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Stick Tips: The Questionable Facet of Lacrosse Tradition

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Stick Tips: The Questionable Facet of Lacrosse Tradition

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Stick Tricks: The Questionable Side of Lacrosse Culture

  • Parents who yell – at refs, opposing players or coaches. Have you ever witnessed excessive aggression? 24/7 negativity? Or relentless overbearing expectations? These all border on unsportsmanlike conduct and are seen as major obstacles during the recruiting process. College coaches don’t want any part of parents who behave in this manner. Parents who don’t have perspective, poise and patience will pay the price. Parents are a vital part of the evaluation process. Why would a college coach want to invite this parent into their program? Schools will punt on a prospect if the parents don’t fit. 
  • Summer coaches in flip-flops arguing with the officials. 
  • Toxic, win-at-all-costs coaches that live in a culture of verbal and emotional abuse, favoritism, who lack communication, resist change, and avoid accountability. These traits not only damage the team’s performance but also the mental and emotional well-being of their impressionable athletes.
  • Players on the field in the heat of battle instigating an argument with referees – usually about the most obvious calls. 
  • Taunting, staring down or standing over any opposing goalie or defender after scoring a goal. 
Via @PrepLacrosse on X
  • Teams who warm up past their side of the midline. 
  • Parents with red Solo cups on the sideline. 
  • Club parents who drink and party in the team hotel lobby well past curfew. 
  • Club coaches who don’t play their entire roster at tournaments.
  • College parents that berate their child on their way into the locker room at halftime. 
  • College player parents who call the head coach to discuss playing time. College coaches are allergic to parent yellers and screamers, finger pointers, complainers, criticizers, and know-it-alls. 
  • Club teams who wear unreadable jersey numbers – usually either too small or similar colors on colors. Lacrosse would be better served to rely on NFL jersey model – big font, bold colors with contrast on the front and back of jerseys. Your lax-bro jersey designer needs to keep it simple. 
  • Recruited parents who openly talk about scholarship offers.  
  • Men’s summer league maulers who head-hunt and cross-check unsuspecting participant’s. The same goes for malice minded players at all levels – youth, high school and pro. Women players who repeatedly commit flagrant carded fouls from game-to-game and event-to-event without sanctions. According to Haudenosaunee legend, “Lacrosse should not be played for money, fame or personal gain; you should be humble and of a good mind when you take your lacrosse stick in your hand.”
  • Referees who make the game about themselves. 
  • Here is a corny move by a beaten defender: Holds palms up to the goalie after being scored upon. Funny how that same defender rarely makes the correct second slide. 
  • Throwing the ball away and looking at your stick head, pocket or strings as if to assign blame. 
  • Parents who try to mill around college coaches to sneak a look at their notes. 
  • Parents who sign their son/daughter up for every event and tournament during the summer. Trying to win the “Race to Nowhere” is a foolhardy tactic certain to result in burnout. 
  • Players who visually sulk when receiving coaching from the sidelines. That’s a bush league move and a red flag. 
  • Large events that don’t have multiple balls on the end line and don’t have ample training staff. Scrounging through the woods in poison Ivy to retrieve a ball is truly bush league. 
  • The parents that yell “Wheels” from the stands are misinformed but cause no harm.

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Minnesota Lynx most sensible NY Liberty to win the 2024 Commissioner’s Cup

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Minnesota Lynx most sensible NY Liberty to win the 2024 Commissioner’s Cup

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The GIST: The Minnesota Lynx are your 2024 Commissioner’s Cup champs. They topped the NY Liberty 94–89 in last night’s fast-paced battle and will take home about $30K per player from the in-season tourney’s total $500K prize pool.

  • Here’s how it went down, including some of the controversy surrounding the champ game.

A “road game” for both squads: Ahead of tipoff, league leaders Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart (both of the Libs) commented on the game being moved from Barclays Center (NY’s true home venue) to UBS Arena (which is about an hour away) due to tonight’s NBA Draft.

Lynx claw back for comeback dub: Venue gripes and empty seats aside, this showdown between two of the league’s best squads was an absolute thriller. Led by Sabrina Ionescu, the Liberty jumped out to a first half lead, but the Lynx capitalized on NY’s 21 (!!!) turnovers and Minnesota’s Bridget Carleton helmed the comeback with 23 points, including six threes.

  • And when all was said and done, Napheesa Collier (21 points) was named Cup MVP, adding another $5K to her payday. Making it rain, on the court and all the way to the bank.



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WNBA: Looking for moment Commissioner’s Cup name, Liberty host Lynx

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WNBA: Looking for moment Commissioner’s Cup name, Liberty host Lynx

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The New York Liberty (15-3) will play for their second-consecutive WNBA Commissioner’s Cup Championship when they host the Minnesota Lynx (13-3) this Tuesday, June 25. The game will be streamed via Prime Video, and tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.

One of the aims of the Commissioner’s Cup is to showcase the WNBA’s top talent, and it’s fair to say that the Cup’s recently-revamped qualification system succeeded in that regard. The Liberty and Lynx are currently No. 1 and No. 3, respectively, in the WNBA standings, while they rank No. 2 and No. 1 in the league in net rating. On the surface, it seems as if Tuesday’s game will be an even matchup.

The Lynx defeated the Liberty handily, however, in their first meeting of the season. Minnesota was scorching-hot from behind the arc, hitting 14 3-pointers, while New York’s offense was uncharacteristically poor, with 2023 MVP Breanna Stewart’s 20-point, 11-rebound performance the lone highlight.

Napheesa Collier (left) and the Lynx got the better of Jonquel Jones and the Liberty when the two teams first played this season.
Photo by Jordan Johnson/NBAE via Getty Images

Since then, New York has been the hottest team in the WNBA, winning 11 of 12 games and leapfrogging the Connecticut Sun, who had been the league’s top team as recently as this past weekend. Despite the extended absence of starting point guard Courtney Vandersloot, who has missed the team’s last eight games for personal reasons, the Liberty’s sheer amount of playmaking, shooting and rebounding has carried them back to this point: another Commissioner’s Cup Championship game.

In order to repeat as Commissioner’s Cup champions, the Liberty will not only need to withstand the Lynx’ 3-point onslaught; they’ll also have to overcome a rather unfavorable scheduling spot. The statuses of Vandersloot and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton (knee soreness), are questionable for Tuesday, and New York will be playing in its fourth game in six days, so fatigue may very well be a factor.

New York Liberty v Minnesota Lynx

New York’s Betnijah Laney-Hamilton is a key piece of the team’s perimeter rotation, but she’s missed the last two games due to knee soreness.
Photo by Jordan Johnson/NBAE via Getty Images

Regardless of who suits up and who doesn’t, expect both teams to push the envelope offensively. New York and Minnesota both like shooting the long ball—Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve told media that 3-pointers “could be a thing that decides the game” and that she’s planning for at least 30 of them to be taken by both teams—and they also have some of the best frontcourt talent in the WNBA. Minnesota’s Napheesa Collier (20.9 points and 10.4 rebounds per game) is putting together another stellar statistical campaign, while New York’s Jonquel Jones has been one of the league’s most efficient scorers, posting a true shooting percentage of 70.1 percent.

Granted, Minnesota held Jones in check back in May (four points and five fouls in 28 minutes), and the Lynx have been playing the kind of defense that makes it hard on just about anyone. They’re leading the WNBA in defensive rating, allowing 90.6 points per 100 possessions, and rank second in both blocks (5.5) and steals per game (9.6).

How Jones responds will be just one of many factors that will determine how Tuesday’s game goes. If she and Stewart are able to get going early, it could be a long night for Minnesota’s frontcourt, especially if Sabrina Ionescu is able to match their interior presence with her signature long-distance shots. The Lynx may have a depth advantage, though, and will be better-rested than their opponents. Can New York persevere, or will Minnesota win its first Commissioner’s Cup Championship?

Game information

Minnesota Lynx (13-3) vs. New York Liberty (15-3)

When: Tuesday, June 25 at 8 p.m. ET

Where: UBS Arena in Elmont, NY

How to watch: Prime Video

Lynx injury report: Diamond Miller (doubtful; knee)

Liberty injury report: Courtney Vandersloot (questionable; return to play conditioning), Betnijah Laney (questionable; knee), Nyara Sabally (out; back)

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Athing Mu Falls at Trials, Will Now not Protect 800-Meter Olympic Name

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Athing Mu Falls at Trials, Will Now not Protect 800-Meter Olympic Name

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Reigning Olympic Track & Field champion Athing Mu will not have the opportunity to defend her 800-meter title in Paris after falling during the event’s US Track & Field Trials final on Monday. 

About 200 meters into the race, Mu uncharacteristically got tangled up in the middle of the track and lost her footing. Coming to her defense, her coach Bobby Kersee said that she had been spiked, suffered track burns, and hurt her ankle. The 22-year-old filed an appeal that saw USA Track and Field officials sorting through replays, but it was later denied. 

As a result, Mu did not qualify to run the 800-meter at the 2024 Summer Games, as the US has a standing rule that only the top three Trials finishers make the official Olympic-bound roster. 

At her first-ever Olympics in 2021, Mu took home the gold at the 800-meter final, crossing the line in 1:55.21 to break the American record.

“I’ve coached it, I’ve preached it, I’ve watched it,” Kersee told The Associated Press after Mu’s appeal was rejected. “And here’s another indication that regardless of how good we are, we can leave some better athletes home than other countries have. It’s part of our American way.”

Mu finished more than 22 seconds behind eventual winner Nia Akins, but could still make the Olympic team as part of the US relay pool. Mu was a key part of the Team USA’s 4×400-meter gold medal win three years ago in Tokyo.

The post Athing Mu Falls at Trials, Will Not Defend 800-Meter Olympic Title appeared first on Just Women's Sports.

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‘We’re handiest human’ – an interview with diver Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix — WE ARE GIRLS IN SPORT

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‘We’re handiest human’ – an interview with diver Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix — WE ARE GIRLS IN SPORT

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Her coach took the pressure off and told her to have fun. Andrea and Lois Toulon only practiced their synchro dive on the day of competition and look at what they achieved!

This winter, Andrea has the Junior World Championships in Montreal – her last junior competition which, she says, makes her feel old. She has just won the British Swimming Awards ‘Diving Emerging Athlete of 2021-22’ and was nominated for BT Sport’s Action Woman of the Year and The Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year. When I look into the future to more great achievements, I ask about the Paris Olympics in 2024, she feeds me more wisdom – ‘One day at a time.’

Andrea’s words of wisdom

Andrea is very open about her faith and it is clear from talking to her that it is an extremely important part of her life, a steadying force and a constant. She begins every day in prayer, thanking God for the gift of another day and the last thing she does before bed is Bible study. The perspective that this practice gives her means that she’s full of great things to say about life.

‘Everyone has something in them. We all have different talents: sport, singing, dancing. We shouldn’t compare ourselves to someone else because we’re all completely different and we’re made to be different. We should be inspired by other people rather than degrade ourselves next to them. We should ask, “Can I learn from them?”’

A We are Girls in Sport follower asked about tips for a good mindset for an elite athlete. Here is Andrea’s opinion.

‘I take a lot from my faith and try to focus on God and not my problems. I understand that I can’t control the uncontrollable and that being 100 per cent good will never happen. I try not to let one thing control the whole day and I talk; I communicate with school and family. Be disciplined but remember that you’re human at the end of the day.

New day, new opportunity. Why worry about tomorrow?’

As well as all this wisdom, Andrea does like to have fun! If you can, check out her posts on social media!

Andrea answers your questions

There were several questions about how Andrea achieves balance between schoolwork, training, family and being a teenager.

Andrea: ‘It’s a work in progress but really comes down to time management. I’m vocal with my family, school and diving coaches about stress and feeling overwhelmed so they help me work out a timetable to help me manage my time. I need to rest and do homework; I need time to train.

Sundays I have off. I’m a human being and I need to rest. I set that as a boundary.’

How do you train for a synchro dive? Do you just practice and practice until it’s perfect?!

Andrea: ‘Your partner is usually someone who has a similar technique to you and then it’s down to trial and error, and compromise by both. You would perform a lot of drills in the gym such as somersaults on mats and you have to communicate. It’s a lot of fun!’

Do you have any superstitions before a competition?

Andrea: ‘No, I let go and let God get to work. I pray and do Bible study before the competition.’

What advice do you have for divers who want to turn professional?

Andrea: ‘Becoming professional is when you go from thinking diving is fun to “Oh, I have a talent!”. From age nine or ten I was dreaming about the Olympics, so it was a fairly easy transition for me to go pro. My family and faith played a part and especially my family as sacrifices need to be made. But nothing is impossible.’

How do you get over the fear of a new dive?

Andrea: ‘Just go for it! If you overthink it, you’re not going to do as well. It’s a leap of faith, push yourself.’

How do you track your period while competing?

Andrea: ‘I track my period and my symptoms are consistent which is helpful. I make sure that my coaches are aware and they work together – there should be no shame in talking about it. I see my period as a sign of being healthy. It’s annoying and irritating, I can feel bloated, but I actually had my period when I won gold at the Commonwealth Games! My period actually makes me stronger!’

What are your ultimate goals?

Andrea: ‘To be happy and healthy, to have fun. I’d like to go to university. I’d like an Olympic medal and after diving, I’d like to help others using the skills that I’ve learnt. As a sportswoman I want to inspire others.’

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WNBA: Reese, Cardoso elevate the Sky to an exciting win over the Fever

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WNBA: Reese, Cardoso elevate the Sky to an exciting win over the Fever

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It had everything anybody could ask for in terms of what constitutes a great game: a tight-knit, suspense-filled contest with both sides in a frantic foot race to the finish.

Before a sold-out crowd and a nationally-televised audience on Sunday afternoon, the Chicago Sky came back from a 15-point deficit to eke out a victory over the Indiana Fever, 88-87. It was Chicago’s first victory over Indiana in three tries.

The stars were aligned as the Sky’s triple threat of Angel Reese, Kamila Cardoso and Chennedy Carter took on another formidable force in the combination of Aliyah Boston, Kelsey Mitchell, and Caitlin Clark. The stars were also in attendance with Chance the Rapper, Lil Durk, Jason Sudekis, Jalen Brunson and Sheryl Swoopes looking on. And with many watching not only to see the end result but also to engage in over-exaggerated reactions to every possession or foul call, it turned out that basketball dunked all over any bonkers narratives.

It was a constant back-and-forth battle, with both sides taking turns in swinging the momentum. The Fever were on their path to victory, leading by 15 points with under two minutes remaining in the third quarter. Just when all hope seemed lost for Chicago, they managed to go on a remarkable 17-7 run to tie the game at 82 with 3:12 remaining in the final period. After a few sequences, the Sky claimed the lead at 86-84 thanks to a Reese and-1 with 53 seconds left to play.

After a pair of split free throws from Cardoso and Carter, the Sky led 88-84 with 27 seconds left before Boston hit a huge 3-pointer to bring the Fever within a point. Finally with 0.2 seconds left, Clark inbounded the ball to NaLyssa Smith in an attempt to beat the horn, but it was to no avail as the Sky held on for the win.

Reese came away with her eighth-consecutive double-double, finishing with 25 points and 16 rebounds. She also became the first rookie since A’ja Wilson in 2018 to notch multiple games of 25-plus points and 15-plus rebounds.

Cardoso was right there with her as she notched a double-double of her own with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Their ability to complement each other’s game, despite starting together for only a short period of time, has been marveling. With the glare of the national spotlight hovering over them, they have risen to the occasion with a mix of skill and maturity. As head coach Teresa Weatherspoon said after the game:

They know each other very well. They played against each other, competed against one another, but they know each other really well. With Angel having the ability to put it on the floor and get to the rim, kind of pull her out a little bit and allow Kamila to just dominate the paint. Now Kamila can do the very same. Kamila can step on the floor and get to the rim and that will allow Angel to dominate the paint. That allows our perimeter game to really go off to be able to do what they want because there is a lot of spacing with the dominance in the paint.

The Chicago Sky (6-9) will play the Las Vegas Aces (8-6) at home on June 27 at 7 p.m. ET.



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Can the Waterdogs Jump Again?

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Can the Waterdogs Jump Again?

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Can the Waterdogs Bounce Back?

The Waterdogs are coming off a season that saw them make it all the way to the championship game before inevitably coming up short against a highly touted Archers team. This team returned virtually all of their talent in the offseason, securing all of their contract extensions heading into the 2024 season. The Waterdogs had a fantastic draft night as well, earning an A+ grade from myself by adding to their already loaded roster with Branadu, Brower, Hudgins, and Boehm. This team on paper has absolutely zero reason to be 0-3 at the time of this article, which has left fans scratching their heads, wondering where it all went wrong. I’m here to tell you what I feel the Waterdogs’ issues are and how they can turn them around for the remaining weeks of the regular season.

Problem 1: Securing Close Games

Man, what a wild start to the year it has been for the Waterdogs. They currently sit with an 0-3 record, following repeated one-goal losses. The Dogs faced adversity to start the year, falling behind on the scoreboard against the Archers before bringing it within one to end the game. In their home weekend double-header, they felt the weight of two overtime losses to the Whipsnakes and Cannons. While this wasn’t the ideal outcome for Philadelphia, it at least shows that they can remain competitive against anyone in the league. The solution here is just to secure close games. The Waterdogs could very easily be 3-0 right now, sitting on top of the league, and I wouldn’t be writing this article. With seven weeks left in the regular season, I am confident that they have the talent and experience to close out these close games.

Problem 2: New Coach

There is no one on the face of the earth that will deny Bill Tierney his greatness. The man revolutionized the lacrosse landscape on multiple occasions while going on legendary runs at both Princeton and Denver. Tierney is one of, if not the best, coaches in lacrosse history at the collegiate level. When he was announced as the Waterdogs’ Head Coach, there were some skeptics, myself included. Similar to the NFL experiment of Urban Meyer taking over the Jacksonville Jaguars, some college coaches are not made to coach at a professional level. This is not a dig at Tierney but an accurate assessment of the current PLL landscape. It’s not that Tierney won’t be successful in the PLL, but he might not have been fully ready for what the PLL entails from a coaching perspective. The solution is to give him time. Surely, he will be able to figure it out in the coming weeks, as there has been no challenge too large for Coach Tierney to overcome.

Problem 3: Faceoffs

Saving the best for last, the decision to completely ignore faceoffs as a whole has completely destroyed Philadelphia to start the season. Some teams saw moderate success last season without dressing a true FOGO, but with teams adjusting to the PLL rule changes, this has just been the Waterdogs’ Achilles heel. In their first three games, Philadelphia has gone 8-72 at the dot—absolutely pitiful numbers. To give the Dogs some credit, this experiment didn’t go great in Week 1 against the Archers, so they decided to give it another go for their Week 3 double-header following their bye week. They haven’t had the time to address this issue, especially considering just how bad it got in just a three-game sample size. The solution is simple: sign a FOGO. I hear Connor Farrell is still sitting in free agency!

Lacrosse All Stars – Grow The Game® Powered by Fivestar

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Minnesota Lynx and NY Liberty sq. off in fourth annual WNBA Commissioner’s Cup Championship

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Minnesota Lynx and NY Liberty sq. off in fourth annual WNBA Commissioner’s Cup Championship

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The GIST: The WNBA’s fourth annual Commissioner’s Cup — an in-season battle for hardware and cold hard cash — tips off tomorrow at 8 p.m. ET, featuring two red-hot squads: the Minnesota Lynx out of the Western Conference and the host NY Liberty (the defending Cup champs) representing the Eastern Conference. Taking “can’t miss” to a whole new level.

How it works: This year featured a revamped format in which each team played five Commissioner’s Cup games (down from 10 in years prior) — one against each in-conference rival. The squads — one from each conference — with the top record in those designated Commissioner’s Cup games advanced to tomorrow’s championship tilt.

  • The Libs blew away the competition, going undefeated in their matchups, while the Lynx dropped just one game en route to clinching the chance to play for the $500K prize pool.
  • Speaking of, the players on the winning team earn about $30K each, the champ game MVP wins a $5K bonus, and the losing team still walks away with $10K each for their efforts. Cha-ching.

The matchup: Both sides are riding high into tomorrow’s tip-off — the Libs are on a three-game win streak while the Lynx have quietly rattled off an astounding six straight Ws. Minnesota did rout NY 84–67 when they met in late May, but that was on an uncharacteristically off night for NY’s Jonquel Jones, who was held to a mere four points in the L.

  • JJ features on a fearsome Big (Apple) Three, joined by reigning league MVP Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu, all three of whom rank in the top 15 of the league in scoring.
  • As for the Lynx, they’re led by one of the most underrated players in the league, Napheesa Collier, who averages at least 20 points and 10 rebounds per game. But she’s quick to credit the depth of her balanced squad, including sharpshooter Kayla McBride. Teamwork making that dream work.



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WNBA: How Natasha Mack has discovered a house with the Phoenix Mercury

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After three years, Natasha Mack is back in the WNBA. And she’s making a difference for the Phoenix Mercury.

The 6-foot-4 post player with a 6-foot-11 wingspan is averaging 1.9 blocks per game. Back in 2021 at Oklahoma State, she averaged four blocks a game, establishing herself as the best shot blocker in the country as she won Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year honors.

That production contributed to the Chicago Sky selecting her with the No. 16 pick in the 2021 WNBA Draft. She didn’t play much in Chicago, nor with the Minnesota Lynx, the franchise she briefly joined when she was cut by the Sky. After four games and just 18 total minutes, her WNBA dream seemed to be over.

Minnesota Lynx v Los Angeles Sparks

Natasha Mack saw action in one game for the Minnesota Lynx in 2021.
Photo by Carrie Giordano/NBAE via Getty Images

Instead of giving up, Mack moved abroad, where she continued to play. As she told The Next earlier this season:

Honestly, I thought I was gonna be done with it. So I just went overseas, developed my game, played with different teams and just got better. And my agent got the phone call, like, ‘Hey, you wanna go to training camp for Phoenix?’ I said, ‘Yeah, let’s do it.’

After three years, she’s back in the W. Asked by Swish Appeal about how it feels to be back, she shared:

It feels good. It feels like I belong. I just have to keep working hard and not give up on myself.

When she last spoke to us, Mack said that she’ll never lose her love for basketball, especially after taking a gap year between high school and college, when she almost gave up on the game. Even before returning to the W, she got to play in Australia, Poland and Turkey, and suited up for the Montenegro national team. Despite that experience, she felt stressed when entering the Mercury training camp, explaining:

More stress than anything. WNBA is the hardest pro league to make a team. I just went in not expecting anything and just kept working hard. The coaches told me to “just be me and do what I do best.”

Mack not only made the roster, but, when Britney Griner fractured her left toe during preseason, she earned a spot in the starting lineup; her official return to the WNBA court was the first start of her WNBA career. All the while, Griner continued to support her younger teammate. As Mack noted:

BG is very consistent. I was constantly getting feedback and motivation.

Mack started the first 10 games of the season for the Mercury, with averages of 4.5 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.1 blocks in more than 22 minutes per start. Understandably, Griner immediately rejoined the starting lineup upon her return to full health. Mack’s minutes, in turn, have been cut in half. But that’s not an issue. She’s happy to be playing for the Mercury, emphasizing:

It does feel like home. My goal is just to remain on the team and keep getting better daily. Hope to keep averaging a lot of rebounds.

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WNBA: Indiana Fever, Chicago Sky contention continues with 3rd matchup

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WNBA: Indiana Fever, Chicago Sky contention continues with 3rd matchup

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Caitlin Clark doesn’t think that the Indiana Fever (7-10) and Chicago Sky (5-9) are rivals. Instead, it’s just a game of basketball, although she said she’s willing to play along with the narrative if it’ll help develop women’s game even further.

Well, the interest is there for Fever-Sky III (4 p.m. ET, ESPN). According to StubHub, the average price of tickets sold is $290— the highest of all Fever games, home or away. Adam Budelli, spokesperson for StubHub, said:

The upcoming rematch in Chicago between rookies Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese is fueling incredible sales on StubHub. It is the best-selling game, home or away, for the remainder of the Fever’s regular season schedule.

On the second-hand market the prices are hitting new heights too. As a representative of TickPick told CNN:

Ticket prices for Clark’s Indiana Fever and Reese’s Chicago Sky are the most expensive for a WNBA game ever, with the average hovering at around $253—187 percent higher than the Sky’s average purchase price of $88. Currently, the cheapest seat just to see the game is around $250 with the most expensive ticket on sale going for more than $9,000.

While we share Clark’s disappointment at the game not being held at the United Center, there’s no doubt that what Clark and Reese are doing is working—more people are paying attention. And there’s a lot to pay attention to.

During the previous two games, Clark went down to the floor twice; in the first contest following an away-from-the-ball foul by Chennedy Carter that later was upgraded to a flagrant 1. In the second game, Clark got hit in the face by Angel Reese’s elbow, and the Sky got hit in return with another flagrant 1. After the game, both players downplayed the incident as a “basketball play,” but it’s becoming more and more evident that other teams are targeting Clark, giving her the “superstar treatment.” We’re not talking Jordan Rules yet, but the defensive—and media—attention is amplified when she has the ball.

Speaking about coverage, a player worthy of more attention is NaLyssa Smith, whose role extends well beyond serving as the fourth offensive option on the Fever. Her passing and her on-court awareness are big reasons why her team is currently 7-10 and that WNBA general managers’ prediction that the Fever would be the league’s most improved team is making more sense, despite their slow start.

Now, Indiana has a chance to go 3-0 against Chicago in the “Caitlin Clark Era.” In order to do that though, they’ll have to find a way to neutralize Reese on the offensive glass and fellow rookie Kamilla Cardoso on the defensive glass. Reese is the best offensive rebounder in the league and Cardoso grabbed eight defensive boards, and 11 overall, during the last game. As of recently, the Fever have been solid at home, but the Windy City crowd will make them feel unwelcome, and the Sky will once again play tough, physical ball.

Game information

Indiana Fever (7-10) vs. Chicago Sky (5-9)

When: Sunday, June 23 at 4 p.m. ET

Where: Wintrust Arena, Chicago, IL

How to watch: ESPN

Fever injury report: Temi Fagbenle (out; left foot)

Sky injury report: Elizabeth Williams (out; knee)

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