point Gawd levels of play, the Aces’ run might end with an elimination in the postseason.

As we enter the home stretch of the year, how the Aces play will be a top priority for me. I always want to see the best basketball possible, and when you watch the Aces play, they will either be the best or be beaten by a team vying to become the best. — Edwin Garcia

A strong return for Satou Sabally

The Dallas Wings have had major injury issues thus far in 2024, and Sabally’s absence is one that can easily be pointed to when looking for reasons why the Wings have underperformed (6-19; last place in the WNBA standings). Sabally has yet to play this season; she suffered a shoulder injury that required surgery over the winter and had been rehabbing as quickly as possible in order to play for Germany in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Judging from Sabally’s Olympic performance, she should be good to go once the Wings resume play. 2023’s Most Improved Player flashed her usual versatility for the German national team, averaging 18.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and two assists per game, and most importantly, she looked fully healthy, which had to be a relief for a Dallas team that has been lacking healthy bodies and consistent offensive production for the majority of the season. Sabally’s return to the lineup will be of the utmost importance to the Wings if they’re going to climb out of the hole they’re in and sneak into the playoffs. — Eric Nemchock

Photo by Cooper Neill/NBAE via Getty Images

How about some more trades?

In-season trades, much less in-season trades of consequence, are rare in the WNBA. We’ve already had one trade that could make an impact in the postseason, with the Connecticut Sun sending Moriah Jefferson, Rachel Banham and a future second-round pick to the Chicago Sky for Marina Mabrey. Could we see a few more influential transactions before next week’s trade deadline of Tuesday, Aug. 20?

Several teams that are “Paiging the No. 1 Pick” and “Beckoning Bueckers” have vets on expiring and/or unprotected contracts who could prove useful to teams with playoff ambitions. Sticking in Chicago, Brianna Turner, currently the fourth big in head coach Teresa Weatherspoon’s rotation, could boost a playoff-bound team with her off-the-bench defensive energy. With the Los Angeles Sparks likely prioritizing development over wins, Steph Talbot, a crucial piece for the bronze-winning Australian Opals at the Paris Olympics, could offer 3-point shooting for a winning squad, while Layshia Clarendon could be a valuable backup point guard. Although the prospect of those players changing teams would not be league-shaking, each of them could help a contender gain marginal advantages that might be pivotal in what promises to be a hotly-contested postseason. — Cat Ariail

Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images

The battle for playoff positioning

One of the things that makes this end-of-season push so fun is the battle for playoff positioning! Since the order of the standings directly impacts playoff series matchups, teams are going to do everything possible to put themselves in the best position.

It’s incredibly exciting when it gets to the last few weeks of the regular season and the standings are separated by one or two games. A team’s entire playoff path can depend on how one game turns out! Homecourt advantage, given to the higher-seeded team in every matchup, is another reason to fight to climb the standings. Almost game ends up having implications, and it’s so interesting to look at the night’s slate of games and think, “Team X needs to beat Team Y, but if Team A beats Team B, that would hurt Team X.” It becomes a game within the games, trying to do the math and untangle all these various scenarios.

Not to mention the actual games themselves! Players sometimes don’t concern themselves with the postseason ramifications of every game; they just focus on winning. But when it comes down to the wire, awareness of the impact of every win or loss seems unavoidable. Those huge stakes make for a physical game, an intense energy and some big moments. — Chelsea Leite

Photo by Candice Ward/Getty Images

Stephanie Kostowicz has played basketball on both sides of the Atlantic. Overseas, she has won a championship in Germany, saved a team from relegation in Hungary and been named the center of the year in Greece. As an undersized 5, the 6-foot-2 Kostowicz overpowers her rivals using the core strength she developed as a track athlete. Her heart, however, is in Wisconsin, where she’s from and where she returns every offseason.

As she’s about to embark on another season in Europe and add Czechia to her resume, we were able to talk to her about her career so far.

Let’s start with your heritage. Your surname sounds Polish.

My great grandfather was from… [tries to pronounce Grudziądz but gives up] I’m going to butcher it anyway. It’s like an hour from [successfully pronounces Bydgoszcz]. Gosh, I knew that from when I played there. There’s actually a bit more German in my blood than Polish, but yeah, obviously I have a bit of Polish in me.

Growing up in in Wisconsin, how were you introduced to the game of basketball? And what was the basketball culture like in Wisconsin when you were a kid?

I started kind of late, when I was 12 or so. I have three older sisters and I wanted to do everything that they did, and they played basketball. So basketball was just one of the things—one of the many things—that they did that I picked up from them. I continued at it to a higher level and I’m happy to still be playing. As for the culture, the Midwest loves basketball. There’s a lot of opportunities, a lot of tournaments, a lot of teams you can join to further develop your skills. So it was nice to grow up in that environment and get the opportunity to get better at basketball.

Are you the best at basketball in your family?

I would say so, but I think my sisters would say so too, even though they stopped playing after high school.

I’m guessing that since you decided to study at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, you are close with your family.

Yep, my sisters are all married with kids now, but we all live within 15 minutes of each other, so I’m still living with my parents when I’m home for the offseason and they’re all within driving distance, so that’s nice.

For four years, you were the starter for the Panthers [at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee], where you were selected to First-Team All-Horizon League once and the Second-Team twice. Are you happy with your college basketball career?

I’m happy with it. Looking back, I think I have a better work ethic now than I did then, so I think if I were to repeat those years, maybe I would be a bit more successful individually and we’d be probably more successful as a team. But I’m happy and proud of myself. I did a lot in college. I was actually also on the track team.

That was supposed to be my next question.

Yeah, so I mean for as much as I did in basketball and track, and nursing school, and I double majored in psychology. For all of the things that I did, I’m very proud of myself. I had a great career, I developed as a person and I’m here now.

Was track and field or basketball your first love?

Basketball was first. I started track in high school and I wasn’t planning on doing it in college. And then after I committed to Milwaukee for basketball, the track coach came up to me during my senior year of high school and asked if I would be willing to do both. I didn’t know that was an option, but I was excited to have that opportunity. He just came into my math class and said, “You’re gonna do this now.” And I was like,“OK.” And then it turned out I was pretty good at it.

Were shot put and discus workouts helpful in becoming a better basketball player?

Mm-hmm. Absolutely, especially because of my position and my height. I’m a bit of an undersized forward and I think that work in the weight room has helped me get to where I am now.

What what would you consider a greater achievement? What you did on the court or the fact that you graduated and are a nurse?

I think the biggest achievement was that I was able to do both at the same time. The fact that I have my career set up and ready for me whenever I decide to be done with basketball, I think that’s an incredible achievement that maybe not a lot of my peers have.

You don’t get to do much nursing now, do you?

This summer and last summer, I have not been able to work as a nurse because I’ve been playing basketball in Mexico, but every other summer in my offseason, I’ve been able to practice as a nurse.

And why did you decide to become a nurse?

We have to go back to the first question on this one, one of my older sisters is actually a nurse practitioner. So obviously I had to do what she did.

OK, but after graduating you did something neither one of them had done: You moved to Greece to become a professional basketball player. How did that come about?

I didn’t really have the dream of being a professional basketball player… I would say… until my senior year of college. Only then I kind of decided that, “Hey, this is something I’m good at.” I had a coach, Coach Goldsberry. He planted the seed in my head continuously, saying things like, “You can be in the best shape of your life, you can travel the world, you can have all these opportunities.” And I’m like, “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” But it turns out he knew what he was talking about.

Were you ever actually abroad or in Europe prior to your move to Greece?

No, my going to Greece was the first time I left America. I remember my first year, my first team, my room was a closet of this house. I had a roommate who was on my team and she got the bedroom with a queen-sized bed. There were dressers. She had a balcony. My room was half the size of hers. I had a small bed, like one of the single ones that you get at some of those hotels. I didn’t have a door. I didn’t have a dresser, so that was was my first impression of the country. But I loved Greece.

As a family person, were you afraid of moving out on your own?

I actually wasn’t alone. I brought my cat with me to Greece my first year. They have a lot of cats in Greece, which I enjoyed, but I took my cat with me as well. He’s spoiled.

After two years in Greece and a short stay in Hungary, where you helped a team stay in the A1 League, you go to Olympiacos. That’s a basketball powerhouse in Europe.

My first year, I was literally on the bottom team in Greece and then just to even be recognized, to be on the Olympiacos team, let alone being a starter for them, that was a huge deal for me personally. I was very proud to be on that team and to wear their colors. But it was just an incredible experience and I still carry that with pride today to say that I played for them.

Did you get to play in the derby against Panathinaikos? The “derby of the eternal rivals” is one of the most intense games in Europe, regardless of the discipline.

Yeah. Absolutely. It was during COVID though, so it wasn’t open to the public. But even without the fans, it was incredibly intense and and then when the fans were able to join us for playoffs… Just a lot of intensity. There’s a story I tell people. It’s funny now, looking back on it. But in the moment it was… intense. That’s the word I would again use to describe it. I was waiting at a bus stop the day before we played Panathinaikos and I had my Olympiakos bag with me and this grown man comes up to me and he kicks me in the shin! He starts calling me names, going crazy and people had to, like, separate us.

Was the best year of your career at Olympiakos? Or was it in Poland, Romania, Germany, Mexico or Italy?

I would say as a team, my best year was probably in Germany just because we won the title, but individually I would have to say Italy last year was my best season. I just had some pretty big stats in a very good league and I, like I said earlier, like having to prove myself every league that I get into, to show that I belong, just taking steps each time. So I think that was a really big step for me individually.

Any regrets that you didn’t get to play in the WNBA?

Yeah, it’s tough. Obviously, I’m a competitor. I want to compete with the best. And so I belong with the best, but just the way the game is now, maybe if I graduated college now, maybe just because women’s basketball has taken such a big step, maybe it would be different.

Thank you to Gherdan Sports for arranging the interview.