David Yapkowitz Articles - Page 19

Following four seasons under Ben Johnson, the Minnesota Gophers opted to go in a different direction, parting ways with Johnson and hiring Niko Medved as head coach. With the 2025-26 season not even underway yet, Medved still got to the recruiting trail already landing two recruits for the 2026-27 season. Minnesota added a third recruit […]

Following the Achilles injury to Jayson Tatum during the Eastern Conference Semifinals last season, the Boston Celtics pivoted their focus for this upcoming season. They traded high-priced veterans such as Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, while taking fliers on younger talent like Anfernee Simons, Josh Minott and Luka Garza. The Celtics continued the trend of […]

The Indiana Fever pulled off the unthinkable on Thursday when they defeated the Atlanta Dream, 87-85, in Game 3 of their opening round series of the WNBA Playoffs. While the Fever were without several key players due to injury, the Dream were 100 percent healthy. That’s probably why all nine of ESPN’s experts picked the […]

If Game 2 of the opening round series of the WNBA Playoffs between the Indiana Fever and Atlanta Dream was any indication, fans are certainly tuning in to see a potential underdog emerge victorious. That came true on Thursday when the Fever eliminated the Dream, 87-85, in Game 3 to advance to the WNBA Semifinals […]

During the Indiana Pacers run to the NBA Finals last season, one player who stood out in particular in addition to Tyrese Haliburton, was his backup in TJ McConnell. McConnell endeared himself to Pacers fans when he single-handedly tried will the team back in Game 7 against the Oklahoma City Thunder following Haliburton’s injury. TJ […]

The Wofford basketball team was at the forefront of a major story this week when it was revealed that six players on the team were found to be ineligible due to reportedly using a campus meal plan while living off of campus. In the initial report, it was said that the NCAA had a hand […]

With the WNBA hitting an all-time high in fan popularity, it’s no surprise that, that momentum has carried over into the playoffs. While some of the league’s biggest names are not in the postseason such as Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, that doesn’t seem to stop fans from watching. Earlier this week Game 2 of […]

Over the past couple of seasons, the Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks have been developing a bit of a rivalry. The rivalry kind of took route when the Pacers defeated the Bucks in the inaugural in-season tournament when Tyrese Haliburton used Damian Lillard’s ‘Dame Time’ celebration. It crescendoed when Giannis Antetokounmpo angrily confronted several members […]

When it comes to outspoken voices on podcasts, perhaps there is none greater than former NBA player Patrick Beverley. The latest comments to garner headlines from Patrick Beverley were about Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young, comments that ultimately received a bewildered response from Houston Rockets star Kevin Durant. Kevin Durant responded to Patrick Beverley on […]

With the explosion of the transfer portal in college basketball, it’s made that much harder for high school basketball prospects to land a coveted Division 1 scholarship upon completing their senior year. For incoming South Carolina State Bulldogs transfer Rayniel Wright, it was precisely the reason why it took him a little longer to get […]

The Vanderbilt Commodores experienced a major turnaround in just one season under new head coach Mark Byington. After seven straight years of missing the NCAA Tournament, and five losing seasons in that time frame, the Commodores reached the postseason, albeit losing in the round of 64. The success seems to have gotten noticed by potential […]

LOS ANGELES – When the Los Angeles Sparks lost franchise cornerstone Nneka Ogwumike to free agency ahead of the 2024 WNBA season, the team was officially in rebuilding mode. But even in a rebuild, teams need capable veterans on the roster, leaders who can keep the team together. For the Sparks, part of that role […]

LOS ANGELES – Coming into the 2025 WNBA season, one player in particular on the Los Angeles Sparks roster who was looked at as having a potential breakout year was Rickea Jackson. Jackson showed incredible promise as a rookie a year ago, and seemed primed for a big role in new head coach Lynne Roberts’ […]

Although the Dallas Wings did not make the WNBA Playoffs this season, they still received postseason honors with star guard Paige Bueckers being named the league’s Rookie of the Year. In winning the Rookie of the Year Award, Paige Bueckers also brought distinction honors to UConn Huskies as well. Over on the NBA side, San […]

With NBA training camps set to open next month, there is one major name still on the free agency market without a contract in Golden State Warriors restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga. The Warriors were unwilling to engage in potential sign-and-trade opportunities and have held firm on their offer, as per ClutchPoints’ NBA insider Brett […]

The New York Knicks decided to shake things up this offseason, firing Tom Thibodeau after their Eastern Conference Finals loss to the Indiana Pacers, and hiring Mike Brown as their new head coach. While the bulk of the Knicks’ roster was already complete, the team still had two-way contract slots available. The Knicks made a […]

The Minnesota Lynx struck first in their opening round series of the WNBA Playoffs against the Golden State Valkyries with a 101-72 Game 1 win. The series will now shift to the Valkyries home court for Game 2. But during the game, Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve noticed something different about the officiating following halftime, […]

Liberty struck first in their opening round WNBA Playoffs series against the Phoenix Mercury with a 76-69 Game 1 win on the road. With the series shifting to the Liberty’s home court for Game 2, the win could have come a major cost. Liberty star forward Breanna Stewart suffered an apparent knee injury during the […]

The WNBA has hit record popularity among fans, coinciding with the ushering in of young, rising stars such as Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers, players whose popularity surged while they were still in college. This past WNBA All-Star Weekend drew record levels of viewership. For Los Angeles Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts, someone […]

The Los Angeles Sparks’ 2025 season came to an end on Thursday following their 98-68 loss to the Las Vegas Aces. The Sparks had already been eliminated from playoff contention after the Seattle Storm’s dramatic win against the Golden State Valkyries on Tuesday. But as the Sparks prepared for their offseason to begin, there were […]

Chicago Sky star Angel Reese sent ripples through the WNBA world recently with her comments regarding her current Sky teammates. As a result, the Sky benched Reese for only the first half of their Sept. 7 game against the Las Vegas Aces. While there has been much debate as to whether or not Angel Reese […]

Looking to get back to championship contender status, the Denver Nuggets have had a strong offseason. The Nuggets made several moves to add impact players to their roster including the trades for Jonas Valanciunas and Cam Johnson and the free agent signings of Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr. The Nuggets made a late offseason […]

The Los Angeles Sparks were officially eliminated from making the WNBA Playoffs on Tuesday night. While the Sparks took care of business on their end, defeating the Phoenix Mercury, 88-83, they needed a Seattle Storm loss to keep their hopes alive. Unfortunately for them, the Storm defeated the Golden State Valkyries to clinch the final […]

Following the Atlanta Dream’s 88-72 win against the Connecticut Sun on Wednesday, the Dream moved into the No. 2 seed in the WNBA standings. That can change if the Las Vegas Aces close out the season with a win on Thursday, but whether it’s No. 2 or No. 3, it’s been a successful year for […]

The Connecticut Sun’s 2025 season came to end on Wednesday following their 88-72 loss to the Atlanta Dream. While the Sun had already been eliminated from playoff contention quite some time ago, Wednesday’s game was the final game on their schedule. It ended up being a historic night for Sun veteran forward Tina Charles who […]

Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic is one of a handful of NBA stars who took to the court in recent weeks with their national teams while competing at EuroBasket. Unfortunately for Luka Doncic, his EuroBasket run came to an end on Wednesday as Slovenia was eliminated by Germany, 99-91. Following Slovenia’s EuroBasket elimination by […]

The Indiana Fever suffered a major blow last week when star guard Caitlin Clark announced she would miss the rest of the season due to injury. Clark dealt with multiple injury issues during her second season in the WNBA, and Fever head coach Stephanie White remarked that the team ran out of time to get […]

The 2024-25 season was the first year for the UCLA Bruins in the Big Ten Conference after being one of the main stalwarts in the old Pac-12. The Bruins were actually fairly successful in their first season in a new conference, compiling a record of 13-7. Last season was also the sixth season since Mick […]

The race for the final playoff spot in the WNBA came down to the last few days of the regular season, with the Seattle Storm clinching the eighth and final seed following their 74-73 win against the Golden State Valkyries on Tuesday night. Helping lead the way for the Storm was veteran guard Erica Wheeler […]

The Indiana Fever have had unfortunate luck this season when it comes to injuries. They have five players out for the rest of the season, including star guard Caitlin Clark. To help mitigate the injuries, the Fever have signed multiple players to hardship contracts, including veteran guard Shey Peddy. Shey Peddy was a on a […]

RThe Indiana Fever have pulled off an incredible feat, clinching a playoff berth with five players out for the remainder of the season due to injury, including star guard Caitlin Clark. Even with a decimated roster, the Fever are a force to be reckoned with as the Minnesota Lynx were finding out on Tuesday. The […]

During the quarterfinals of EuroBasket this week, Greece punched their ticket to a semifinal matchup against Turkey after defeating Denver Nuggets big man Jonas Valanciunas and Lithuania. Jonas Valanciunas led the way for Lithuania in the loss with 24 points and 15 rebounds, and after the game he spoke about the EuroBasket matchup and how […]

A handful of top NBA stars such as Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo are currently playing at EuroBasket with their respective national teams. Houston Rockets rising star Alperen Sengun is participating at EuroBasket with Turkey, and he recently put up a triple double against Poland to lead Turkey to the semifinals. Alperen Sengun’s […]

The Las Vegas Aces have been the hottest team in the WNBA right now as they are currently on a 14-game win streak. The Aces are looking to extend that streak to 14 games on Tuesday as they square off against the Chicago Sky, and that game will also mark the season debut of veteran […]

The WNBA can be a major eye-opener for rookies. Many of them go from being one of, if not the top option, on their college teams, to scrapping for minutes at the end of the bench. For Los Angeles Sparks rookie Sania Feagin, it’s been a season of learning. Sania Feagin went from being a […]

The Los Angeles Sparks’ chances at making the playoffs are hanging by a thread. The Sparks are one and a half games behind the Seattle Storm for the eighth and final playoff spot. While they will need help in the form of the Storm losing on Tuesday against the Golden State Valkyries, the Sparks can […]

LOS ANGELES – The last time the Dallas Wings visited Crypto.com Arena, Paige Bueckers eviscerated the Los Angeles Sparks’ defense tying a WNBA rookie record in points with 44. Prior to the Sparks’ game against the Wings on Sunday, head coach Lynne Roberts vowed that things would be different this time around. Paige Bueckers fell […]

LOS ANGELES – In a must-win game to keep their playoff hopes alive, the Los Angeles Sparks emerged victorious, 91-77, against the Dallas Wings on Sunday. Helping lead the way for the Sparks was Julie Allemand who reached a new career-high in scoring in the process. Allemand has been an important player for the Sparks […]

LOS ANGELES – With the 2025 WNBA regular season entering its final week, the Los Angeles Sparks’ chances at making the playoffs are hanging on by a thread. The Sparks need to win all three of their final games while getting help from the Seattle Storm. Following the Indiana Fever’s win on Sunday, the Storm […]