The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz - GOOD FOLLOW - Caitlin Clark Effect, Brittney Sykes Joins the Show + Juju Watkins, SC vs Texas, NWSL Kits & More

Episode Date: March 5, 2025

This week on Good Follow: Ros & Logan discuss the Caitlin Cark and if anyone can replicate it, why the Rose and Laces are so dangerous, and highlight Breann Stewart at Unrivaled. Then, Ros sits down with WNBA and Unrivaled guard Brittney Sykes to talk joining Unrivaled, the Mystics, and the toughest players to defend. Later, Ros & Logan discuss USC and Juju’s statement win, Athletes Unlimited, and the 2025 NWSL kits. Finally, Ros shares her Unrivaled pick of the week presented by DraftKings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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What's up y'all? Welcome to Good Follow presented by DraftKings. I'm Roz Goldon-Wadde and that's my girl Logan Hackett. Logan, how are you? Great to see you. I'm good. How are you? Girl, I had the cutest day yesterday, Monday night in Miami at Unrivaled.

It was my first time going to Unrivaled and not working, like the game broadcast was my first time pulling up as a fan. It was so fun. Actually, I got lucky, I had no idea. Monday night was the first time that they unveiled their player jerseys. Like, so you can buy-

It looks good on ya. Oh, thank you, boo. So, oh, am I modeling? So, no, but it was really cool. Every single team's jersey was lined up and there were multiple of all of them with every single player's name and number. So you could literally buy your favorite player's jersey.

It was really awesome. I picked out Rose. My name's Roz, I like Rose. I thought the color schemes would be easy to match. Camo, also I got the Angel Reese joint, so shout out to Angel. But it was such a cute night. I went to Fan Fest, I won a shooting game,

and then the actual experience in the arena itself was so cracking, I caught a historic night. Girl, I hope you were watching. Did you see Brittany Greiner with the first ever dunk in Unrivaled History? I did, and it was all over my feed this morning. Absolutely love it. Girl, I hope you were watching. Did you see Brittany Greiner with the first ever dunk in unrivaled history? I did, and it was all over my feed this morning. Absolutely love it.

I don't know what's crazier. The fact that this was not like a running start dunk. It was in the action of the flow of offense in a half court set, really nice pass, really great finish. But maybe it's even crazier that the very next play she comes down and hits a trail three pointer, and the whole place went crazy like the dunk was like, ah, but then to come back and double down and hit the three. It was like people were standing up and yelling and it was such a time. I have a cute little night girl. Are you coming out here? I will be very soon. And I'm so excited and I cannot wait to go to one rival because everything that you've said and then everything like you're seeing online in the fan perspective.

Yeah, it just it's something that you cannot miss. Totally and we'll also get you a chance to pick out your jersey. But we've got so much to talk about in today's show. So for all the viewers at home, this is what you've got coming today. First of all, we've got an exclusive sit down one-on-one interview with WNBA vet of the Mystics of the Rose, Slim, our girl Slim, Brittany Sykes joins the show today for an exclusive sit down interview. I'll be talking with her. Then we've got to talk unrivaled playoffs, athletes unlimited, crowned a

champion. We'll be talking about that. College Hoops Conference Championships. Oh my God, March Madness is here. Oh my gosh, the Caitlin Clark effect. It is continuing. She is putting butts in seats. All the things. And of course, the NWSL has revealed some kits. We'll take a look at those.

So we've got an awesome show for everyone, Logan. Remind the people, when do we drop? Every Wednesday at 7 p.m. Eastern time. All right. I think we did all the business up top. You ready to get into the show? I am absolutely ready. And I want to start with Caitlin Clark,

because she honestly, she had a pretty quiet off season, didn't play in any games or leagues as a matter of fact. And there weren't a lot of headlines, but with the WNBA season on the horizon, of course, the headlines are back because teams are already moving their games against the fever to larger venues. And then a fever preseason game at Iowa sold out in 40 minutes. Find you, that's 15000 seats. And I actually saw some people saying that there might have been a little

inside access because when they went to get the tickets, they were completely sold out already. Not insider trading. Right? Like maybe it was just for Iowa people, I'm not too sure. But everyone wants to see Caitlin Clark. The Caitlin Clark effect is back and I'm really keen for her to go into her second season. So do you think that she'll meet the moment or, I mean, I don't really know what else she could do

other than meet the moment, but what do you think will happen with her? Yes, I do think Kaitlyn Clark is going to meet the moment. And I think Kaitlyn Clark mania and fever or Clarkonomics, whatever it is they're calling it. I think it only gets bigger and better. I mean, health willing, of course, but I think part of it is, you know,

there'll be less resistance this season. but I think part of it is you know there'll be less resistance this season. And I think that's just because naturally as the seasons go on the body of work begins to build itself up. And what comes with that is respect, you know. And and hopefully this season, I hope that the conversation moves and the focus moves away from everything that isn't ball. You know there was so much conversation about gratitude for Caitlin or race and tension in America, all this and that. And it was at some point exhausting for all sorts of fans,

no matter what sides or beliefs you had. And I feel like this season, we'll have the opportunity to see her physically stronger, mentally rested, better improved. She has a squad and a team of real weapons around her now, real vets who know who can support her, who can lead her at times. She's got a really great coach coming in. I think she's got everything she needs to be successful.

And I hope this season that the way we're discussing Caitlin is about the game and the production. So that means that we can be talking about how she's meeting the expectations, how she's exceeding the expectations, and also have critical conversations about the moments where she isn't living up to the expectation, just as we would for a Victor Wemba Nyama, just as we would for a Victor Wemba Nyama, just as we would for a Jason Tatum.

Like I think that's the evolution of the conversation, not only around Kaitlyn Clark, but just women's basketball on a whole. So I'm excited for season two of Kaitlyn in the WNBA. Oh my, especially given the players that she has around her. I mean, we talked about it, I believe a few episodes ago, but I think the Fever can really do something special and they are set up to do something special

rather than last year was all eyes on Caitlin, maybe her connection with Aliyah Boston and some other players coming in. Now you have the team around her. So if they're double teaming Caitlin or Caitlin's the main focus, other people are popping off. And I think it could honestly be a historic year for the Fever. I'm excited for Caitlin Clark year two.

I know those 15,000 fans who bought those tickets in 40 minutes are excited. But it makes you think about the future of women's basketball even after Caitlin and where we are right now. Do you think that there is any other players, specifically college players, who can replicate this kind of fandom in the way that we see for Caitlin Clark, Logan? I honestly don't think so. And I've been thinking about this a ton recently, and it brought me back to a few years ago, or maybe it was last year, before I'm not too sure. I was

in the back, like the depths of hell in Adelaide, Australia, doing some like wine tour I did not want to be on. And there were these, these a group of guys maybe in their 20s they were Talking about Caitlin Clark like she was all the way in the boonies of Australia So I I don't think it can honestly happen. I think it's because her staple is literally a Logo 3 which we have not really seen that often I mean hitting a logo 3 is huge for any player But she was doing it back to back to back games. And that was her trademark. What other player can you say has that type of trademark?

And that's where kind of the star and all the eyes on her came from. And especially considering it's kind of how she built her demographic, her fan base, everything. I really, I don't see it. Do you? So I do think there's some players that will generate that kind of fandom. I do think to your point, like the logo threes, the no look passes, her style of play, how she shows up in big moments, that is generational and exciting. And I do think like full stop, the level of eyeballs, butts and seats, money

being spent and attention around Caitlin Clark, there is a gap for like everybody else in women's basketball. So like full on respect for what she is doing. But I think there's other players. I think a healthy Paige Becker's has aura. I think Juju Watkins can be that, you know, just continuing to have team and individual success. I think that in the WNBA right now, I did want to point out, I think there's one player who's not at the same level, but also a big-time draw, and I would say Angel Reese. I don't even know why, I don't even really truly know

what my affiliation is to her, like what my personal draw is, but when I had to make a choice on where I was going to spend my one jersey purchase on, it ended up being Angel Reese. So I do think that there's other players who are big draws, who captivate you and make you want to spend money and want to see them. Absolutely. But actually with you mentioning Angel, I want to touch on the Rose game against the Laces,

which was definitely the one to watch on Monday. They were picked to finish last and the Rose clinched the playoff spot with their win. So you made a prediction back in episode one, which I want to bring up just for a second. Who do you think is winning this year? Who's the 2025 champs? I got the Rose. There's a lot of space and islands in a three on three basketball situation. So you got to have somebody who can like create their own space, create their own shot. They got players like that. Chelsea Gray, Kahlia Copper. You also got a nice combination of defenders, Brittany Sykes, Lexi Hull

defense. You got size Azaray Stevens. You got Angel Reese. And I think Angel's tenacity. I happen to watch a couple of games. They can't keep her off the glass. All of that, All of that combined, I think makes them a championship contender. Damn. That was so absolutely on point. And actually, I think my answer to that question was the laces. So here we are, your answer was obviously a lot better and more well-rounded and you have quite literally predicted the future.

But as of now, what is so dangerous about both of these teams heading into the playoffs? Yeah, well, I called that the Rose, you know, would be a really good team. I picked them as my favorite. They've now they didn't start that way. So like, you know, look, it's it's easy to now, you know, point out the moment. Oh, I was right. But at first they struggled. They've now won six of the last seven. And they've clinched the second playoff seed playoff appearance after the Owls And so this is a team that is being led by Chelsea Grey. She's their MVP We're also she's playing out of her mind. We're also seeing great offensive improvement from Angel Reese

You know, I said nobody can box her out. She's going to rebound. Yeah, she's owning the glass. But bigger than that, she looks a lot more poised on offense. And Lexi Hull is a worker. So this team is coming together at the right time. What are you seeing? Actually, with your mention of Lexi Hull, that is the biggest star in my eyes. I mean, you have the connection between Chelsea and Angel, which is absolutely incredible. I hope one day they can end up on a team together because that would be absolutely insane. But with having those star players, you need a key role player and someone to hold it down. And Lexi Hall has been doing an amazing job at that.

I mean, you look at the stat sheet and it doesn't really reflect there. And she's not necessarily hitting all her shots. I think she does have to work on her three-point. But she is holding it down on defense and one of the hardest workers that I've seen. And with that, I'm actually really curious to see how she brings that into the W with the fever and having Caitlin to kind of after guard around. Yeah. I mean, Hull Island, you've heard they said that. So she brings, she's just a worker.

She's going to cut and move without the ball. She's going to crash and try to attack the glass. She's going gonna work hard on defense. And you know where you learn to be a great full-bodied player like that? At Stanford University. Boom! Yeah, Lexi! Go Card! Ha ha ha! But, you know, I also want to point out another team,

and I want to point out the Laces, who right now are sitting outside of the playoff top four, and their record is deceiving. If this team in the Laces can manage to find a way to squeak into the playoffs, they are dangerous. Don't look at that record because they were strong to begin with and they got tripped up. Everybody got hurt.

The entire team was injured and then all relief pool players and now everybody's back. And all of those healthy players that are back, Alyssa Thomas, Jackie Young, Tiffany Hayes, and of course, Kayla McBride. Those are some veteran dogs, buckets, experienced assassins, two way players, defensive stalwarts, tough like they can compete with anyone. So if they get in there, they are a dangerous wild card. You know what? One of the teams that absolutely was not impressing me

whatsoever was the missed at the beginning of the season. They started two and seven and just were not looking good. We were even questioning like, what is going on with this team? But now it does not look like they're slowing down after going on a three game win streak. So with that, like the other teams, do you think they're coming together at the perfect time? Yeah. You know, the the team you, do you think they're coming together at the perfect time? Yeah. You know, the team you wanted to be was a March team.

You wanted to be ramping up and improving at this time of season. Shout out to coach Phil Handy, who has had this team improve collectively, and he's worked really hard with each of those players individually. And you're seeing that payoff. You're seeing from a veteran player like Courtney VanderSloot, who's at times is leading the competitive fire for this team, or you're seeing the individual improvement and the increase of joy and engagement over the entire body of a game from Jewel Lloyd.

And that was something she was working on. Not busting out for 20 straight points, no, just over the course of the whole game, playing with joy and making contributions. So her improvement. But everything the Miss is doing is anchored by Breanna Stewart. You know, Breanna Stewart is what makes them go.

And let's look at some highlights of Stewie, because she's been in this three game winning streak for the Miss, she's been a huge part of it. Stewie is one of the best players in the world, and she's been doing a great job at Unrivaled getting to the rim, getting to the basket, attacking off the bounce, playing with her back to the cup, running her lane. She's got all these different moves, counter

moves for counter moves. But what impresses me most about Stewie, you're talking about one of the best players in the world who's so willing to do the dirty work. Like she is on the glass. She's in there making things, gritty things happen. She's top five in total points, total assists, total rebounds. She's number two rebounds per game. And when she crashes the glass, a defensive board, she can get it and go and impact pace. An offensive board, she can get a foul, she'll get to the free throw line.

Like Stewie makes great things happen on the court, and she just got a lot of heart. You had a conspiracy a few episodes ago with Fee and Stewie and them, like, manipulating things. Imagine if this is just the manipulation. Like, maybe they wanted to start not so good at the beginning of the year. Maybe they'll come back and win it all.

Who knows? If they do, it might add to that. I mean, this is, we are literally just living in their world at this point. beginning of the year, maybe they'll come back and win it all. Who knows if they do, it might add to that. I mean, this is we are literally just living in their world at this point. And I'm like this eating popcorn. Oh, my gosh. Y'all coming up Ross sits down with WNBA and unrivaled guard Brittany Sykes, aka Slim and I know y'all are gonna love it. So we'll be right back. Hey, what's up, good follow? This is Roz Golden-Wooday, and I am coming to you live from Miami at the Unrivaled Campus.

And we have in person here from Team Rose from the Washington Mystics, my girl, Slim Brittany Sykes. What's up, Brittany? What's going on? I'm chilling. I'm chilling. Yeah. You're always chilling. I mean, I think it's kind of like the East Coast thing in me. Yeah.

I'm just laid back. People think I'm from Cali because of where I dress. Yeah. Then I open my mouth and they're like, we're from the East. From the East Coast. Yes. You know what? I'm from New York and I can't tell, sometimes people can't tell that.

Am I giving New York vibes? Mmm, nah. I wouldn't have thought New York. I honestly would have thought Cali too. Really? But I might be a little biased because that's where I saw you at. Exactly. We lined up during your stop with the LA Sparks, so I really got to know your basketball game when you were there.

Before we actually talk about like basketball stuff, one of the things we're doing right now is setting intentions. Okay. Okay? Okay. And you know, anybody who watches our show at Good Follow, you know one of the words that I've been holding onto in 2025 has been the word soft.

Okay. What is a word or a phrase, something that you would hold onto as an intention for the rest of, you got unrivaled season, you got WNBA season. What's your intention? Gratitude, for sure. Why?

It's crazy you bring that up because that kind of set that intention a little bit before the new year to basically show gratitude and give myself grace for like where I am. You know the whole saying, be where your feet are. I think gratitude allows me to stay there. Sometimes I can get a little spread out with what's not happening, and I'm not realizing that what is happening is what's best for me right now.

So for me, it's gratitude for sure. Just being able to tell people like, hey, I appreciate you. Or you know what, God, I'm thankful that I'm I am where I am right now. And yes, I might not be where I want to be, but I'm grateful for what I have and, you know, and focus on that and not what I don't have. Yeah.

No, I completely feel that wholeheartedly. And actually, we're here right now in Miami at Unrivaled. I mean, like, why was this the right place for you to be right now? Yeah. Yeah, for me, I just, I had a pretty rough season last year. My foot, just getting back to it and then getting hurt again and sitting out longer. It was one of those things where I just wanted to take the time to, like, get myself right.

And I don't think it was the physical that was most, like, hard for me. It was the emotional, it was the spiritual, it was the mental. Like I feel like as an athlete going into my ninth year, the physical is not, that's the easiest part of my job. I think now it's getting into that, okay, when things aren't going right with my body, like how do I emotionally respond?

How do I physically respond? It's okay, but the emotional and the spiritual, that's the parts where I'm starting to realize going into that part of my career is like, hey, that's the part where I need to be most consistent at because I've dominated the physical. It's like, what can I do to prolong my career another nine, another 10 years? And I feel like it's going to be in that aspect and those. You're in an interesting spot too, because you are a productive veteran, especially when you're healthy.

And obviously you wanna be a part of a team that contends, but you're in a tough situation with Washington where it was a rough year last season for injuries for all the reasons. There's a whole lot of new right now. Yes, oh my gosh. So what are you most excited about? I think just, it could be scary with unknown, you know?

And I used to be a person who become very fearful or like hesitant when I don't know what's going on. And that's where faith comes in. And I believe that Washington took the proper steps to put who they put in the positions that we have now with our GM and Jamila, our head coach and Sydney Johnson. I love them both. I got to sit down with them a couple of times

out here in Miami. And I think that we're headed in the right direction. Things get bad, but usually when things get bad, that means it's right around the corner from turning a new leaf. And things gotta get ugly sometimes. And for us, that's what happened last season and it is what it is.

But I will say, throughout all of that, though, we stayed together. Nobody kind of pointed fingers. It was never none of that. It was just like, all right, y'all. We just gotta figure this out together kind of thing. So I can be grateful for that. Speaking of other players, the cool thing about Unrivaled,

you're on Team Rose. You get to kind of mix in with players who normally are sometimes your opponents. You might have seen them around at different stops and stints in your career, but who are some of the players on Team Rose that you've really enjoyed either having the opportunity to spend more time with? Yeah, I mean all of them. Honestly, I can't really pick one person on the team. I will say one person that I was like, oh man, like I'm actually glad we get to be teammates, it's probably Lexi.

Like, you know, she's, I'm a very observant person, and it's like, Lexi was always on Indiana, she did her job, she harassed me when she had to guard me, like so, it was pretty cool just to like, you know, to talk to her and communicate with her without being opponents. And it's always like, I'm coming for blood when I see you. And now we sit next to each other in the locker

and we cracking up. What's interesting though is you guys are both making names around the defensive end of the ball. I mean, obviously you are already solidified as one of the great defenders in the W. She's an up-and-coming player. You know in Indy They were calling her a whole island. Oh I did not know that yeah that in practice. She's putting people on island. I'll use that With her being younger and stuff like what what would you express to her?

It takes to really be an elite defender at the pro level here, man I mean, I think she kind of already got it. Like, she's kind of carving her way to it. And I think it's just like having that demeanor just unfazed, like unfazedness, if you're not seeing the word. Like, she's just unfazed when you guard her. She doesn't make a face. She plays hard.

She's in your s***. She does not care if she's annoying you. I think it, what game was it? I forgot who team we played here, and me and Lexi were on the court together, and she was guarding Skylar, so it was the Owls. She was guarding Skylar, and I think I had Courtney or somebody,

and she was just like harassing her. I was like, yes, yes. Yes. I ain't gotta be the only one to do it. It's hard to guard Sky, she puts pressure on the rim all the time. And Sky puts pressure on you. So it ain't like be the only one to do it. It's hard to guard, Skye. She puts pressure on the rim all the time. And Skye puts pressure on you. So it ain't like you going to pressure her

and she not gonna give it back to you. Oh, defensively she's gonna turn around. What? She talking about 94 feet. Who's the toughest wing here to defend? Toughest wing to defend, man. At unrivaled. Outside of myself?

Yes. Man. You can givevaled. Outside of myself? Yes. Mm, man. You can give me a top three like all of these. I was about to say, I was like, it can't be one. I'd probably say on the wing. Mm. I'm like going through a Rolodex in my head. Can I guess one?

Go ahead. Ryan? Nah, but she is hard to guard. But from who I've had to have on the perimeter, nah, you know what? I'm going to put Ryan in there because that clip is pretty damn fast. And she got size. Yeah, I'm tripping. Ryan Howard?

Ryan for sure one of them. I feel like you put a re-K in there because it's like, bro, come on, that's all the open space she needs to just get off. And then, I'm not gonna lie, you could pick any guard off the, any guard off the Owls. They've been pretty consistent. Alicia Gray. That's what I'm saying, least been cooking.

It's crazy because it's a couple people in here It was like you didn't get the C-Day bag. Mm-hmm. Because they play five on five and then they get to three on three and I'm like Alright K-Mac. Where was this? That's one person. I was just like wait a second. You were caught off guard by Kayla McBride Yeah, because you gotta think she's been doing this all that all this last season But no, but not every not what we're doing in three on three. Like dribbling the ball and actually create. Right, but I'm saying, but even, even, and you can ask her. Because we had this talk when they had,

like we had the one-on-one conversations. It was like, I was not shocked, but I was like, okay, there's more tools in the bag. Right. Because on her team, respectfully, she doesn't have to do all of that. Right. She can snipe. She can snipe, she can get a pin down, she can get a flare. She'll put the ball on the floor to get a pull up or something, but literally to create your own shot. I'm not expecting K-Mac to do that, but at the same time, I'm like, respect. I respect that. I was actually really, really intrigued to see that.

Other people, I'm just like, okay, all right, you got some tools. And then it's like, all right, I can see. So the biggest difference, five on five versus this three on three format, is sometimes five on five, you can shine in a system. You might be able to hide certain weaknesses. Hide certain weaknesses,

but also the system enhances those that are strong. So you don't know what a weakness is because they're killing you off a pin down or a curl or and yeah, you got the scout, but then again, there is two more people on the court rather than three on three. So on the defensive end too, now you get to see, okay, who has pride in guarding their yard? Who has pride in not letting somebody pick on them because we all know that it's going to be a long night to guard. Like, are you going to sit down and be like, you ain't scoring on me,

and if you do it's going to have to be a hard bucket? Because there are some instances where there is great defense and better offense. Yeah. And you just gotta take that on the chin sometime. Are you enjoying the three on three format? Do you think you shine more here or more in a five on five? Oh, it don't matter.

Period. We gonna hoop. Period. It don't matter, we gonna hoop, yeah. But I mean, obviously for my type of style of play, yeah, three on three would definitely is more suitable because less space, no help. I can create my own shot. I can get to the basket. For my type of style of play, yeah, three on three would definitely is more suitable, because less space, no help, I can create my own shot,

I can get to the basket, I can shoot three, like it's three levels of scoring, but also you get two ways of playing. So there's no let off. Most people, they got all the offense in the world, and the defense is questionable. You know questioning over here. If anything, people probably question my offense,

which pisses me off. But I got it. Talk about it, because I feel like for a few years now, you've been yelling at people, I'm a bucket too. But you know what? But you know what? And I'm glad you said that, because it's like, I have to take accountability for that, because it's me not going out there and doing that shit consistently.

Like, I'll do it in spurts. And that's me just figuring out like, where, what's, why am I, why am I not figuring out like, what's that middle point of like no return? It's like I'll have a flow and then I'll go back and then I'll have a flow again and I'll go back. But I think it's honestly,

if I'm just being completely vulnerable and transparent I think it's me conquering the emotional, the mental, and the spiritual aspect of the whole entire game. Like I'm just in that phase of my life and my career where I need to be able to, yes I'm angry, yes I'm not angry but like yes I'm passionate, yes I want to. Yes, I'm not angry, but I guess I'm passionate. Yes, I want to win. But sometimes that can take away from the actual process. And I'm figuring that out. Like, I'm seeing it in more ways than not on and off the court. So I feel like once I get to that, I don't have to argue with people. I don't have to yell at people and get them to see my offensive game.

I don't have to broadcast it or blast it because it's other people out here. You ain't you ain't got to say nothing. That's the there's other people out here, you ain't gotta say nothing. That's the first thing they talking about is they offense and then we go to defense and they're like, well, yeah. You know, so. Do you have any tools that are helping you? Like do you journal?

Yeah, I journal, I talk to my therapist. I have my village, like my sounding board, but I think it's really gonna be me just buckling down and just finding those tools when I get in those spaces, how to get out of them a little bit quicker. Do you ever get nervous? Oh, all the time, all the time.

When, like right before the game? Yeah, but I also know that there's a difference in nervousness, there's a nervousness that I have where it's like I'm just ready to play and I wanna do great, and there's a nervous in nervousness. There's a nervousness that I have where it's like I'm just ready to play and I wanna do great and there's a nervousness I didn't prepare. So there I've learned the two feelings where it's like, Oh, Slim, you feeling nervous, why?

Because you didn't prepare. You don't feel like you're prepared for this situation. You don't feel like you're prepared for this opportunity. That's on you. And this is me self-talking. And then it's like the other parts where it's like, Oh, Slim, you just nervous because you ready to go hoop. You good, you prepared, you did all your work,

you did your workouts, you did your treatment, all that. Your routine is set. But it's the other times when I let one thing get me out of my space. And then now I'm like, damn, am I ready? Am I going to hit a shot? Am I going to? And I've seen all 36 of these players for years, and I'm sitting up here questioning, can you guard them, Slim?

Can you? Can you do this? Can you go score against them? When you was getting buckets on them in five on five, so what's the difference? So it was just having that self-talk. That's been one of the craziest things for me at Unrivaled here.

These are the best in the world, or the most up and coming, or some of the well-known vets of the league in basketball. And so many players are talking about regaining joy, confidence, like I'm like, you? I'm for real. You know?

It's a real thing. Like you don't realize how quick confidence can come and go off of a situation or instance. I think for me, just building that confidence from being injured. And then you kind kinda go into the background and you come back and you think all these eyes are on you and it's really just you and your own head.

Like, cause you got your eyes on your own self and you looking internal, which isn't a bad thing. But then you get too deep and now you can't come out of your own shit because you're too busy worrying about all the other shit that hasn't even happened yet. Yeah. Which is again, brings us full circle to stand right here. Right where my feet are.

Literally. And grateful for this moment. Yes. As we wrap this up, I have a question that I feel all the fans are wondering. Okay. Why is it so, like why are the lunar owls so tough? Oh!

Oh! Oh! What is it about these hootie hoot? And are y'all tired of them hootie hootin' everywhere? Oh, man. Like, is somebody gonna put a stop to this? These walls are very thin. These walls are very thin, let me tell you.

Every damn time, we just hear a hootie hoot in the damn hallway. No, I think they are successful in their own way. I think they are successful in their own way. They have, and I quote Shakira, they are down to earth crash outs. What does that even mean? They're all down to earth beings, all cool and delightful,

but they all crash out in their own way. Okay. So, but no, I just think you got a real, a real nice combo of guards and posts. You got two mobile posts. I call them hybrids, like these type of posts, right? They can shoot, they can move, they're mobile, they're not really traditional back to the basket, but they can still put you back to the basket. Then you got these guards who come in, they can shoot, they can, they can guard,

pull up mid-range. Like usually you get guards who don't, who want the three or the layup. You got every guard on that team that can hit three levels. It's like, great, pick your poison. But nah, they're beatable and they've shown it in some of these close games, but then again kudos to them because they came out victorious. But I can't say too much on why they're winning, but they're winning. I know you're happy to see Shakira healthy Oh, yeah, like you know pass all of this like I'm just happy to see people getting back to it getting healthy

Like you say like people getting back to themselves being happy again to play the sport because you could tell as a competitor I want my competition to be at their utmost best.. So whatever they gotta do, whatever I gotta do, to give this product to these fans and everybody who supports us, then so be it. Yeah, cause game recognize game. For sure. For sure. For sure. People was coming up to me when I was hurting,

I was like, bro, for real? Like you still out? Yeah, the game needs you. Yeah, I'm like, all right. Let me strap up real quick. Well, you always strap up. You always show up. I appreciate you showing up for us here at Good Follow for me.

Yes. But thank you so much for joining us. Thank you. I appreciate you. I've got this condition where I don't feel pain. You're a superhero. This is how intense Nova Kane sounds. Oh, wow. Imagine how it looks.

Is there more? Yeah, big time. Nova Kane, forming theaters March 14th. Introducing the new McSpicy from McDonald's. It looks like a regular chicken sandwich, but it's actually a spicy chicken sandwich. McSpicy, consider yourself warned. Limited time only at Participate in McDonald's in Canada.

When the frustration grows and the doubts start to creep in, we all need someone who has our back to tell us we'll be okay, to remind us of our ability to believe. Because their belief in us transfers to self-belief and reminds us of all that we're capable of. We all need someone to make us believe. Hashtag, you got this. Welcome back to Good Follows Show presented by DraftKings. I'm Roz, she's Logan, and we just had a really awesome conversation

with Slim, Brittany Sykes. She and the Rose are crushing it over at Unrivaled. So good to just really get to know her and like chop it up with her. I really enjoy that conversation personally. And you know, now we move from there to some college hoops. You ready, Logan? Roz, it was so crazy this week.

I mean, I think we had 11 upsets, if I'm not mistaken. College hoops as a whole is just like this March madness is going to be absolute madness and I cannot wait. But one of those games was Juju and USC taking down UCLA for the second game in a row. And with that, they won their first conference title since the Lisa Leslie era in 1994, which is again crazy to think about, big numbers don't make sense in my brain, but that's a pretty good era and pretty long ago.

Now, there were so many things I was impressed with in this game and there were so many viral clippable moments and things that I love, but what kind of statement do you think USC is making to other teams going into a March Madness that is about to be chaotic? Yeah USC has incredible momentum heading into March Madness. They've won seven in a row now including some really important top 25 wins, a nice win over Ohio State, two huge wins over UCLA. That second one at Pauley Pavilion at the Bruins. That was one of them loud type of statement wins. It was dominant, you know, and it really they put their flag on L.A. And I think that USC like had to do that first before they can put their eyes

on like the Big Ten tournament and, you know, the NCAA big dance. You know, they they now are big ten champs. They they are accomplishing things. You need some tangible wins, feathers in your cap as you take this walk along the way into March Madness. And they have those that they can hang on to signature moments. And I also think Juju Watkins made a huge statement. That first game, the 38 points and the eight blocks, it was super loud.

So we figured when, you know, you go to UCLA they were gonna be locked in and kind of quiet her and instead it Juju seems to be shining at her her best playing at her highest level when the lights are brightest and when the challenge is really big and the odds may even be against her and it's not just the point she put in what's impressive to me is that she completely can dominate a game on offense and defense and throughout the stat line. And, you know, earlier in the show, Logan,

we were talking about, like, could there be another player who captivates in the way that Caitlin Clark did? I think we're on track for that. Like, I think team success and individual success, as you march through conference tournament into March Madness and as the magnifying glass gets bigger and casuals are starting to watch and if Juju can continue on this track, I think we could see Juju mania this season. I think we could. We haven't seen it yet.

We have seen nice respectful commentary about a very nice college player who's doing well at the end of the season. And she's been up and down throughout the season at times. But if Juju continues to capture whatever she's got and put it in a bottle and take this through March into a deep run in the tournament, I guarantee Juju-mania, like at the highest level, begins at a level that, I mean,

she's already got like billboards on buildings in the streets, so that's pretty impressive for a sophomore. But like, I'm talking like, she could be what we saw from Caitlin, I think. Absolutely. I was thinking of other players who had the Caitlin Clark effect. And I, for some reason, I keep on forgetting that Gigi was a sophomore and everything that she's done and kind of led this team. And even the fact that she's on billboards and all over Nike ads that you see, I mean,

that is so incredibly cool. But in that game, you saw USC kind of come around her. I do want to shout out Avery Howell. She had back-to-back threes from the exact same spot with like seven minutes left in the fourth. Absolutely nailed them. And the back half of that game was really telling because Juju put up 23 in the first half and then the second she put up seven. So that's, oh gosh, I'm really bad at math, but I think 27 points for the rest of the team to get in that back half.

And Avery Howell's a freshman, not to mention. So knocking those down late, great for you. Yeah, it's an important call out. You're not going to go far if you're not going to have team success. It will not just be the Juju show to take them far in the Big 10 or in the NCAA tournament. Now another shocking thing that I saw, which doesn't really sit right with me, is the fact that we have co-champions. In the SEC, it was Texas and South Carolina.

And then in the ACC, we had Notre Dame and NC State. Now sharing the title is kind of odd, but in the SEC they had to do a coin flip for who gets the number one seed. It ended up being South Carolina, but I really don't think that this should be a thing anymore. Roz, do you agree? It's anticlimactic.

It's whack, like throw some tomatoes at it. However, the regular season conference championship is only about record. So, you know, if the record is tied, then you are tied for that. Like the where now where there is only one champion is in the conference tournament. So that's where you've got to set your sights. But as far as a coin flip, no, that's not exciting. But that is the way it worked out. And so now it's the job of those coaches and for the vets in the locker room to reframe the scenario. Not that they got lucky that South Carolina,

a coin flip, decided that they were the one seed. No, both of those teams, SC Texas, they both had a win in order to win their last game, in order to be in that situation. So they did in some ways take control of their destiny. And now here they are, new mindset, opportunity to also be positioning yourself for an overall one seed. And I kind of have a prediction that it's going to come down to Texas

and South Carolina in that final, which should be. Oh, my gosh, I'm so excited. But the drama of it all is actually going to be chaotic. I like I already have everything in my calendar. I'm like, I'm going to be sat. Nobody text me. Nobody call me. Nobody disturb me. This is time for college basketball. We will be set. On the weekend, we also saw Athletes Unlimited come to an end and we had players like Maddie Segrist, Odyssey Sims, Crystal Bradford, and Maya Caldwell, who had great seasons finishing

one, two, three, four. So I actually when I was watching Crystal, one of the days that I went to athletes unlimited, she stood out to me. I think it was three minutes into the game and I was already Googling like Crystal Bradford team. And I was shocked to see that she wasn't on a WNBA team. She did sign with the Aces, I believe, a training camp contract the day after. But looking ahead to the W, what should we expect from these players this season? Yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely.

I think before we the first player we got a shout out is Maddie Segrist, right? She's the she is the champion. And for those who are confused by that, like what's happening at Athletes Unlimited, they have a very unique way of scoring. So they don't crown a team champion. They crown an individual champion, and every single player is being scored throughout the season,

and every individual moment on the court, every play, every quarter, every rebound shot, it all has points assigned to it, which means that every moment matters. And the player with the most points is crowned champion. So Maddie Segrist wins the championship. Congrats to her. She's going to be in her third year heading to the WNBA.

And I think for her, this is a really nice confidence boost, momentum boost. As she heads back to Dallas, she spent a lot of last season injured, had a finger injury. And now with Satu Saboli not coming back in Dallas, there's going to be opportunity for players to step up. So for a young player, Athletes Unlimited was really valuable for Maddie Segrist. Odyssey Sims came in second, as you mentioned, Logan. Odyssey, last season in the W,

was splitting time between Dallas and LA. And that is so hard to just pop into a team and be productive, which she still did. So now she has an opportunity to come in off of another strong AU season, start from the beginning with LA, and I think she could be a part of a formidable backcourt and a great support to what Kelsey Plumb's

gonna bring to LA. And then to your point, Crystal Bradford, I love, when I went to Athletes Unlimited, I too was captivated. I was like, who is this fun, loud, amazing, athletic player? And I mean, we know Crystal, she's been in and out of the W. She's had some nice moments.

A lot of her career has really been overseas and she's had a very productive career there. And through AU, she's earned a training camp opportunity with the Las Vegas Aces. And guess what? The Aces need everything that Krystal brings, which is defense and rebounding and energy. Don't forget the Aces lose Sydney Colson. So another thing that Krystal Bradford brings that I enjoyed meeting her at AU and I got to speak with her, she's got great vibes. She's funny.

She has humor. She's got positive, big energy energy. You know all the stuff that fills a locker room with the juice that you need. So I think she's got a great opportunity coming up in the W season. And what you just see from Athletes Unlimited is it really provides, much like Unrivaled is doing, not only competitive play, but a chance to get better, develop your game, and have better opportunities

in the W season. And shout out to Athletes Unlimited because they had a record attendance season in Tennessee. They engaged the community, social media is popping, like the awareness, the growth is there for the league. They've done a tremendous job and really just want to congratulate AU for an incredible fourth season. I believe they also just resigned to be in Nashville for the next few seasons. Correct. Nashville is loving women's basketball.

I was in the lounge at one point and there were two women speaking about how they just love to have this here and be able to watch women's hoops on a daily or weekly basis and they are pushing for a W team. But just basketball in general is thriving in Nashville and we love to see it. Love to see it. But Logan, Logan, Logan, let's also talk some soccer. The NWSL and Nike have unveiled their new kits for the 2025 season and we all couldn't wait to see what they would come up with in the creativity in the jerseys. To highlight a few, Angel City FC has an all over toil pattern featuring beloved LA landmarks and symbols

the Casey currents teal town kit features a map view of Kansas City in the Missouri River the Okay, the Orlando pride has the decennial kit Which celebrates their 10th season and features a gold star representing them as the reigning champion. So as you can see, there's so many deep storylines and Easter eggs throughout the jerseys. Which team nailed the look? What jersey are you coppin? I feel like I have an unpopular opinion on this, but Chicago has like a liquid metal on black type of look. And I absolutely love it. Black is my color. So like, that is a Jersey that I would wear on a daily basis. But I honestly think a lot of these teams nailed it. They are so fun. And they tell a story about the city or even the

state that the team is in. I also want to shout out to Seattle. Seattle's jersey, beautiful. It has like a little sun coming in and then San Diego love their water look that they have going on. Yeah, I really like Nike has done a nice job of storytelling through the jerseys. And I think that just only increases fandom, you know, and pride. I hate to say it y'all, but we have to take a break. When we come back, Roz gives her DraftKings pick of the Week, so stay tuned. Welcome back to Good Follow. This segment is presented by DraftKings. And this week I am looking at a spicy matchup in unrivaled play happening Friday.

It is going to be Team Rose against the Lunar Owls. They're running this thing back. The Owls have been dominant all year. They clinched the number one overall seed in the playoffs. But if there's one team that can shake them up, it's the Rose. The Rose are the only team to hand the Owls a loss this season. And of course, we know the Rose let everyone hear it. The trash talk was on a million and so fun.

I can't wait to see it happen again. So will history repeat itself? I don't think so. The Owls will be locked in, but the two key players will be the roses, Chelsea Gray and the Owls, Skyler Diggins-Smith. This is a must see point guard matchup. I'll tell you why.

The point guard, Chelsea Gray is a floor general with unmatched vision and clutch shot making ability. She's playing out of her mind. She's coming off of a 26 point, seven assists, five rebound, four steal, one block game, and the game winner. And the game before that, 38 points. She's hot, hot, hot. Skylar Diggins-Smith is a dynamic scorer

and relentless playmaker, and she's super clutch too. Her last game, she had a near triple double and dropped 25 points, 11 assists, seven rebounds, three steals, and the game winner. And guess what? Sky and Chelsea are both tied with five game winning shots in unrivaled play. I expect high energy, physical play,

a whole lot of chirping and talking. Families will be fed, y'all. I will be sad. Logan will be sad. This game is a must watch. Logan, this segment is presented by DraftKings. The crown is yours. Can you see I'm so excited for this matchup?

You got me so hyped up. I'm here like, okay, yes, I'm about to get to my calendar. I know, I know. Okay, wait, wait, wait, but we still have more to the show, girl, so we can move from this into key headlines and notes and all the things we didn't get to. Take me through it. We had a sad moment. Naomi Gurma had her start at Chelsea and it was all eyes were on her.

Everyone was super excited and then she got injured. So wishing her well. I don't think it's super bad, but awful to get injured in your first start at Chelsea. Yeah. And all, like I said, all eyes are going to be on you when you get that kind of money and then the injury happens. That's unfortunate. He looks exactly but we also saw a WNBA and NWSL crossover, which is super cool. Sabrina UNESCO joined BFC as an investor and commercial advisor. I don't really know what a commercial advisor does, but it sounds like a very big role. Yes, it sounds

perhaps like a paid role. Go Sabrina. But it sounds like a very big role. Yes, it sounds perhaps like a paid role. Go Sabrina. And actually with Sabrina, we have Serena, which I am so excited about. She was announced as an owner of the Toronto Tempo. And she'll actually have a hand in making the jerseys and merch collaboration, which I cannot wait.

It was honestly a shock for everyone. I have no clue how it didn't get leaked. But Serena is in Toronto. Yeah, and also if you see her wearing that Tempo sweater, cannot wait. It was honestly a shock for everyone. I have no clue how it didn't get leaked, but Serena is in Toronto. Yeah. And also if you see her wearing that tempo sweater, that's play as society as well. So I mean, the merch game is happening. We love to see it. The girls are moguls. The girls are moguls, Logan. And last one, which we also love to see. Wow, we're all just killing it this week. Brie Clark landed the Biles one in competition this week. And there's actually a video of her seeing, I believe it was Simone's

reaction to her landing it. And it's the cutest thing. She's like, Oh my God, she knows who I am. I was freaking out, but landing the Biles one is insane. I want to be a gymnast in my next life. Yeah, me too. I would love to just be excellent. Like all these athletes. I'd love to be excellent like you, Logan. I want to be excellent like you, Logan. I wanna be excellent like you. I've been learning so much from you this whole time and I absolutely love it. Oh, you're like my little sis.

I'm taking you under my wing and we're doing this together. And that will be a nice way to end today's show. We wanna make sure to thank Brittany Sykes for pulling up for a one-on-one interview. We wanna thank all of you for watching, subscribing. If you haven't yet, press that, press it, do it. And also following us on social media at Good Follows Show.

We drop every Wednesday, 7 p.m. Eastern. Thank you for rocking with us. She's Logan. I'm Roz. We'll see you next week, right? Absolutely. Bye, guys. Thanks for watching!