The Comeback: Today’s Top Sports Stories & Reactions
“It’s a lot easier to go to, I think, top programs and just win,” Mikayla Blakes said in January after leading the No. 12-ranked Vanderbilt Commodores over the No. 5 LSU Tigers. “I wanted to do the uncommon thing.”
Now, those same Commodores are ranked fifth in the country, and within striking distance of a 1 seed for the upcoming NCAA tournament, and Blakes is leading Division I in scoring with 26.6 PPG
As great as Blakes has been, it was head coach Shea Ralph who convinced her to overhaul the program and turn it into a national contender.
“We have a vision, standards, and values. I think, a lot of times, people read that and roll their eyes,” Ralph said, per Sports Illustrated. “But look at what it’s doing.”
Ralph learned the trade, both as a player and a coach, at the most storied program in Women’s basketball, UConn, under legendary head coach Geno Auriemma. Auriemma advised Ralph to wait until she found an athletic director who shared her values and vision to accept a head coaching job.
Then Ralph met Candace Storey Lee, Vanderbilt’s AD, who played at Vanderbilt herself. Lee’s vision for overhauling the program felt worth exploring, then of course, there was the introduction of NIL and a less restrictive transfer portal.
“The landscape was changing, but that didn’t mean that we had to change who we are or how we operate,” Ralph said.
“I still believed that we could win and be developmental, and I still was really committed to helping these kids grow. Because at the end of the day, yes, NIL is a thing, the transfer portal is a thing, college sports is still this huge business, but these are still kids.”
Now, Ralph and Blakes’ unwavering confidence has the Dores poised to win the SEC, the toughest conference in women’s college basketball, but they know that higher goals are attainable as well.
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.
This could get ugly.
A fitting reunion.
“He’s tailor-made for Mike McCarthy’s system.”
You’ll want to snag these this summer.
Time is running out.
U.S. skiing legend Lindsey Vonn suffered a devastating crash that ended her run at the 2026 Winter Olympics…
This could get ugly.
A fitting reunion.
“He’s tailor-made for Mike McCarthy’s system.”
You’ll want to snag these this summer.
Time is running out.
U.S. skiing legend Lindsey Vonn suffered a devastating crash that ended her run at the 2026 Winter Olympics…
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