WNBA Thrives

WNBA Thrives

UConn Women's Basketball Legend, Western Connecticut State University Head Coach, Part Time Model, Part Time LPGA Golfer, Loving Mother, Maria Conlon is here to have a talk with her favorite friend Cully.I started the show asking about the NBA finals, Knicks vs Spurs, with New York winning game one when we recorded. Maria was excited, the first game was a tough, physical battle, a throwback to the Knicks in the late 1990's. Jalen Brunson got hot in the 4th scoring 13 points and New York was victorious. Their 12th straight playoff win. Maria said San Antonio would be the better match up, and she hopes the Knicks bring home a championship.We look at the WNBA and how the Indiana Fever had a rough week. Lost several games, dropped in ESPNs power rankings from 2nd to 11th with a 4-4 record. I asked Maria if she thought there was significant contention between superstar Caitlin Clark and coach Stephanie White. Both downplayed an argument caught on TV. Maria agreed that tensions, emotions run high in the heat of battle. I agreed with her, during games, frustration overflows at times. Maria thinks Indiana will be fine, one week won't ruin a season, they will get on track.Dallas has played well and Maria can see them making a run. They moved up to being the 2nd ranked team in power rankings with a 6-3 record. Paige is dominating averaging 18.3 points with 5.3 assists per game. Maria thinks new head Coach Jose Fernandez has figured out how to use Azzi better and get her more shots. She averages 12 points a game and shooting a whopping 43.8% from 3-point range. Dallas has great young talent, continues improving.Minnesota was the top ranked team, Maria said if they are winning now, when Napheesa Collier returns from, they will be a force. A big reason for their success has been rookie Olivia Miles. Maria had her 1st overall in the draft, Minnesota got a gift with her.Expansion teams, Portland and Toronto are both playing well. Atlanta being a surprise contender with 6 wins. Las Vegas, with MVP Aja Wilson moving up the standings. Golden State, impressive, showing they are for real. WNBA is fun a league to watch!

Maria Dives IN

UConn Women's Basketball Legend, Western Connecticut State University Head Coach, part time model, part time LPGA Golfer, full time mom, Maria Conlon is having a talk with her best friend Cully. We look at week 2 of the WNBA, Caitlin Clark getting knocked around, power rankings, and changes coming for college sports. First, we take a moment to party like it’s 1999 with the New York Knicks winning the Eastern Conference, heading to the NBA Finals for the first time in 26 years. Maria said they have tremendous team chemistry, caught fire, and she loves seeing Madison Square Garden rocking. Maria thinks New York will have their hands full with either Oklahoma City Thunder or San Antonio Spurs, but a great story. Las Vegas Aces Head Coach Becky Hammon received criticism for her comments about a team with a small player can’t lead their team to an NBA Championship and she isn’t backing down. She made these remarks two years ago, based on history, referencing Allen Iverson being an MVP, losing in the Finals. Jalen Brunson has been a star leading the Knicks and was MVP of the Eastern Conference finals. Maria talked about Becky knowing how challenging it is to be successful, as was a smaller talent who had a stellar career in the WNBA. Maria was impressed with Brunson after teams game planned to shut him down, he adjusted to be more of a facilitator still making a difference. Caitlin Clark is taking a beating and fans are criticizing officials. Maria said you can put together a bunch of video clips to fit any narrative you want. Context is king before coming to conclusions. She talked about Indiana Fever being a surprise team early on with a 4-2 record. People forget they were solid last season without Clark and will continue to rise. Atlanta Dream sit at #1 in ESPNs power rankings was a surprise to Maria after losing a few key players. Dallas Wings are doing well at 4-3, Paige is a force, improving each game. Azzi broke through the other night scoring 24 points. Getting her minutes, solidifying her role and creating more shots for Azzi is helping to find her groove. Minnesota Lynx are battling, Maria feels when Collier returns, they will be a top team. She mentioned how this looks like last season when Las Vegas and Minnesota were ok until the All Star break, then dominated the second half of the season. Washington Mystics have been disappointing, along with Golden State Valkyries ( Official). Maria thinks they have excellent young talent, when Lauren Betts gets going for the Mystics, they can catch fire. Our friend, Maria’s former teammate Ashley Battle has been an outstanding hire for the expansion Portland Fire WNBA. Maria said the league picked a fantastic city for expansion, the atmosphere is electric, exciting, and she can’t wait to visit AB. All in all the WNBA is off to the races. Proving their worth all around from player salaries, television contracts, arenas being full, and thrilling games. Maria has enjoyed watching and the league thriving.

WNBA Week 1

UConn Women's Basketball Legend, Western Connecticut State University Head Coach, part time model, full time mom, Maria Conlon returns with her bestie, Cully. We take a look at the start of the WNBA season. Her thoughts on debates about Paige and Caitlin, who is more valuable overall. Plus, why Azzi was not on the court versus Indiana. Maria thoroughly enjoyed the first weekend of the WNBA season. Players fought for a new CBA agreement and proved their worth immediately. We witnessed sold out arenas, loyal fans, and still with a family friendly crowd. Starting buzz was the game between Indiana Fever vs Dallas Wings, everyone was excited to watch Paige and Caitlin duel it out. Indiana was won, Dallas has talent, Maria thinks they need to put together a different lineup or rotation. Many people have been confused or not happy with how the Wings are using 1st overall draft pick, Azzi Fudd. Maria talked about Dallas' starters, and with too many shooters, Paige isn't getting enough looks, Azzi definitely won't see enough shot attempts, which has to be fixed. Maria liked moves Dallas made in the offseason, talent is on the team, she thinks it is not being maximized. We talked about Maria's other takes on week 1, and she was most surprised how Chicago has played. After losing Angel Reese and others, they are playing well. Maria talked about Golden State, she prefaced that its still very early, but to see last year's expansion team go 2-0 was nice and they look solid. Maria mentioned it's not a star player standing out, as a unit, they have chemistry together. Seattle was another team she saw get better from being smart with their draft selections. Maria feels Lauren Betts is also separating herself from the rest of the rookies, effective all around the court. We are happy to see the Women fight in CBA negotiations and show they earn their keep. Ratings were high all weekend, especially for Dallas vs Indiana. We talked NIL and rev share, Maria said how much they fundraise for West Conn, her players pay tuition and for their own gear. $1000 doesn't mean much to big programs, but to D3 schools, it goes a long way.

UConn Players In WNBA/Power Rankings

UConn Women’s Basketball Legend, Western Connecticut State University Head Coach, part time model, part time carpenter, full time mother, Maria Conlon is ready to have another conversation with her best friend Cully. Her thoughts on Paige and Azzi getting press. WNBA season starting, excitement begins!We start with the question that has been asked by many reporters recently, how is the relationship between Paige Buckers and Azzi Fudd now that they are also teammates in Dallas? Maria believes it's a fair question from reporters who have a job to do. She thought Paige did a well when answering about it yesterday. Maria agrees the WNBA players got most of what they wanted in this new CBA, with more money, exposure, tough questions will be asked. It happens in every professional sports league; WNBA women have to get used to it. Maria thought when Azzi dodged the question and a Dallas staffer answered for her, it was not a good look. Of course, their relationship is nobody's business, but the couple came out publicly, Maria does not see the media ignoring how the dynamic fits in the locker room. Maria was happy to see former UConn player Caroline Ducharme signed as a free agent with Golden State. Caroline was a triple threat scorer her first two seasons as a husky. Unfortunately, concussion issues changed her career. At full strength without symptoms, Caroline has a chance. Serah Williams was also drafted, which Maria was mildly surprised at. She was the Big 10 player of the year in 2025 but was a disappointment at UConn. Maria said UConn is not a place most kids can transfer to for one season and succeed, it takes time to develop in Geno's system.We break down WNBA power rankings for the top 5 teams. Las Vegas was number 1, with Aja Wilson, winning 3 out of the last 4 championships, Maria feels they are the team to beat.New York at number 2 she also agreed with and thinks they will be tough in the East. Atlanta at 3 Maria did not agree and we discuss why. Also, Indiana and Phoenix round out the top 5. Maria offers expert insight, analysis breaking them down.

WNBA Draft Analysis/Season Predictions

University of Connecticut [https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-cully-ny/#] Women's Basketball Legend, Western Connecticut State University [https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-cully-ny/#] Head Coach Maria Conlon, CLF® [https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-cully-ny/#] is having a nice chat with her best friend Cully. We go over the WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association) [https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-cully-ny/#] draft and a few surprises. Trades, Free Agency, rosters are more clearer, Maria talks about what teams look to be the best and others that can be most improved. Also transfer portal madness and an article came out saying the cost of putting together top college rosters, along with no regulation. Maria was initially surprised Azzi went as the first pick in the WNBA draft. She had Olivia Miles pegged but Dallas Wings [https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-cully-ny/#] made a few trades and the move made sense. She thinks they have good young players, with Azzi and Paige reunited, Dallas can do some damage. Maria also thinks Olivia Miles can make an impact with the Minnesota Lynx [https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-cully-ny/#]. They had one of the top teams last season, Miles brings a lot to the table being a scoring point guard who can also facilitate, getting others involved. Lauren Betts was a tremendous steal for the Washington Mystics [https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-cully-ny/#]. Maria has liked how they have drafted in the last two years and knows Betts is a difference maker across the board. Her physicality, defensive ability, along with being able to score on offense will be huge for Washington and improve their team significantly. Kiki Rice and Cotie McMahon are also first rounders who Maria sees potential starters. We talked about Commissioner Cathy Engelberts comments when asked about how long she wanted to be commissioner of the league. Her response was if she were a male, nobody would be asking that question. Maria thought she was half correct in that it most likely would not question a male commissioner. However, Cathy having tumultuous relationships with players in the league, along with long drawn out fighting over the CBA made it warranted. We discuss the transfer portal, rev share agreements and NIL. The NCAA shortening both portals for football and basketball have been negative for everyone involved. Lasting only 15 days, tampering has increased since schools want to know what they are getting, 2 weeks isn't long enough to do it. Universities are known to overpromise and underdeliver, offering deals to kids when the money isn't there. Maria talks about the situation becoming worse before we see improvements.