Jess Koffie Articles - Page 5

Paige Bueckers made sure to get one last appearance as a member of the UConn women’s basketball team before turning pro. The projected No. 1 overall pick traveled to Hartford for the Huskies’ national championship victory parade and rally a day before the 2025 WNBA Draft takes place in New York City. The parade was […]

The 2025 WNBA Draft has been the main topic on the minds of women’s basketball fans since the end of March Madness. The event acts as a way to ramp up excitement from fans just over a month before the 2025 season tips off on May 16. Most of the chatter has surrounded the Dallas […]

The 2025 WNBA Draft class features several standouts that can immediately impact whichever team chooses them. The Minnesota Lynx are in a better position than most franchises, returning most of their lineup from last season. After just barely falling short of the WNBA championship to the New York Liberty, they’ll only need to give their roster some […]

The WNBA released its list of 16 players invited to attend the 2025 WNBA Draft in person on April 14, and expected No. 1 pick Paige Bueckers led the group of women’s college basketball standouts. Bueckers capped off a historical college career with a NCAA Tournament championship win with UConn and is anticipated to play […]

The 2025 WNBA Draft class features several standouts that can immediately impact whichever team chooses them. The Chicago Sky come in with a 10th overall pick and two second-rounders, giving them a chance to add some depth to the lineup and specifically the backcourt. The Sky drafted their franchise superstar of the future in Angel Reese […]

The 2025 WNBA Draft class features several standouts that can immediately impact whichever team chooses them. The Los Angeles Sparks enter with the ninth overall pick and three total, which they’ll use to bolster their lineup following an abysmal 8-32 season. With a pool of prospects this deep, each franchise can find role players that complement […]

The 2025 WNBA Draft class features several standouts that can immediately impact whichever team chooses them. The high level of talent on the board offers the Connecticut Sun an opportunity to address major areas of lack and bolster their weakened roster. Possessing picks Nos. 7, 8, and 25 overall through the first two rounds will leave […]

The 2025 WNBA Draft class features several standouts that can immediately impact whichever team chooses them. The Washington Mystics showed their rebuild cards when they traded two-time All-Star Ariel Atkins away in the offseason for the No. 3 pick. Now, the franchise’s focus will be on strategically strengthening its roster for long-term success. Washington comes into […]

The 2025 WNBA Draft class features several standouts that can immediately impact whichever team chooses them. The Seattle Storm sit in the fortunate position of getting to choose any player on the board not named Paige Bueckers. However, some may consider this blessing to be a curse since there’s a lot of pressure to choose […]

The 2025 WNBA Draft class features several standouts that can immediately impact whichever team chooses them. As the winners of the “Paige Bueckers Sweepstakes,” AKA the draft lottery, the Dallas Wings are perfectly positioned to add valuable players that increase their chances of quickly becoming a WNBA championship-caliber team. With a pool of prospects this […]

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark has solidified her status as a bona fide superstar who certainly needs no introduction to most basketball fans. Clark was also a powerhouse at Iowa, where fans first saw her play like the legendary force she’s now known to be. Clark joined comedian David Letterman on his Netflix show, My Next […]

The WNBA Draft is a crucial moment for teams to bring in new talent to shape the future of their franchise. This year has an exciting pool of prospects, ranging from college standouts to international sensations. The women’s NCAA Tournament allowed many players to either solidify or increase their draft stock, and many could make […]

Freshman Sarah Strong has been showing off her impressive skills all season as a member of the UConn women’s basketball Big 3, alongside Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd. However, she blew everyone away by having the best performance during the Huskies’ NCAA national championship 82-59 win over South Carolina. So who exactly is the breakout […]

USC women’s basketball star JuJu Watkins has another trophy to add to her growing collection after winning the 2024-25 John R. Wooden Award, which is given to the most outstanding player in college basketball. Watkins has officially swept the Player of the Year honors, claiming both the Associated Press and Naismith College Player of the […]

After a truly mad March, the 2025 NCAA Tournament concludes with a showdown between two of women’s basketball’s perennial powerhouses. The fans are in for a treat as UConn women’s basketball and South Carolina are both eager to claim the national championship trophy at the end of what promises to be an electrifying contest. One […]

A new version of the HBCU All-Star Game is taking place on April 6, bringing some much-deserved national exposure to some of the best HBCU women’s basketball players. Twenty-four of the HBCU’s standout student-athletes will take the court for the first-of-its-kind women’s college basketball contest. The talented hopefuls participating will come from the Mid-Eastern Athletic […]

Two years to the day after LSU women’s basketball won its first-ever NCAA Women’s Tournament championship, former Tigers star Angel Reese reminisced on one of her biggest accomplishments to date. “Damn I won a natty 2 years ago today & it changed my life forever,” Reese posted on X. Reese was a prominent member of […]

The Las Vegas Aces’ recent free-agent signee, Cheyenne Parker-Tyus, has announced that she’s pregnant with her second child. She expects to miss at least the first three months of the 2025 WNBA campaign but is “determined to return late in the season.” The Aces signed Parker-Tyus to a one-year nonguaranteed training camp contract in February. […]

As Dawn Staley and the South Carolina women’s basketball team gears up for its Final Four appearance in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, anticipation is building around the reigning titleholder’s journey to a repeat. The penultimate round will be a showdown with Texas, a team that’s been as much of a powerhouse during its March Madness […]

USC women’s basketball standout Kiki Iriafen has secured an endorsement deal with Skechers Basketball two weeks before the 2025 WNBA Draft. Iriafen will play in the SKX Nexus when she takes the court as a professional for the first time, according to media personality Nick DePaula. The basketball sneaker is marketed as a breathable low-top […]

As the 2025 Women’s NCAA Tournament approaches a climactic Final Four, the matchup between UConn women’s basketball and UCLA promises to be one of the most thrilling games of the competition. These two sides have been storied programs in the sport, and their clash will feature big names, strategic gameplay, and plenty of history on […]

It should be no surprise to see that Stephen A. Smith is still calling out college coaches for their actions during this year’s March Madness. This time, the name at the top of his list belongs to LSU women’s basketball head coach Kim Mulkey. The ESPN personality commented on Mulkey’s exchange at LSU’s postgame press […]

As the 2025 Women’s NCAA Tournament continues, the list of options for the sport’s next national titleholder narrows down. Now that teams have nowhere left to hide, TCU women’s basketball keeps emerging as one of the most promising contenders for the championship. The Horned Frogs aren’t just operating with a high level of talent, player […]

The defending champion South Carolina women’s basketball team has kept its March Madness repeat dream alive by edging out Duke 54-50 to make it to the Final Four. But that’s not the only goal that victory achieved for head coach Dawn Staley. Staley’s Gamecocks triggered one of several performance-based incentives tied to her contract by […]

The 2025 women’s NCAA Tournament is shifting into its next phase after a couple of high-scoring rounds that saw few upset opportunities. Only heavy hitters remain, and the true contenders are beginning to stand out from a mostly evenly matched field. However, few programs heading into the Sweet 16 are more confident in their ability […]

UConn women’s basketball head coach Geno Auriemma is no stranger to seeing elite players fall to injury and had empathetic words to offer USC women’s basketball head coach Lindsay Gottlieb after star JuJu Watkins went down with a season-ending ACL tear. “I feel terrible for JuJu personally, knowing the players I’ve had that had to […]

The women’s 2025 NCAA Tournament has arrived at the Sweet 16 following two thrilling rounds of play. After witnessing some incredible games and record-setting March Madness moments, it feels like the real competition is finally underway. Every contest will feature a top-five-and-above matchup from here on out, meaning the battle for the national championship remains […]

The Houson women’s basketball team may not have made it to this year’s women’s March Madness tournament, but it’s still making big moves this month. The program has hired former Kentucky coach Matthew Mitchell as the squad’s next leader and eighth coach in its history. Mitchell beat out multiple other finalists for the opportunity to […]

The USC women’s basketball team has earned a reputation for having resilience, depth, seasoned coaching, and the ability to compete at a high level. Despite the unfortunate injury to star JuJu Watkins, the team still possesses the traits needed to have a legitimate shot at winning the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Losing a player as dynamic […]

The 2025 NCAA Tournament is shaping up to be one of the most exciting and competitive in recent years of women’s college basketball. UCLA, in particular, stands out as a powerhouse that has the talent, depth, and experience to contend for the championship behind superstar Lauren Betts, who’s proving she has the elite high ceiling […]

The 2025 women’s NCAA Tournament is off to a thrilling and record-setting start, especially for the TCU women’s basketball team. While there’s still no clear frontrunner out of the remaining contenders, the Horned Frogs are two rounds closer to the title and have shaken off their initial nerves following their dominant 73-51 win over Fairleigh […]

The 2025 NCAA Tournament is set to be an exciting conclusion to a storied season of UConn women’s college basketball. The theme of the 2024-25 campaign was parity, and that has continued into the postseason. Each program will have to navigate through a sea of competitors worthy of holding the title of national champion. The […]

After receiving a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament, Notre Dame women’s basketball head coach Niele Ivey is preparing the Irish for the tough road ahead of them by giving them a much-needed break. “I think just having a little bit of time off, I feel like they kind of needed a mental break.” […]

With so many star players to focus on heading into the women’s March Madness tournament, it’s difficult to narrow down the favorites. During an episode of First Take, Los Angeles Sparks big and ESPN personality Chiney Ogwumike listed a few options before choosing her player to watch. “This tournament, I feel like it’s built for Paige […]

As the start of the NCAA Tournament approaches, women’s college basketball fans are hyping themselves up and making their “player to watch” picks. First Take analyst Stephen A. Smith is among those anticipating the high level of talent that will be displayed, and he’s making it known that he’ll be showing love to USC’s JuJu Watkins. […]

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has been inspiring players on the basketball court for years, and now his impact has reached the women’s tennis court. Mirra Andreeva came from behind to win at the Women’s Tennis Association‘s BNP Paribas Open 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, and she seemingly had a secret weapon that helped her do […]

Stephen A. Smith is no stranger to confrontation, and this time he’s calling out USC women’s basketball head coach Lindsay Gottlieb. The day after Selection Sunday, Smith was asked about Gottlieb’s response to the Trojans’ placement as the fourth overall No.1 seed on an episode of First Take. The sports commentator did not mince his […]

Angel Reese wasn’t on the court to support her teammates during Unrivaled’s semifinal game, but she still made sure her presence was felt from the sidelines. Reese, who was forced to miss the contest after suffering an injury on the same wrist that had to be surgically repaired in September 2024, cheered on her Rose […]

Angel Reese still knows how to hype up her teammates, even when she can’t join them on the court. Reese commemorated the first Unrivaled season with her team by gifting them all custom pairs of the new Powerbeats Pro 2 high-performance earbuds. She posted a video to her Instagram story showing some of the squad’s […]