During a normal first weekend of NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournamentthe average college hoops fan would have barely known the women’s tournament was about to start. That only changed this week because of the NCAA’s embarrassing demonstration of prioritizing the $800 million men’s event, which spread on social media from the San Antonio women’s event.
Luckily, you’ve probably seen the PR carnage, but to review: While the men had a weight room in Indianapolis that would have satisfied the NBA bubble, the women were rewarded for playing under pandemic protocols all season with the equivalent of a Courtyard Marriott gym, complete with a set of dumbbells and yoga mats.
It was not only the disparity in bodybuilding – gift bags and food options were also emphasized – but that’s what caused the women’s basketball world to lose the zen that comes with a lifetime of gratitude for everything it gets.
With the pain seeping along the San Antonio River Walk, amid all the vitriol aimed at the ill-fitting suits that inhabit the NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis, Cori Close, UCLA women’s basketball coach I couldn’t help but feel the absence of a crucial voice.
“He Kobe Bryant made me miss” said Close. “He is such a pioneer to speak out on in the name of our women’s football. … I hope NBA athletes, we need our male counterparts who know what we’re doing (to) come alongside us and be like Kobe (and say), ‘I’m going to help with this.’ I will act so that people know it, so that people invest in it, my time, my voice, my platform and even my resources.
Bryant’s global platform was certainly missed this week. What would he have said? Something powerful, of course. But above all, we know that he would have do something – hell, he was already doing it.
Bryant was the proud “Girl Dad” of four daughters, including Gianna, who tragically died with him at age 13. She was a budding basketball star and her father was by her side every step of the way, but he was invested in the future of women’s hoops as a whole, not just making sure Gianna had the advantage of getting that scholarship offer from Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma.
UCLA coach Cori Close instructs her players during a game against Stanford on December 21. Close hopes more NBA players will become more supportive of women’s basketball.
(Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press)
One of Bryant’s protégés, Sabrina Ionescu, the former Oregon star now with the New York Liberty, was one of the first big names to call out the NCAA for its mistake.
“WTF is this?!?” Ionescu tweeted.
You could almost hear Kobe saying something similar.
Stephen Curry and Kyrie Irving also expressed their dissatisfaction, particularly from the NBA, responding to Close’s call.
“I’m grateful to some of the people who have spoken out,” Close said, “but I hope more will follow, and I hope they will follow Kobe’s lead.”
Weird, but it was a former NBA player with an Instagram profile picture of Bryant who served as a poignant reminder of the journey some men have to go.
Former USC player and former Laker Nick Young responded to an Instagram post about it and said, “Man you ain’t bringing in a lot of money y’all JV team and that’s cool.”
South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley commented, “I hope all your kids are boys and I really hope he can play. God knows if you have to sit down with a girl and tell her you’re not a money-making woman, so be ‘cool’ about it.”
Young has a daughter, Navi.
A Los Angeles native, Young was clearly a fan of Bryant, who sent the message through his actions that a man should not need to have a daughter to respect the athletic abilities of women and warmly encourage them.
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Wow, Pac-12. Were we really watching the best men’s college basketball conference in the country all season without even knowing it?
UCLA went 2-0, knocking out Michigan State in overtime, then Brigham Young. Oregon State muzzled Tennessee. Colorado swept into Georgetown. USC swept by Drake. Oregon, well, didn’t even need to take the floor against Virginia Commonwealth, which had COVID-19 issues that led to a no-contest for the Ducks. (This was all too similar to the Ducks’ entrance to the Pac-12 football title game against Washington).
The Pac-12 is 5-0, with the best winning percentage in the round of 16. Of course, so much can change on Sunday and Monday if the league quintet doesn’t continue.
But at a minimum, this performance should give the conference some momentum it hasn’t had in years heading into next season.
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The #NotNCAAProperty movement remained mostly quiet in the first round, but its leaders — Rutgers’ Geo Baker, Michigan’s Isaiah Livers and Iowa’s Jordan Bohannon — all advanced to the second round.
To force the NCAA to actually take action on the name, image and likeness issue, players will have to find a way to make schools feel vulnerable in their wallets.
I would be shocked if there were enough players from multiple teams who would be willing to threaten not to play a game. Playing in this tournament is a lifelong dream for many, and they have already sacrificed much of their personal freedom to get here during a season dictated by COVID protocols.
Times staff writer Thuc Nhi Nguyen contributed to this story.
