"Every athlete dies twice."

"Every athlete dies twice.  Once when they take their last breath and the other when they hang it up." - (Original version, since this quote has been modified numerous times, is credited to Roger Kahn, The Boys of Summer.)

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Last night was the death of the 2017-2018 UConn Women's Basketball team.  With two graduating seniors, that group won't play as the same unit ever again.  A similar - but different - team will be born in the fall for the 2018-2019 campaign.  It will look about 90% like this one, but with the departure of Gabby Williams and Kia Nurse, it just won't be the same.  This outgoing team lost a hard-fought battle in overtime to long-time rival Notre Dame, 91-89, in a spectacular Final Four game.  Almost all sports teams change season after season, so win or lose, the last game of the season is the death of any team.  But after last year's stunning end and this one looking so similar, my heart is broken for the Huskies.

I feel like I'm in mourning... a little numb from the replays of the last minute bucket that gave Notre Dame the W.  I also sit back and appreciate how much better the Women's Basketball NCAA Tournament has gotten.  Beyond that - how much better women's basketball has gotten.  Period.  I grew up without a WNBA and now these college athletes have had years to watch professional women's basketball and strive to achieve a life in professional sports.  Both final four games went into overtime for the first time, ever.  The rise of the Mississippi State Women's Basketball team, new to the top echelon in the past three years, is only one symptom of  improving parity to the game. Sixth seeded Oregon State's team has also had increased success the past three seasons with a respectable upset of #2 seeded Baylor.  There were 11 seeds upsetting the 6 and 3 seeds all over the bracket.  There were some really, really good basketball games all season long.  And we don't even need to talk about how much better the Women's Final Four games were to watch than the Kansas vs Villanova men's game tonight.

And what about off the court?  ESPN-W published this piece on 11 of the 12 assistant coaches in the final four, who happen to all be women.  There is only 1 female head coach, Muffet McGraw from Notre Dame, in the Final Four (and now she's 1 of 2 in the Championship Game).  But there are so many more female commentators and reporters providing game coverage - including Hall of Famer Rebecca Lobo, Kara Lawson, and Holly Rowe who have each elevated the game with their contributions in such a significant way.

The loss hurts, but the underlying truth is so much more valuable.  I can't wait to watch the National Championship game, and then it'll be time for the WNBA Draft with the WNBA season starting just a few weeks later.  In the women's basketball world, we get to watch our sport year-round, and I couldn't be happier.  The Huskies will be back soon enough.

#BleedBlue