On this week's edition of The IX Sports Podcast, Michael Waterloo and Melissa Triebwasser are joined by new University of Florida women's basketball head coach Tammi Reiss.

After a highly successful run turning around the program at Rhode Island, Tammi is making the leap to the SEC. She sat down with us to talk about the timing behind the move, how she leveraged community support to build a completely new roster through the transfer portal, and the exact cultural pillars she’s establishing in Gainesville this summer.

We also dive deep into player development, including her specific plan to refine Kyomi McMiller's elite skill set, what it was really like rooming and practicing with Dawn Staley at Virginia, and her journey from acting in LA to being a first-round pick in the inaugural 1997 WNBA draft.

The WNBA makes history once again??!! Howard Megdal and Jackie Powell are back on The IX Sports Podcast Women’s Basketball Edition to break down the recent news that the WNBA will be expanding to 50 regular season games in 2027. Also, Howard and Jackie react to the two teams facing off in the Commissioner’s Cup championship game, the New York Liberty and Las Vegas Aces. Later in the show The IX Sports’ Dallas Wings beat reporter Drake Keeler joins the show to shine light on all things Wings leading up to this point. And finally for our Court Vision segment, Jackie reveals what stands out to her most following the first returns of WNBA All-Star voting. 

0:00 - Introduction

2:47 -  # 1 at The IX

3:42 - What 50 regular season games means for the WNBA 

12:31 - Liberty vs. Aces in Commissioner’s Cup Championship

17:30 - Drake Keeler joins the show to discuss the Dallas Wings

25:08 - What is the ceiling of the Wings?

27:29 - Court Vision: Reaction to WNBA All-Star returns

34:41 - Join Howard on Zoom on Monday to discuss his All-Star votes

Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson (22) celebrates a shot after being fouled against the Phoenix Mercury in the first half at Mortgage Matchup Center. Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Links to click that are referenced throughout the show: 

Howard’s column from 2024 about the WNBA and NBA schedules: 

https://www.theixsports.com/features/rethinking-the-wnba-nba-seasons-kelly-krauskopf-talks-indiana-fever/

Read Drake’s coverage of the Dallas Wings:

https://www.theixsports.com/author/drake-keeler/

WNBA All-Star returns: 

https://www.wnba.com/news/2026-all-star-voting-first-returns

Follow us & Subscribe on: 

YouTube 

https://www.youtube.com/@TheIXSports

Spotify

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Apple Podcasts 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-ix-sports-podcast/id1845604905

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https://bsky.app/profile/theixsports.bsky.social

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The 2026 PWHL Entry Draft has come and gone, with 72 players hearing their names called by 12 different teams. With the first overall pick, the Vancouver Goldeneyes selected Caroline ‘KK’ Harvey, who won Gold and Olympic MVP at the Milano Cortina Olympics.

Host Maya Smith breaks down why Harvey is a good fit for the Vancouver Goldeneyes and talks about each player selected in the first round. She also highlights notable selections, Olympians, and a couple of interesting exclusions.

Lastly, the expansion process is finally wrapping up. Maya recaps the last two phases of expansion and talks about what’s left to do. The off-season is officially here, and there’s plenty of content still to come!

Caroline Harvey drafted first overall: https://www.theixsports.com/the-ice-garden/pwhl/pwhl-vancouver/vancouver-goldeneyes-draft-caroline-harvey-first-overall-in-2026-pwhl-draft/

Follow Maya on X: https://x.com/mayaxeverysport

Photo credit: PWHL

Maryland Women’s Basketball head coach Brenda Frese joins Melissa Triebwasser and Michael Waterloo for an incredible, wide-ranging conversation about her legendary 25-year tenure with the Terrapins.

Coach Frese pulls back the curtain on how she’s built a modern powerhouse, reflecting on last season’s gritty 24-win run despite a wave of injuries, and how she’s adapting to the new era of NIL, revenue sharing, and rapid roster turnover.

Photo Credit: USA Today via Reuters Connect

Are the Indiana Fever in crisis? That’s a question that Howard Megdal and Jackie Powell try to answer today on the latest episode of The IX Sports Podcast Women’s Basketball Edition. What are productive ways to be talking about the Fever: their successes and their current flaws as they may be? Later, Jackie shines some light on some data and reporting she collected to explain why we are talking about WNBA parity and what exactly that means. What does the WNBA draft and WNBA expansion have to do with it? What about coaches too? Lastly, the hosts dive into two interesting Commissioner’s Cup matchups tonight. What matchup matters most in Dream vs. Liberty and can the Chicago Sky find success against the Fever? 

0:00 - Introduction

0:52 - # 1 at The IX: Are the Fever in crisis?

2:37- What do we need to consider when discussing the Fever? 

24:39 - How and why parity has hit the WNBA

31:01 - Court Vision: What to Watch For on Thursday Night’s Slate

31:29 - Atlanta Dream vs. New York Liberty 

33:04 - Chicago Sky vs. Indiana Fever

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) brings the ball up court against the Washington Mystics during the third quarter at CareFirst Arena. Photo Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

Links to click that are referenced throughout the show: 

Howard’s recent column on the Fever:

https://www.theixsports.com/newsletter/caitlin-clark-reality-distortion-field-indiana-fever-discuss-win-basketball-insider/

Jackie writes about why there’s parity in the WNBA: 

https://www.nbcsports.com/wnba/news/wnba-notebook-the-wnbas-parity-era-has-arrived

Watch Hunter Cruse’s video grading all WNBA teams so far: 

https://youtu.be/v3d3yeWvxi8?t=761

Follow us & Subscribe on: 

YouTube 

https://www.youtube.com/@TheIXSports

Spotify

https://open.spotify.com/show/0vn5r287B0oS3wX2fHmLZ8?si=39f2fd261ec1467f

Apple Podcasts 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-ix-sports-podcast/id1845604905

BlueSky

https://bsky.app/profile/theixsports.bsky.social

Instagram 

https://www.instagram.com/theixsports/

Phase 2 of expansion is complete, and the newest PWHL expansion teams have all signed five new players... well, more or less.

Host Maya Smith and guest Giselle Velazquez introduce the 20 players headed to expansion teams in this phase. They also talk about the Hilary Knight situation and whether or not Detroit made the right decision to give up a draft pick.

Then, they dive into the PWHL Entry Draft coming up next week. Giselle breaks down whether Caroline Harvey is still the likely first overall pick and who might surprise us by going earlier than expected.

Check out The Ice Garden's NCAA coverage: https://www.theixsports.com/category/the-ice-garden/ncaa-hockey/

Check out The Ice Garden's expansion coverage: https://www.theixsports.com/category/the-ice-garden/pwhl/

Follow Giselle on X: https://x.com/emptyrink

Follow Maya on X: https://x.com/mayaxeverysport

Photo credit: PWHL

Host Kathleen Gier recaps both USWNT matches against Brazil, a 2-1 loss and 1-0 victory. She shares some thoughts from coach Emma Hayes and a few of her top takeaways:
- Sophia Wilson keeps hitting benchmarks
- The US has another shutout
- Forwards need to find a way to score
Shades of Blue Network: https://youtube.com/@shadesofbluenw

Photo credit: Darren Yamashita | Imagn Images
Video credit: US Soccer/Veritone

What does it actually take to play for Dawn Staley and build an unstoppable dynasty?

In this packed episode of The IX Sports Podcast, Melissa Triebwasser and Michael Waterloo bring you the ultimate look inside South Carolina Women’s Basketball. We sit down with Gamecock legends Zia Cooke and Te-Hina Paopao, as well as South Carolina beat writer Lulu Kesin, to break down the culture, the championships, and what makes this program different from anyone else in the country.

From Zia’s journey to the pros, to Te-Hina’s elite playmaking and leadership, and Lulu’s inside scoop from the press row, this is the definitive conversation on the past, present, and future of South Carolina hoops.

Was Cheryl Reeve born with magical powers? That’s a question that The IX Sports Podcast Women’s Basketball Edition ponders while discussing the hot start of the Minnesota Lynx. To gain clarity of how the Lynx are the best team in the WNBA right now, Howard and Jackie talk to Lynx beat reporter Terry Horstman who has been on the ground covering how the Lynx have done what they have without play from franchise player Napheesa Collier. Later in the show, Howard asks Jackie to take the listeners inside what it was like to witness Toronto Tempo head coach Sandy Brondello’s return to Barclays Center for the first time since her departure from the Liberty. And finally Howard and Jackie discuss what relevance the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup has even in an era when players salaries are much higher than they were when the Cup first began in 2021. 

0:00 - Introduction

1:56 - # 1 at The IX: unclear injury reports

5:05- Terry Horstman joins the show to discuss the Lynx

22:37- What was it like when Sandy Brondello returned to New York 

30:42 - Court Vision: Why the Commissioner’s Cup matters in 2026

Photo caption: Head coach Cheryl Reeve directs forward Natasha Howard against the Chicago Sky in the first quarter at Target Center. Photo Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

Links to click that are referenced throughout the show: 

Howard’s recent column on the Lynx:

https://www.theixsports.com/newsletter/death-taxes-and-the-minnesota-lynx-cheryl-reeve-talks-blowout-win/

Terry Horstman’s latest on the Lynx’s shooting: 

https://www.theixsports.com/features/courtney-williams-clutch-shooting-could-fuel-another-commissioners-cup-run-for-minnesota/

Jackie on Sandy Brondello’s return to New York: 

https://www.theixsports.com/features/sandy-brondello-return-to-new-york-liberty-served-reminder-legacy-toronto-tempo/

Jackie writes about why the Commissioner’s Cup still matters in 2026: 

https://www.nbcsports.com/wnba/news/wnba-notebook-why-the-commissioners-cup-still-matters-in-2026

Follow us & Subscribe on: 

YouTube 

https://www.youtube.com/@TheIXSports

Spotify

https://open.spotify.com/show/0vn5r287B0oS3wX2fHmLZ8?si=39f2fd261ec1467f

Apple Podcasts 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-ix-sports-podcast/id1845604905

BlueSky

https://bsky.app/profile/theixsports.bsky.social

Instagram 

https://www.instagram.com/theixsports/

The expansion distribution process is underway, and all eight existing PWHL teams have announced the three players they will protect going forward. Sarah Nurse, Aerin Frankel, Ann-Renée Desbiens, and more will stick with their teams, but what about Hilary Knight or Daryl Watts?

Host Maya Smith breaks down what protection choices make sense and which ones are a bit confusing. Plus, she talks about the Goldeneyes firing their head coach right before expansion.

Then Editor-in-Chief of The Ice Garden, Mike Murphy, joins to chat about the PWHL salary situation. Mike and Maya talk about what the salary disclosure means, the progress that has been made, and what is yet to come for PWHL players.

Follow Maya on X: https://x.com/mayaxeverysport

Mike's historical stats: https://theirhockeycounts.com/

Maya on Vancouver's coaching situation: https://www.theixsports.com/the-ice-garden/pwhl/pwhl-vancouver/vancouver-goldeneyes-lose-fourth-in-five-gamesRead more hockey on the IX Sports: https://www.theixsports.com/hockey-newsroom/

Photo credit: PWHL