Although this was the way I was brought into the world of collegiate basketball, the reality is quite the opposite. Much to the surprise of my 12-year-old self, women’s basketball at all levels has significantly fewer followers compared to men’s.

Since 2021, however, this narrative has begun to change. Over the past couple years, there has been an influx of new talent among collegiate women. Some of the biggest recent names — University of Connecticut guard Paige Bueckers, Stanford University forward Cameron Brink, University of Iowa guard Caitlin Clark, Louisiana State University forward Angel Reese and University of Southern California guard JuJu Watkins — bring so much talent and skill to the court that women’s basketball has become impossible to ignore.

In 2024, arguably the most famous of these names would be Clark. The 6-foot senior’s deadliness from the three-point line has consistently brought her national attention, but it wasn’t until she started smashing long-held records that her talent truly went viral. On Feb. 15, Clark broke the National Collegiate Athletic Association scoring record set by two-time WNBA national champion Kelsey Plum at 3, 527 points, scoring 49 points in one game to bring her total up to 3,569 points. If that wasn’t legendary enough, Clark went on to break the all-time scoring record of any woman or man in Division I basketball, set by Pete Maravich, a Louisiana State guard who went on to play in the NBA. His record had stood for 54 years at 3,667 points before Clark broke it by scoring 35 points against Ohio State University, bringing her tally to 3,684 points.

Needless to say, Clark is one of the most deco- rated women to ever pick up a basketball — and she hasn’t even started a professional career. Leading the Hawkeyes, Clark flushed the University of Connecticut out of the March Madness Final Four on April 5, ending senior Paige Bueckers’ college career. Bueckers, another icon of this current era, has been riddled with injuries for a large portion of her college career: She was out with a knee injury for most of her sophomore year, returning just in time to lead her team to a national champion- ship. There, Bueckers tore her ACL, leading her to miss her entire junior season. In her senior year, Bueckers has beaten the odds, proving she is still an elite player as the 2023-24 Big East scholar-athlete of the year, an Associated Press First Team All-American and a member of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association’s 2023-24 Women’s All-America Team.

Also on this All-American team is Stanford’s Brink. The 6-foot-4 senior is an absolute powerhouse inside the paint, her unmatched skill bringing her national attention. Selected as the 2023-24 Pacific-12 Conference women’s player of the year and defensive player of the year, Brink is just as decorated as Bueckers and Clark, and has led her team to many victories.

A new player on the scene, USC’s Watkins is carving her own path, showing endless potential in her freshman season. The 6-foot-2 guard is averaging an insane 27.1 points per game (in their freshman seasons, Brink, Bueckers and Clark averaged 9.9, 20.0 and 26.6 points per game, respectively). Although the Trojans did take a dive out of the March Madness Elite Eight to Bueckers and the Huskies, basketball fans can’t wait to see Watkins’ next season.

Whether it’s stewing over the next All-Star 3-point contest (possibly involving Caitlin Clark), or keeping an eye out for courtside Warriors guard Stephen Curry (who is the son of Dell Curry, Brink’s godfather) at the Maples Pavilion, collegiate women’s basketball is catching fire and no one can look away. However, this ground-breaking talent isn’t the only thing raising the audience numbers.

Women’s basketball has shown it has a flair that men’s basketball just can’t match, whether that be the unbelievable outfits Louisiana State head coach Kim Mulkey wears while leading her team, or the increased intensity of play. Being the animated coach that she is, it only feels right that Mulkey has the craziest style of anyone in the realm of college basketball, from bedazzled and feathered blazers to tiger-print suits. Countless videos of her circle the internet, with her screaming herself hoarse at a referee while the ruffled sleeves of her jacket shake and her pump heels click against the court. A true icon of women’s collegiate basketball, Mulkey is just one non-player aspect that keeps viewers wanting more.

As for the increased intensity of play, there’s been an uptick in physical altercations in women’s ball over the past couple years — and the publicity surrounding them. Not uncommon in men’s games, fights between players are a rarity in women’s games. As to be expected, the NCAA has a zero-tolerance policy toward unnecessary violence, but that doesn’t stop the fact that an explosion of emotion can sometimes be one of the most interesting parts of a game. Viewers (including myself) go wild for a good, juicy fight and love seeing passion and emotions running high on the court.

While March Madness may be over, with the University of South Carolina Gamecocks coming off an undefeated season to take the tournament win over Clark and the Hawkeyes, the fame of women’s basketball will continue growing. All eyes may be looking at the collegiate competition right now, but fans will follow these idols past graduation — Clark, Brink and countless other collegiate firecrackers have already declared for the WNBA draft on April 15, with Clark projected as the top pick.

My 12-year-old perception of the popularity of women’s basketball was plainly incorrect, but the tables are turning. A new era of basketball is upon us — one that brings women’s sports one step closer to the recognition that they deserve. One that lets little girls stand at the three-point line and not dream of being the next Stephen Curry, but the next Caitlin Clark.

Although the local rivalry between Gunn and Paly doesn’t quite bring this level of drama — barring incidents like September 2022’s football game, which was canceled due to student misbehavior — Gunn athletes find that it has its own intensity and competitive spirit.

When it comes to basketball, boys varsity team co-captain senior Ethan Fu feels that the larger crowds that rivalry games attract create an immense pressure to win.

“The crowd is always huge (when we play) Paly, and it’s disorienting at first,” he said. “But the pressure from the crowd isn’t just pressure to represent my school, but also pressure to show (up) for my friends and family who are there watching me.”

Varsity point guard junior Sam Little also highlighted the benefits of playing to an audience.

“The fan turnout definitely makes our team play better,” he said. “It keeps us alert and more in touch.”

Although Little acknowledges the idea of home-court advantage, he believes his wins and losses mean more when they happen at Paly.

“Especially when we play Paly at their home court, there’s this feeling of, ‘I want to crush this team in front of their own support, on their own home turf,’” Little said. “Above all, the game just feels more competitive.”

Both Fu and Little also emphasized how being the underdogs — Gunn is usually projected to lose matchups against Paly — imbues a game with extra emotional charge. While Paly has to defend their previous wins, Gunn is able to fight from the bottom up.

“When we win, it’s especially gratifying,” Fu said. “(It) feels like we’ve beaten the odds.”

Girls varsity lacrosse team member junior Sophia Howell finds an opposite dynamic to be true for her team, which has won every game against Paly since the 2021 season.

“Most of the pressure the team faces when it comes to playing Paly is around maintaining our winning streak,” she said. “But at the same time, having wins behind us alleviates pressure while playing.”

According to Howell, there isn’t much of a difference in crowd size when their team plays against Paly, so spectators don’t play a role in raising the stakes. However, similar to the competitiveness the Gunn boys basketball team brings as the underdogs, Paly girls varsity lacrosse brings its own spirit, fighting to break Gunn’s winning streak.

“We play a pretty clean game and tend to keep our cool (as a team), but when Paly is down (on the score-board), the game gets more physical and they sometimes commit petty fouls,” she said.

Fu sees a similar pattern in basketball.

“Both our team and Paly’s are pretty well disciplined, so I don’t think a fight or anything would ever break out, but it gets chippy out there sometimes,” he said. “It gets more physical, harder fouls, harder defense, but it’s all part of the game. That’s what makes it fun.”

For girls varsity track-and-field member senior Avery Adelman, the Gunn-Paly rivalry manifests itself differently due to the nature of her sport. Adelman competes in the 400-meter dash and 300-meter hurdles — both non-contact, individual events — which present a new kind of competition.

“For track, it’s less about racing your opponents and more about racing for time,” Adelman said.

Even so, she found that competing against Paly with the rest of the varsity girls team brought them together in a special way.

“In the last season, varsity girls beat Paly and we were all so excited on the way home,” Adelman said. “It definitely would’ve been a different feeling if we beat (another high school) or something, but we beat our cross-town rivals, so it felt like a big deal.”

However, the cross-town rivalry runs deeper. Last season, Paly runner Hillary Studdert — who is the sister of this article’s author — was one of Adelman’s biggest competitors.

“In the 400(-meter dash), Hillary had times that were similar to mine, so I was always really nervous before we (met) with Paly,” she said. “I was also just really excited to race because I knew she would push me to run a fast time whether she beat me or not. It was all good energy and she was a great competitor.”

Adelman feels that the local aspect of the rivalry makes the competition more personal.

“The girls who I run against from Paly, I’ve mainly ran against before,” she said. “We get to talk here and there, so there’s always a kind of sense that I know who I’m running against, which makes me want to compete harder.”

Fu also finds a sense of familiarity among his Paly opponents.

“A lot of the kids that I grew up playing club basketball with now play for Paly, so I’m friends with basically the whole team,” he said. “It adds a mix of intensity and fun, which you can’t find really with any other team.”

Senior Reed Flinchbaugh, an avid “pickler,” plays pickleball up to five times a week.

“My parents played (pickleball) a lot, and at the beginning of junior year I just went out with (my friend) and hit the ball around,” he said. “After that, we decided to go every weekend.”

Flinchbaugh’s love for and commitment to the sport quickly grew, and he began to play at the Mitchell Park courts in his spare time.

“They’re the best courts in Palo Alto, and people come from all over (the Bay) to play there,” he said.

Junior Sam Little also plays at the Mitchell Park courts, as well as at the Foothills Tennis and Swimming Club. He starting playing in 2021 while in Lake Tahoe.

“On the weekends, it’s always packed,” Little said, regarding the Mitchell Park courts. “You have to figure out how to share the courts and play with other people.”

Little acknowledges that, though he enjoys playing with friends, playing against someone new is also a rewarding experience.

“There have been times where I’ve gone (to play) alone, and some random stranger will come and play with me,” he said.

Freshman Jeronimo Garcia Gutierrez only started playing earlier this year, but has also felt the positive presence of pickleball strangers.

“They’re not strangers for long,” he said. “It’s usually just older people and me and my friends, and they’re always offering help and encouragement.”

Pickleball is often dubbed a “senior sport” since a large proportion of players are over 60 years old, but as a young pickler, Little views this dynamic positively.

“I think it’s really great for the community that older people are able to come out to the courts — not just to stay active but to do something they enjoy, like a hobby,” Little said.

Flinchbaugh expressed similar thoughts about pickleball’s unique demographic, noting that he enjoys his time with the age-diverse group of people.

“I don’t really have any connection to people above the age of 30 aside from my parents,” he said. “But with all the different people I meet at the courts, I see them around town sometimes and can say like, ‘Oh hey, what’s up?’ and suddenly I have a friend who’s 80 years old.”

At Gunn, the Pickleball Club meets every Friday at lunch at the outdoor basketball courts. Little said he attended once, but hasn’t been back due to the time it takes to set up the nets. “I was really only able to get into one, or maybe half (of) a game,” he said. “I didn’t think it was worth my lunch to play that short of an amount.”

Though pickleball has taken Palo Alto by storm, Little wishes the pickle scene were more developed elsewhere.

“There have been times when I was traveling where I’ve really wanted to play, but there have been no courts near me,” he said. “I wish more cities and towns would invest in the sport because I think it will bring a lot of people out and they’ll really get into it.”

Little and Flinchbaugh both praised the inclusivity and welcoming spirit of the pickleball community, encouraging others to join.

“If you can, hop on the wave early,” Flinchbaugh said. “It’s fast-growing, but you can have a head start on everyone else, and (even) better, join our community.”

Rapper Travis Scott released his highly anticipated fourth studio album, “UTOPIA,” on July 28. Over the album’s 19 tracks, Scott guides listeners through a musical journey exploring the subjectiveness of a perfect world. With impeccable production and a star-studded feature list, this album is a strong contender for the Album of the Year award.

The album’s rollout was lengthy and sporadic, partially due to legal controversy following Scott’s Astroworld Festival, which resulted in numerous attendee deaths and injuries. Additionally, his legendary “ASTROWORLD,” released five years ago, set a high bar for “UTOPIA.”

Scott brought back fan-favorite hidden features, rewarding listeners with thrilling surprises such as Drake’s appearance on “MELTDOWN,” an experience comparable to the shock of hearing his iconic verse on “SICKO MODE” five years ago. Although Scott’s recent features on albums like Metro Boomin’s “HEROES & VILLAINS” and Don Toliver’s “Love Sick” were impressive, he missed the mark with his verses when it came to his own album. Scott was simply outperformed by collaborators — especially SZA, with her levitation-inducing vocals on “TELEKINESIS,” and 21 Savage on “TOPIA TWINS.”

Scott likely prioritized having a well-produced album over focusing on his own rapping. His production conforms to his usual psychedelic style, combined with dark, atmospheric synth. Listeners may also notice the influence of Ye (formerly known as Kanye West): Aside from the tracks he helped produce, like “GOD’S COUNTRY,” the album shares a similar overall sound to Ye’s 2013 album, “Yeezus,” which Scott collaborated on. Although Scott’s rapping wasn’t in its usual upper echelon, he has mastered the skill of curation, as seen by his guest collaborators and the variety of different sounds. Topped with seamless transitions and artful beat switches, the production of “UTOPIA” sets it at a level above many other recent albums in the genre.

The Warriors have seen their share of ups and downs since that glory — there’s even been talk of “the end of the dynasty,” especially after a turbulent 2022-23 season. However, offseason changes have built the Warriors to be a sure threat for the championship once again. You heard it here first: I believe the Big Three (Draymond Green, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson) have at least one more ring in them.

One of the biggest offseason changes was the Jordan Poole trade to the Washington Wizards. After his choke in the 2023 playoffs, Dub City could smell his trade from a mile away (respectfully), but in hindsight, there were a couple factors at play as the Poole Party moved to D.C.

From early on, Poole’s firecracker spirit clashed with that of the older and more seasoned players. And when I say “older and more seasoned players,” I mean Draymond Green. After practice footage was leaked featuring Poole receiving a World Wrestling Entertainment-level punch from Green, their beef became public. Unfortunately, the video clip had no sound, so I can only speculate how the fight started — my money is on Poole’s mention of the grays in Green’s beard.

Despite his hand in Poole’s trade, Green’s future on the Warriors was also in limbo. At the end of last season, Green’s four-year contract with the Warriors expired, and though he is a Golden State staple, even I had my doubts about his re-signing. The Poole punch paired with the playoff stomp on Domantas Sabonis (the most dramatic flagrant foul ever) in a single season caused me and others to question his value to the team.

Alas, as of June 19, Green will be stomping with the Warriors for another five years, keeping the Big Three for some more time.

And yet, for some odd reason, three didn’t seem like a big enough number for Warriors General Manager Mike Dunleavy Jr., so he added another senior player to the mix: Chris Paul. It’s definitely a trade I (along with the majority of the NBA) didn’t see coming, but at the end of the day, who can’t see the value in the “Point God”? Chris Paul is surely a catch for any team, even with 18 seasons under his belt (and no ring…).

Adjusting to the Paul trade, the Warriors also gained several younger players, maintaining the balance: Rookies Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis are sure to bring some hustle, while Dub Nation’s Jonathan Kuminga keeps the highlight crew busy with his poster-worthy dunks.

Though it was sad to see dependable bench players like Donte DiVincenzo go, the 2023-24 roster (now so long that they make the rookies sit on the floor during games) has potential to be successful. Early season games are sure to be interesting, and the Warriors are working some great team victories (even at away games — shocking!).

Junior Jacob Suh, who recently attended the It’s All a Blur Tour headlining rappers Drake and 21 Savage, sees a direct connection between people’s posts on the internet and others’ desire to attend concerts. “When they see multiple posts about certain concerts, it’ll make (them) want to go to join in — be within the status quo,” he said. “(Being able to) post can be a big part of why (someone) goes to a concert.”

As an avid concertgoer, sophomore Gwen Domine sees this newfound interest in concerts as a product of a viral trend. “(Taylor Swift’s) Eras Tour became such a trend on social media this summer that all of a sudden, everybody wanted to go,” she said. “Social media kind of blew the whole thing up even more.”

Senior Siena Tacy also watched the Eras Tour blow up on social media. She, however, attributes this boom to a resurrection of “2010s fangirl culture” and believes the movement is only amplified by social media. “Fangirl culture is this obsessive culture that comes with big obsessions with artists,” Tacy said. “People think that, somehow, they’re connected to these artists and that they would look at them differently.”

Albers’ first taste of a season-wrecking injury was a bike accident in the fall of 2021. “I was biking home downhill, and there was a tree root (that made) a big crack in the path,” she said. “When my bike hit the crack, I got flipped over (the handlebars) and my face was smashed into the ground.”

After a trip to the emergency room and 20 stitches to the mouth, Albers sat in bed trying to figure out how to break the news to her coach. “(Central Coast Sectionals) were coming up in a couple weeks, and I couldn’t get in the water because I couldn’t even open my mouth,” she said.

Over the next two weeks, Albers sat on the bench in silence, watching her team play. “The worst part might have been all the people that came up to me at games,” she said. “Coaches and moms and players would come up to ask me why I wasn’t playing, and I just had to sit there. My mouth was sewn shut.”

Her coach’s empathy helped her through this isolation. “When you’re injured, and the coach comes and talks to you about how you’re feeling, or you just have a good, normal conversation, it makes you feel so (much more) connected with the team,” Albers said. “(Talking to my coach) made me feel a lot better because (then I knew) they’re not forgetting about me just because I’m injured — they’re just focusing on the girls who can play right now.”

When CCS rolled around, Albers was doing everything in her power to play again. However, her injury wasn’t fully healed, so she was forced to slowly ease back into training. “I was so weak when I started playing (again),” she said. “I had barely eaten because I couldn’t open my mouth. All I could do was stick a straw in the corner of my mouth for a few days, so I (had) lost weight.”

During that 2021 season, the girls varsity water polo team went on to win the Division III Northern California title, going further than any other Gunn girls’ water polo team ever had. To win the championship, the team went through a series of knockout games: Every time they got in the water, they could either win or go home. This new pressure only added to Albers’ drive to play. “Our team already had some injuries and illnesses taking people out,” she said. “So even though I wasn’t quite ready to get back in the water, I just kept insisting (to my coach), ‘I’m fine. I’m fine.’ I hit my mouth with my hand to show (my coach) that I was okay.”

Fighting the urge to play, Albers had to remind herself that her health was the priority. “(I had to) remember that the pressure is not on me — that just because I’m (injured) does not mean my teammates are angry at me,” she said. “Whenever anybody on a team has an injury, all of (your) teammates just want you to get better.”

Thankfully, the season ended without further damage to Albers’ mouth. She was able to fully recover as she transitioned into her summer club season at NorCal Aquatics, where she would face her toughest injury yet.

While working at a kids’ camp during the summer of 2022, Albers spent much of the day entertaining 8-year-olds. In early July, she was running with campers when she slipped on grass and landed awkwardly on her back — once again, directly on the root of a tree. “I thought I just winded myself really hard, but I couldn’t get up and I couldn’t breathe,” she said.

During practice later that day, Albers was plagued by extreme back pain. “I think it took me almost half an hour to finish (the) warmup,” she said. “My coach was just watching me trying to complete 200 (yards of) freestyle and was eventually like, ‘I think you need to get out and just go home.’” With the Junior Olympics — the biggest tournament of the year — quickly approaching, the reality of her injury was a tough pill to swallow.

During the Junior Olympics tournament, Albers was not feeling better and was unable to play to her full capability. “My coach was giving me very controlled playing time,” she said. “I was in for two minutes, then I’d take a break, then in for two minutes, then another break.”

For this specific tournament, however, there was more at stake for Albers than simply missing the sport she loved. “I remember sitting (on the bench) thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, all of these (college) coaches are going to think I’m terrible at the sport, (and) my teammates are going to be so angry that I’m not helping their games,’” she said.

Although Albers wanted to play, her coaches again guided her to listen to her body’s needs. “My coaches would pull me aside and say, ‘Look, injuries happen, but you can’t push yourself because if you do, this is going to stay with you for life and you’re never going to recover,’” she said. “As much as I didn’t want to listen to them, I kind of had to because I knew deep down that was the only thing that was going to fix (my injury in the) long term.”

The Junior Olympics finally came to a close, and Albers was able to give her body some much-needed rest. While recuperating, she found out via an MRI scan that for the past three months, she had been living — and playing water polo — with a fractured spine. This discovery was a wake-up call for Albers, who resolved to take rest more seriously and to make recovery a priority at the dawn of the upcoming fall season. “I was really grateful that (for) high school season, our coach let me take almost an entire month and a half off,” she said. “That month and a half really gave me time to let my back fully heal, (while also) healing my other existing injuries such as a shoulder overuse problem that (I’d) been struggling (with) for the past two years.”

By the end of her recovery, Albers had found the value in taking time to let her body rebuild. “In the high school season, once (I) finally got to (play in) games, it was so much better, because my body actually felt good — it didn’t hurt every time I had to go to practice,” she said.

The effects of this recovery period continue to improve Albers’ life, a year after her back injury. “Now, going (into summer) club season, I can practice every single day, and my shoulder has been fine and I don’t really have issues with my back anymore,” she said.

After her great-grandfather on her father’s side immigrated to California from Poland, the Naneviczs have kept traditional recipes alive by celebrating and cooking together during the holidays as well as passing them down through generations. “The tradition is at least as old as I can remember, but I’m sure it’s older than me,” Nanevicz said. “I’ve never been [to Poland], [but] my brother and I have an idea of what it is like there.”

Her family’s Christmas Eve meal consists of several different traditional Polish foods. Though pierogies (dough encasing various fillings, similar to dumplings) are Nanevicz’s favorite to make, she also helps make sczleisicki (similar to a pierogi but with cheese inside) and Gobki (meat and onions wrapped in a shell of boiled cabbage).

The Nanevicz family typically takes a “divide and conquer” strategy with the grand meal. Nanevicz’s family will make a couple of dishes, as will her uncle’s family and her grandparents. Nanevicz’s preparation of her portion of the food with her brother and parents is one of the big highlights of the tradition. “Even though we make the same dishes every year, it always ends up looking a little different,” she said.

All the recipes, which Nanevicz’s mother manages, are passed down from her grandfather. “Everything has a lot of history to it,” Nanevicz said. “And it tastes really good.”

After each party prepares their food, the whole family meets at Nanevicz’s house to enjoy the meal. She recognizes how fortunate she is to be able to rejoice with her relatives over a special meal. “It’s really nice that my grandma and cousins live in the area,” Nanevicz said. “I’m happy that they’re close enough for everyone to get together—we’re definitely lucky that everyone can come to celebrate.”

Aside from the food, the Naneviczs celebrate other important traditions on Christmas Eve. For one, they always set an extra place at the table when eating the food they prepared. “It’s kind of made for if we lived in a rural town and someone passed through, needing a meal or a place to stay,” she said.

Though Palo Alto is far from a rural farm town, the Naneviczs continue the inclusive gesture. “One year, my neighbor happened to come over when we were eating and she sat at the extra spot we set,” she said. “I mean, it was kind of funny—she had no idea what was going on, but my whole family thought it was so great that the spot finally got some use.”

As always, Nanevicz is looking forward to creating and enjoying her meal on Christmas Eve this year. “For our family, making these dishes is really about remembering our Polish heritage and honoring that,” Nanevicz said. “It’s not really a huge part of my life most of the time, so it’s nice to have a day where we can all think about it together.”

While onlookers might smile as they watch a couple swinging hands walking to class, such people fail to see the threat that lies in this behavior. The joint hands of a high school couple part for no one and act as a kind of impenetrable barrier between the two. Similar to the barricade classification of paraders, students are left to hope that they do not get caught between a couple in their combined state. Worst case scenario, the joined hands act as a battering ram and swing directly into the stomach of unfortunate victims. A couple holding hands should always come as a warning to hallway goers: when it comes down to it, collision with those joint hands is akin to being hit by a wrecking ball.

Couples who practice many public displays of affection have been dubbed as “amusement park line couples,” referring to the couples who are very intimate in the lines at amusement parks. However, these types of couples and their behavior are also extremely active in the hallways. The “10-minute hug” and the “forehead to forehead” are actions that should quickly be swiftly detected and avoided by hallway goers.