Latest news with #Atlantic10
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Mercury waives TJ McConnell's sister Megan after injury
The post Mercury waives TJ McConnell's sister Megan after injury appeared first on ClutchPoints. The Phoenix Mercury have waived Megan McConnell, who was signed to a contract in early June. On Thursday, the news became official after McConnell sustained a tibial plateau fracture. McConnell got injured during an 88-65 Mercury loss to the Minnesota Lynx on June 3. Advertisement McConnell had to leave the game early after only playing for 13 minutes. In the process, she scored three points, dished out three assists, and had a rebound to her name. The younger sister of Indiana Pacer TJ McConnell grew up in a basketball family. They have two aunts, Suzie McConnell-Serio and Kathy McConnell-Miller, who became players and coaches. Their uncle, Tom McConnell, was also a college basketball coach at Indiana University Pennsylvania. Later on, she had a standout college career. She played at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. While there, McConnell set records in assists (660), steals (370), games played (144), games started (136), and triple-doubles (4). In addition, she was a two-time Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team selection and won the 2025 Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year. Advertisement McConnell's prospects for the future are unknown. Even though she was not drafted, the Mercury took a chance on McConnell during a treacherous period. The string of injuries affecting the Mercury Despite an 11-4 record, the Mercury have been hobbled by injuries this year. So in truth, McConnell was not an isolation incident. Key players including Kahleah Copper, Alyssa Thomas, and Natasha Mack had to power through injuries. In May, Copper had to undergo left knee arthroscopy and missed 4-6 weeks. That same month, Thomas sustained a calf injury. In mid June, Mack was hobbled with a back injury. On Thursday, guard Lexi Held was diagnosed with a pneumothorax lung injury. Advertisement The entire context of injuries has forced the Mercury to change rotations, rely on their bench, and to sign undrafted rookies such as McConnell. Yet, the Mercury remain in 2nd place behind the Lynx in the Western Conference. Related: Why Mercury should explore DeWanna Bonner homecoming after Fever breakup
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Atlantic 10 announces 2025-26 men's basketball schedule for league's 50th season
The Atlantic 10 announced its pairings for the upcoming men's basketball season. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] The conference will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2025-26. Advertisement All members will play 18 games for the 12th straight year, according to an A-10 spokesperson. TRENDING STORIES: The University of Dayton men's basketball team will have home-and-home games against Duquesne, George Washington, Loyola Chicago, Saint Louis, and VCU. UD played all these schools twice last season, except GW. The last time Dayton played GW was in the 2021-22 season. The Flyers will also host Davidson, Fordham, Rhode Island, and St. Bonaventure. Their road games are at George Mason, La Salle, Richmond, and Saint Joseph's. The 2026 Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball Championship will be in Pittsburgh, March 11-15, at the PPG Paints Arena. Advertisement Dayton returns two starters from last year's team that went 23-11 and lost in the second round of the 2025 NIT. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Chicago Tribune
12-06-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
With the NCAA landscape changing, can small schools thrive in college athletics without the big bucks?
ORLANDO, Fla. — As schools prepare to begin sharing millions with their athletes, there is no avoiding the reality that if you're not a Power Four school, you're at a disadvantage. With major conferences running the show, St. Bonaventure and Florida International don't even have a seat at the table. FIU and St. Bonaventure aren't necessarily worried about a head-to-head fight over top players with deeper-pocketed schools. The priority has become survival and finding a balance between athletics ambition and financial sustainability. Adrian Wojnarowski spoke candidly about the challenges he faced during his inaugural season as the general manager of the St. Bonaventure men's basketball team. Solidifying a recruiting class that would improve the team and embrace the school culture was not easy. After July 1, when lucrative paychecks will pretty much become mandatory for blue-chip prospects, it's not going to get any easier. With some 2,000 undergraduate students, the Bonnies are outnumbered in resources and revenue when competing even against other Atlantic 10 teams like VCU, Dayton, and Saint Louis. Wojnarowski, ESPN's former lead NBA reporter, thinks he has identified a formula for locating the ideal prospect. To him, St. Bonaventure is a landing spot for international players adjusting to a new culture and college life, transfers who may have fallen short at a high major and need development, or those looking to move up to a mid-major. He admits the school in upstate New York could be a pit stop on a player's journey. 'I want them to see that our environment, our coaching staff, our small school, especially for international players coming over, what I really try to sell is your adjustment to American college life,' he said at the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics and Affiliates Convention this week. 'I think for a lot of kids, it's easier in a school with 1,900 students than a school with 19,000. And you'll come to have two great years with us, and then you'll probably end up at schools with 19,000 or 29,000,' he said. 'And so you're selling, for us, we're your first step on the way to somewhere else, or the other one to me is we're the place to come when you've got to get the basketball right.' Female athletes appeal landmark NCAA settlement, saying it violates federal antidiscrimination lawIf the plan goes awry and a recruit slips away, one thing the former NBA insider refuses to do is blame the money. 'Fundraising is hard, creating new revenue streams is hard, but the one thing that I try to stay away from with us is not saying, 'Oh, we didn't get him because they offered more money,' and using that as a crutch all the time. I really examine when we lost a player,' Wojnarowski said. 'Are we being honest with ourselves in saying that we did everything outside the economics to make our case to this person?' FIU has more than 40,000 undergraduates, but the athletic department is using a similar philosophy, pinpointing advantages and opportunities to come from the settlement instead of the negatives. Similar to St. Bonaventure, FIU doesn't expect to come close to the $20.5 million revenue-sharing cap available over the next year. For a competitive edge, unlocking new revenue streams is fundamental. 'To compete, from a revenue standpoint, you have to think outside the box of your conventional fundraising and targeting donors,' senior associate athletic director Joseph Corey said. 'That's why you're looking at concerts being held at different venues, different festivals to generate extra revenue to bring in, different revenue streams, and not just fundraising going after the same donors. You've got to go beyond that in order to be able to compete.' Being based in Miami has its perks. Proximity to celebrities is one of them. In August, FIU secured a 10-year partnership with Pitbull, the singer and rapper who coins himself 'Mr. 305.' 'We did the partnership with Pitbull – Pitbull Stadium. He's on tour, but part of the deal was that he would be collaborating with us and doing events for us from a fundraising standpoint,' Corey said. 'You've got to think outside the box. Especially in a city like Miami, it's about the experience too.' Schools unlocking creative revenue streams is something that can be expected. FIU competes in Conference USA alongside teams like Liberty, Louisiana Tech, UTEP, Kennesaw State and Jacksonville State. The football team went 3-5 in 2024, finishing sixth in the conference. The men's basketball team finished last with a 3-15 conference record. It's hard to sell donors on losing teams. 'Let's call it what it is, FIU's not going to be able to keep up with the Alabamas of the world, the Georgias, Michigan, or Texas, but what can we do? We can be the best in our conference. That is our goal,' Corey said. 'Let's be the best in our conference and really compete there because once you're at the top of your conference, that means more revenue in other areas. Everyone wants to donate to a winner.'
San Francisco Chronicle
11-06-2025
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
Can schools like St. Bonaventure and FIU thrive in college athletics without the big bucks?
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — As schools prepare to begin sharing millions with their athletes, there is no avoiding the reality that if you're not a Power Four school, you're at a disadvantage. With major conferences running the show, St. Bonaventure and Florida International don't even have a seat at the table. FIU and St. Bonaventure aren't necessarily worried about a head-to-head fight over top players with deeper-pocketed schools. The priority has become survival and finding a balance between athletics ambition and financial sustainability. Adrian Wojnarowski spoke candidly about the challenges he faced during his inaugural season as the general manager of the St. Bonaventure men's basketball team. Solidifying a recruiting class that would improve the team and embrace the school culture was not easy. After July 1, when lucrative paychecks will pretty much become mandatory for blue-chip prospects, it's not going to get any easier. With some 2,000 undergraduate students, the Bonnies are outnumbered in resources and revenue when competing even against other Atlantic 10 teams like VCU, Dayton, and Saint Louis. Wojnarowski, ESPN's former lead NBA reporter, thinks he has identified a formula for locating the ideal prospect. To him, St. Bonaventure is a landing spot for international players adjusting to a new culture and college life, transfers who may have fallen short at a high major and need development, or those looking to move up to a mid-major. He admits the school upstate New York could be a pit stop on a player's journey. 'I want them to see that our environment, our coaching staff, our small school, especially for international players coming over, what I really try to sell is your adjustment to American college life," he said at the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics and Affiliates Convention this week. 'I think for a lot of kids, it's easier in a school with 1,900 students than a school with 19,000. And you'll come to have two great years with us, and then you'll probably end up at schools with 19,000 or 29,000,' he said. "And so you're selling, for us, we're your first step on the way to somewhere else, or the other one to me is we're the place to come when you've got to get the basketball right.' If the plan goes awry and a recruit slips away, one thing the former NBA insider refuses to do is blame the money. 'Fundraising is hard, creating new revenue streams is hard, but the one thing that I try to stay away from with us is not saying, 'Oh, we didn't get him because they offered more money,' and using that as a crutch all the time. I really examine when we lost a player,' Wojnarowski said. 'Are we being honest with ourselves in saying that we did everything outside the economics to make our case to this person?' FIU has more than 40,000 undergraduates, but the athletic department is using a similar philosophy, pinpointing advantages and opportunities to come from the settlement instead of the negatives. Similar to St. Bonaventure, FIU doesn't expect to come close to the $20.5 million revenue-sharing cap available over the next year. For a competitive edge, unlocking new revenue streams is fundamental. 'To compete, from a revenue standpoint, you have to think outside the box of your conventional fundraising and targeting donors,' senior associate athletic director Joseph Corey said. 'That's why you're looking at concerts being held at different venues, different festivals to generate extra revenue to bring in, different revenue streams, and not just fundraising going after the same donors. You've got to go beyond that in order to be able to compete.' Being based in Miami has its perks. Proximity to celebrities is one of them. In August, FIU secured a 10-year partnership with Pitbull, the singer and rapper who coins himself 'Mr. 305.' 'We did the partnership with Pitbull – Pitbull Stadium. He's on tour, but part of the deal was that he would be collaborating with us and doing events for us from a fundraising standpoint," Corey said. "You've got to think outside the box. Especially in a city like Miami, it's about the experience too.' Schools unlocking creative revenue streams is something that can be expected. FIU competes in Conference USA alongside teams like Liberty, Louisiana Tech, UTEP, Kennesaw State and Jacksonville State. The football team went 3-5 in 2024, finishing sixth in the conference. The men's basketball team finished last with a 3-15 conference record. It's hard to sell donors on losing teams. 'Let's call it what it is, FIU's not going to be able to keep up with the Alabama's of the world, the Georgia's, Michigan, or Texas, but what can we do? We can be the best in our conference. That is our goal,' Corey said. 'Let's be the best in our conference and really compete there because once you're at the top of your conference, that means more revenue in other areas. Everyone wants to donate to a winner.'
New York Times
30-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Dawn Staley's legacy didn't require a statue, but it's a testament to her iconic status
Wednesday afternoon in downtown Columbia, S.C., a statue will be unveiled to honor Dawn Staley, the adopted daughter and coach of the city. It will stand nearly equidistant between the Gamecocks' basketball arena and the South Carolina state house, which is fitting given how much she has meant to women's basketball in the state and across the country. Most apropos is that the statue will be forged by fire, an analogy perfectly befitting Staley and her journey to this pinnacle. Advertisement Raised in North Philadelphia, Staley has never taken the easy road, but the common denominator between her teams and programs is one thing: They win. As a high school phenom at Dobbins, a Virginia point guard, an Olympic team player and coach, an ABL and WNBA star and as a coach (though she spent six years both coaching at Temple and playing in the WNBA). When she took over Temple in 2000, the program had just one NCAA Tournament appearance. The Owls won the Atlantic 10 tournament title in Staley's second year to ensure an automatic bid before making the tournament another five times and finishing with at least 20 wins in six of her eight seasons — a task that had been accomplished only twice at Temple in seven decades of existence. Another 🐐 with a statue!! More 🔗: | @CityofColumbia — South Carolina Women's Basketball (@GamecockWBB) April 28, 2025 In 17 seasons at South Carolina, Staley has erected a program and a fanbase that, before she stepped on campus, had been past the second round of the NCAA Tournament only three times. She managed to best that history in her first eight years on campus. In her ninth year, the Gamecocks won their first national title. She's won two more since and led the Gamecocks back to the national championship game last season. For the 11th consecutive year, South Carolina led the nation in attendance, turning out a rabid fanbase that calls themselves 'FAMS' and refers to Colonial Life Arena (rightfully so) as 'The House that Dawn Built.' At each stop, Staley elevated not just play on the floor, but those around her — inside and outside of her programs. She's just as likely to refer to herself as a 'dream merchant' as a 'coach,' most days. That exists not just for her own players but for others across the country whose paths she crosses — coaches, women and competitors. When she won her first national championship with South Carolina in 2017, Staley sent pieces of the championship net to every Black female head coach in the country, paying forward a gesture that Carolyn Peck, the first Black head coach to win a national championship at Purdue in 1999, did for Staley when she arrived at South Carolina. Advertisement When Staley negotiated for equal pay to her counterpart — South Carolina men's basketball coach — women's basketball was fighting, in the wake of the NCAA bubble seasons, for long overdue equal opportunity and footing in the NCAA and on their own campuses. She consistently speaks loudly on opportunity and equity for women athletes and Black women in the space, at a time when the game has received more attention than ever. Even when Staley refers to her players as kids at 'Dawn's Daycare,' many consider her a mother-like figure who has reflected to them a drive and persistence that has helped them in their own careers. 'As I look up in the rafters and see my jersey, I'm reminded of how important it is to chase your dreams without fear,' WNBA star and Gamecocks alumna A'ja Wilson said at her jersey retirement last season. 'The person who taught me that and is still teaching me is Dawn Staley. Thank you, Coach, for seeing the light in me even when I couldn't see it in myself and for showing me that it's not about the destination, but the journey and the people you meet along the way.' With a statue in her likeness, Staley joins a short list of women's basketball coaches with one on or near their college programs, including Tennessee's Pat Summitt and Notre Dame's Muffet McGraw — two women who put their programs on the map and helped elevate the sport. There are undoubtedly already conversations about statues to come for Stanford's Tara VanDerveer and UConn's Geno Auriemma, too. But Staley, who has coached at South Carolina less than half the amount of time those coaches did (or have coached) at their schools, is among the Mount Rushmore debate, which is telling for what she has accomplished in such a short amount of time at South Carolina. At 54, Staley could have plenty of seasons ahead on the sideline, if that's what she wants. Certainly, masses of players coming up in the game now — players whose perspectives of women's basketball have been shaped by who she is in this moment but also knowing that the game has evolved because of her path — who hope to compete for the legendary coach. Advertisement With all the wins under her belt, trophies and title nets in the Gamecocks' awards case, Staley didn't need this statue to cement her legacy in Columbia or in women's basketball. But one forged by fire will stand as she still roams the sidelines, a testament to Staley's journey.
