FRISCO, TEXAS – Half of the 16 Big 12 Conference members were at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, Tuesday for the league’s two-day media extravaganza, powered by Microsoft Copilot.

Arizona State and Iowa State, which played in last year’s Big 12 Championship Game, were on hand today as well as Baylor, BYU, UCF, Cincinnati, Kansas State and Texas Tech.

Tomorrow’s other half includes Arizona, Colorado, Houston, Kansas, Oklahoma State, TCU, Utah and West Virginia.

A standing Commissioner Brett Yormark kicked off the event by touting the Big 12’s accomplishments in all sports, listing some of the league’s new sponsorship and business ventures and expressing his desire for the College Football Playoffs to adopt the 5+11 model that is also supported by the Atlantic Coast Conference.

“We want to earn it on the field,” he said. “We do not need a professional model because we are not the NFL. We are college football, and we must act like it. There is nothing in sports like college football and we must protect what makes it special and do what’s right for the fans and the game.”

Yormark cited the recently announced PayPal partnership as a way the Big 12 is leveraging its expanded membership and he’s excited about new ventures in licensing and collectibles to increase the conference’s brand. 

He also teased a forthcoming announcement tomorrow regarding the WWE and the Big 12.

“This year, you’ll see us double down in that effort, including exploring documentaries and storytelling opportunities,” he said. Part of that is a new partnership that will give every Big 12 student-athlete their own customized app to help them build their personal brand.

During Yormark’s three years overseeing the league, he has successfully steered the Big 12 beyond the departures of Texas and Oklahoma and the additions of BYU, UCF, Cincinnati and Houston two years ago, and then Arizona State, Arizona, Colorado and Utah last year.

According to Yormark, his goal at the outset was to “modernize” the conference.

“I wanted to be more contemporary,” he explained. “I wanted to get on the consciousness of future student-athletes. I wanted to create a foundation that would enable us to succeed. I wanted to be a national conference, and I wanted to double down with ESPN and FOX. We’ve done all of that and more. I love the trajectory of this conference; I love where we’re going, and our schools are making incredible investments.”

 

Setting the scene for tomorrow’s big day at #Big12FB ?? pic.twitter.com/sSfU9AN8r4

— West Virginia Football (@WVUfootball) July 8, 2025

Yormark once again mentioned the overall depth of the Big 12 from top to bottom, as evidenced by Arizona State winning the conference championship despite being picked 16^th in last year’s preseason poll. BYU also won 10 games despite being picked to finish 13^th.

The commissioner conceded the poll may have negatively impacted the conference’s standing in last year’s College Football Playoffs.

Consequently, the coaches opted not to release a preseason poll this summer.

“I think it disadvantaged Arizona State last year,” he admitted. “They were picked 16^th, and I think that hurt them. 

“I think there is no value (to having a preseason poll),” he added. “And I also feel that with the transfer portal and with roster management and what goes on as you build that roster, no one knows what they really have. They know what they have on paper, but it hasn’t played out. So, I don’t know if (not having preseason polls is) a trend or not, but certainly it’s the right thing for the Big 12 and I’m glad we did it.”

Among the eight coaches who were on the dais today, BYU’s Kalani Sitake and Texas Tech’s Joey McGuire were both asked about their school’s aggressive approach with Name, Image and Likeness funding that has resulted in impressive recruiting hauls.

Texas Tech has signed nine ESPN.com Top 100 transfer prospects, including five top 50 players. BYU’s 2026 class is being touted as one of the best in school history.

Sitake believes the Big 12 has significantly raised BYU’s profile.

“First of all, when this thing all started, we were an independent team,” he said. “When I grew up cheering for BYU as a young kid we were in the WAC, then we went in the Mountain West and then independent. 

“When we got invited (to the Big 12) that was kind of the change,” Sitake continued. “We’re now in a power conference and thankful to the Big 12 for inviting us into the conference. We saw things change, not just from resources, but also, it kind of settled a lot of arguments for people not to come to BYU.”

McGuire admits it has been a fun offseason for him.

“We were really aggressive whenever it came to the portal and meeting some of our needs for our football team,” he said, adding, “I know there’s a lot of expectations on the team; we look at it as opportunities.”

Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham is aware of the talent Texas Tech has added to its roster during the offseason.

He posted on X recently his belief that the Red Raiders could be the team to beat in the Big 12 this year.

“They beat our butt last year and they added a lot of really good players to their football team, I mean, a ton of really good players,” he said. “They probably had the best portal haul of any team in college football already on a good football team with a good football coach in a fun environment to play at.

“I think anybody who says they don’t have the talent to win the league is absolutely delusional,” he added.

Interesting comments, for sure, as were Iowa State coach Matt Campbell’s about the challenges of returning to the Big 12 Championship Game. 

Among things that are controllable, Campbell cited his team’s overall toughness as one of the most important determinants.

“If we’re going to get back there this year, you got to be pretty tough,” he explained. “You know, we’ve changed a lot of things in football,  but the one thing you haven’t changed is are you tough enough? And you know that  toughness isn’t just physical, sometimes it’s mental too.

“We deal with 18 to 22-year-olds and  are they tough enough to stay the course through the entirety of a football season? I think that’s a real challenge. I think it is really unique for Iowa State football this year and we’re going to figure out if we’re tough enough to be  able to do it again,” he said.

West Virginia football fans should take note of Campbell’s comments because toughness is something returning coach Rich Rodriguez has been preaching to his football team since his arrival last December.

Of the things needed to be addressed, overall toughness and improved conditioning are the two that Rodriguez and his staff can take care of immediately.

We’ll hear more from Rodriguez and veteran players Jaden Bray, Landen Livingston and Edward Vesterinen tomorrow when Media Days continue.

 

The NBA 2K26 Summer League is set to tip off in Las Vegas on Thursday, July 10. This year’s event will feature all 30 NBA teams, each of which are guaranteed to play at least five games. Rosters are made up of recent draft picks as well as a mix of older players who are still trying to prove that they belong in the association. 

For basketball fans, it’s the perfect offseason fix, and for college hoops followers, it offers a chance to see familiar faces who have yet to make it on the big stage. With many fans already familiar with the latest draft class, let’s take a look at 20 notable former college basketball stars, who are at least one year removed from the collegiate level, set to compete in the 2025 Las Vegas NBA Summer League.

Terrence Shannon Jr. – Illinois (Minnesota Timberwolves)

TSJ was electric during his college days with both Texas Tech and Illinois. His final year in Champaign, just two seasons ago, will be hard to forget, as he finished third in the nation in scoring and played a pivotal role in getting the Illini to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2013. Shannon has all the tools of a solid NBA player in my mind and showed promising flashes for the Timberwolves last season. In the brief time he spent in the G League, he averaged 36.5 points per game, and I would expect to see a similar showing if given an extensive role in this Summer League.

Armando Bacot – North Carolina (Memphis Grizzlies)

Bacot started in all but one of the 169 games he appeared in for North Carolina and averaged a double-double over his five-year career. Last season, he played in the G League with the Memphis Hustle, where he led the team in rebounding and was second in scoring. It is hard to understand why a player like Bacot, who was so dominant in college, would not make it in the NBA, but that speaks to the difference in the big man position between the college and pro level.

Boo Buie – Northwestern (Denver Nuggets)

The former Wildcat guard was one of the most prolific players during his college career. He averaged double figures in all five of his seasons and holds school records for both points and games played, while ranking second in assists. After going undrafted last year, Buie played for the Suns in the 2024 Summer League before signing with New York where he played for the Westchester Knicks.

Drew Timme – Gonzaga (Brooklyn Nets)

The former Gonzaga big man known for his nifty footwork down low will play for the Nets after appearing in nine games and starting in two for them last season. Timme is widely regarded as one of the best Zags of all time with over 100 games started in his college career and holding the school’s all-time scoring record.

Dalton Knecht – Tennessee (Los Angeles Lakers)

Knecht is just one year removed from his incredible SEC Player of the Year campaign at Tennessee where he averaged 21.7 points per game. Prior to that, he was one of the top players at the mid-major level at Northern Colorado. The first-round draft pick was a significant part of the Lakers’ rotation last season, playing in 78 games and averaging just under double figures. He hasn’t looked like himself early in offseason play, shooting just 25% from the field and going 0-for-9 from three-point range in his first two games at the Utah Summer League.

Reed Sheppard – Kentucky (Houston Rockets)

The 2024 lottery pick struggled to find a consistent role with the Rockets as a rookie. Sheppard was a surprise one-and-done player after winning SEC Freshman of the Year despite coming off the bench for most of the season at Kentucky. Last year he appeared in three G League games, where he averaged 30.7 points, and played in 52 NBA games for Houston but averaging just 12.6 minutes. He made his first career start late in the regular season, finishing with 25 points in what was by far his best showing.

Jamal Shead – Houston (Toronto Raptors)

Shead was the perfect Houston Cougar for Kelvin Sampson, starting in over 100 games and being a top player in the country on both sides of the floor. In his final season, he earned Big 12 Player of the Year and won the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year award. Sadly, one of the most well-known moments of his college career came when he suffered an injury that would sideline him for the rest of a Sweet 16 matchup that Houston would go on to lose against Duke. Shead had a solid start to his pro career, though, averaging just under 20 minutes in the 75 games he played in for the Raptors last season.

Zavier Simpson – Michigan (Los Angeles Clippers)

Simpson will be one of the older players in this Summer League with his college career ending back in 2020. The point guard, nicknamed “Captain Hook” for his signature hook shot, was the straw that stirred the drink for the Wolverines’ offense during their successful run at the end of John Beilein’s Michigan career. Since college, he has had several stops, with most of his time spent with the Thunder’s G League affiliate. Most recently, he played in Romania, where he led his team to a championship and earned Finals MVP.

Tyler Kolek – Marquette (New York Knicks)

The former Marquette guard, who began his career at George Mason, has quite the college resume that includes Big East Player of the Year, two All-American selections, A-10 Rookie of the Year, and more. Kolek was a dynamic playmaker, especially during his final two seasons under Shaka Smart, having a massive impact on both sides of the floor. A second-round pick, he split time last season between the G League and the New York Knicks.

Blake Hinson – Pitt (Golden State Warriors)

Blake Hinson had a long and challenging start to his college career before ultimately finding a home at Pitt. The three-point sharpshooter with limitless range was a key factor in the Panthers’ return to the NCAA Tournament in 2023. He spent all of last season in the G League, where he averaged over 20 points per game, including a stellar performance with 44 points with 10 made three-pointers.

Judah Mintz – Syracuse (Philadelphia 76ers)

Judah Mintz was one of very few bright spots on Syracuse teams during his time there, which I believe made him fly under the radar as a college player. With the Orange, Mintz was a straight playmaker as he surpassed 1,000 career points in just two seasons. He played for the Delaware Blue Coats last season scoring just over 20 points per game.

Adam Flagler – Baylor (Atlanta Hawks)

Flagler has now been part of teams that have won an NCAA Championship, a G League Championship, and an NBA Championship. He began his college career at Presbyterian, where he was named Big South Freshman of the Year, before transferring to Baylor where he was a key piece in helping the team achieve a .796 winning percentage during his time there. In the two games he played during last year’s Summer League, Flagler averaged 21.5 points per game while shooting 55% from three-point range.

Kenneth Lofton Jr. – Louisiana Tech (Boston Celtics)

Lofton Jr. spent two seasons at Louisiana Tech where he averaged double figures both years, and earned First Team All C-USA as a sophomore after averaging a double-double. He has appeared in a total of 45 NBA games with four different teams. He looked promising early in his pro career as part of the Grizzlies organization on a two-way contract and won G League Rookie of the Year. Most recently he played for the Shanghai Sharks in China, where he averaged 25.2 points per game last season.

Keisei Tominaga – Nebraska (Indiana Pacers)

Tominaga became one of college basketball’s fan favorites two seasons ago, helping lead Nebraska to its first NCAA Tournament appearance in nine years. Last season he played for the Indiana Mad Ants, where he was a solid contributor off the bench. He recently signed a contract with Levanga Hokkaido as he will return to his home country to play in the Japan Professional Basketball League.

Jon Elmore – Marshall (Sacramento Kings)

Elmore will be one of the oldest players in this year’s Summer League, and while he may not look like your typical NBA player, he can flat-out hoop. A star at Marshall, what now feels like ages ago, Elmore averaged nearly 20 points per game over his four-year college career. During that time he became the Herd’s all-time leader in both points and assists and was the first player in Division I history to surpass 2,500 points and 750 assists. Since college, he has spent time in leagues all over the world and has recently become a mainstay in the G League.

Boogie Ellis – USC (Phoenix Suns)

Ellis began his college career with Penny Hardaway at Memphis before transferring to USC, where he became one of the top players in the Pac-12, averaging double figures in all three seasons. He was a solid contributor in the G League last season and will now look to make an impression in the Summer League with the Suns, the third organization he has been a part of

Trey Alexander – Creighton (New Orleans Pelicans)

The reigning G League Rookie of the Year had a promising first season with the Nuggets organization after going undrafted. Alexander has always been dangerous with the ball in his hands, and that was especially true during his time at Creighton. His size, defensive ability, and shot-making set him apart in college, and he will hope to showcase those in Summer League to help secure a spot on an NBA roster.

Keita Bates-Diop – Ohio State (Milwaukee Bucks)

Bates-Diop is another older guy, but he was an elite playmaker at the college level. In his final season at Ohio State he won Big Ten Player of the Year averaging just under 20 points and nine rebounds per game. This is a guy who comes with a lot of experience who is a surprise to see on a Summer League roster. Since getting drafted in the second round in 2018, he has played in 283 NBA games and at one point was a prominent piece for the Spurs.

Buddy Boeheim – Syracuse (Indiana Pacers)

Boeheim was a fantastic college player that has been a solid G League contributor, but has yet to break through to the NBA. He was an elite scoring threat playing under his father at Syracuse, as he led the team in scoring his final two seasons and earned First Team All-ACC in 2022.

Tristan da Silva – Colorado (Orlando Magic)

Da Silva will give it another go in the Summer League after an impressive showing last year, where he averaged 17.7 points per game. He then went on to be a big piece on a good Magic team as a consistent contributor that posted 38 starts. He was a staple of the Pac-12 in his and the conference’s final two seasons, averaging 16 points per game and receiving All-Pac 12 honors both years.

MUNCIE, Ind. – – Ball State Athletics is thrilled to unveil the first renderings of the new clubhouse facilities for its baseball and softball programs, following approval by the Ball State University Board of Trustees on May 2.
 
The $8.8 million project, designed by MSA Design, will bring state-of-the-art facilities to Shebek Stadium and the Ball State Softball Stadium. Construction is expected to begin in Fall 2025 and be completed by Summer 2026.
 
“It’s an exciting time to be a Cardinal,” Head Softball Coach Helen Peña said. “The athletic department and university continue to raise the bar in supporting our student-athletes. I’m incredibly grateful and thrilled about this project and the impact it will have on both our current team and future generations of Ball State softball.”
 
Each clubhouse will span approximately 6,000 gross square feet and will be located adjacent to the programs’ respective home dugouts. Designed with student-athlete experience in mind, the new facilities will include fueling stations, team lounges, study spaces and other key amenities.
 
“Our new clubhouse will enhance the daily experience of our student-athletes,” Peña added. “From nutrition and recovery to academics and team bonding, this facility will be a difference-maker. It’s also a powerful recruiting tool, as the best clubhouse in the MAC, while we continue to build a championship-caliber program. The best is yet to come.”
 
Head Baseball Coach Rich Maloney echoed the enthusiasm: “This is a major step forward for Ball State Baseball. A special thanks to Mike and Kati Shebek for their incredible generosity. This clubhouse will be a game changer, giving our players a state-of-the-art space they can truly call their own.”
 
In addition to the clubhouse project, both stadiums are currently receiving new turf as part of a broader facilities enhancement initiative. This follows the recent resurfacing of the football field at Scheumann Stadium and the basketball court at Worthen Arena.
 
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A new Michigan House bill considers student-athletes as employees, while another looks to remove a new hurdle for athletes trying to secure deals based on their name, image, and likeness.

Democrats introduced both in the Michigan State House, saying they couldn’t come at a more pivotal time.

Since July 1, student-athletes must disclose any NIL deals made outside the university worth more than $600 to a new third-party entity called “NIL Go.” The NCAA says this ensures both sides are getting a fair value, but Rep. Joe Tate says otherwise.

“We want to be clear to make sure that no entity is allowed to interrupt a student-athlete’s ability to enter into a contract,” said Tate, D-Detroit. “Then they don’t have to submit a contract to the NCAA for approval. If you’re going to a university in Michigan, it restricts them from doing that.”

Now that universities can directly pay student-athletes as of July 1, a second bill would consider student-athletes as state employees and remove restrictions, allowing them to unionize.

“So now, students are being paid directly for their work—for their name, image, and likeness—for the work they do, and so that’s why we’re introducing this bill now to make sure the students are the ones leading the conversation and leading the contract negotiations for their compensation,” said Rep. Carrie Rheingans, D-Ann Arbor.

Former Michigan State football captain Maverick Hansen says he supports the student athletes following in his footsteps.

“I think it’s going to be huge because athletes actually have a say in what they should be getting and what their value is,” Hansen said.

Several republican lawmakers have spoken out against the bill, saying student-athletes are already compensated enough through scholarships and preferential treatment, something Representative Tate says isn’t enough in this day and age, as a former college football player himself.

Big news hit the WNBA Monday morning, and with it came some news for a Sampson County native, too. Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia were all approved for teams at the highest level of women’s basketball once more, and Lakewood alum Chasity Melvin — a first-round pick by the original Cleveland Rockers, a WNBA all-star and a North Carolina athletics Hall of Fame member — said she was inundated with calls and messages when the news broke.

“It was amazing. It was really amazing for me. It was a dream come true,” Melvin shared in an interview about her time in Cleveland. “I had such a great appreciation because I had actually entered the ABL before the WNBA … So I got drafted by the ABL, and then I was fortunate enough to get drafted by the WNBA. I was so appreciative of the Cleveland Rockers taking me at the 11th pick.”

A bit of a culture shock for the North Carolina native came next, she admitted.

“I had never really been to the Midwest, so to go to Cleveland with my family, it was just a lot of fun for us coming from southeastern North Carolina and being able to go out there,” the former Leopard added. “It was kind of a mutual culture for North Carolina and Cleveland, you know, hard hard-working town. That’s where I was from — humble beginnings. For me, it just correlated. And I was super excited to be a part of the Rockers.”

Shortly after arriving in Cleveland, things clicked for Melvin, and she got to work for the Rockers in the 1999 season — just the third in Cleveland’s existence as one of the eight founding members of the WNBA. But, to get to that echelon of the sport, she first made a pit stop at N.C. State, where she made a name for herself.

In fact, there wasn’t a season that Melvin was with the Wolfpack where the team didn’t make the NCAA tournament, with a trip every year from 1995 through 1998.

One visit to the Wolfpack’s athletic Hall of Fame website will show a slew of accolades for the 2014 inductee, like her four separate All-American awards, her honorable mention for the Wade Trophy, ACC and NCAA awards, her No. 4 spot in both points and rebounds and her program records for free throw attempts in a season and a career for N.C. State. The page also explains that she is one of seven N.C. State women’s basketball players with their jersey retired, a member of the ACC 50th anniversary team, and she even received an invite to the Olympic trials in 1996.

Although her story has been told been over and over again, it was Monday’s news that brought the retelling to the surface once more, now that her former team was brought back.

The Cleveland Rockers, which were founded in 1997, folded in 2003 after owner Gordon Gund and his family couldn’t find a buyer just a year after purchasing the team outright from the league. Melvin and her teammates were sent to other teams in a dispersal draft, but not before a playoff berth, which saw the Rockers fall to the Detroit Shock — another team that recently got approval to return to the league — in the first round of the playoffs that ended with Detroit winning the championship. Melvin was taken as the second player overall in the dispersal draft, landing in Washington, D.C., to play for the Mystics.

“My mindset coming into the WNBA was that I’d always been a proponent of women’s basketball,” the now-TV analyst shared. “My dad had always told me, ‘Every time you play, you’re introducing people to the women’s game, so put on a show.’ I always wanted to make sure I entertained people, make sure I inspired people, and make sure I gave my best effort on the court. I wanted people to feel my passion for playing the game of basketball, and feel my enjoyment of it and my appreciation of it.

“And I’d always been that way. It was kind of surreal for me as well, because I used to tell people in my small town in North Carolina that I was going to play professional basketball. People were quick to say, ‘Oh, no one cares about women’s basketball. They don’t have women’s pro teams and college is as far as you’ll go.’”

In the 2001 season, across just 32 games, the Rockers saw the best season in the team’s short existence, and the No. 1 seed after taking the Eastern Conference, but North Carolina’s Charlotte Sting upset the Rockers in the first round. That season would be Melvin’s all-star campaign, when she started 20 of the 27 games she played in, averaging 27.9 minutes a game and a 9.9 PPG and 5.7 boards per contest as well.

“Even throughout my collegiate years, and obviously I have the records and high achievements and decorated career there to prove it, I felt like every year I was preparing myself to be a pro. I was always preparing myself for if there was ever an opportunity, I wanted to be ready,” she continued. “That’s how I pushed myself.”

Although an athlete from a young age, Melvin said her time in Cleveland introduced her to a sport she had never seen in person.

“I had a great rookie season,” she recalled. “The fans were unbelievable. I loved playing in the Gund Arena. Like, I was so strictly basketball, but then I came to Cleveland, a great sports town, and I had followed the NBA with my dad and my brother, so I knew about the Cavs. I was just as hurt as the Cavs when Jordan hit that shot. But to fall in love with the Cleveland Indians.

“Mr. (Gordon) Gund would make sure we would go to the Indians games as a team to develop familiarity and relationships with the teams, so we loved going to the Indians games. That was so much fun for me. And that was the first time I had gone to a major league baseball game.”

Proving her knowledge of the early aughts Cleveland baseball team, she reminisced about telling her friends about her experiences: “I used to tell all my friends, going to the baseball games is fun. Like, watching it on TV is totally different, but being in that atmosphere, being there when Kenny Lofton was there, he came to the (Rockers) games and sat courtside. We loved going to the Indians games, that was big for me.”

Melvin’s time in Cleveland, like her teammates’, was cut short — but not by her own doing. The team announced in December of 2002 that they would be folding.

“They taught us how to be pros. I’ll never forget Wes Unsled, when he was there. He used to come and talk to the team and teach us about representing the organization and how to be a pro, so I learned some valuable traits being there with the Cleveland Rockers,” Melvin said. “It was completely devastating for me when the Rockers folded. We kind of got the news early, mid-season. That year, we really tried to fight, like maybe if we could win the championship, they’ll keep the team. We lost to Detroit that year and they went on to win the WNBA championship.”

With a quick shoutout to announcers like Tom Hamilton and Jim Donovan for their work with Cleveland sports, she continued her praise for the town, which is something to note after current Indiana Fever player Sophie Cunningham’s comments in regards to the WNBA’s announced expansion to Cleveland and Detroit.

“For me to go into a professional sports town like that, that was a dream come true, because I was considered a ‘tomboy’ growing up, so I watched all of the sports with my dad. We were a big basketball family. I grew up watching the NBA. I patterned a lot of my games after some of the great centers, like Hakeem Olajuwon with the baseline spin move,” said the 6-3 center. “I watched the league for a very long time, so to come to the Cavs and play for the Rockers and then the owner, Mr. Gund, was unbelievable to us.”

That’s when Melvin began her praise for the wealthy philanthropist, who for many in Northeast Ohio was a household name for many years.

“He believed in women’s sports way before other people really believed in it, and obviously, that was a big reason why we folded because it was a change of ownership,” she continued. “Even though he was blind, we really felt like he saw each and every one of us. He was a hands-on owner, and that’s rare in professional sports, especially for women’s sports. We were really spoiled. There was a lot there for the Cleveland Rockers, so for the Cleveland team to be coming back, I know the fans are super excited, the city is excited.”

Excitement from the fans came pouring in quickly, she said.

“The fans from the Rockers have always been supportive through the internet with Facebook, Twitter, people DM or send me pictures, and now that the kids are grown up, they say, ‘We used to come to the games, we used to watch you when we were kids,’ so I think it’s going to be huge for Cleveland to bring the Rockers team back.”

After spending over a decade in the WNBA, Melvin travelled internationally to play basketball, in places like Spain, Israel and other countries that are home to overseas basketball.

“First and foremost, it was going overseas for my first time,” she said. “I was literally coming from the South. I was a deer caught in headlights. That was really what it was.”

She spoke on things like experiencing other cultures and the rigorous schedules involved.

“Traveling abroad, year after year, and coming back and playing in the WNBA, it just made me culturally diverse. I have a lot of multicultural relationships because of that. It’s broadened my horizons. It’s given me a unique resume compared to a lot of other pro players because I’ve played in nine different countries, I’ve won championships in six of them, and I’ve just developed relationships across the board.”

One thing Melvin discussed was mental health, a topic that has seen more support in this generation of athletes, she said, compared to her own time on the court.

“For the fans, their perspective is that they’ll never understand that athletes never forget,” she said, in a bit more somber of a tone than before. “I know I’ve heard Dawn Staley in many interviews say she’ll never forget losing at Virginia and not winning that NCAA championship, so it’s something we live with forever. Our careers are so short, and we retire from playing that pro sport, but the games and those moments live with us for eternity. We’ll be in the old folks’ homes still remembering, like dang, if I would have made that one free throw. So, for most of the pro players, we’re so passionate about the game. It just never leaves us. The wins, the losses and the relationships.

“That’s what you miss most when you stop playing — those relationships with your teammates,” she added.

With an anecdote from current WNBA player Courtney Williams, Melvin said it was a great definition of how players deal with the mental aspect of things like social media.

“These people aren’t real. These people aren’t my friends. These people don’t know me, they don’t know how hard I work,” were Williams’ words, which Melvin found solace in.

“I do think, with the positive atmosphere around mental health, and the fact that these athletes are talking to therapists, they have mental health forums. We didn’t have that while we played. I think most athletes in my generation were taught to compartmentalize and kind of like, go in character once they stepped on the court, and I think the current athletes are allowed to be themselves. They’re allowed to take mental health break days. And there’s not a taboo around needing to talk to a therapist or being depressed,” Melvin added.

Melvin and her generation, like Lisa Leslie or Tina Thompson, paved the way for the meteoric rise of women’s basketball recently, with names like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese being spoken across the country much more than women’s basketball players of the past. Chasity shared her thoughts on the subject:

“I think two things (caused the increased viewership). I think the first thing is NIL in college,” she began. “I think NIL just boosted women’s college basketball across the board. When I played, when Diana Taurasi played at UConn, everyone kind of knew about UConn, but only once they won the championship. And I think NIL, for these athletes to have brand sponsorships, to be in commercials, it just eased the way and it helped fans cross over from collegiate athletics to the pros, because there was always a disconnect from women’s college basketball and the WNBA.

“The fans were like, ‘OK, who’s next?’ but didn’t really follow collegiate stars into the WNBA, but I think the NIL helped bridge the gap between collegiate fans crossing over to the WNBA, so that’s helped tremendously. And then with that help, with seeing the Caitlin Clarks and Angel Reeses, the different players in commercials, like, hey, they’re stars. They’re not just good women’s basketball players, but they’re stars, similar to the NBA players that you see in commercials.”

The other aspect of the rise she mentioned was along the same lines, about how people seeing these players every day, and in the spotlight, made it less taboo to talk about.

Today, Melvin serves in a media role for the Washington Mystics, something she dreamed of as a child, she said. She majored in communications at N.C. State, which paved the way for her post-retirement career.

“My whole dream, my entire dream before the pro teams came about, was to be the next Robin Roberts. So it’s kind of like I’m living backwards, so now I’m actually going after the dream I had in college and what I went to school for, and that was to become a sports analyst on-air talent,” the analyst said.

“This is my third year. I hadn’t really been public about it a lot. It’s not national TV, it’s on their app, but I’m enjoying it,” she shared.

Reach Brandt Young at (910) 247-9036, at [email protected], or on the Sampson Independent Facebook page.