Unrivaled began their second season on Monday, Jan. 5, debuting two new teams, the Breeze Basketball Club and Hive Basketball Club.
Breeze features a young crew including Paige Bueckers, drafted as the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA. Hive features a mix of younger and more experienced players from the league, including No. 2 overall pick Kelsey Mitchell.
Since Unrivaled kicked off its second season, Breeze has already proven to be a dominant team with strong performances to begin the season. On the other hand, Hive has struggled to gain momentum but still shows promising talent.
Breeze is currently ranked No. 3 in Unrivaled with a 3-2 record, just behind Laces and Rose, the defending champions of the league.
The team consists of Bueckers, Cameron Brink, Kate Martin, Dominique Malonga, Aari McDonald and Rickea Jackson, with Noelle Quinn as the head coach. The team began with a 2-0 start but suffered two consecutive losses to Rose and Vinyl.
The squad quickly bounced back with a dominant 83-64 win over Mist. The win solidified why Bueckers was the No. 1 pick in the league.
Bueckers scored 37 points and contributed eight rebounds and five assists, showcasing the completeness of her game. Brink was also dominant, contributing 18 points, with Malonga contributing defensively with nine rebounds.
The win also featured an individual achievement for Bueckers with a win of the Inaugural Unrivaled Free Throw Challenge. To be included in the competition, players had to compete in a minimum of three of the first five games and have a minimum of six free throw attempts. Bueckers made 13-of-13 of her free throws over the first five games, giving her the top percentage and number of free throws, outperforming other players who shot perfectly but with fewer attempts. Bueckers received a cash prize of $50,000 for the win. Hive is currently ranked No. 7 with a 1- 4 record, just ahead of Lunar Owls, who are currently ranked last in the league. The team consists of Mitchell, Sonia Citron, Saniya Rivers, Ezi Magbegor, Monique Billings and Natisha Hiedeman with Rena Wakama as the head coach. The team shows early potential with blocks and steals but has struggled with poor shot selection leading to giving up easy baskets despite a talented roster.
The team displayed their potential in a close 78-75 win over Rose, delivering Rose their first loss of the season and locking in their first and currently only win of the season. Multiple players shot in the double figures, with Mitchell leading with 24 points, overpowering Rose’s team leader Chelsea Gray. Rose largely relied on Gray in the game, who recorded 36 points, but the win was truly a team effort for the Hive with Rivers, Citron, Magebegor, Billings, Rivers and Mitchell all in the double digits.
The team struggled in the following game against Phantom. The Hive struggled to make three-pointers and defend a dominant Phantom duo of Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Plum. The team also struggled to build chemistry together, despite four individuals scoring in the double digits. Even with the struggles of the Hive, their individual successes and dominant wins display that they are not a team to be counted out.
The Unrivaled season has just begun with an exciting start, leaving each of the eight teams with at least one loss to start the season. As the season goes on, Breeze will look to keep their spot at the top of the league, while Hive will look to find momentum building off their win against Rose.