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00:00:00Do-be-do-be
00:00:46If I had a million tongues, I don't think that would be enough thank yous for this experience.
00:00:52To have two black female coaches playing in Paris, opening up college basketball season.
00:01:01Not just women's college basketball, the men too.
00:01:06Include them in it, yes.
00:01:09And I'm hoping that, seriously, I'm hoping that a national championship comes out of this Paris game.
00:01:22Is there anything more symbolic than how big women's hoops has gotten, starting up the season in Paris?
00:01:28Let's go, Gamecock!
00:01:32Let's go, Gamecock!
00:01:35Let's go, Gamecock!
00:01:36It's only fitting that we start this season in epic fashion because that's how we ended it a year ago.
00:01:43Iowa just conquered South Carolina!
00:01:47And South Carolina's undefeated season ends tonight.
00:02:16The nerves got them turned down.
00:02:28We've had, we've not had to deal with nerves in a long time.
00:02:35We haven't had to deal with nerves, you said, really?
00:02:40Not these type of nerves.
00:02:56I think every sport that really hadn't got, would have deserved, deserved a moment like this,
00:03:03in which a lot of eyeballs were on our game.
00:03:09We've been held back for a very long time.
00:03:13But now we're in a place where we're in high demand and there isn't any going back.
00:03:24Any time you move forward, you have to know where it came from.
00:03:32Let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go!
00:03:34Let's go, let's go, let's go!
00:03:36We want more people knowing the history of our game and the future of our game.
00:03:41And I think I'm right in the middle because I've seen where we've come.
00:03:45And I hope to see where we're going because it's long overdue.
00:03:53Women have been playing basketball in a ladylike fashion since the 1890s.
00:03:58There have been three leagues that have tried and failed.
00:04:01For each moment in time, it had to happen in order for us to build to this moment.
00:04:07Here comes Clark. How will she go for history?
00:04:10There it is!
00:04:12The women's game, taking center stage, breaking ratings records,
00:04:16and changing the perceptions of women's sports.
00:04:19You can't be afraid to do whatever it takes.
00:04:22Connecticut has won the national championship.
00:04:25For the first time, it wasn't just a dream.
00:04:28The women's NBA starts its first season.
00:04:31Are American men ready for this?
00:04:32I don't know, but if they're not, they better get ready.
00:04:35Staley, the step back, three at the poster!
00:04:38Dawn's career matches this growth of women's basketball in the inflection points.
00:04:44Visibility is through the roof, interest at an all-time high.
00:04:47Perhaps the most anticipated women's college basketball game ever.
00:04:52It was this culmination of the best of the best from basketball.
00:04:57I mean, you just can't write a better script.
00:04:59I'm going to help them meet that moment.
00:05:02I'm so proud of where women's basketball is.
00:05:06We're not going to let this season go.
00:05:08Same game! Let's go!
00:05:22And here we go for the very first time in Paris.
00:05:26We have NCAA basketball.
00:05:30Here's Sitalgo.
00:05:31Shimmies, takes, and bates.
00:05:34If she knocks one down on you, go right the fuck back and get her.
00:05:39Wow!
00:05:40For Wiley!
00:05:41My goodness!
00:05:42A show-stopping highlight!
00:05:46Shit, I like that.
00:05:53Yo!
00:05:55That motherfucking pass!
00:05:57The Gamecocks win it over Notre Dame, 100-71.
00:06:06Yo!
00:06:07No!
00:06:08No!
00:06:08Full Wiley!
00:06:10I mean, I saw it!
00:06:12I saw it!
00:06:13But I was like, no!
00:06:17No!
00:06:19Oh, my God.
00:06:21Magic Johnson posted, quote,
00:06:22Everyone must see the coast-to-coast, behind-the-back move.
00:06:26For fresh regards, the best move in all of basketball.
00:06:28Better than Steph, LeBron, and all.
00:06:31There's money to be made on the women's game.
00:06:34I can't wait to see, you know, how things explode.
00:06:37For the women's game in particular, the sky's the limit.
00:06:40I think along the way, there have been some important tipping points in women's basketball history.
00:06:45You know, we're in a moment right now, these women have never been bigger stars.
00:06:50Juju Watkins has just set the national freshman scoring record.
00:06:55Angel Reese, who's become one of the biggest stars in the sport.
00:06:58Angel Reese has come to play.
00:07:01Or Kaitlin breaking every record.
00:07:03The all-time attendance record for women's basketball.
00:07:07And sure enough, it's Mylasia that goes viral with this play in the game.
00:07:12Mylasia came out there and played with a free flair that could be reminiscent of her own coach, Dawn Staley.
00:07:17With behind-the-back dribbles and no-look passes, Staley is the Magic Johnson of Lady Hoops.
00:07:26What's amazing about Dawn's career journey is it sort of matches this growth of women's basketball and the inflection points.
00:07:36WNBA all-star, three-time gold medal winner as an Olympian.
00:07:41Every step along the way, Dawn has been a history maker from college to the WNBA, USA basketball, and now
00:07:49in coaching.
00:07:50Dawn's career is sort of an interesting retrospective because she has been riding this wave and contributing to it from
00:07:59the very beginning.
00:08:01I've been in the game all my life.
00:08:04I feel that I owe basketball for the life it's given me.
00:08:19I would not be who I am today if I didn't grow up in North Philly.
00:08:27My entire life I've played against guys.
00:08:33It was them who raised me as a basketball player.
00:08:40When you're up at the center, we call it the big boy court.
00:08:43That's the full court.
00:08:44As a little girl growing up in Philly, like that was the goal in front of me is to get
00:08:49on the big boy court.
00:08:52But, you know, that was a, for me, far-fetched.
00:08:57Like I couldn't wait to get there, but I also knew I had to wait my turn.
00:09:05And then when I was able to get on the big boy court, it felt very much like when I
00:09:12first received my first gold medal.
00:09:14It felt very much like when I got my first national championship.
00:09:19Like, it's on that stage of achievement.
00:09:27We're in a different time now.
00:09:30Most young girls, it's a lot easier for them to dream, and to dream big, because it's right there in
00:09:38front of them.
00:09:38So we've grown so much.
00:09:42And now people want to know the history of our game.
00:09:46They want to know the depth of women's basketball.
00:09:49That is what you want.
00:09:51That is, you want them desiring more.
00:09:55President Nixon today signed a $20 billion education bill into law.
00:10:01Title IX forbids sex discrimination in educational programs and activities receiving federal funds.
00:10:07Stated simply, women must be given the same access and exposure to sports as men.
00:10:13I can tell you right now, we wouldn't be doing a documentary if it wasn't for Title IX.
00:10:20Title IX was the driver of women's basketball and the opportunity for young girls to train, to have teams.
00:10:29The growth in women's sports has been tremendous since Title IX.
00:10:33Girls' participation in high school athletics is up by more than 400%.
00:10:37I'm a Title IX baby, and I'm proud to have helped grow my sport.
00:10:43The first lady of basketball, Nancy Lieberman.
00:10:48I was the first full scholarship athlete at Old Dominion University for a female.
00:10:55Old Dominion was 125 and 15 in my four years.
00:10:59We were really America's team.
00:11:01Everywhere we went, it was the largest crowd they ever had.
00:11:04You know, like, it took a long time for us to get women's sports live as they were happening.
00:11:10And then, in 1980, they televised the Women's Basketball National Championship.
00:11:15It was a real turning point in sports history.
00:11:17That's Lieberman's game right there. Push the ball down the floor.
00:11:21She can handle it better than anybody in the country right now.
00:11:23Women's basketball was never televised when I was growing up.
00:11:26But then I finally saw Nancy Lieberman on the TV, and I was like, who is this girl?
00:11:32I remember creating goals for myself for the first time.
00:11:36How powerful was that now that I think about it?
00:11:38Old Dominion has won it!
00:11:41Our sport has been built on the pride of women, the strength of women.
00:11:48The Nancy Liebermans, the Lynette Wooders.
00:11:51I became a four-year All-American in Kansas and scored over 3,600 points.
00:11:57Lynette Wooders scored more points than anybody else.
00:11:59Women's basketball.
00:12:01I just think of certain players in the history of the sport who were really setting the tone
00:12:06and creating a higher level of play. Players like Annie Myers.
00:12:10Crowds are bigger this year. The enthusiasm is for the UCLA women's team.
00:12:15Sophomore guard Ann Myers is one reason why.
00:12:18She is the first woman ever to attend UCLA on a full basketball scholarship.
00:12:22Do you think the girls play as good a game as the men?
00:12:25It's just as exciting.
00:12:28I figure in a way I'm a pioneer for other women coming in.
00:12:35Generally regarded as the best all-round women's player in the country.
00:12:39Her name is Cheryl Miller.
00:12:41At Riverside Pauley High School, she once scored 105 points in a single game.
00:12:46Cheryl led USC to its first national championship.
00:12:49Cheryl, do guys ever underestimate you?
00:12:51Not anymore.
00:12:53Well, you've got two years left of college ball.
00:12:56Is it possible you'll have to hang up the sneakers after that and retire from basketball?
00:13:00Well, you know, I don't know.
00:13:02What I hope to see is a women's professional league.
00:13:05I think timing is everything.
00:13:07And, you know, Cheryl Miller, she didn't get what we got, right?
00:13:11And Ann Myers and Nancy Lieberman, they didn't get what Cheryl got.
00:13:19I took the torch and carried it.
00:13:21I took it from the group before me.
00:13:23And so for each moment in time, it's the way it had to happen in order for us to build
00:13:30to this moment.
00:13:31Those are the women that pushed for Dawn.
00:13:35And then Dawn and her generation of the Cheryl Swoops and Lisa Leslie.
00:13:41It's those first foundational generations that have really set the rest of us up for success.
00:13:49A lot has been done in order to grow the game.
00:13:53But still, we're not comfortable with breaking barriers.
00:13:58And we need to get comfortable with it because there isn't any going back.
00:14:03Hey, phenomenal top ten women's hoops game tonight in Baton Rouge.
00:14:08The reigning champs, LSU hosting South Carolina.
00:14:12The best way for me to describe the anticipation for that game between South Carolina and LSU
00:14:17is as we were driving from our hotel to the arena.
00:14:20The bars along the street on the way to the arena were filled and people spilling out of them.
00:14:26And Holly, who covers all of the biggest college football games, said...
00:14:30This feels like a football Saturday in Baton Rouge.
00:14:33Visibility is through the roof. Interest at an all-time high.
00:14:36It's time now, guys.
00:14:37Let's just put an end to all this hype about who's the best team, who's this, who's that.
00:14:43They have something that we want.
00:14:45We want the national championship.
00:14:47They're just in the way right now.
00:14:48Let's go and do what we need to do.
00:14:51Effort never dies.
00:15:03Don was wearing her Everybody Watches Women's Sports shirt and I was like, they do tonight.
00:15:09Like, it was just electric and dynamic.
00:15:12You've got Angel Rees, one of the biggest brands in sports.
00:15:16People are obsessed with Angel Rees.
00:15:19I think you had, like, sort of a perfect storm of big stars and coaches with big personalities.
00:15:29They will hate to hear this, but Kim Mulkey and Dawn Staley are more alike than they are different.
00:15:34Kim Mulkey was a national championship caliber player for Louisiana Tech.
00:15:38Dawn Staley at Virginia.
00:15:39They both go on and play on the Olympic team.
00:15:42Then they go into coaching and they make their mark with national championships.
00:15:46They are women who attract attention.
00:15:50And then their style.
00:15:52I mean, you've got Gucci on one side and the Queen of Sparkles on the other.
00:15:55Like, come on.
00:15:56How you doing?
00:15:57How you doing?
00:15:58They can say whatever the hell they want.
00:16:00They don't get no better than what you and I fucking put on this floor.
00:16:04Don't you ever forget it.
00:16:08Lock up and dialing a ولet-Mahniers.
00:16:10Let's work up.
00:16:10Let's work up.
00:16:11Let's go!
00:16:11Let's go, young.
00:16:14Let's go West.
00:16:15Number one South Carolina.
00:16:17Number nine LSU.
00:16:18Here we go from Baton Rouge.
00:16:21Looking in for Reese.
00:16:22Draws two.
00:16:24Reese.
00:16:25Clips it in.
00:16:26Custafe!
00:16:27Reese!
00:16:28You're not guarding us.
00:16:30You're not guarding Angel.
00:16:33Reese.
00:16:33Reece clicks in, cuts the foul.
00:16:37Reece comes up with the O-board, Van Ryn.
00:16:40Punished.
00:16:41On a three, cuts the foul away from the ball.
00:16:46Fly me to the motherfucking basket.
00:16:48You gonna pull up, go get a foul on her.
00:16:51You motherfucking play.
00:16:53Reece gets swallowed up by Cardoso,
00:16:56gives a little stare afterward.
00:16:58I just remember the moment where the script flipped
00:17:01and South Carolina became unafraid
00:17:04and they took control of that moment
00:17:06and that crazy crowd.
00:17:09Hall will take that one.
00:17:12And hit!
00:17:16Here's Pow Pow, dumping it down in the corner.
00:17:20Hall, she got it!
00:17:22Another three for Bree Hall.
00:17:25I'm the fucking champion.
00:17:30For much of this game, LSU controlled the down-the-stretch.
00:17:35Gamecocks remain undefeated!
00:17:41Great game, baby!
00:17:42Great job!
00:17:44Yeah, great job, y'all.
00:17:46For South Carolina to be down and then fight back
00:17:49and both teams played well and it was just perfect.
00:17:53Like, this is why we're trying to tell you
00:17:55our game is so great.
00:17:57It doesn't get much bigger than this, Arda, right?
00:17:59Two schools on the floor tonight,
00:18:0011 combined Final Fours,
00:18:02three national titles,
00:18:03the last two national champions.
00:18:04It was the game of the season.
00:18:06I did not disappoint.
00:18:13I think that what you're seeing now
00:18:15around women's basketball,
00:18:16it's, you know, really blown up this year
00:18:19in a way that we've never seen before.
00:18:20But it is comparable to what was happening
00:18:23in the mid-90s.
00:18:26The mid-90s, to me,
00:18:27it's the birth of women's basketball.
00:18:29In 1993 was the first time
00:18:30I really started paying attention with Cheryl Swoops
00:18:32because my dad told me she played like Michael Jordan.
00:18:35You have to understand the importance of Swoops 93
00:18:37and the amazing performance that she had
00:18:39at the Final Four and on the national stage.
00:18:41I think that moment was really important
00:18:43because Cheryl Swoops is somebody
00:18:45that caught the national attention.
00:18:48And then 1995 was a huge tipping point
00:18:51for women's basketball
00:18:52because America fell in love
00:18:54with the UConn undefeated team.
00:18:58That 95 team was America's darlings.
00:19:01They attracted these mainstream outlets
00:19:04in a way that I'm not sure we had
00:19:07in women's basketball before.
00:19:09And Rebecca Lobo was the face of that.
00:19:11The attention that our 1995 team got,
00:19:14especially being located in Connecticut
00:19:16in ESPN's backyard,
00:19:17there's regular highlights on SportsCenter.
00:19:20A moment which will live forever at Connecticut.
00:19:22The women topping Tennessee yesterday.
00:19:24And Connecticut is a unanimous pick
00:19:26for number one, first time in school history.
00:19:27Tennessee drops the two.
00:19:28But I really believe what put us over the top
00:19:32was a gentleman named Frank Litsky
00:19:34who was a writer for the New York Times.
00:19:36He was a UConn grad.
00:19:38And he decides to come to a game
00:19:40and writes a story about UConn basketball.
00:19:43This is the New York Times
00:19:45before the internet, before social media.
00:19:48One of my first memories of the UConn program
00:19:51was the New York Times.
00:19:52I started to do like some sort of like
00:19:54follow diary thing.
00:19:56And my dad was showing me those articles.
00:19:59It gave me a little bit of a see it, be it moment.
00:20:02So we became a national story
00:20:04where the entire country
00:20:06and people that never used to talk about the game,
00:20:09never used to write about the game,
00:20:11wanted to be part of the game.
00:20:12Lobo goes to work in the lane
00:20:14and a beautiful shot on a spin move.
00:20:18UConn has won the national championship.
00:20:22And they've done it in perfect fashion
00:20:24at 35 and all.
00:20:27It became bigger than what we ever thought.
00:20:31I know that team still resonates very strongly.
00:20:34I walk down the street with Rebecca Lobo,
00:20:36we get stopped.
00:20:37Hey, Rebecca Lobo!
00:20:39Like, every time.
00:20:41What our UConn team did in 95
00:20:43I think really helped bolster confidence
00:20:46in investing in the 96 Olympic team.
00:20:51Going back to 1996,
00:20:54we lost in the previous Olympics in Barcelona
00:20:57and then we were hosting the 96 in Atlanta
00:21:01so we couldn't get it wrong.
00:21:03Good job, Ruthie!
00:21:04Don't turn your back, Teresa!
00:21:0696 was the only time that USA Basketball
00:21:09has trained for a year for the Olympics.
00:21:14It's not about bronze, it's not about silver,
00:21:16it's about gold.
00:21:18We were doing it for the future of the game.
00:21:21We knew it, but we didn't speak on it.
00:21:24I don't think there were 12 athletes
00:21:26more built for that pressure
00:21:28and to kind of show everybody
00:21:29what professional basketball can look like.
00:21:32We had a sisterhood
00:21:34the way Tara Vanderveer coached us,
00:21:37forced us to build the chemistry that we have.
00:21:41It was a bond that was created
00:21:42through great friendship, great hardships,
00:21:46and then great results.
00:21:47What time is it?
00:21:49When I look at Olympic teams, right,
00:21:52I look at me, Dawn, and Lisa.
00:21:54The three of us had such a great chemistry.
00:21:57We were trying to grow the game of women's basketball.
00:22:02We just brought something different
00:22:04that the game really hadn't seen.
00:22:07It was about entertaining.
00:22:09Once upon a time, three girls went to rock steady
00:22:11for a pickup game.
00:22:12Yo! We got next!
00:22:14Lisa is the center of U.S. women's basketball team.
00:22:16Cheryl's a forward, Dawn's a point guard.
00:22:19From a culture standpoint, you know,
00:22:21Spike Lee and all of them began to accept these players
00:22:24as great basketball players and people.
00:22:27You know, those are some of the best commercials,
00:22:29I think, out there,
00:22:30and it really changed things for women's basketball.
00:22:35The collective star power of that roster
00:22:38really got the most attention
00:22:40we've ever seen a women's sports team get.
00:22:42The USA Women's Olympic Basketball Team!
00:22:46Yes!
00:22:49God, we were all over doing commercials,
00:22:51live TV, or being on the Martin Show.
00:22:56Everybody was getting a taste of it.
00:22:58Let the games begin!
00:23:00It was really the year of the woman.
00:23:03We gonna win!
00:23:04It was fantastic.
00:23:10You know, to win the gold medal game
00:23:12by 30 points against Brazil
00:23:13in front of millions around the world,
00:23:17I think the 96-team light
00:23:19shined on the sport
00:23:20that was already incredible and growing,
00:23:23but just never had the profile.
00:23:25I'm looking at Jen Azee,
00:23:27and I'm like, okay,
00:23:28like, I look like her.
00:23:29She's doing this.
00:23:30Maybe one day I could be on the national team.
00:23:32Maybe one day I could be an NBA.
00:23:35It was a moment in time
00:23:37that was a snapshot of what could be.
00:23:48The legendary Dawn Staley
00:23:50was at the Mitchell & Ness flagship store
00:23:52this afternoon.
00:23:53Dozens anxiously waited
00:23:54in line outside the store
00:23:56with basketball gear in hand
00:23:57to get signed.
00:23:58And who's this for?
00:24:00Ben.
00:24:00Ben?
00:24:01All right.
00:24:02He loves coming to your game.
00:24:04Thank you so much.
00:24:05You're awesome.
00:24:06If you want it on the front,
00:24:07you can get on the front.
00:24:08On the front?
00:24:09All right.
00:24:10Thank you for everything you do
00:24:11for the game of basketball.
00:24:12No problem.
00:24:12Good luck.
00:24:13You've had obviously here
00:24:14like five times.
00:24:15I've never seen it turn out like this.
00:24:17For real?
00:24:17I'm trying to guess.
00:24:18This is crazy down the block.
00:24:19Is it? Down the block?
00:24:21It's around the corner.
00:24:21I got to go check it out, though.
00:24:24I am going to go check it out.
00:24:25Appreciate your existence.
00:24:27I don't think we were expecting
00:24:28all these people, are we?
00:24:30Look at the Philly love.
00:24:31It's...
00:24:40I love you, and you're the best coach in the world.
00:24:43Oh, thank you.
00:24:47Thank y'all.
00:24:49Safe travels, too.
00:24:51What y'all need?
00:24:55When I won my first gold medal,
00:24:58you have to think about this.
00:25:00I grew up in the projects in North Philly.
00:25:02You know, we are not supposed to win
00:25:06something as big as a gold medal.
00:25:08Uncommon favor.
00:25:09Be gone safe.
00:25:11So I realized there is hope.
00:25:13Your dreams can come true
00:25:14when you pour into, you know, your passion.
00:25:18I'm going to try to get to these people
00:25:19who done came out here.
00:25:23When we won gold medal in 96,
00:25:25we built a lot of momentum
00:25:27and a lot of publicity,
00:25:28creating something historic.
00:25:30You represent Philly, girl.
00:25:32That's right.
00:25:32Oh, yeah.
00:25:33Now that I look back on it,
00:25:35we were building momentum
00:25:36for women's basketball
00:25:38to be a lifestyle
00:25:39and a profession
00:25:40that was truly overdue.
00:25:43If you've ever wanted something so bad
00:25:48and you saw it sitting right in front of you
00:25:50for the first time,
00:25:52it wasn't just a dream.
00:25:55Women of the hoop,
00:25:57and I'm not talking about the hoop skirt either.
00:25:59Good jump shot would have been impossible
00:26:00in such a garment, of course,
00:26:02and the ABL would have been
00:26:03out of the question altogether.
00:26:05Hit!
00:26:06Hit!
00:26:07We're on!
00:26:08Hit!
00:26:09Going back to 1996,
00:26:11we found out that
00:26:13there would be two professional leagues.
00:26:15One was the ABL
00:26:17and the other one was the WNBA.
00:26:18Dawn Staley,
00:26:20all 5'6'' of her,
00:26:21is one of the founders and stars
00:26:23of the Women's American Basketball League.
00:26:25The ABL was the first pro-independent
00:26:28basketball league for women.
00:26:29It got off the ground
00:26:30a couple years prior to the WNBA.
00:26:33The ABL was fun,
00:26:35it was exciting,
00:26:36it was exhilarating.
00:26:37The fans were crazy.
00:26:39They loved us.
00:26:42We're hoping that the ABL
00:26:44will allow little girls
00:26:45who dream of playing
00:26:46professional basketball
00:26:47to attain that dream.
00:26:49Then the WNBA is going to start,
00:26:51and because they have the weight
00:26:53of the NBA and David Stern
00:26:55behind them,
00:26:56that's going to be
00:26:57the league that succeeds.
00:26:59The WNBA had the marketing juice,
00:27:02they had the TV contracts
00:27:03of this extremely successful,
00:27:05established league.
00:27:06So you have to kind of imagine
00:27:08that the writing was on the wall.
00:27:11I will always give credit to the ABL
00:27:14because it was good competition.
00:27:15It went crazy when it failed.
00:27:18Back then I had a beeper,
00:27:20and my beeper was going off
00:27:22like crazy,
00:27:23because then we had to
00:27:24now bring all those players
00:27:25over to the WNBA.
00:27:29Unfortunately,
00:27:29we couldn't have the ABL
00:27:30and the WNBA together.
00:27:32So, you know,
00:27:33once we all joined forces
00:27:35in the WNBA,
00:27:36it certainly uplifted
00:27:38the WNBA.
00:27:39There have been three leagues
00:27:41that have tried and failed.
00:27:42What's different in 1997?
00:27:44Well, we think we're
00:27:44in a different time and place now,
00:27:46and that the timing
00:27:46just couldn't be better
00:27:47for us to launch the league.
00:27:49We're benefiting
00:27:49from an extremely successful
00:27:51women's Olympic team program.
00:27:52Now we've got the benefit
00:27:53of support from the NBA,
00:27:55from national television arrangements.
00:27:57So we think the timing
00:27:58couldn't be better,
00:27:59and we have very high hopes
00:27:59for the future of the sport.
00:28:01Are American men ready for this?
00:28:03I don't know,
00:28:03but if they're not,
00:28:04they better get ready.
00:28:06There were the biggest names
00:28:08on the biggest teams,
00:28:09Becca Lobo,
00:28:11Cheryl Swoops,
00:28:12Lisa Leslie.
00:28:14The energy around the WNBA
00:28:15was incredible.
00:28:17What I remember
00:28:18is the We Got Next ads.
00:28:20You couldn't really watch
00:28:21a sporting event
00:28:21without seeing one of those ads.
00:28:23but the league was really interested
00:28:25in marketing
00:28:26a certain kind of player.
00:28:27Rebecca Lobo
00:28:28is a player
00:28:29for New York Liberty.
00:28:30Rebecca Lobo
00:28:31was this white girl next door,
00:28:34feminine presenting,
00:28:35heterosexual,
00:28:37and kind of smiling for the camera.
00:28:39And also,
00:28:40mothers were a big
00:28:42kind of main event
00:28:43for the league.
00:28:44and the Cheryl Swoops pregnancy
00:28:46rewrote history.
00:28:48The Houston Comets
00:28:50have won their
00:28:50fourth great
00:28:51WNBA championship.
00:28:56The WNBA started
00:28:58and we had
00:28:59these great
00:28:59first few seasons
00:29:01and then
00:29:02it did kind of diminish.
00:29:05You know,
00:29:05the initial team
00:29:06is these
00:29:07American sweethearts
00:29:09and darlings
00:29:09and then you get
00:29:10to the league
00:29:11and the rosters
00:29:11get filled out
00:29:12and it's a lot of gay women.
00:29:15So,
00:29:15racism,
00:29:16misogyny,
00:29:17homophobia,
00:29:19those are all
00:29:19real reasons
00:29:20why the WNBA
00:29:22declined in popularity.
00:29:23It just exploded
00:29:24and then it went away.
00:29:25It lost its place
00:29:27in the consciousness
00:29:29of a lot of people.
00:29:30It's just kind of
00:29:31inconceivable
00:29:32to think about
00:29:32starting out
00:29:33with the kind of
00:29:33energy and juice
00:29:34that the WNBA had
00:29:35and fumbling that.
00:29:37A lot of momentum
00:29:39was lost
00:29:39at a time
00:29:40when it could have
00:29:40been sustained
00:29:41and grown
00:29:42and I think
00:29:42the current moment
00:29:43we're in,
00:29:44this boom time,
00:29:45could have happened
00:29:45a long time ago
00:29:47if the right people
00:29:47had kind of stayed with it.
00:29:50We can't let that
00:29:51happen again
00:29:52where the mania
00:29:53for women's basketball
00:29:54just kind of dissipates.
00:29:57We've got to build
00:29:57on it now.
00:29:58That's our responsibility.
00:30:02Welcome to ESPN's
00:30:04Sonic Blockbuster.
00:30:05Between number 11 UConn
00:30:06and number one
00:30:07undefeated South Carolina,
00:30:09it's a matchup
00:30:10just jumping
00:30:11with many of the best
00:30:12players in college
00:30:13basketball today,
00:30:14not to mention
00:30:15two of the greatest coaches,
00:30:16Don Staley
00:30:17and Gino Auriemma.
00:30:19What's up, Gino?
00:30:20You good?
00:30:20You gotta get one
00:30:21of those outfits.
00:30:22You gotta get one.
00:30:23Ah, ha, ha, ha, ha.
00:30:24What's up?
00:30:26Coach Auriemma
00:30:26is the standard.
00:30:28You can pretend
00:30:29somebody else is,
00:30:30but 11 national championships,
00:30:3214 consecutive
00:30:33final fours,
00:30:34111 games in a row
00:30:36is the standard.
00:30:38You know,
00:30:39it's interesting
00:30:39because a lot of people
00:30:41when they hear
00:30:42that I've gone to UConn,
00:30:43they're like,
00:30:44oh, you know,
00:30:4411 national championships,
00:30:45but when my class
00:30:47got there
00:30:47in the fall of 98,
00:30:48we'd only had one.
00:30:50They had one in 95,
00:30:52but then they hadn't gone.
00:30:53And then,
00:30:54now we have this class,
00:30:55it was myself,
00:30:56Swin Cash,
00:30:57Tamika Williams,
00:30:58and Asia Jones.
00:31:00And then you start,
00:31:01you know,
00:31:01getting Diana Taurasi
00:31:02from California.
00:31:03So when I look back
00:31:04at my four years,
00:31:05it was about
00:31:07reestablishing
00:31:07this program
00:31:09where, you know,
00:31:10ultimately it became
00:31:11the dominant program
00:31:12that it was.
00:31:13When you think
00:31:13of UConn,
00:31:14you think of domination.
00:31:15Domination,
00:31:16that's it.
00:31:16They just kept winning.
00:31:18I mean,
00:31:18it was unbelievable.
00:31:20I truly feel like
00:31:21we'll never see anything
00:31:22like that again
00:31:22in women's college basketball.
00:31:24The national championship
00:31:25goes to Ken Aukin
00:31:26for the fourth year in a row.
00:31:30Gino truly is
00:31:31in a league of his own
00:31:33and he's got
00:31:34the rings to prove it.
00:31:40Don Staley
00:31:41was an assistant
00:31:42on some of
00:31:42Gino Auriemma's
00:31:43Olympic teams
00:31:44where he was
00:31:44the head coach.
00:31:45I'm sure she would say
00:31:46she's learned from him.
00:31:48But trust me,
00:31:49there is some Philly
00:31:50in there.
00:31:50There's some
00:31:51F-U in there.
00:31:53I think both of them
00:31:54being from
00:31:55the Philly area,
00:31:56I think there's
00:31:56a toughness there.
00:31:57I think there's
00:31:58a very realness there.
00:31:59I think both of them
00:32:00are kind of
00:32:00no bullshit people.
00:32:02Push it
00:32:03down their throat.
00:32:05Keep running.
00:32:06Rim the rim.
00:32:08Rim the rim.
00:32:13South Carolina wins
00:32:14the opening tip.
00:32:15Raven Johnson
00:32:16with a pull-up.
00:32:17Follows her own miss.
00:32:19Off the window,
00:32:20around and out.
00:32:20You made your
00:32:21line up to shoot
00:32:22that jumper.
00:32:23You got Ashley
00:32:24coming right down
00:32:25the pipe.
00:32:26Drop it off to her.
00:32:27The intensity level
00:32:28that Dawn has
00:32:29on the sideline
00:32:30and that her teams
00:32:31display.
00:32:32That's a direct
00:32:34correlation to
00:32:35when she played.
00:32:36That's who she is
00:32:37as a person.
00:32:39Dawn doesn't
00:32:40take the backseat
00:32:41to anybody
00:32:41about anything.
00:32:43Here comes UConn.
00:32:45That's what
00:32:45South Carolina
00:32:46cheers most.
00:32:49Pau!
00:32:51I said Pau!
00:32:55You know,
00:32:56Dawn would bring
00:32:56her South Carolina
00:32:57teams up to UConn.
00:32:59I remember the kids
00:33:00coming in to shoot
00:33:01around and kind
00:33:01of looking up
00:33:02at all the banners
00:33:03and I vividly
00:33:04remember that moment
00:33:05of South Carolina
00:33:07taking it all in
00:33:08and Dawn Staley
00:33:10saying,
00:33:10I want them to see
00:33:12where we're trying
00:33:13to go.
00:33:15Here's Becker's
00:33:16got it.
00:33:16Mid-range.
00:33:17She has four.
00:33:20Get your ass
00:33:22over there!
00:33:25Right back out
00:33:26and UConn
00:33:27turns it.
00:33:28Arnold with the
00:33:28step.
00:33:29And a block
00:33:30from out of nowhere
00:33:31by Watkins.
00:33:32Pau Pau
00:33:33steps back
00:33:34and knocks down
00:33:36another one.
00:33:37Sticker.
00:33:38Sticker, Pau!
00:33:39South Carolina
00:33:41rolls to victory
00:33:42over UConn.
00:33:44Good job.
00:33:44You know,
00:33:45thank you.
00:33:45Appreciate it.
00:33:45You feel it.
00:33:46It's a nice team
00:33:46you've had to see it.
00:33:47Appreciate it.
00:33:48What you've seen
00:33:49with South Carolina
00:33:50and UConn
00:33:50with Dawn
00:33:51and Coach Ariyama
00:33:52is UConn's the
00:33:54measuring stick.
00:33:55And I think we are
00:33:56currently in that
00:33:58moment of that
00:33:59changeover.
00:34:02It's interesting,
00:34:03right?
00:34:03Everybody else is
00:34:05coming for that
00:34:05standard.
00:34:06Who is it right now?
00:34:08Well, of course,
00:34:08it's Don Staley.
00:34:10So I would imagine,
00:34:11like, the dynamic,
00:34:13maybe it's similar
00:34:14to when Coach first
00:34:16started and Pat Summitt
00:34:17was the standard.
00:34:19You can't ever forget
00:34:20about Pat Summitt.
00:34:21Let me tell you,
00:34:22she has an incredibly
00:34:23successful record
00:34:24at Tennessee.
00:34:25Pat had a huge impact
00:34:27on the growth
00:34:28of women's basketball,
00:34:29setting the standard
00:34:30for how things can be done.
00:34:31Eight national championships,
00:34:33incredible.
00:34:34And to do it
00:34:35with such incredible class.
00:34:37She's been to the Summit
00:34:38three times,
00:34:39now.
00:34:39With baby in tow,
00:34:41she's a champion again.
00:34:43She was tough
00:34:44and stern
00:34:45and caring
00:34:46and loving
00:34:46for her players.
00:34:47No nonsense.
00:34:49Kind of all of the traits
00:34:50that great male coaches
00:34:51had at the time.
00:34:53And she showed
00:34:54that you could be
00:34:54a strong,
00:34:55powerful,
00:34:56classy woman
00:34:57doing those same things
00:34:59in a woman's sport.
00:35:01Tennessee,
00:35:02they were the standard.
00:35:03They were winning
00:35:03all the national championships,
00:35:05right?
00:35:05And what do you have to do
00:35:06to get there?
00:35:06You have to beat them.
00:35:07Early on at ESPN,
00:35:09when Williams College
00:35:09basketball was just
00:35:10getting started
00:35:11on television.
00:35:11Our wonderful
00:35:12programming exec,
00:35:13Carol Stiff,
00:35:14wanted to make
00:35:14this rivalry
00:35:15with UConn
00:35:17and North Carolina.
00:35:18And North Carolina
00:35:19said no.
00:35:20She called Pat
00:35:21and Pat said,
00:35:22of course.
00:35:23Pat Summitt said,
00:35:24for the good
00:35:24of the game,
00:35:25we will play UConn.
00:35:27And this rivalry
00:35:28is born.
00:35:29A very talented lineup
00:35:30for Pat Summitt
00:35:32and they will go up
00:35:33against Gino Auriemma's
00:35:34Huskies.
00:35:35That game probably
00:35:36is still one of the
00:35:38great moments
00:35:38in the history
00:35:39of UConn basketball.
00:35:40Zoddy looking for three
00:35:41and nails it
00:35:43for the first time
00:35:44in school history.
00:35:46They have to beat it.
00:35:48The previously unbeaten
00:35:50Tennessee Lady Bulls.
00:35:52Not just the way
00:35:53the game was played
00:35:54and the fact that we won,
00:35:55but the aftermath
00:35:56when a half an hour later
00:35:58they're trying to clear
00:35:59the building
00:36:00because nobody
00:36:00left their seat.
00:36:02It became the biggest,
00:36:03best rivalry
00:36:04in all of women's sports.
00:36:06Not just women's
00:36:06college basketball,
00:36:07all of women's sports.
00:36:08That rivalry
00:36:09may have done more
00:36:10for women's college basketball
00:36:12than anything else.
00:36:13They had some of the
00:36:14best players ever
00:36:15to play college basketball.
00:36:16We had some of the
00:36:17best players ever.
00:36:18Garazi, he's...
00:36:20Can't play with
00:36:21Candace Parker.
00:36:21She's pretty much
00:36:22the only player
00:36:23on the floor
00:36:24who can elevate
00:36:24and catch that ball.
00:36:26If there was only
00:36:27one women's game
00:36:27in any bar in America,
00:36:29that was going to be it.
00:36:30Gino is the standard.
00:36:33Pat Summitt
00:36:33is always my North Star.
00:36:35But, you know,
00:36:36there has been
00:36:36a little bit
00:36:37of a changing
00:36:37of the guard.
00:36:51champ, good?
00:36:56You see them?
00:36:57Champ, you see them?
00:37:01You see them?
00:37:17All black will work
00:37:18any day.
00:37:20If I got some type
00:37:21of color on,
00:37:22I probably have
00:37:23thought about it.
00:37:25It's T-shirt day today,
00:37:26so it's a little bit easier.
00:37:28Senior day,
00:37:29we just trade tribute
00:37:30to them by putting
00:37:31their faces
00:37:32on senior T-shirts.
00:37:34So I had that out,
00:37:36had that out,
00:37:37but it's raining,
00:37:40and these don't really
00:37:42operate well in the rain.
00:37:44What we play,
00:37:44we play Tennessee,
00:37:46so I can wear navy,
00:37:49because that's not
00:37:50their color.
00:37:51That might work.
00:37:53Then you got to figure
00:37:54out shoes,
00:37:55and that's a hardship there.
00:37:57I think these will work.
00:37:58I hope I didn't wear
00:37:59this before.
00:38:00I don't think so.
00:38:02Something on top.
00:38:04A garnet sweater?
00:38:07I don't have a garnet sweater.
00:38:09That's not this.
00:38:15Boom.
00:38:16I knew it.
00:38:21Might be it.
00:38:22Tie it all together.
00:38:24Game day fit is activated.
00:38:27Come here.
00:38:29Come here, Camilla.
00:38:30Kima, come here.
00:38:31Paul.
00:38:32Go in the front, Paul.
00:38:33Senior day,
00:38:34it's a bittersweet moment.
00:38:36There's probably
00:38:37going to be some tears.
00:38:39It's their day.
00:38:40We want to honor them.
00:38:45King.
00:38:46I love you, King.
00:38:48King, go around
00:38:49and take a picture.
00:38:53Camilla!
00:38:54And I know
00:38:55that our fans
00:38:56are going to show out.
00:38:58We've put out
00:38:59nothing but positivity
00:39:01for our athletics department,
00:39:04our university,
00:39:05this city,
00:39:06and this state.
00:39:07So,
00:39:07when we needed them
00:39:08the most
00:39:09to send the energy back,
00:39:12it came back
00:39:12in a positive way.
00:39:14Come here, Camilla.
00:39:16Come here, Camilla.
00:39:19Come here, Camilla.
00:39:20Come here, Camilla.
00:39:21Come here, Camilla.
00:39:21Come here, Camilla.
00:39:24I remember
00:39:25my grandmother
00:39:25was watching the news
00:39:26and I see this
00:39:27little short lady
00:39:28with a bust-down middle part
00:39:29coming from Temple
00:39:30from Philly
00:39:31and they're like,
00:39:33yeah, she's the next
00:39:33women's basketball coach.
00:39:35I don't think anyone
00:39:36thought
00:39:38South Carolina
00:39:39could be
00:39:39what they are today.
00:39:41For Coach Saley,
00:39:42what was she up against?
00:39:43Like, I would imagine
00:39:44someone standing
00:39:44at the bottom of Everest.
00:39:46When I first got
00:39:47to South Carolina,
00:39:47it was a build.
00:39:49You get yourselves
00:39:50to another game
00:39:51and then the sky
00:39:52has a no different day.
00:39:55South Carolina,
00:39:56the only undefeated team.
00:39:58They are dominating opponents.
00:40:00If I'm not mistaken,
00:40:01they were about
00:40:02100 to 200 people a game.
00:40:04Now they're at 15,000,
00:40:0618,000.
00:40:07You know,
00:40:08they are going crazy
00:40:09in South Carolina.
00:40:14Fifth sellout of the season,
00:40:16a South Carolina
00:40:17single-season record
00:40:18and they are ready
00:40:19to take on Tennessee.
00:40:21The South Carolinians
00:40:23that poured into
00:40:24our program
00:40:25in a way
00:40:26that is quite unimaginable.
00:40:29Like, we are
00:40:30the epicenter
00:40:31of women's basketball.
00:40:33We are what
00:40:34every other program
00:40:36across the country
00:40:37is striving for.
00:40:39The success,
00:40:40the attendance,
00:40:43we're entertaining.
00:40:45I think if you look
00:40:46at the trajectory
00:40:47of Pat's summit
00:40:48and what she built
00:40:49at Tennessee
00:40:49and you look
00:40:50at the trajectory
00:40:50of what Don Staley
00:40:51built at South Carolina,
00:40:52there's a lot of parallels.
00:40:54Pat put fans in the seats.
00:40:55Pat won at a high level.
00:40:57She got paid
00:40:58a million dollars.
00:40:59Don Staley's getting paid
00:41:00four million dollars
00:41:01a year now.
00:41:02If anything good
00:41:03that comes out
00:41:03of our game today,
00:41:05I probably think
00:41:08we probably deserve
00:41:09a little bit more.
00:41:09So let's fight
00:41:10for a little bit more.
00:41:12Know our worth.
00:41:13Really understand
00:41:14and know our worth,
00:41:16not just take
00:41:17what people give us.
00:41:20No one has been able
00:41:22to stop South Carolina.
00:41:2429 and 0 feels
00:41:25pretty good
00:41:26for the Gamecocks.
00:41:29I love what
00:41:30Don Staley represents.
00:41:32To be the highest paid
00:41:34coach in women's basketball.
00:41:36And she's a black woman
00:41:38from Philadelphia.
00:41:39That shit means something.
00:41:41You have a black woman
00:41:47standing on the logo
00:41:49of Colonial Life Arena.
00:41:53Like, just thinking
00:41:54about South Carolina
00:41:55and all the history
00:41:57of South Carolina,
00:41:57all the history
00:41:58of the South in general.
00:42:00When Don took the job,
00:42:03the Confederate flag
00:42:04flew on the lawn
00:42:06of the state capitol.
00:42:08And I think Don is one
00:42:11that takes on a challenge,
00:42:14especially if somebody
00:42:16tells her it's something
00:42:18that she can't do.
00:42:20She's going to prove you wrong.
00:42:27Hello, y'all.
00:42:29Hey.
00:42:30What's up?
00:42:31How you doing?
00:42:33How you doing?
00:42:34You good?
00:42:35And now, the introduction
00:42:37of today's starting line-ups.
00:42:40At forward,
00:42:41a 6'2 senior number 12,
00:42:42Joyce Edwards.
00:42:51How important was Don
00:42:53as a recruiter?
00:42:55Well, she's the closer.
00:42:58She's the one
00:42:59that has to bring it home
00:43:00because 9.9 out of players,
00:43:04they want to play for her.
00:43:06Joyce Edwards!
00:43:08She'll be the antler
00:43:09for Camden.
00:43:11Joyce Edwards!
00:43:13Tiffany Mitchell,
00:43:14our first kid,
00:43:15she had a life-size poster
00:43:17of Don
00:43:17because she would play
00:43:18with the Sting, right?
00:43:19They want to be All-Americans,
00:43:21they want to be
00:43:21national championships,
00:43:22they want to be Olympians.
00:43:23It's viable to them every day.
00:43:25It's touchable.
00:43:25They can see it.
00:43:26Joyce Edwards!
00:43:28You got to understand,
00:43:29when Don started,
00:43:31South Carolina wasn't
00:43:32the hotbed
00:43:32of women's basketball.
00:43:34And how she built it
00:43:36was, number one,
00:43:38getting local kids.
00:43:40But we have been
00:43:41very fortunate
00:43:42in that we've had
00:43:43some of the best talent
00:43:45in the country
00:43:46right here
00:43:47in Columbia, South Carolina.
00:43:51We got Tiff Mitchell
00:43:53and we started
00:43:53having a little more success,
00:43:55but then we got Asia.
00:43:57And we never
00:43:58looked back after that.
00:43:59How do we attempt
00:44:00to encourage
00:44:01the Ups up?
00:44:02Because I was like,
00:44:02what?
00:44:04It's crazy.
00:44:05Being a local kid,
00:44:06Coach Daly,
00:44:07and just who she is
00:44:08and her demeanor,
00:44:09she never really
00:44:10shook from that.
00:44:11She was like,
00:44:11I'm trusting you
00:44:12to take us
00:44:12to the promised land.
00:44:13And then that's
00:44:14when she got Tiff,
00:44:15and when Tiff got there,
00:44:16it was just a shift
00:44:17of energy.
00:44:17You could tell
00:44:18kind of with our class,
00:44:19it was like,
00:44:20that's the missing piece.
00:44:21We were the piece
00:44:22that made it all
00:44:24come together,
00:44:24but we can't be a piece
00:44:26if we didn't have
00:44:26the biggest pieces
00:44:27before us.
00:44:28Then Asia Wilson
00:44:28says yes,
00:44:29and on down
00:44:30that line
00:44:31of people
00:44:31who have taken
00:44:32a chance
00:44:33on Don Staley.
00:44:34And now,
00:44:35now you're praying
00:44:37that Don Staley
00:44:38is going to take
00:44:38a chance on you.
00:44:39Go ahead,
00:44:40go ahead.
00:44:40It's that thing.
00:44:44I'm a dream merchant
00:44:46for our players.
00:44:49I'm responsible
00:44:50for them
00:44:51and their careers.
00:44:52I feel that.
00:44:53I take on that.
00:44:53I do.
00:44:54Because that's why
00:44:55they come play for me.
00:44:57Because they know.
00:44:59They know I take
00:45:01that very,
00:45:02very seriously.
00:45:05It's something
00:45:05truly special.
00:45:06Staying home
00:45:07and where Coach Daley
00:45:08was was it.
00:45:09And to see
00:45:09the next generation
00:45:10stay home
00:45:11and thrive in that
00:45:13and trust Coach Daley,
00:45:14it warms my heart up.
00:45:16You all right?
00:45:17You all right?
00:45:21Look at that one.
00:45:22Let me get that game ball.
00:45:24You know,
00:45:24she talks about
00:45:25being a dream merchant
00:45:26and watching her coach,
00:45:28her players.
00:45:29She is so hard on them,
00:45:31but she loves them
00:45:33and knows how great
00:45:35they can be.
00:45:36And I think that's how
00:45:38she sees the game
00:45:39of basketball.
00:45:40She sees how great
00:45:42this game can be
00:45:43and she has a vision
00:45:44for it.
00:45:47We got you now.
00:45:48We got you now.
00:45:49We got you now.
00:45:50We got you now.
00:45:51Winning isn't
00:45:52personal to me.
00:45:54It's more beneficial
00:45:55to everything
00:45:57that I represent.
00:46:00I never get tired
00:46:01of telling this story.
00:46:02When I was coaching
00:46:03at Tennessee
00:46:04in 95,
00:46:05we went to the championship,
00:46:07but we lost.
00:46:09The very next year,
00:46:10I went to Kentucky.
00:46:11I was at the final four
00:46:12when Tennessee won
00:46:13the championship
00:46:15and Passion Thompson,
00:46:16when she climbed the ladder,
00:46:17she cut two pieces down
00:46:18and handed me
00:46:19a piece of the net
00:46:20and she said,
00:46:21Coach Beck,
00:46:21I want you to keep this
00:46:22until you win
00:46:24one of your own.
00:46:24and Purdue is 34-on-1
00:46:30and national champion.
00:46:33When I won the championship
00:46:34in 99,
00:46:35had a reporter come up
00:46:36to me and ask me,
00:46:37Carolyn,
00:46:37how does it feel
00:46:38to be the first black coach
00:46:39to win a national championship?
00:46:42I had never thought about it.
00:46:44But if I was the first,
00:46:45that meant there was
00:46:46going to be a second.
00:46:48I felt like Dawn was
00:46:50going to do it.
00:46:51She's got it
00:46:53to win a championship.
00:46:54And I thought,
00:46:55this is going to be
00:46:55the opportunity.
00:46:57And since I was the first,
00:46:59she was going to be the next.
00:47:00And I gave her the net
00:47:01and I said,
00:47:02now you just keep this
00:47:03until you win
00:47:04one of your own.
00:47:05It was a process.
00:47:06It did not happen overnight.
00:47:08It didn't happen anywhere
00:47:09near as fast
00:47:09as she or I wanted it.
00:47:11It took a lot longer
00:47:12than we thought.
00:47:13If you're not winning
00:47:14when you're used to winning,
00:47:15you've got to imagine,
00:47:16Dawn won.
00:47:17She won at Virginia.
00:47:18She won with USA Basketball.
00:47:20Then she goes to South Carolina
00:47:21where there's 25 people
00:47:23in the arena
00:47:23and she's getting hammered.
00:47:25She has a will to win
00:47:27and she has the ability
00:47:29to put a will to win
00:47:31in others.
00:47:33In 2016,
00:47:34we shared a car.
00:47:35Dawn looks in her wallet
00:47:36and she pulled out the net.
00:47:38She goes,
00:47:38you see,
00:47:39I carry it with me
00:47:39everywhere I go.
00:47:412017 came around
00:47:43and I can remember
00:47:45it like it was yesterday.
00:47:46We're watching the game
00:47:48and as it gets closer
00:47:50to the end,
00:47:51I'm like,
00:47:52y'all,
00:47:52she's going to do it.
00:47:53We had a sense of like,
00:47:55this is us.
00:47:56It's our year.
00:47:57Like,
00:47:57we need to go do this.
00:47:58And, you know,
00:47:59we're boo-hooing
00:48:00and Dawn is like
00:48:03super stoic, right?
00:48:04I mean,
00:48:05she was happy
00:48:05but, you know,
00:48:06super stoic.
00:48:08And I remember
00:48:09I was in her room
00:48:10and it was like
00:48:102 o'clock in the morning.
00:48:11It was just her and I
00:48:12and I looked at her
00:48:13and I said,
00:48:14now what?
00:48:15What do we do now?
00:48:18We're going to win
00:48:18another one for you.
00:48:22Winning that championship
00:48:23in 2022,
00:48:24I feel like it still
00:48:25brings back chills
00:48:26because that's
00:48:28what you dream of.
00:48:29You dream of going
00:48:29to college,
00:48:30you dream of winning
00:48:30a national championship
00:48:31and I think winning
00:48:33against UConn
00:48:35elevated it
00:48:35because UConn
00:48:37has been this
00:48:37top program.
00:48:41South Carolina
00:48:41is a dynasty
00:48:42and Coach Daley
00:48:43has built
00:48:43something so strong,
00:48:45something so powerful
00:48:46that people
00:48:46want to be a part of it.
00:48:47Our national championship wins
00:48:49will never leave me.
00:48:51I represent
00:48:51black people
00:48:53who don't often
00:48:54get opportunity
00:48:55to be successful
00:48:57on the highest stage.
00:48:58You know,
00:48:59I'm going to have to
00:48:59pass a piece of my net
00:49:01on to somebody else
00:49:02so they can
00:49:04share
00:49:05and hopefully
00:49:06accomplish
00:49:07something as big as this.
00:49:08A few years after that,
00:49:10we met each other again
00:49:11and she said,
00:49:12I got something for you.
00:49:14So she had the piece
00:49:15of the net
00:49:15that I gave her
00:49:16and she returned it
00:49:18back to me
00:49:18and she asked me,
00:49:19she's like,
00:49:20okay,
00:49:20who are we giving
00:49:21the next one to?
00:49:22And so
00:49:23she took her net
00:49:24and divided it
00:49:25and gave it to
00:49:26all the black coaches
00:49:27and I was like,
00:49:28well,
00:49:29that's taking it
00:49:29to another level.
00:49:32When she gave
00:49:33out the net,
00:49:34you know,
00:49:34that brought attention
00:49:35to all the other
00:49:37African-American coaches
00:49:38out there.
00:49:39You've created
00:49:39a lane for us
00:49:40and it's very powerful
00:49:41and inspiring
00:49:42and I want to thank you
00:49:43from the bottom of my heart.
00:49:44Keep shining,
00:49:45Queen,
00:49:46and good luck to everyone.
00:49:47Dawn Silley's gesture
00:49:48of cutting out
00:49:49a piece of her net
00:49:50from winning
00:49:51the national championship
00:49:52was really,
00:49:53was amazing.
00:49:55She knows
00:49:55that it's bigger
00:49:55than basketball.
00:49:57It's about
00:49:57paying it forward
00:49:58so others
00:49:59can also be inspired
00:50:00and be successful.
00:50:01I'm just really appreciative
00:50:02of her mentorship
00:50:03and her leadership.
00:50:04It's really powerful
00:50:05what she's done
00:50:06for this game
00:50:07as a player
00:50:07and a coach.
00:50:08Dawn reminds me
00:50:09of the saying
00:50:10that says
00:50:10when the sun shines
00:50:12on you,
00:50:13what will you do
00:50:13with the light?
00:50:14She spreads the light.
00:50:21I'm going to try
00:50:22to treat people good
00:50:23just,
00:50:24just because.
00:50:29I don't have anything
00:50:30to protect
00:50:31besides my organic self,
00:50:34my authentic self.
00:50:37Good, good, good.
00:50:39people can be
00:50:40who they want to be.
00:50:42They can be
00:50:42who they're comfortable
00:50:43in their skin being.
00:50:46I think that
00:50:48perfect balance
00:50:49of having fun
00:50:50with them,
00:50:51like knowing
00:50:51when to dance.
00:50:54With social media
00:50:55and all the following
00:50:56that her team has,
00:50:57she always seems
00:50:57like she has the time
00:50:58and she has the space
00:50:59to connect.
00:51:06I just feel like
00:51:07young people now
00:51:08can see through
00:51:09people that aren't real.
00:51:10I think people
00:51:11respect the truth.
00:51:13I think that's why,
00:51:14you know,
00:51:15the fans are drawn
00:51:15because they see that,
00:51:17I think,
00:51:17years ago,
00:51:1896, etc.,
00:51:19we didn't have
00:51:20the legitimacy.
00:51:21Now,
00:51:22we have more media coverage.
00:51:24We have social media.
00:51:27You know,
00:51:27the suits
00:51:28at the broadcast networks
00:51:29that used to bury
00:51:30the women's basketball,
00:51:31they can't bury
00:51:32social media.
00:51:33It's power to the people.
00:51:35Social media
00:51:36made a huge difference,
00:51:38right?
00:51:38Fans want to see
00:51:40women's basketball.
00:51:41They're enjoying it
00:51:41like never before.
00:51:43Young people
00:51:44have access to it
00:51:45in a way
00:51:45that they don't need
00:51:46their parents' permission
00:51:47to change the channel
00:51:48to watch it.
00:51:49Lisa Leslie
00:51:50was a big personality,
00:51:51just like Angel Reese
00:51:52is a big personality.
00:51:53The difference is
00:51:54everyone sees
00:51:55Angel's big personality
00:51:56multiple times a day
00:51:58on social media.
00:51:59I've been waiting
00:51:59for you, OG.
00:52:00Cheers.
00:52:01Players now have
00:52:02the ability to create
00:52:03their own brand identity.
00:52:05I want my legacy
00:52:05to be that I left
00:52:06the game in a better place.
00:52:08I feel like
00:52:08I am very lucky
00:52:09when it comes to just
00:52:10my agency.
00:52:11Brands are starting
00:52:12to invest in us
00:52:13and business is booming
00:52:14at the perfect time
00:52:15as it should.
00:52:16It's about time.
00:52:17I always say that
00:52:18it feels like
00:52:19there's been a lot
00:52:20of people pushing
00:52:21this giant boulder
00:52:23up the hill
00:52:23in women's sports
00:52:25and now it's like
00:52:26that boulder's
00:52:27rolling on its own.
00:52:28The fun part
00:52:29of the explosion
00:52:29of women's basketball
00:52:30is the fashion sense
00:52:32and the flavor
00:52:33and the flair
00:52:34and now you're seeing
00:52:35like Dawn Staley,
00:52:36she is probably
00:52:37the best dressed
00:52:38coach in America.
00:52:43Is that a role
00:52:44for the house?
00:52:44A role for the athletes?
00:52:46This is a role
00:52:47wherever you want
00:52:47to do with it.
00:52:48I might wear this
00:52:49on the sideline.
00:52:50I will mess them up.
00:52:52Yes.
00:52:57Help me in
00:52:58with this one.
00:52:59When she was
00:52:59coaching us,
00:53:01slayed for the gods
00:53:02every game.
00:53:03You gotta make
00:53:04them reach for it
00:53:05sometimes.
00:53:06Oh, those look good.
00:53:07They actually do.
00:53:08I think what Dawn wears
00:53:10has meaning behind it.
00:53:11Her success
00:53:12opened the platform
00:53:14and the door
00:53:14to just, you know,
00:53:16be whoever
00:53:17she wants to be
00:53:18and I think
00:53:19that's a beautiful thing
00:53:20and I think
00:53:20she's empowered
00:53:21a whole new generation.
00:53:23I feel like
00:53:24fashion is so
00:53:25great for us
00:53:27as female athletes
00:53:28because it allows
00:53:30people to see
00:53:31our personality.
00:53:32Yeah, Valenciaga!
00:53:32I love the fact
00:53:34that tunnel walks
00:53:35are now like
00:53:36this thing
00:53:36that people are like,
00:53:37oh my gosh,
00:53:38what are they gonna have on?
00:53:39It's a men's suit.
00:53:42I firmly believe
00:53:44that this is,
00:53:45this marks a tipping point
00:53:47for the world
00:53:48of women's basketball.
00:53:50For a really long time,
00:53:52women's basketball
00:53:53has lacked
00:53:54this cool factor.
00:53:55For a really long time,
00:53:57we've been the butt
00:53:58of the joke,
00:53:59but now,
00:54:00how they talk
00:54:00about the teams,
00:54:01the players,
00:54:02has really shifted.
00:54:04These players,
00:54:05their brands blow up
00:54:06and they become big.
00:54:09Juju was putting
00:54:10on a show
00:54:10out on the West Coast
00:54:11and I remember
00:54:12Paige Becker's
00:54:13coming into college
00:54:14with a million followers.
00:54:16People are obsessed
00:54:18with Angel Reese.
00:54:19They're obsessed
00:54:19with Flaje Johnson.
00:54:22And, of course,
00:54:23the standout stars,
00:54:24you stop and end
00:54:25with Caitlin Clark.
00:54:26Okay, I'll shoot.
00:54:27What's happening?
00:54:28But I don't see any hoop.
00:54:30Okay.
00:54:30Like a good neighbor,
00:54:32State Farm is there.
00:54:33Caitlin,
00:54:33she's a game changer.
00:54:35And we have to give
00:54:37her flowers
00:54:37because of what
00:54:38she's done
00:54:39and the popularity
00:54:40that she alone
00:54:41has brought.
00:54:42And now we finally
00:54:44have crossed over
00:54:45where we're not
00:54:46the butt
00:54:46of the SNL joke.
00:54:48Basketball star
00:54:48Caitlin Clark
00:54:49will have her jersey
00:54:51retired
00:54:51and replaced
00:54:52with an apron.
00:54:53In fact,
00:54:54Caitlin went on there
00:54:55and made her own joke.
00:54:56I brought you
00:54:57a souvenir.
00:54:57It's an apron
00:54:58signed by me.
00:55:00Okay.
00:55:03But also,
00:55:04with social media,
00:55:05there is something
00:55:06a little bit
00:55:07more sinister
00:55:08and uninformed
00:55:09about the attention
00:55:11a lot of these players
00:55:11are getting.
00:55:12We all know
00:55:13that there's a white-black
00:55:15issue here
00:55:15because the fact
00:55:16of the matter
00:55:17is when Caitlin did it,
00:55:18people were celebrating it
00:55:19and they were talking
00:55:20about nothing
00:55:21but her greatness.
00:55:22But then the second
00:55:23the sister stepped up
00:55:24and threw it back
00:55:25in her face,
00:55:26now you got half
00:55:27the basketball world
00:55:28saying,
00:55:29well, you know what?
00:55:30That's not,
00:55:30that's not the classiest
00:55:32thing to do.
00:55:33Caitlin Clark,
00:55:34her fan base,
00:55:35they're like Swifties.
00:55:36I mean,
00:55:37they are passionate,
00:55:38they are an army,
00:55:39they are very protective.
00:55:42I think with the introduction
00:55:44of Caitlin and Angel
00:55:45and like the race baiting
00:55:47of that,
00:55:48more trolls
00:55:49and more bots entered
00:55:50and a lot of people
00:55:51don't know how
00:55:51to navigate that
00:55:52and what happened
00:55:53was false narratives
00:55:54were created.
00:55:55So I feel like
00:55:55that's what we experienced
00:55:57and it really,
00:55:58I think,
00:55:59speaks more to America
00:56:00than anything else.
00:56:02Now that women's basketball
00:56:04is hot,
00:56:05we got skimmers
00:56:06and screamers.
00:56:07They skim across
00:56:08social media,
00:56:10got a headline
00:56:10or a highlight
00:56:11but don't know
00:56:12what led to that.
00:56:14It's kind of
00:56:14the worst part
00:56:15of the growth
00:56:15that we're seeing right now
00:56:16is how toxic
00:56:17the conversation
00:56:18around it has gotten
00:56:19and how targeted
00:56:20it's been
00:56:20at certain players,
00:56:22mostly black players,
00:56:23plenty of queer players.
00:56:26Those aren't fans,
00:56:28those are trolls
00:56:28and it's a real disservice
00:56:29to the people
00:56:31in our league.
00:56:32The bigger your name gets,
00:56:34the more people
00:56:35see your face,
00:56:36the more people
00:56:37are going to try
00:56:37to tear you down
00:56:38but that's life.
00:56:40If you ain't had no haters,
00:56:41you ain't popping.
00:56:42And you have to
00:56:43stay poised
00:56:44through all that noise.
00:56:59ladies and gentlemen,
00:57:00thank you very much
00:57:01for coming this afternoon
00:57:02to the 2024
00:57:04Women's Naismith Awards.
00:57:07Look at this.
00:57:09It's incredible.
00:57:10For those of us
00:57:11that have been
00:57:12around the game,
00:57:13as long as
00:57:13we've been bouncing a ball
00:57:15and they've put air in it,
00:57:16it is amazing
00:57:17to see what we have
00:57:19here today.
00:57:20Hello, Caitlin.
00:57:20I didn't see you earlier.
00:57:22I said hi to everyone
00:57:23but you.
00:57:24All right,
00:57:25before we announce
00:57:25our winners,
00:57:26we wanted to take a moment
00:57:28and recognize...
00:57:29Caitlin Clark
00:57:30is a generational talent.
00:57:32Like, truly.
00:57:35Transformational talent.
00:57:38She's doing things
00:57:39that no other woman
00:57:40has done
00:57:41which is shoot logo threes,
00:57:43incredible court vision.
00:57:45People are fascinated by her.
00:57:47It's great for viewership.
00:57:49It's great for TV numbers.
00:57:51It's great for all of it.
00:57:53Caitlin Clark,
00:57:54University of Iowa.
00:57:56All right, well, thank you.
00:57:57I appreciate it.
00:57:58Thank you to the Mae Smith Award.
00:58:00But the fact is
00:58:01you look at the people
00:58:02who are different
00:58:04than her,
00:58:05meaning black players
00:58:06or, like, pro players now.
00:58:08They've been doing this
00:58:09for, you know,
00:58:10such a long time
00:58:12and it seems to be
00:58:14unappreciated.
00:58:15I think it's been
00:58:15a special year
00:58:16for women's basketball.
00:58:17So to win this award
00:58:18is really special.
00:58:19You know,
00:58:19most of the population
00:58:20is white.
00:58:23So when she's white,
00:58:26talented, transformational,
00:58:27generational,
00:58:28more of the population
00:58:31identifies with that.
00:58:32I'm just very grateful
00:58:33and thankful
00:58:34and I'll see you all
00:58:34on Friday night.
00:58:39But at the end of the day,
00:58:40I do think
00:58:41it's a space for it all.
00:58:45I think there is
00:58:46something to be said
00:58:46for the fact that
00:58:47the player that
00:58:49seemingly the whole world
00:58:50has come around
00:58:50to support
00:58:51and turn out for
00:58:52is a white girl
00:58:54next door,
00:58:56Caitlin Clark.
00:58:57And some of that
00:58:58feels kind of
00:58:59just unavoidable.
00:59:00It's like,
00:59:00it's kind of no one's fault
00:59:01but that's what's
00:59:02kind of dominating
00:59:03the narrative.
00:59:05Rebecca Lobo
00:59:06comes to mind
00:59:07in the 90s.
00:59:08You know,
00:59:08she was the young
00:59:10white player
00:59:10on a team
00:59:11of mostly black women
00:59:12and she was the one
00:59:13who was getting
00:59:14all the media attention.
00:59:18And it's unfair
00:59:19to Caitlin
00:59:19because she doesn't know.
00:59:21She really doesn't know.
00:59:24It's even bigger than her.
00:59:26I think we're just,
00:59:27we're just scratching
00:59:29the surface.
00:59:29And I know,
00:59:30you know,
00:59:31Caitlin Clark
00:59:31has a lot to do
00:59:32with what's happening
00:59:33this year,
00:59:33but there's also
00:59:35a lot of experienced
00:59:36players that have
00:59:37stepped into the spotlight
00:59:38and has taken
00:59:40women's basketball
00:59:40to incredible heights.
00:59:42I don't,
00:59:43I don't see us
00:59:43slowing down
00:59:44at any time soon.
00:59:45I'm proud to announce
00:59:46that the 2024
00:59:47Werner Ladder
00:59:48Naysmith Women's College
00:59:49Coach of the Year
00:59:50is Dawn Staley,
00:59:52University of South Carolina.
00:59:55I'm just going
00:59:56to tell you
00:59:56my thoughts
00:59:57from what I experienced.
00:59:59And if it's
01:00:00from a black woman's
01:00:01point of view,
01:00:02that's what it's from.
01:00:03Like,
01:00:03it's not to shade
01:00:04anybody else.
01:00:08But people think
01:00:09of me,
01:00:09well,
01:00:09if I tweet something,
01:00:11my bias comes off
01:00:12as racist
01:00:13social media posts.
01:00:25You don't shy away
01:00:26from talking about
01:00:28what needs to be
01:00:28talked about,
01:00:29whether it's women
01:00:30or race
01:00:31or whatever it is.
01:00:33Why is that
01:00:33so important?
01:00:34I'm not here
01:00:35to offend anybody.
01:00:36That's not my character.
01:00:37So if you're just
01:00:38tuning in for one interview
01:00:40and you probably
01:00:40heard it from
01:00:41somebody else
01:00:42or heard it
01:00:42from somebody else,
01:00:43I'm not going
01:00:43to apologize
01:00:44for what I said
01:00:46and what I feel
01:00:48because I know
01:00:49my life
01:00:50and I know
01:00:50why things
01:00:51have happened
01:00:51in my life.
01:00:52Honestly,
01:00:53I'm really not
01:00:54focused on
01:00:54these awards.
01:00:56I just want one,
01:00:56one thing,
01:00:57one thing,
01:00:58and trying to get
01:00:59another national championship.
01:01:01You try to write
01:01:02a movie script
01:01:03that it's Caitlin Clark,
01:01:04the record breaker
01:01:05and her scrappy Iowa team
01:01:07trying to win
01:01:08a national championship.
01:01:09How will she go
01:01:09for history?
01:01:11There it is!
01:01:13The all-time leading scorer
01:01:15in women's college basketball.
01:01:18And then you just
01:01:19bring in this little
01:01:20feisty, undefeated
01:01:21South Carolina team.
01:01:23You just can't write
01:01:25a better script
01:01:25than that.
01:01:26Cardoso for three.
01:01:28Frank Shannon!
01:01:29A fearing call
01:01:30for the Gamecocks!
01:01:32Everyone wanted
01:01:33to see, of course,
01:01:35the matchup between
01:01:36South Carolina and Iowa.
01:01:37The Gamecocks preparing
01:01:38for their national
01:01:40championship showdown
01:01:41against Iowa
01:01:42after they knocked
01:01:43USC out of the tournament
01:01:45last year.
01:01:47Yep, it's time, y'all.
01:01:48It's time.
01:01:49What loss sticks
01:01:50with you the most?
01:01:52Oh, by far.
01:01:54Iowa in the Final Four.
01:01:58Devastating.
01:01:59And the public
01:02:01doesn't know
01:02:02what actually happened,
01:02:05you know,
01:02:05in a loss
01:02:06that will never
01:02:07leave me.
01:02:08All the way in,
01:02:10lays it home!
01:02:13Iowa has conquered
01:02:15South Carolina!
01:02:17It was devastating
01:02:18for my players.
01:02:20It was the end
01:02:21of their careers.
01:02:23I was heartbroken.
01:02:25We were seniors.
01:02:26We don't get
01:02:27another chance.
01:02:27And I think
01:02:28the way our season
01:02:29was going,
01:02:29like, everything
01:02:30was just in line
01:02:31for us to win
01:02:32a championship.
01:02:33And then
01:02:33they changed
01:02:34our schedule
01:02:35in real time.
01:02:36Because it went
01:02:37totally against
01:02:37what was in the manual.
01:02:39Like,
01:02:40how can't you do that?
01:02:42Iowa,
01:02:43they got an extra
01:02:44day of rest,
01:02:45but they don't have
01:02:46a higher seed than us.
01:02:49Was it because
01:02:50you took
01:02:51a predominantly
01:02:52all-white team
01:02:53and wanted to play
01:02:53them on Sunday
01:02:54at 3.30 in prime time?
01:02:57I mean,
01:02:57Caitlyn and all
01:02:58of the following
01:02:59and the viewership
01:03:00over a predominantly
01:03:01black team?
01:03:03We deserve the rest.
01:03:05Why did your
01:03:06number one
01:03:06overall seed
01:03:07get booted?
01:03:09That's wrong.
01:03:10And you can't
01:03:11tell me otherwise.
01:03:12It was our
01:03:13national championship
01:03:14to be had.
01:03:22I was really good
01:03:23in college.
01:03:24Never won
01:03:25a championship.
01:03:26Man,
01:03:27you gotta win
01:03:27a championship.
01:03:28You gotta win
01:03:29a championship.
01:03:30So,
01:03:31and that's,
01:03:31that's me personally.
01:03:33Like,
01:03:33I had a great career.
01:03:36But it's always
01:03:37that you win
01:03:38a championship.
01:03:44Don will tell you,
01:03:46she doesn't ever
01:03:46want her players
01:03:47to have the feeling
01:03:48that she had
01:03:49when she didn't
01:03:51win it at Virginia.
01:03:55Great coaches,
01:03:56they care about
01:03:57their teams
01:03:58getting what they feel
01:03:59they really deserve.
01:04:02For Don,
01:04:03it was a heartbreak
01:04:04in the semifinal
01:04:05loss to Iowa
01:04:06in 2023.
01:04:09When I look
01:04:10back on it,
01:04:11I do think
01:04:12we were the
01:04:13sacrificial lambs
01:04:14of the growth
01:04:15of our game.
01:04:20You can say
01:04:20I'm a sore loser,
01:04:21you can say
01:04:22whatever you want
01:04:23to say about me,
01:04:24but after that season,
01:04:25I'm not gonna be
01:04:26the sacrificial lamb
01:04:28to anyone anymore.
01:04:31This national
01:04:32championship run,
01:04:33F that.
01:04:34F that.
01:04:35F that.
01:04:36Y'all not gonna do
01:04:36what you did
01:04:37to us last year.
01:05:0323-24,
01:05:04saw the popularity
01:05:06of women's college
01:05:07basketball skyrocket.
01:05:10Ratings on television
01:05:11like we had never seen.
01:05:13Certain teams
01:05:14and players
01:05:15having followings.
01:05:17There was just
01:05:18a different momentum
01:05:20swirling around the sport.
01:05:22You had these
01:05:23incredible big moments
01:05:25that lead to
01:05:26the national championship game
01:05:27that, wait a minute,
01:05:28Iowa and South Carolina,
01:05:30a rematch
01:05:30of the heartbreak
01:05:31for South Carolina
01:05:32from the year before.
01:05:34You could not have
01:05:35scripted it any better.
01:05:36It's all come down
01:05:37to this
01:05:38as South Carolina
01:05:39and Iowa
01:05:40prepare to do battle
01:05:41in the NCAA Division I
01:05:43women's basketball
01:05:43championship game.
01:05:45Perhaps the most
01:05:46anticipated women's
01:05:47college basketball game
01:05:49ever.
01:05:50South Carolina
01:05:51in pursuit
01:05:52of a perfect season
01:05:53and it's
01:05:54Kaitlin Clark's
01:05:55final game.
01:06:00I don't pray for wins.
01:06:02I don't pray
01:06:02for losses.
01:06:05I pray that we're
01:06:06able to play
01:06:07to the best
01:06:08of our ability
01:06:11and we'll take
01:06:12the win
01:06:13or we'll take
01:06:13the loss.
01:06:14So much attention
01:06:16around this game
01:06:17for a second
01:06:18straight year.
01:06:19Iowa has grabbed
01:06:20the attention
01:06:21of the nation
01:06:22and they're ready
01:06:23to go tonight.
01:06:25South Carolina
01:06:27has not lost
01:06:28since falling
01:06:29to Iowa
01:06:30in the semifinals
01:06:31a year ago
01:06:31seeking redemption
01:06:33and a title today
01:06:34jumping up
01:06:35and the national
01:06:36championship
01:06:37is underway.
01:06:39The game
01:06:40lived up to it all.
01:06:41There was great
01:06:42performances.
01:06:43Clark open three
01:06:44is good!
01:06:46A 10-0
01:06:48right hook
01:06:49from Iowa
01:06:49to begin
01:06:50the national
01:06:51championship game.
01:06:52You had the best
01:06:53team going
01:06:54against the best
01:06:55player.
01:06:56Man, it was fun
01:06:57to watch.
01:06:57Here's Clark
01:06:58wheeling,
01:07:00taking,
01:07:00and banking
01:07:01at home.
01:07:03A stunning
01:07:05opening quarter
01:07:06from Clark.
01:07:07She has 18,
01:07:08the most ever
01:07:10in a championship
01:07:12game quarter.
01:07:15What a start
01:07:17for the Hawkeyes.
01:07:21Wiley in off the bench
01:07:23for South Carolina.
01:07:24She is a game changer.
01:07:27But Wiley flips it
01:07:29ahead.
01:07:30Johnson
01:07:30another!
01:07:32Tessa Johnson!
01:07:35A freshman
01:07:36in status only!
01:07:38There were just
01:07:38so many layers
01:07:40to that game.
01:07:42Layers of greatness
01:07:43or layers of
01:07:45revenge.
01:07:47You know,
01:07:47the way Caitlin
01:07:48waved off Raven
01:07:48Johnson the year
01:07:49before.
01:07:50Watch Caitlin Clark.
01:07:51She doesn't even
01:07:52look at her,
01:07:52waves her hand
01:07:53as if to say
01:07:54I don't care about
01:07:55you,
01:07:55I'm not defending
01:07:56you!
01:07:57That's a moment
01:07:58that played on
01:07:59shows for a while
01:08:01after that game.
01:08:02It's a moment
01:08:02that Raven
01:08:03had to overcome.
01:08:05Doc Clark
01:08:06turns off
01:08:07and Johnson
01:08:07picks the pocket
01:08:08of Clark.
01:08:09Raven Johnson
01:08:10lays it in!
01:08:13What a momentum
01:08:14buster
01:08:14to end the half!
01:08:16You know,
01:08:17if you're Iowa,
01:08:18you come back
01:08:19from deficits
01:08:19before Clark,
01:08:20the crossover
01:08:21and the hit
01:08:22from three!
01:08:24A big one
01:08:25for Iowa
01:08:25and they build
01:08:27off it!
01:08:2730 for Clark!
01:08:30But Riley
01:08:31dumps it in,
01:08:33hits,
01:08:33can't finish,
01:08:35Cardoso
01:08:35feels inevitable!
01:08:39What a crescendo
01:08:40here this afternoon
01:08:42for women's
01:08:43basketball.
01:08:49perfection
01:08:50with a touch
01:08:51of sweet redemption!
01:08:54Undefeated
01:08:55South Carolina
01:08:56has won
01:08:57its third
01:08:59national championship!
01:09:12They went 38-0
01:09:14and won
01:09:14a national championship.
01:09:17That is what
01:09:18your goals
01:09:19and dreams are
01:09:19and to do that
01:09:20undefeated,
01:09:20like I'm low-key
01:09:21mad at them
01:09:21because why would y'all
01:09:23do that?
01:09:23We were supposed
01:09:24to go undefeated.
01:09:25That's what we were
01:09:25supposed to do.
01:09:25But I mean,
01:09:26they did it.
01:09:33Like when I knew
01:09:34we won,
01:09:35I had to hold
01:09:36back on the sideline
01:09:37because I was like,
01:09:38oh no,
01:09:38don't let this happen.
01:09:39Like I'm fighting
01:09:40myself to not
01:09:41allow myself
01:09:43to be emotional
01:09:45in that moment.
01:09:48I don't think
01:09:49there'll ever be
01:09:49another undefeated
01:09:51team in our sport
01:09:53because it's too good.
01:09:54Like teams
01:09:56are too good.
01:09:56Players are too good.
01:09:58You're one of
01:09:59the toughest
01:09:59to ever come
01:10:00out of Philly.
01:10:01We don't see
01:10:01these tears
01:10:02from you often.
01:10:04Hallelujah!
01:10:05Hallelujah!
01:10:07Yay!
01:10:12Culturally,
01:10:13it meant
01:10:13we were able
01:10:14to overcome.
01:10:17You feel
01:10:18the pressure
01:10:18of being black?
01:10:20You do.
01:10:21I felt the pressure
01:10:22of upholding
01:10:23the type of success
01:10:25that black people
01:10:26need in our sport.
01:10:30Having the weight
01:10:31of all of that
01:10:32on our shoulders.
01:10:34But also,
01:10:36all of these
01:10:36great players,
01:10:37we are standing
01:10:39on their shoulders.
01:10:40Has won the
01:10:41national championship.
01:10:43We should never,
01:10:44ever forget
01:10:45their contributions
01:10:46to our sport
01:10:46because if it wasn't
01:10:48for them,
01:10:49we wouldn't be
01:10:50standing where we are
01:10:50today.
01:10:55If you don't get
01:10:56a Lynette Woodard,
01:10:57then maybe you don't
01:10:58get a Dawn Staley.
01:10:59And then maybe you
01:11:00don't get a Caitlin Clark.
01:11:03All of these women
01:11:04are built on the backs
01:11:05of the other great women.
01:11:07And so,
01:11:08I think the moment
01:11:09is that we are all
01:11:11lifting each other up.
01:11:13My mission is
01:11:14to uplift
01:11:15women's basketball.
01:11:17Yes, we must
01:11:18continue to grow
01:11:19and collectively,
01:11:21we're going to have
01:11:22to do it together.
01:11:27There was a really
01:11:28poignant moment
01:11:29at the end
01:11:30of the national championship.
01:11:31We're on this stage.
01:11:32The presentation's
01:11:32almost over
01:11:33and Dawn Staley said,
01:11:34I want to personally
01:11:35thank Caitlin Clark
01:11:37for lifting up
01:11:39our sport.
01:11:40She carried
01:11:41a heavy load.
01:11:43Well, Caitlin Clark,
01:11:44you are
01:11:46one of the
01:11:47goats of our games
01:11:48that we appreciate you.
01:11:51Caitlin Clark
01:11:52bringing a whole
01:11:53new audience
01:11:54to the sport,
01:11:55captivating millions
01:11:56with her dominating,
01:11:57unabashed play.
01:12:22The women's game
01:12:24taking center stage
01:12:25at March Madness,
01:12:26breaking ratings records
01:12:28and changing
01:12:29the perceptions
01:12:30about the popularity
01:12:31of women's sports.
01:12:33Flares up, baby!
01:12:34You feel the shift
01:12:35and Robin,
01:12:35it was absolutely
01:12:36must-see TV.
01:12:41I've got you set.
01:12:4418.7 million,
01:12:45that's the average
01:12:46number of viewers
01:12:48tuning in
01:12:48for the women's title game.
01:12:49For the first time,
01:12:51more TV viewers
01:12:52in the men's final game.
01:12:54and
01:13:05cheerStop
01:13:07and
01:13:07h Senate
01:13:08in the men's final game.
01:13:09You know,
01:13:10all the
01:13:10things
01:13:11that
01:13:12to be
01:13:12in the men's final game.
01:13:15you know,
01:13:16there are things
01:13:16that are
01:13:16in the men's final game.
01:13:17I see other men
01:13:17and women
01:13:17in the men's final game.
01:13:17And I see other men
01:13:17in the men's final game.
01:13:18I've done
01:13:18One men's final game.
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