4 of the unique Unequalled champions, in addition to head coach Nola Henry, will return to Rose BC for one more go on the three-on-three title.
“Bienvenidos a Miami,” girls’s basketball.
A few of the recreation’s most interesting are taking their abilities (again) to South Seaside because the second season of Unequalled is ready to tip off on Jan. 5.
Co-founded by Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart and backed by a lauded group of buyers, Unequalled is a home three-on-three league that may and is supposed to host extra localized offseason endeavors for gamers who’ve made their names within the WNBA. Many acquainted faces are making their method again to the motion, which is able to briefly make its strategy to Philadelphia, whereas others will be a part of the fray for the primary time.
In anticipation of tip-off, Ballislife takes a have a look at every of the eight squads in a devoted evaluation. Our previews are in full bloom with a have a look at the unique champs, as Rose BC is subsequent on the record…
RELATED PREVIEWS | BREEZE BC | HIVE BC | LACES BC | LUNAR OWLS | MIST BC | PHANTOM BC | VINYL BC
The Crew: Rose BCThe Debut: 8-6 (gained 2025 Unequalled championship)The Coach: Nola Henry (2nd season)
The Crew
—Shakira Austin—Kahleah Copper*—Chelsea Grey*—Lexie Hull*—Azurà Stevens—Sug Sutton
(*returning to staff)
A great little bit of final 12 months’s championship group stopped to scent the roses once more, even when such expertise comes with a small asterisk. Rose retains 4 girls from the title run that scratched Vinyl within the last, together with the double-double heroine Azurà Stevens (19 factors, 18 rebounds within the finale).
The familiarity is headlined by hardwood royalty with Chelsea “Level Gawd” Grey because of return for one more go. An Unequalled championship (which additionally granted her title recreation MVP honors) was however the begin of a embellished 2025 for Grey, who additionally donned her fourth WNBA Finals ring.
Can Rose BC Repeat as Unequalled Champions?
Taking pictures simply over 45 p.c from each two and three-point vary, Grey had her foot in lots of South Seaside swimming pools final season, additionally averaging almost six assists per recreation when no returning Rose rep had greater than 1.6 in the identical class.
Compelled to make use of quite a lot of medical substitutes en path to the title (i.e., Ariel Atkins, Natisha Hiedeman), Rose is on the lookout for some type of consistency behind her within the type of Sug Sutton, who makes her Unequalled debut after a busy return to the Washington Mystics.
Different returnees embrace Lexie Hull and Stevens, who every posted career-best WNBA seasons after a winter in Miami. Hull’s wholesome reckless abandon on protection helped the depleted Indiana Fever save its season, whereas Stevens inched nearer to averaging a double-double whereas she polished her three-on-three medals from Crew USA endeavors. Each Hull and Stevens partook in all 44 video games final season in sensible tributes to their longevity.
Rose proved to be a bit thorny within the paint, dominating Unequalled’s authentic rebounding ledgers (averaging over 37 rebounds per recreation whereas no different squad broke previous 34). That, in fact, got here with the departed Angel Reese on patrol, however Henry’s discovered the perfect substitute in Shakira Austin, who adopted up a sterling comeback season within the nation’s capital with championship honors on the FIBA AmeriCup three-on-three match.
The Highlight’s On: Kahleah Copper
All that and extra does not consider the absence/return of Kahleah Copper, who was pressured to absorb many of the winter proceedings (together with the championship recreation) with an damage.
In seven showings, Copper was a cherished asset within the mid-range recreation to the tune of 51 p.c within the space whereas pulling in six rebounds per recreation earlier than he was pressured to depart. Aftershocks of the damage appeared to hold over within the WNBA season (the place her respectable averages are confirmed pedestrian by Copper’s golden requirements), however she managed to rediscover her spark in the course of the Phoenix Mercury’s run to the WNBA Finals.
A standard theme of Henry’s retainers is the concept the squad isn’t preventing to defend a championship however reasonably merely to earn one other. That feeling maybe rings very true with Copper, who was decreased to a spectator at Wayfair Enviornment final time round.
Because the 2024 Olympics proved, a chip on Copper’s shoulder—one that may be thought of further sharp after a championship redemption was partly denied by the divine intervention of Grey and the Las Vegas Aces—is without doubt one of the most harmful weapons in basketball. The Unequalled courtroom is without doubt one of the few locations that hasn’t realized that fairly but, so count on Copper to be on the marquee if Rose returns to its championship backyard.
They Mentioned It
“We’re not dwelling an excessive amount of in final season. This season is about simply competing with this group. Whereas we’ve some returning gamers, a brand new season will convey new alternatives, new challenges. I am approaching this season with the identical demeanor and strategy that I had final 12 months [while] difficult us to chase the next customary. It was good to win final 12 months, however final 12 months is over with… It is probably not a lot about defending the title as a lot as it’s chasing one other one. We’re not defending something. It is a matter of simply making an attempt to chase the next customary.”—Henry on being the defending champions
“Final 12 months, it took each single individual on our staff, after which we had gamers that stepped in, and it took all of them, too. It was so thrilling to win a championship final 12 months. That mentioned, I feel we’re actually excited concerning the two new faces we’ve with Rose. They convey actually nice issues that we’d like. I feel, transferring ahead, we’ll convey that vitality and people relationships we created from final 12 months, however it is a new 12 months. I feel, beginning contemporary, constructing collectively, attending to know one another on and off the courtroom, I feel that is what we’re actually going to give attention to the primary few weeks… It is thrilling to see how the group meshes. With new individuals, the dynamics change slightly bit, and it’ll be thrilling to get to know them and construct some actually good staff chemistry.”—Hull on working with the newcomers
Outlook
Familiarity typically breeds contempt. Right here, it may foster a repeat.
The adjustments to Rose are seismic but delicate: Copper not less than has the ebook information of what Henry and Co. established final 12 months, whereas it should not take lengthy for the respective skillsets of Austin and Sutton to work their magic.
Mix that with Grey’s heavenly stroke and distribution, the seemingly-indestructible antics of Hull and Stevens, and Henry’s continued sidelined showcase (to not point out an energetic growth pool if medical bother arises), and Rose ought to achieve not less than a chance to guard its title come March.
There will probably be an instantaneous alternative for Rose to water its championship mettle: issues open with a primetime bout with the Lunar Owls (who may even function Rose’s opponent in a return to Copper’s house space of Philadelphia) in what many felt was the presumptive championship match final 12 months earlier than a title recreation rematch with Vinyl looms. The opening week caps off with the surging children of Breeze.
Schedule
Rose BC Schedule
Date
Opponent
Approx. Time (ET), TV
January 5
Lunar Owls
8 p.m., TNT/TruTV
January 9
Vinyl
7:30 p.m., TNT/TruTV
January 11
Breeze
7:30 p.m., TruTV
January 16
Hive
8:45 p.m., TNT/TruTV
January 18
Laces
7:30 p.m., TruTV
January 23
Mist
7:30 p.m., TNT/TruTV
January 25
Phantom
2:15 p.m., TruTV
January 30
Lunar Owls (@ Philadelphia)
8:45 p.m. TNT/TruTV
February 1
Breeze
8:45 p.m., TruTV
February 7
Vinyl
7:30 p.m., TruTV
February 9
Mist
8:45 p.m., TNT/TruTV
February 20
Hive
8:45 p.m., TNT/TruTV
February 22
Laces
8:45 p.m., TruTV
February 27
Phantom
1 p.m., TruTV
Earlier Previews
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
