Order ‘Rare Gems’ and save 30%
Howard Megdal, founder and editor of The Next and The IX, released his latest book on May 7, 2024. This deeply reported story follows four connected generations of women’s basketball pioneers, from Elvera “Peps” Neuman to Cheryl Reeve and from Lindsay Whalen to Sylvia Fowles and Paige Bueckers.
If you enjoy his coverage of women’s basketball every Wednesday at The IX, you will love “Rare Gems: How Four Generations of Women Paved the Way for the WNBA.” Click the link below to order and enter MEGDAL30 at checkout.
Megdal and Powell open the show by visiting a moment from the Barclays Center on Monday night, where the Liberty took on the newly-established Golden State Valkyries. Powell describes how the crowd reacted to seeing former Liberty player Kayla Thornton in Valkyries gear, stating that it was an emotional night in the arena. “People had bittersweet feelings about seeing [Thornton] in a different jersey,” Powell shares.
Later on, Megdal and Powell address the injury sustained by Caitlin Clark. Megdal is taken aback by how many people seem to think Clark’s injury will be a crisis for the league, and Powell agrees. “It’s not like she’s out for the season, or has a season-ending injury, either,” Powell says. “So many players go through injuries, this was inevitable.”
Save 30% when you preorder “Becoming Caitlin Clark”
Howard Megdal’s newest book will be released this June! “Becoming Caitlin Clark: The Unknown Origin Story of a Modern Basketball Superstar” captures both the historic nature of Clark’s rise and the critical context over the previous century that helped make it possible, including interviews with Clark, Lisa Bluder (who also wrote the foreword), C. Vivian Stringer, Jan Jensen, Molly Kazmer and many others.
Click the link below to preorder and enter MEGDAL30 at checkout.
But Megdal and Powell both know that Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White has a plan for this scenario. “She’s going to be out for a few weeks,” Powell explains, “and Stephanie White wants to play the long game, which makes sense.”
Megdal and Powell close out the show by discussing what has made Natasha Cloud so good this early in the season. Powell reflects on a conversation she had with Cloud, when she asked the guard about why her transition to New York has appeared to be so seamless. Per Powell, Cloud acknowledged that the transition wasn’t so seamless after all; rather, there was some struggle. “She got to New York a full month before training camp,” Powell explains. “She wanted to get a sense of the facilities. She wanted to try to familiarize herself as quickly as possible. … And that decision to get a head start has done her very well.”
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The Next: A basketball newsroom brought to you by The IX. 24/7/365 women’s basketball coverage, written, edited and photographed by our young, diverse staff and dedicated to breaking news, analysis, historical deep dives and projections about the game we love.
