To Core or Not To Core

What to Know About Women’s Basketball Today

1. Kelsey Plum and Satou Sabally Cored 🔒

The Dallas Wings designated 26-year-old forward Satou Sabally as a core player on Tuesday, just one day after she announced she would not be returning to the team. Over the weekend, the Las Vegas Aces also used their core designation on 30-year-old guard Kelsey Plum. (CBS Sports)

WHY IT MATTERS: In the WNBA, a “core” designation allows teams to lock in one of their impending free agents. This designation guarantees the player a one-year supermax contract and prevents them from negotiating or signing with other teams.

However, the core designation isn’t always about keeping a player long-term. It can also be a strategic roster move, allowing the player to speak with other teams with the aim of creating a high value trade.

In the case of Sabally, she has made it clear that she wants to leave Dallas. Keeping someone who doesn’t want to be there isn’t productive for the team, so Dallas may be paying chess in this case. As for Kelsey Plum and the Aces, this could go either way.

2. Aneesah Morrow is Unstoppable 😤

Aneesah Morrow is the only player in women’s college basketball this season with multiple games of both 20 points and 20 rebounds. LSU’s 6’1" forward is averaging 18.4 points and 14.4 rebounds per game while making history. She leads the nation with 17 double-doubles this season and boasts an incredible 91 career double-doubles. Incredible. (USA Today)

WHY IT MATTERS: Scoring 20 points and grabbing 20 rebounds in a single game is an extremely rare feat—and Morrow has already done it twice this season. No other Division I player has managed this. Even more impressive, Morrow is putting up these rebounding numbers as a small forward. At 6’1", she’s often at a height disadvantage in the paint, but that hasn’t slowed her down.

3. Is Notre Dame On Track For a Championship? 👀

The Notre Dame women’s basketball team is off to its best ACC start since the 2018-2019 season. Led by a dynamic backcourt duo of Hannah Hidalgo and Olivia Miles, the Fighting Irish are currently 5-0 in conference play. (ESPN)

WHY IT MATTERS: In the 2018-2019 season, Notre Dame started 6-0 in ACC play and went on to compete in the national championship game. Could history be repeating itself?