:( Watkins will miss the remainder of the season

Below is what Coach Washington had to say about Kiyomi missing the USC game. These are the words of someone who cares about her players as humans first and not only as a “Product”, and I really hope Kiyomi starts listening to these type of adults instead of “advisors” like Ellerbe.

*"The thing with Kiyomi is - we're going to keep it internal," Washington said. "Somebody sent me a post that the Kansas State men's basketball coach said at this recent press conference and talked about his faith and how he sees coaching as a ministry. And what he does it terms meeting and connecting with the young men on his team springs from his perception, understanding that what he does is a ministry.

"For me, coaching is not just about what happens on the court on game day, it's about how we impact these young women that are in our program in all aspects from their character to their growth into womanhood into their decision-making. I see my role as a coach as being more than X's and O's and wins and losses but how am I impacting young women in my care? That's always going to be first and foremost.*

Utah breathe a sigh of relief as head coach Gavin Petersen told the media that she suffered a high ankle sprain on her left ankle and that it was not season ending. Still a tough loss with Kansas State, Baylor, and TCU all coming up within the next 10 days.

https://www.deseret.com/sports/2025/01/07/kennady-mcqueen-injury-update-playing-status-utah-womens-basketball/

It's that time of the season where the parasocial be parasocialing, where people are accusing 19 year olds of devious schemes and deception, where speculation abounds over injuries and rotations and everything else, where conspiracy theories about people trying to like, stay in college until they're 30 to evade the WNBA draft are swirling. In short, it's that time of the season where fans are creating so much drama around a sport that is -- at its core -- about students learning, developing, and growing their skillsets.

ie, We older-than-college-aged fans need to chill out and try to remember what it's all about: joy, teamwork, and growth.

I'll start.

My favorite Sparty joy thing:

I'm a faculty member at MSU, and I can tell you that my favorite thing about our team under Robin Fralick isn't just how GOOD we've gotten -- it's how absolutely joyful the team is when they're together. At home games where I've got season tix, it's not only common but pretty much a given that we will see some TikTok dancing, slow twerking, teasing of the coaches, and uproarious cheering from the players on the sidelines. They make each other laugh constantly. They dance. They smile. They're clearly having fun.

This matters to me because I see these players and others their age in my classroom. I know that this is a tender age -- everyone wants to be an adult but there's a lot of anxiety, and stress, and trying to "get it right," and pressure from the adults in their lives. Really, they're kids. I say that affectionately. I know how hard people their age are trying to make a life for themselves and find their way. I also know how much the world surrounding young adults does most of what it can to rob them of joy and peace -- whether its dismal job market prospects, or the state of the world, or new things to feel pressured about or insecure about. So when I see young people in a healthy environment (meaning, like, not just at the cLuB or something) where they're clearly showing joy and even more clearly feeling loved and supported -- maaaaan, for me, that's the business. That's what it's all for. That is all any of us can or should be wishing for the young adults in our lives. Some teams, I see how stressed they look the whole game and I wish that wasn't the culture surrounding them. The MSU Spartans have laughter and dancing and I love that for them.

I'll note, too, that Fralick really understands this. She has said many times in interviews "I see them through the eyes of my eight year old," referencing the things she admires in her players and the way they treat one another. She sees that they are good people, good role models, and that they need support and care to keep growing into being those things.

So that's my favorite joy: seeing their joy and knowing they feel loved by one another and their coaches.

My favorite Sparty growth thing: I feel like Fralick must make them watch film and then say, "What ELSE could you be doing?" Because the longer players play within her system, the more active they become on the court. If you watch individual players closely, you will be able to see that they're actively working on developing specific skillsets during the season and sometimes you can even clock the debut of a new skill or a new level of permission. There's a lot of cohesion and high-IQ ball going on for Sparty, and I think a lot of it comes from some sort of framework where they're constantly told that any moment they're on the court, they should be doing something. And then perfecting those somethings. I can still remember when, last season, we seemed to unlock shot blocking. For this year, it's watching them manifest one of the finest full-court presses you'll see.