...Buhlieve it!!

I am breaking down everything you need to know about the StudBudz, the iconic duo of Minnesota Lynx players Courtney Williams and Natisha Hiedeman.

You'll learn about their high school and college days, how they became best friends and my thoughts on why their popularity skyrocketed this season (yes, it has something to do with their 72-hour livestream over All Star Weekend).

Articles used in this episode:

Vogue: It's StudBudz Season and Everyone is Watching

SLAM Magazine: StudBudz: Welcome to the Party

Players' Tribune: Courtney Williams is a Problem

Green Bay Press Gazette: Talents go beyond court for Southwest's Hiedeman

Helloooo women's basketball fans! For this episode of the HomeStans Podcast, we wanted to just reminisce for a bit. We are both giving our top 5 favorite moments of the season as well as analyzing some of our favorite tunnel fits.

For visuals, watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcG1NnBljnc

Or follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, etc. @homestanspod

Producer's Note: This was recorded before Game 4 of the WNBA Finals (congratulations, Aces!).

Mia and Chris detail Game 3 of the WNBA Finals and dissect how the Aces got this far with such a shaky start to the season. There were also plenty of fun and important off-court moments this week, like developments with the CBA, Nate Tibbetts comments that continue to test Mia's patience, and the announcement of a WNBA player being the first professional athlete to be a Victoria's Secret Angel!

We also have a few hot takes on the final All-WNBA team awards...

Whew, quite a few headlines around the WNBA this week! Today, we discuss:

• Fever vs. Aces series
• Napheesa Collier's comments on WNBA officiating, pay and leadership
• Cheryl Reeve's fines and suspension and noticing those who have not voiced support (looking at you, Nate Tibbetts)
• Dallas Wings' Chris Koclanes is fired
• We find out while recording that Jane Goodall has passed away :( RIP
• Aces vs. Mercury finals match-up

We also mention Chris' good friend, Bonnie Ford and her very profound statement on Collier's statements. Mia mentioned Ford's book "Choosing to Run" about runner Des Linden. It's an AMAZING read. Here's a link to buy: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/choosing-to-run-des-linden/1141726885?ean=9780593186640

Mia is bravely putting her COVID-induced, stuffy voice on display to bring you the latest in 2025 WNBA Semifinals, wild coaching shakeups and why the Jonas Brothers have been dominating WNBA Twitter in the last few days.

Chapters:00:00-Introduction and Game Two Overview

01:26-Phoenix Mercury vs. Minnesota Lynx Recap

04:10-Las Vegas Aces vs. Indiana Fever Analysis

09:36-Coaching Shakeups in the WNBA

13:05-Sandy Brandello's Surprising Firing

23:33-Fashion and Coaching in the WNBA

28:14-Cultural Shifts in Women's Sports

Articles mentioned:

Ben Pickman for the Athletic: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6656968/2025/09/24/new-york-liberty-coaching-candidates-sandy-brondello/Emma Childs for Marie Claire:

https://www.marieclaire.com/fashion/sandy-brondello-new-york-liberty-head-coach-work-style/

And then there were four! Chris and Mia break down the first round of the WNBA playoffs and the winners of Rookie of the Year, Most Improved Player, Coach of the Year and Co-Defensive Player(s) of the Year.

What went wrong with the New York Liberty? How will Mia survive the Seattle Storm getting so close to knocking out the Aces? We answer these burning questions and more!

Happy WNBA Playoffs to all who celebrate <3

In this solo episode, Mia summarizes the first games of the first round of the 2025 WNBA playoffs and what storylines are particularly entertaining about each matchup.

HomeStans will be uploading these shorter playoff recaps throughout the postseason in addition to the usual episodes!

Cheers to the most wonderful time of the year to those who celebrate!

OK.... wow! There are quite a few moving parts with this one. We took a look at the potential outcomes for the Connecticut Sun after their current ownership, the Mohegan Tribe, decided to sell.

Will they stay in Connecticut? Will the WNBA have their cake and eat it too? Are there some bids being made in bad faith? We get into it!

On this week's episode, we dive deep into one of our favorite topics when it comes to the WNBA: the officiating.

While fans, players and coaches complain about the refs in every sport, something feels a little different in the W. We did some digging into how the refs in the league get trained, how the model differs from their male counterparts in the NBA and what's being done to address the issue.

Articles referenced:

• Fever's Cunningham fined again for comments about WNBA refs: https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/46131834/wnba-2025-power-rankings-best-case-scenarios-playoffs-seeding
• How WNBA referees are scouted, trained, and held accountable, explained: https://www.sbnation.com/2025/1/3/24330571/wnba-officiating-referees-womens-basketball-cheryl-reeve-liberty-lynx-caitlin-clark-monty-mccutchen
• WNBA officiating faces scrutiny heading into All-Star break: https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/45740425/wnba-all-star-break-officiating-criticism

Follow us on:

TikTok: @homestans.pod

Instagram and Facebook: @homestanspod

It may be fantasy football draft season, but we wanted an excuse to talk about some of our favorite WNBA players. On this episode of HomeStans, we hold our 2025 (for fun/means nothing/randomly timed) HomeStans WNBA draft.

Who's taking the gold: Team Chris or Team Mia?!