Candice Ward/Getty Photographs, Tyler Tate/AP, Lance King/Getty Photographs, Eakin Howard/Getty Photographs
It has been a banner 12 months for ladies’s school basketball, with Caitlin Clark changing into a family identify and viewership up 60% throughout nationwide networks.
Now, with March Insanity upon us, we have talked with a number of the different star gamers poised for a deep run within the NCAA event.
This is what they advised us — and what you must look out for this event.
Hannah Hidalgo
- College/Workforce: Notre Dame Preventing Irish
- Place: Guard
What’s it prefer to have your dad be your basketball coach all by center college and highschool?
For Hannah Hidalgo, this was a very good factor – even when he did not take it simple on her.
“I believe my dad was the toughest on me for certain, as a result of he knew what I might accomplish,” she mentioned. “And he … form of noticed greatness in me.”
Immediately, Hidalgo is the highest participant for second-seeded Notre Dame.
The 5-foot-6-inch guard is the Division I basketball’s third-leading scorer this season, and leads all gamers in steals — as a freshman.
Certainly one of her inspirations is Aari McDonald, who now performs within the WNBA.
“[McDonald] was a extremely small guard on the ladies’s aspect,” Hidalgo mentioned. “Seeing how small she was and the way she was capable of rating over women that have been like six-four, six-five, and simply her capacity to complete and get form of chief at crew, it was identical to phenomenal.”
Hidalgo has by no means let her top preserve her down. In highschool, she was the New Jersey participant of the 12 months, and led U.S. junior nationwide groups to 2 FIBA World Cup gold medals.
With all the additional eyes on her now, she says her religion in God retains her grounded amid criticism or reward in sports activities media. And for pre-game pump-up music, she opts for gospel.
“We’re all the time listening to gospel music,” she mentioned. “[It] will get our thoughts targeted. After which in fact after gospel, I am going to name my mother and father and we pray collectively earlier than each single sport.”
Hidalgo says she remembers folks wanting down on ladies’s basketball when she was youthful. So she’s pleased to be seeing ladies lastly getting mainstream recognition and in addition endorsement offers.
“So I form of see how now we’re capable of earn a living off of our identify and what number of tens of millions of individuals [are] watching this,” she mentioned. “Seeing these youthful youngsters who’re developing now … it makes you actually excited to see form of what’s for the longer term.”
JuJu Watkins
College/Workforce: College of Southern California Trojans
Place: Guard
Juju Watkins has all of the property: she has the soar shot, the scale and the pace.
And the College of Southern California freshman guard additionally has star energy.
LeBron James has come out to see the USC ladies’s crew play. And USC legend Cheryl Miller has paid to see Watkins in motion.
“I am all the time in shock,” Watkins mentioned. “I imply, Cheryl’s the GOAT of ladies’s basketball, so for her to actually purchase tickets, when she most likely might have gotten them free of charge, is loopy.”
“I watched a variety of Candace Parker rising up and, in fact, LeBron. With my technology, he is so influential. I attempt to mannequin my sport and my compassion after them.”
Watkins is from the Los Angeles neighborhood of Watts. Her great-grandfather established the Watts Labor Group Motion Committee, an anti-poverty nonprofit, after the 1965 Watts Riots. And JuJu Watkins volunteered there in her childhood.
That is all a part of her resolution to attend USC.
“I believe [at] USC there’s wealthy historical past and I am glad to be part of that, in order that was an enormous a part of my decision-making course of,” she mentioned. “After which simply wanting to remain house and actually develop my roots in L.A. and have that attain, I believe that was vital for me since I worth my group a lot and the place I am from.”
Watkins mentioned she believes she’s persevering with to develop as an individual and a participant.
“I used to be raised to actually simply pursue one thing to the fullest and actually put a variety of time and vitality into one thing I am severe about. And I believe basketball was that,” she mentioned.
As a freshman, Watkins has already led her crew to a PAC-12 championship whereas changing into the second-leading scorer in Division I. And she or he says her squad is peaking on the proper time for the massive dance.
“We’re lastly, like, a real crew now,” she mentioned. “I really feel like everybody is aware of their roles, is aware of their spots and I believe that as we proceed to simply keep degree headed all through every part, even coming off of a championship, we’re not happy.”
Te-Hina Paopao
- College/Workforce: College of South Carolina Gamecocks
- Place: Guard
Te-Hina Paopao has a candy tooth and a penchant for siestas.
“I am such, like, a boring individual for pre-game rituals,” she mentioned. “I all the time acquired to get a nap in, regardless of if it is a midday sport, afternoon, or perhaps a evening sport.”
Then, after the sport — win or lose — it is time for dessert.
Paopao grew up in Oceanside, California with brothers who performed a complete bunch of sports activities. Finally, when she jumped in, one thing clicked on the basketball courtroom.
And folks observed.
“I used to be coming into eighth grade after I was getting calls from faculties and speaking to varsity coaches. And I knew proper then and there that I might do one thing huge with this,” she mentioned.
Quick ahead about eight years. For this season, Paopao transferred from Oregon to a powerhouse South Carolina program that went undefeated this season.
A key a part of their success has been Paopao’s long-range taking pictures. On the finish of the common season, the senior had the best three-point share in all of ladies’s Division I basketball.
However in relation to inspiration, for Paopao it is not about accolades or fame — it is about her religion and her household’s heritage.
“I do know God has been there by each step of the way in which, by this journey that I have been journeying by since, , a younger baby,” she mentioned. “As a result of I take a lot satisfaction in desirous to make my household happy with me and simply desirous to encourage the youthful technology, particularly for Polynesian hoopers.”
Paopao is not fairly able to go professional but. Earlier this month, she introduced she would return to South Carolina for a fifth season this fall.
“It wasn’t a tough resolution in any respect,” she mentioned. “And I knew if I had one other 12 months beneath Coach [Dawn] Staley I might be a way more all-around participant and simply get that enchancment that I got here searching for. And it was simply every part that I used to be searching for in a program.”
Alissa Pili
- College/Workforce: College of Utah Utes
- Place: Ahead
Alissa Pili is the second oldest of 9 youngsters who grew up in Alaska.
“All of my siblings performed sports activities rising up, so there was all the time one thing to do,” she mentioned. “We’re all the time watching one another’s video games and I imply, in Alaska, it was tremendous enjoyable, it was by no means boring. Undoubtedly a variety of combating, however it was all love on the finish of the day.”
Pili carried that aggressive spirit by her adolescence, racking up greater than a dozen state championships in volleyball, observe and subject, wrestling — and her essential sport, basketball.
Then she was recruited to play for the College of Southern California. However she admits she misplaced her edge, particularly after an in depth member of the family died.
So Pili — who’s of Samoan and native Alaskan descent — went house. She recalibrated, and transferred to Utah.
“Once I acquired to Utah I believe that I simply acquired my groove again once more,” she mentioned. “I actually was simply enjoying carefree, not interested by it and that is form of the place I simply took off.”
That is an understatement. The senior was named the PAC-12’s participant of the 12 months final season. In final 12 months’s NCAA event, Utah misplaced an in depth sport to the eventual nationwide champion, Louisiana State College.
“They gained the championship and we have been proper there, and I believe that was actually simply motivation that we compete with anyone once we play our greatest basketball,” Pili mentioned.
She says she lives for these moments.
“You bought to have the angle of you do not actually care who you are going up in opposition to,” she mentioned. “I believe enjoying a faculty that is purported to be high canine or, like, a participant who’s the speak of the city, like, that form of drives me to wish to beat them extra. I do not know, I gotta simply present out.”