NCAA 2025 Women’s Final Four Overview

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

There were a lot of great storylines at the 2025 NCAA Women’s Final Four in Tampa which was played at Amalie Arena.

There was only one that was missing. USC’s JuJu Watkins suffered a severe knee injury and the Trojans were doomed in the tournament.

There were two first timers with the UCLA Bruins and Texas Longhorns. 

There were three No.1 seeds and a No.2. 

The No. 1 seeds were UCLA, Texas, South Carolina while the U-Conn Huskies were the No.2 but definitely didn’t play like it. It’s hard to believe that UCLA was representing the Big Ten.

The true meaning of tough love between a coach and a player does exist as U-Conn Coach Gene Auriemma told guard Paige Beuckers “I love you, that’s all I can say. I love you.” This was after the Huskies thrashed the South Carolina Gamescocks in the Finals 82-59.

The U-Conn Huskies wasted no time extending Auriemma as he is now the highest paid women’s coach earning an $19.7 Million extension.

In January, Scouth Carolina makes Dawn Staley the sport’s new highest-paid coach with a historic 25.5 Million extension,

During the tournament, Sarah Strong set an NCAA record for the most points by a freshman in a single tournament with 114. The future looks bright for U-Conn. In the finals, she dominated with 24 points, 15 rebounds, five assists, three block shots and two steals.

Going into this game, in Auriemma’s 12 previous National Title Appearances, he has won 11 times with the lone loss being to Staley’s Gamecocks. 

This is a good accomplishment for Staley and during her post-game press conference in the video provided, I asked her what it’s like to compete against this coaching icon.

There were a lot of great videos throughout this tournament and we hope you enjoy each and every one of them, 

We’re also including a video of Tampa local Girls/Women’s Basketball Icon, Jackie Eisenhauer , who I covered in the 1980’s for the Tampa Tribune, that was a standout player for Armwood High School and the University of South Florida Bulls as she talks about the rise in women sports especially on the hardcourt. I can only imagine what Jackie would have looked like in a WNBA uniform.

Unfortunately the all three games had lopsided outcomes.

Texas got crushed by South Carolina 74-57. U-Conn rolled by UCLA 85-51 and as forementioned, The Huskies hammered the Gamecocks 82-59.

There were no players drafted into the WNBA from UCLA and Texas. Our main interviews were with Close, Staley and Auriemma, in addition to a couple interviews with Gamecocks players after the final game.

To no surprise, Bueckers was the No.1 overall pick in the WNBA Draft taking her 19.8 PPG to the Dallas. She was the only player in the Final Four to be selected in the first round. Days earlier, she became an investor in Unrivaled, a 3on3 league. With Unrivaled she’ll earn $350,000 for one season, and during her four year deal with the WNBA, she’ll make $348,000 on her rookie deal.

In round No.2 with the sixth pick overall, Te-Hina Paopao was drafted by Atlanta and she averaged 11.4 PPG at South Carolina,

Two picks later in the second round, eight overall, Bree Hall was selected by the Indiana Fever and will have Caitlin Clark as a teammate. The South Carolina guard takes a 39.9 FG % to the Hoosier State.

In round three, fifth overall, U-Conn guard Kaitlyn Chen takes her 11,9 PPG to expansion, Golden State.

Another U-Conn Huskie, forward Aubrey Huskie will take her 7.5 PPG, 5.4 RPG and 53.3 FG% to Minnesota, This was a great move by the Lynx to bolster their front court.

Sn now it’s time to see how these young ladies perform at the next level.

It’s worth noting that Bueckers is the only athlete (male of female) to defeat six No.1 seeds in the NCAA tournament, In 2022, the Huskies downed NC State, and Stanford. In 2024, defeated USC and pulled the trick again versuses the Trojan in 2025. in 2025 it was UCLA and South Carolina in the Final Four, 

If you’re looking to see the first Bueckers vs Clark Math up, it will be on June 27.

ESPN will broadcast it first ever WNBA pre-season game.

I can only imagine what late Tennessee Volunteer head coach Pat Summitt must be thinking right now as Women’s Basketball is hitting unbelievable heights and let’s not forget she led her team to eight National titles.

This was truly an unbelievable experience covering the 2025 NCAA Women’s Final Four in Tampa and I’m grateful to USF Associate Athletic Director Brian Siegriest for making this happen! 

When I woke up on January 1, 2025, this event wasn’t on my radar but it indeed turned out to be quite memeroable down the the final question to Auriemma when I asked him how does it feel to be mentioned in the same question as UCLA’s “Wizard of Westwood” John Wooden. You’ll have to listen to that in the video.

Ironically, 50 years ago in 1975, Wooden won his 10th National Title. A half century later, Auriemma racked up is 12th.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at southfloridatribune@gmail.com and you can find us on X @TribuneSouth. To see all of his broadcasts and the company videos, there is no cost to subscribe to the South Florida Tribune YouTube Channel.

Finally, he has a book “Lessons From The Microphone” which can be purchased on Amazon/Kindle and Barnes & Noble. The audio book is coming out soon. This book talks about Old School Media vs New School Media and is extremely beneficial for students learning the business.

Kickers Have Candid Personalities

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

There are certain positions in sports where you get some of the most interesting and candid comments. From my past experiences, I’ve had a blast talking with kickers.

This dates back to my days working as a sportswriter for the Hallandale Digest.

The first NFL team I covered early in the 1980’s was the Miami Dolphins coached by Hall of Fame icon Don Shula.

I would get some of my best interviews during training camp.

The first kicker that I interviewed was with Garo Yepremian, who used his foot to help the Dolphins win a pair of Super Bowl Titles in the early 1970’s. Yepremian is also known for a missed field goal where he attempted to bat a ball out of the bounds but instead batted it up inn the air right into the arms of former Detroit Lions teammate, Redskins cornerback Mike Bass, who returned it for a touchdown. The Dolphins still won the game 14-7 and completed the only undefeated season in NFL History in 1972. 

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The following Dolphins training camp, Shula brought in another kicker named Al Del Greco who competed for the job in 1984.

Del Greco was an undrafted free agent from Auburn University. He caught my attention when the Tigers, thanks to his four field goals defeated the Michigan Wolverines in 12-3 in the 1984 Sugar Bowl. Del Greco was a four year letterman who completed 110 out of 111 PAT’s in his college career. He also set the SEC record for field goal attempts in a single game in a 1982 game versus Kentucky where he made six out of his seven attempts. His 236 career points place him fifth on the Auburn career scoring list.

When I suggested to Digest Editor Dan Bluesten that we write about Del Greco, he was strongly opposed to the idea. I told Dan that since I’m covering training camp, I’m going to do it anyways sighting the fact that if Del Greco performed well, he’d land a job with another team. I spoke to Shula about this and he shared my sentiments.

Del Greco proved me right. He played for the Green Bay Packers from 1984-1987, St. Louis?Phoenix Cardinals 1987-1990, Houston Oilers/Tennessee Oilers/Tennessee Titans 1991-2000. The Coral Gables, Florida native scored 1,584 points in his NFL Career. 

My instincts prevailed again.

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During the past few years, I’ve been fortune enough to cover the Miami Hurricanes and a kicker that I’ve talked to numerous times that you could see in Andres Borregales, who hails from Caracas, Venezuela. It was wierd not seeing him at the Hurricanes Spring Game but his name was mentioned as the event started.

During his career, he was a two-time First Team All-ACC Kicker in 2023, 2025. In the 2023 season, he was 22-26 on field goal attempts and 44 of his 45 extra points. In the 2024 season, he hit a 56-yard career long field goal that resulted in  a win over Virginia Tech. He finished his final collegiate season in 2024 going 18-19 on his field goals, while also making all 62 of his extra point attempts.

Enclosed in this story is the video that we did during the Hurricanes Pro Day a few weeks ago. 

As I said, I’ve interviewed him numerous times and is considered a legitimate prospect. 

How legitimate is he? 

The New England Patriots selected him the sixth round of the NFL Draft Saturday which ensures him one trip to Hardrock Stadium as he looks to make life difficult for the Miami Dolphins.—————————————————————————————————————————-

The final kicker that I’ll talk about is Harrison Butker of the Kansas City Chiefs. He was originally drafted by the Carolina Panthers but never played with the cats. He joined the Chiefs in 2017 and has been their kicker since then. He has won three Super Bowls, was the NFL Scoring leader in 2018, made the longest field goal in a Super Bowl:57 yards (LVIII). He has kicked nine field goals in the Super Bowl. 

His Chiefs records include he booted 38 field goals during his 2017 rookie campaign. Points by a rookie with 142, points by a kicker in 2017 with 142. The longest field goal he’s ever made was 62 yards in 2022. His Career field goal percentage (minimum attempts) 89.1 %.

Butker has amassed 992 points during the regular season and 175 more during the playoffs.

When he’s off the field, Butker has been known for come controversial comments which I will not discuss in this story. Feel free to look those up online. 

Butker did visit President Donald Trump at the White House in February.

Before Super Bowl 59 In New Orleans, I interviewed Butker for the Motor City Mad Mouth Show and we talked about his successful career with the Kansas City Chiefs and much more. 

You can see that interview enclosed in this story.

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In the end, kickers are their own breed. They stand around the sidelines waiting for their moments to kick a game winning field goal. When they miss a field goal, they definitely take a brunt share of it. There are times when a team’s offense stumbles, they kick the only points in wins or losses. 

On the big stage, they’re under a larger microscope as the goats or the villains. Teams have been known to go through multiple kickers in a season. Not every kicker has the luxury of kicking in a dome therefore, they have to adjust to all kinds of weather and field conditions, They’ve been known to make touchdown saving tackles on special teams. For the most part they’re isolated and take the least amount of hits of all positions on the field. Their hits are mentally when things go right or badly wrong,

Nevertheless, it’s a key position in football and that’s why I focused on the subject in this story.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at southfloridatribune@gmail.com. You can find him on X @TribuneSouth. To see his broadcasts, there is no cost to subscribe to the South Florida Tribune YouTube Tube Channel.

Finally, he wrote a book, “Lessons From The Microphone” which can be purchased on Amazon/Kindle and Barnes and Noble. It’s a book that talks about Old School Media vs New School Media and is extremely useful for students getting into the business. The audio book is coming out soon.

Tampa. Local Legends, Jackie Eisenhauer and Leo Haggerty

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

My brother Lonny once told me that Tampa is one of my hometowns. My younger sibling hit a bullseye with this comment!

During the weekend of April 3-6, it was an opportunity to go back to the past and work in the present,

Thanks to my co-host on Sports Wrap, Leo Haggerty, I asked him if he could find a way to get me in touch with Tampa lady’s legendary High School and College player Jackie Eisenhauer. 

At a USF Women’s Basketball Event on Campus, Haggerty bumped into Eisenhauer and he told her that I was interested in bringing her on the Motor City Mad Mouth Show when I returned to Tampa.

Eisenhauer gave Leo her phone number and we did the show at George Steinbrenner High School on Friday, April 4th. It was great catching up with the former Gaither High School guard that averaged 18 points-per-game and was also an excellent point guard, who was worth about five assists per game. All Jackie did was make her teams much better!

At the time, I was in charge of the girls basketball beat for the Tampa Tribune and went to games all over Hillsborough County. As time progressed, and I saw Jackie play, I continued to cover more of her games that ultimately saw her get a scholarship at the University of South Florida.

During our interview, we talked about the good old days when she played in High School. I didn’t see her play in college because I relocated back to Detroit. 

We also talked about the changes in today’s change in women’s sports and how big the NCAA Women’s Final Four has become. It’s now a feeder system to the WNBA.

Moreover, we also talked about what she’s doing now. 

Thanks to Jackie, it was great seeing longtime baseball coach John Crumbley as we also spent time reminiscing.

If you’re a fan of women’s sports, I encourage you to watch this entire interview.

Jackie told me off camera that she’s a fan of the newest basketball league, Unrivaled which recently signed U-Conn Basketball Star Paige Beuckers will present more opportunities for ladies to make even more money.

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Leo Haggerty and I work with Ralph Williams on Saturday Mornings from 9-10 AM on Sports Wrap on RW Productions and also is on a pair of South Florida Tribune Platforms. I’m the Executive producer of this show.

In Addition to has wealth of business knowledge as an entrepreneur, at the age of 70, Haggerty reminds me of the “Energizer Bunny” where he keeps going and going! 

Anytime we get a chance we get to work together, we do it.

Leo and I seized the opportunity of the 2025 NCAA Women’s Final Four as we did “The Motor City Mad Mouth Show” at the Black Rock Bar and Grill in Tampa, Florida. 

We had quite a show and had Owner Craig Piccard on as a guest. He watched the entire show then became part of our three team crew.

When we do shows in Tampa, Black Rock will be the location as we’ll have a live show and a studio audience when we do our next telecast.

This interview is also inside this story and if you want to learn about Tampa Sports from two knowledgeable men that have deep ties to the area, here is your ticket. 

If you’re not knowledgeable about Tampa Sports, no big deal. We talk about everything. 

I also gave Leo a signed copy of “Lessons From The Microphone” and I have no doubt he’ll do his best to talk about the book. He also wants to be in the next one which I will be working on this year.

But when you connect the dots between Jackie and Leo, the one thing I talk about heavily in my book is relationships.

The real hero of this story is USF Associate Athletic Director Brian Siegrest. 

If it wasn’t for Brian coordinating the Women’s Final Four, we don’t make the trip to Tampa in April to not only do these two shows, but covering the event itself. 

By approving us, Brian made me feel comfortable and gave me everything I needed to get a lot accomplished.

Now I have a vested interest in Women’s Sports, and as a result, I was paying more attention to the WNBA Draft.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at southfloridatribune@gmail.com. You can reach him on X @TribuneSouth. To see his broadcasts, there is no charge to subscribe to South Florida Tribune You Tube Channel.

His book “Lessons From The Microphone” can be purchased at Amazon/Kindle and Barnes & Noble.

The Legend Of Kenny Albert

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

One of the main things that I mention in My Book “Lessons From The Microphone” is the importance of building relationships. It’s a must when dealing with people in life.

When I met legendary broadcaster Kenny Albert at the 2018 NHL All-Star Game at Tampa’s Amalie Arena, I asked him if he would mind doing an interview. He was more than happy to do it and we spent time talking about hockey and all the other sports he calls. His personality is so relaxing that you felt like you were talking to a life long friend.

These days, you’ll find Albert on FOX doing NFL Games as well as Hockey on TNT. 

He recently wrote his first book, an autobiography entitled “A Mic For All Seasons”, on October 10, 2023, with Triumph Publishing. The book documents 30 years of broadcasting, citing stories about his career rise, relationships with broadcasters and athletes, and his family.

During the 2024 NSMA Awards Banquet in Greensboro, NC., Albert won an award for New York Sportscaster of the Year. Broadcasting runs in his family as he’s the son of jack of all trades Marv Albert and as well as other broadcasters Al Albert (Uncle) and another Uncle Steve Albert.

Kenny has called the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL along with others.

When we reunited last summer, we reminisced about our conversation in Tampa and we took some photos together. It was two old friends getting to getting together hanging out. 

Then I asked him if he would like to come on “The Motor City Mad Mouth” down the road. Kenny wasted no time saying yes and we exchanged phone numbers.

The first thing we did is we did a book swap as I sent him an autographed copy of mine and he reciprocated by sending his. When you talk about a 57-year old who has experienced a lot during his career, Kenny has done exactly done just that. 

We did our show and it’s on the South Florida Tribune You Tube Channel. The episode ran 25:55 and we covered a lot of topics. It’s a must watch for those of you interested in his career and the relationship he has with his father Marv.

Just because you have a legendary father doesn’t guarantee automatic success. 

Kenny learned from his father and worked hard to have a dynamite career of his own! 

He’s humble and never takes things for granted. We both are like that and this is why we have such a great connection.

Every broadcaster has a dream job and when it became public information that New York Rangers legendary Announcer Sam Rosen was retiring at the end of the 2024-25 Season, I asked Kenny if this was a job he’d covet. He said he does do Rangers games and out of respect to Rosen, he’d let the situation play itself out. I completely respected where he was coming from. 

A couple days ago, Rosen was winding down his final days as voice of the Rangers. 

The stories of his successor surfaced again about who would replace him. 

The Rangers wasted no time choosing Kenny Albert as his successor. You couldn’t ask for more of a seamless transition than this to a better man!

When I got news of this, I quickly texted Kenny to congratulate him. His first response to me was, “Thanks Scott. Appreciate it. Hope you’re doing well.” I then sent him a video of Darry Johnston which we did at Super Bowl 59 in New Orleans and he liked it. Albert and Johnston worked together calling the NFL on FOX.

I did mention to Kenny that he will be mentioned in my next book and will remind my readers who important how relationships are, 

When I saw Kenny call the Detroit Red Wings 5-2 road win over the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday Night, it was great seeing him talk about my hometown team that resides in the “Motor City.” Then again, watching him behind the microphone is a treat calling any game.

Kenny and his crew will be calling their second Stanley Cup Finals in three years for TNT. 

You can bet I will be watching my friend in action. He’s a man that I’m proud to call a friend as well as an excellent colleague!

In my 45 + years in the Media Business, I’ve met a lot of great people. That’s what keeps my passion going to stay in this business. 

I’ve been recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease and my doctors have increased my medication and have told me to remain active to stall this disease from progressing. 

I told this to Kenny before we did our interview in November and said I feel great. As classy as he is, we hit the LIVE Button, and you wouldn’t know that I was ill. As we always communicate, everything between us just went naturally.

On tonight’s edition of the Sports Exchange, Kenny Albert is going to be the headline topic. This decision is an absolute no brainer! 

Both of the shows we did together will be inserted into the story. I hope you enjoy both of them.

But in the meantime, while New York Fans can enjoy Kenny, it’s important to see the rest of the world to appreciate him as well.

I hope one day, health permitting that I get a chance to see a Rangers Game at Madison Square Garden with Kenny in the booth and we can just hang out before or afterwards. I’ve never been to MSG and this would be a memorable experience with my great friend! 

God Bless Kenny! You’re a great person and keep piling up your accolades because you deserve everyone of them! I hope your book is a best seller so you can keep inspiring others!

Scott Morganroth can be reached at southfloridatribune@gmail.com. 

You can find him on Twitter/X @TribuneSouth and see his shows by Subscribing to the South Florida Tribune You Tube Channel.

Finally, his book, “Lessons From The Microphone”  can be purchased via Amazon, Kindle and Barnes & Noble.