It’s a wee bit sad…

[NWICY]

CF does a good job with WBB and we have a small but fairly active group of WWB fans headed up By Acoustimac, Mred, and BoxsterCy
and others.

I would put our fan following above 90% of the schools in the nation, and this is with us never having a Natty. The Elite 8 as far as we have ever been and most years we know we aren't championship caliber and we still do a solid job in attendance and following the team on line.

 

[Fitzy]

Geesh folks…re-read my post. It’s about the here and now not what happened last week or the week before. I understand financials. I appreciate coverage of any kind. I was also referring to other coverage outside of this site. It was in response to several posters asking why there isn’t more national discussion that focuses on players like Ashley Joens. I was making the point of why it happens. Take a deep breath and back off the ledge.

I reread it with the intent to try to give you the benefit of the doubt, and it still came off as calling out CF. I know that may not be what you were trying to convey, but I am not surprised people interpreted it that way.

 

[CyCrazy]

Geesh folks…re-read my post. It’s about the here and now not what happened last week or the week before. I understand financials. I appreciate coverage of any kind. I was also referring to other coverage outside of this site. It was in response to several posters asking why there isn’t more national discussion that focuses on players like Ashley Joens. I was making the point of why it happens. Take a deep breath and back off the ledge.

Right or wrong womens hoops is a niche sport. I will watch the women, but wont take a deep dive into it.

 

[Clonefan32]

This site does as good of job as any covering a sport that realistically just doesn’t have the fan following of MBB and football. Take a look at both game threads from Sunday. The men’s thread is at 103 pages, the women’s is at 4. This is a free website with limited staff and resources they need to allocate to keep their readership happy and from my viewpoint they’re doing a great job striking a balance.

 

[Urbandale2013]

Right or wrong womens hoops is a niche sport. I will watch the women, but wont take a deep dive into it.

I think the biggest difference is while people like to watch our team play there isn't really interest in other teams. I will watch a men's game, but I will only watch a women's game if it is Iowa State. You lack the context that comes with the men's game. For example people are discussing Miami fans, media including 14/16 teams in a graphic, and stuff like that. When it comes to the women they won by a ton and play a team that people really haven't seen play.

What is there to really discuss? I expect to win on Friday and get beat handily on Sunday. For the men I can see a ton of different outcomes.

 

[Acylum]

We’ve had some crappy athletic years when it was only the Sisters who carried the water. Thank God for them doing that.

 

[MisterO]

Geesh folks…re-read my post. It’s about the here and now not what happened last week or the week before. I understand financials. I appreciate coverage of any kind. I was also referring to other coverage outside of this site. It was in response to several posters asking why there isn’t more national discussion that focuses on players like Ashley Joens. I was making the point of why it happens. Take a deep breath and back off the ledge.

Like Chris said, you have a right to your opinion, but some quick observations from an average fan:
1. CF gives a pretty steady coverage of Women’s BB. Coach Fennelley and his team are routinely interviewed and their games are covered as well. I follow a couple of other team’s boards and CF’s coverage of women’s athletics is superior to these other sites.

2. I can’t speak for CF, but I imagine, like any business, they concentrate their product (their content) on where most of the fan interest is. Good, bad, or indifferent, women’s athletics just doesn’t generate the interest (and revenue) they the men’s sports do. That’s just a fact and CF likely has to give their customers the content they want. This seems simple to me. Interest in men’s and women’s hoops will probably never be the same for a number of reasons, but it’s not due to a lack of effort by CF.

I applaud your interest in women’s athletics. My little girl plays junior high hoops and we love watching the women’s games together. If you think the market is overlooking something- change it. Start a blog, make more posts about the women’s team, get watch parties going in your area…get involved. However, this site is pretty solid and fair in its coverage.

 

[carvers4math]

There's a podcast dedicated to woman's athletics? I think the Title 9 podcast is just women's perspective on Iowa State sports overall.

I have a lot of interest in women’s tennis and both men’s and women’s track/ cross country, as well as golf. I know CF can’t cover that financially. Pollard’s Twitter is a pretty good news source there, at least you know something is going on. The Daily and Cyclones.com are about the only sources of info for minor sports. Boomer Saia is a gem and very active on Twitter. The Rag and the local Hawk TV sports dudes probably don’t even know we have a tennis team.

I actually really enjoy The Daily despite the State’s efforts to quash journalism at ISU. Read it more now than when I was a student.

 

[isucy86]

I can understand the OP point.

Watched the post game NCAA Interviews on CFTV last night with Lexi and Emily. A CycloneFanatic reporter brought up the scoreboard showed the final seconds of the ISU MBB win and asked if that brought energy to the crowd. The answer from Emily was yes and they understood what the fan excitement was about.

Good question, end of question stream? Nope,

Tommy Birch asked if there was a specific time during a timeout if they looked up at the scoreboard to check out the men's score. Lexi basically laughed at the question and said at the moment they were involved in an important game and their focus was on their game. Emily reiterated they knew what was going on with the crowd but focused on their game.

Does anyone think, if the situation was reversed, 2 reporters would ask if Gabe, Izaiah or Tyrese were sneaking a peak at the women's score during a timeout called by TJ? I doubt it. I thought Tommy's question devalued women's basketball vs. men's basketball.

I was surprised no reporter brought with Bill or Lexi/Emily about playing Creighton in the next round. Would be curious since Creighton is close by if we have greater familiarity with their program/players.

 

[ISUTex]

This women's team is breaking ISU records left and right. Most wins in a season. Most assists by a single player in a season. Career scoring record broken. Others moving up record standings. And when I look at the top five headlines on this site how many are covering the women? One and it’s focus is on the crowd. Look at other sources and it’s much the same way. Yes, the men's team is a nice story. I love it. But geesh….we have posters here asking why national pundits never talk about the team or Ashley and yet those vested in covering the program give it minimal coverage. This is the best and greatest womens team in the history of ISU basketball and it deserves better. Rant over.

Because it's women's basketball. I like women's basketball. But not that much. Sorry, but that's how the majority of sports fans feel. Men's bball and football are where the money, and attention are. Great season by the women, but thats reality.

 

[Cycsk]

Where to start ...

-- We staffed two writers at both Big 12 Tournament games and one at the NCAA Tournament. Two with the men. We only have three full-time employees.

-- It's important to point out that Connor, our newest full-time employee, is partly dedicated to women's basketball. I can assure you that financially, from a business standpoint only, we would be wise to use those resources elsewhere as much as I love it, women's basketball does not generate the interest that football and men's basketball do. It's just a fact. It's the same with wrestling.

-- We have had a writer dedicated to women's basketball since 2010, when I took over here. We have paid these writers and I promise you, have lost significant money in the process. We do it to support the women's program, that I love so very much and have worked my ass off to promote over the years.

-- Connor is going to Greensboro on Wednesday for the entirety of the next two rounds and hopefully will be in Minneapolis too. I'd like to see another free fan site in America sending writers half way across the country to cover women's basketball. (Again I believe it is important to do so we are doing it. BUT most publishers and business owners do not, and won't choke down the loss).

-- We have a bi-weekly podcast dedicated to the women, which of course touches on other things too. But the basis of the podcast when we created it was to give an extra boost towards women's sports at Iowa State.

-- A few other notes ... This past weekend, we did an NCAA Tournament preview show. Billy Fennelly joined us. On Sunday, we did a Round of 32 preview show. Jamie Steyer-Johnson joined us. On last night's show, an entire segment was dedicated to the women.

On top of that, here are links to every story we have done ONLY in the postseason.

CFTV: Bill Fennelly, Ashley Joens and Morgan Kane preview Big 12 Tournament

Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly and players Ashley Joens & Morgan Kane previewed the weekend's Big 12 Tournament after a practice on Thursday. The Cyclones (25-5, 14-4 Big 12) come in to the weekend as the No. 2 seed and will play the winner of No. 7 West Virginia and No. 10 TCU. https://y

cyclonefanatic.com

PHOTOS: Iowa State women practice in KC

The Iowa State women's basketball team practiced before it takes the court for the Big 12 Tournament this weekend at Municipal Auditorium. Emily Ryan gets ready for a pass at Big 12 Tournament practice. Photo by Connor FergusonAubrey Joens shoots a ball during Big 12 Tournament practice. Photo by

cyclonefanatic.com

WILLIAMS: Iowa State fans' support of women's basketball is special

Mar 11, 2022; Kansas City, MO, USA; Iowa State Cyclones guard Lexi Donarski (21) is introduced before facing the West Virginia Mountaineers at Municipal Auditorium. Mandatory Credit: Amy Kontras-USA TODAY Sports KANSAS CITY, Mo. — I’ve covered somewhere around 15 Big 12 Tournaments over the y

cyclonefanatic.com

WBB: Cyclones survive scoring droughts, advance to Big 12 semifinal

KANSAS CITY, Mo. --- Iowa State had a 21-point lead at one point Friday night in its 66-60 win over West Virginia at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City. Despite multiple scoring droughts that lasted more than three minutes, the Cyclones managed to survive and advance. "They're talented," Iowa

cyclonefanatic.com

CFTV: Bill Fennelly, Joens & Donarski, address media following loss to UT

https://www.jcorpdesignbuild.com Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly and the pair of players in Ashley Joens and Lexi Donarski addressed the media following Saturday's game against Texas. https://youtu.be/wvSne6lDzYg

cyclonefanatic.com

STANZ: Freedom of movement is dead

Mar 12, 2022; Kansas City, MO, USA; Iowa State Cyclones head coach Bill Fennelly looks on in the first half against the Texas Longhorns at Municipal Auditorium. Mandatory Credit: Amy Kontras-USA TODAY Sports KANSAS CITY, Mo. --- Freedom of movement in college basketball is dead -- and has bee

cyclonefanatic.com

FERGUSON: Iowa State proved it Saturday that it can hang with the bullies

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Ashley Joens set a pick to allow a teammate to get open during Iowa State's 82-73 overtime loss to Texas in the Big 12 semifinal game. She was run over like a bowling pin sitting in the lane waiting to be knocked down to complete the spare. This wasn't an outlier in the game. It w

cyclonefanatic.com

WBB: Iowa State a No. 3 seed in NCAA Tournament, could face Iowa in Sweet 16

Iowa State women's basketball team will play its first round NCAA Tournament game on Friday, facing off with No. 14 UT Arlington in the first round. As the No. 3 seed in its bracket, Iowa State will host the first and second round games in the four-team pod it is in. If Iowa State can make it

cyclonefanatic.com

CFTV: Fennelly & Co. talk NCAA Tournament

Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly and players Ashley Joens and Morgan Kane spoke to media members on Sunday about its 2022 NCAA Tournament draw: https://youtu.be/I6C8o00aMig https://youtu.be/UdbmIkF1odg

cyclonefanatic.com

WBB: Scouting UT Arlington

Dec 2, 2021; Arlington, Texas, USA; UT Arlington Mavericks forward Starr Jacobs (4) shoots over South Florida Bulls forward Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu (32) during the second half at College Park Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-USA TODAY Sports After being announced as a No. 3 seed, Iowa St

cyclonefanatic.com

Title IX: Episode 68

Steph Copley and Alisa Woods dive into the women's basketball NCAA Tournament bracket and run back through everything that happened last week in Kansas City on a new episode of Title IX presented by the Ivy College of Business at Iowa State University.

cyclonefanatic.com

WBB: Ashley Joens named to AP All-American Second Team

The following is a press release from Iowa State Athletics Communications: AMES, Iowa – Ashley Joens continues to make history, earning Second Team All-America honors by the Associated Press, the organization announced on Wednesday. Joens becomes the fourth Cyclone to make an AP All-America team,

cyclonefanatic.com

WBB: Iowa State earns commitment from four-star wing out of Kansas

Iowa State added a fourth player to its 2023 recruiting class Wednesday night, with the news of four-star wing Addy Brown's commitment to the program. The Cyclones are preparing to face off with UT Arlington on Friday night in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Ames, but remain diligent in

cyclonefanatic.com

CFTV: Fennelly, Joens and Ryan preview UT-Arlington

Iowa State head coach Bill Fennelly, plus stars Ashley Joens and Emily Ryan, preview the Cyclones' NCAA Tournament first-round tilt with UT-Arlington on Friday in this CFTV. https://youtu.be/WlfX4jCx8b8

cyclonefanatic.com

Iowa State's Big Three saved the Cyclones from madness

Iowa State Cyclones guard Emily Ryan (11) shoots as Texas-Arlington Mavericks guard Camryn Hawkins (23) attempts to block during the second quarter in the NCAA first-round game at Hilton Coliseum Thursday, March 17, 2022, in Ames, Iowa. AMES --- Iowa State trailed UT Arlington by eight points

cyclonefanatic.com

WBB: Cyclones survive UTA, advance to Sunday's Round of 32 matchup

For just over three quarters, it looked like March Madness may have caught up to the No. 3 seed Iowa State women's basketball team. Although it waivered early, trailing by eight after the first quarter, the Cyclones powered to a 78-71, NCAA Tournament win. Ashley Joens finished the game with a

cyclonefanatic.com

WBB: A quick turnaround, and onto Georgia

AMES --- Iowa State's first round game in the NCAA Tournament against UT Arlington ended at 11:03 p.m. Friday. Coach Bill Fennelly eventually got to bed at 3:30 a.m. after doing as much immediate prep for the second round game as he and his staff could. "I'm about six Red Bull's in right now,

cyclonefanatic.com

CFTV: Fennelly, Joens & Ryan prepare for Georgia

Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly and players Ashley Joens & Emily Ryan spoke to media members ahead of practice about preparing for Georgia, with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line: https://youtu.be/vMw0Yb-11qo

cyclonefanatic.com

WATCH: Round of 32 preview show

Join us at 2 for a live pregame show for Iowa State / Wisconsin on the men's side and Iowa State / Georgia for the women's. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XztoHuCSYb8

cyclonefanatic.com

WBB: Cyclones down Georgia, earn first Sweet 16 bid since 2010

For the first time in 12 years, the Iowa State women's basketball program is headed back to the Sweet 16. The Cyclones rolled No. 6 Georgia on Sunday night at Hilton Coliseum in a 67-44 win. Lexi Donarski led the team in scoring with 20 points on the night, and helped the Cyclones turn an earl

cyclonefanatic.com

WBB: The Hilton environment that helped Iowa State dance some more

AMES --- Sunday's game between No. 3 Iowa State and No. 6 Georgia got off to a lopsided start, seeing the Cyclones up 9-0 with four forced turnovers before their opponents could call timeout. The team punched its ticket into the Sweet 16 for the first time in 12 years with a 65-30 win, but what h

cyclonefanatic.com

CFTV: Fennelly, Ryan & Donarski secure Sweet 16 bid

Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly and Cyclone standouts Lexi Donarski & Emily Ryan addressed media members following their team's win over Georgia that punched its ticket to the Sweet 16: https://youtu.be/6P6fXfa4uIY

cyclonefanatic.com

Williams & Blum: Our sweetest podcast ever

Chris Williams and Brent Blum did their podcast live on Sunday night following the Iowa State men's and women's programs both advancing to the Sweet 16. Complete analysis on both games and what's to come.

cyclonefanatic.com

By my count, that is 23 pieces of content since the start of the Big 12 Touranment.

That doesn't count the one-on-one podcast that I did with Bill Fennelly before the start of the tournament. He also joined me on my KXnO show, where I talk about this team constantly.

It's just funny to me that I wake up today getting "thank you for your coverage" texts from the program and read this on our free message board.

Whatever though. You have a right to your opinion, and I do mine. I challenge you to find another fan site in America that covers women's basketball as much as we do.

uh huh. and what is your point?

 

[OWLCITYCYFAN]

I understand 'Mac's frustration as this is a "SPECIAL" team, well-supported by women's athletic standards, but not as recognized or beloved as they deserve to be. They do EVERYTHING right and have for years! I know I'm in the vast minority, but when there's a conflict between men's and women's games, I watch the women. Having said that, I have no concerns with the coverage received on CF, and frankly, appreciate the site immensely because it provides a place to discuss Cyclone women's basketball! Keep up the great work everybody and let's see these young women into the Elite Eight and beyond!

 

[cycloneworld]

I, too, have watched more ISU women the past two years than probably my last 20 years of ISU fandom combined. And agree, this team deserves as much attention as they can get.

But let’s not get carried away about “lack of attention”. The fact is that an ISU mens non-con game against Alabama A&M gets higher attendance than the ISU women’s NCAA tournament game. That’s not a knock on the women (because the ISU women are more fun to watch than the men), that’s just a fact. Just like ISU women get more attention than ISU men’s track. Why wouldn’t a site cover more of what fans generally care about?

 

[TrulyCyclone]

IMHO people are misunderstanding how attention is generated. It's both the product and the coverage. My take on Acoustimacs comments are that the product is there in a BIG way and deserves more coverage. More coverage would generate more attention. Chris commenting in a womens basketball thread generated more interactions than the women advancing to the sweet sixteen. It literally proves the point. People have said his mentions during William's and Blum has driven more interest.

Ashley has a legitimate argument to being the greatest to ever do it here, more articles focused on that will lead to more awareness leading to more attention leading to more articles (again, as Acoustimac said beyond CF, this is only a mild criticism of CF and more of a general frustration) and on and on it goes. Not the crowd, not asking the players if they noticed the men won (that interview was realllly bad). But the accomplishments of this team, Ash, the next matchup, whatever.

Caitlyn Clark is damn near a household name in Iowa. That didn't happen just because she scored 30 points a few times. It happened because those 30 point outings were covered by the media. It goes hand in hand, and some of the coverage of Iowa State Womens basketball does hold it back (that interview being a great example).

 

[jmb]

Where to start ...

-- We staffed two writers at both Big 12 Tournament games and one at the NCAA Tournament. Two with the men. We only have three full-time employees.

-- It's important to point out that Connor, our newest full-time employee, is partly dedicated to women's basketball. I can assure you that financially, from a business standpoint only, we would be wise to use those resources elsewhere as much as I love it, women's basketball does not generate the interest that football and men's basketball do. It's just a fact. It's the same with wrestling.

-- We have had a writer dedicated to women's basketball since 2010, when I took over here. We have paid these writers and I promise you, have lost significant money in the process. We do it to support the women's program, that I love so very much and have worked my ass off to promote over the years.

-- Connor is going to Greensboro on Wednesday for the entirety of the next two rounds and hopefully will be in Minneapolis too. I'd like to see another free fan site in America sending writers half way across the country to cover women's basketball. (Again I believe it is important to do so we are doing it. BUT most publishers and business owners do not, and won't choke down the loss).

-- We have a bi-weekly podcast dedicated to the women, which of course touches on other things too. But the basis of the podcast when we created it was to give an extra boost towards women's sports at Iowa State.

-- A few other notes ... This past weekend, we did an NCAA Tournament preview show. Billy Fennelly joined us. On Sunday, we did a Round of 32 preview show. Jamie Steyer-Johnson joined us. On last night's show, an entire segment was dedicated to the women.

On top of that, here are links to every story we have done ONLY in the postseason.

CFTV: Bill Fennelly, Ashley Joens and Morgan Kane preview Big 12 Tournament

Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly and players Ashley Joens & Morgan Kane previewed the weekend's Big 12 Tournament after a practice on Thursday. The Cyclones (25-5, 14-4 Big 12) come in to the weekend as the No. 2 seed and will play the winner of No. 7 West Virginia and No. 10 TCU. https://y

cyclonefanatic.com

PHOTOS: Iowa State women practice in KC

The Iowa State women's basketball team practiced before it takes the court for the Big 12 Tournament this weekend at Municipal Auditorium. Emily Ryan gets ready for a pass at Big 12 Tournament practice. Photo by Connor FergusonAubrey Joens shoots a ball during Big 12 Tournament practice. Photo by

cyclonefanatic.com

WILLIAMS: Iowa State fans' support of women's basketball is special

Mar 11, 2022; Kansas City, MO, USA; Iowa State Cyclones guard Lexi Donarski (21) is introduced before facing the West Virginia Mountaineers at Municipal Auditorium. Mandatory Credit: Amy Kontras-USA TODAY Sports KANSAS CITY, Mo. — I’ve covered somewhere around 15 Big 12 Tournaments over the y

cyclonefanatic.com

WBB: Cyclones survive scoring droughts, advance to Big 12 semifinal

KANSAS CITY, Mo. --- Iowa State had a 21-point lead at one point Friday night in its 66-60 win over West Virginia at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City. Despite multiple scoring droughts that lasted more than three minutes, the Cyclones managed to survive and advance. "They're talented," Iowa

cyclonefanatic.com

CFTV: Bill Fennelly, Joens & Donarski, address media following loss to UT

https://www.jcorpdesignbuild.com Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly and the pair of players in Ashley Joens and Lexi Donarski addressed the media following Saturday's game against Texas. https://youtu.be/wvSne6lDzYg

cyclonefanatic.com

STANZ: Freedom of movement is dead

Mar 12, 2022; Kansas City, MO, USA; Iowa State Cyclones head coach Bill Fennelly looks on in the first half against the Texas Longhorns at Municipal Auditorium. Mandatory Credit: Amy Kontras-USA TODAY Sports KANSAS CITY, Mo. --- Freedom of movement in college basketball is dead -- and has bee

cyclonefanatic.com

FERGUSON: Iowa State proved it Saturday that it can hang with the bullies

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Ashley Joens set a pick to allow a teammate to get open during Iowa State's 82-73 overtime loss to Texas in the Big 12 semifinal game. She was run over like a bowling pin sitting in the lane waiting to be knocked down to complete the spare. This wasn't an outlier in the game. It w

cyclonefanatic.com

WBB: Iowa State a No. 3 seed in NCAA Tournament, could face Iowa in Sweet 16

Iowa State women's basketball team will play its first round NCAA Tournament game on Friday, facing off with No. 14 UT Arlington in the first round. As the No. 3 seed in its bracket, Iowa State will host the first and second round games in the four-team pod it is in. If Iowa State can make it

cyclonefanatic.com

CFTV: Fennelly & Co. talk NCAA Tournament

Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly and players Ashley Joens and Morgan Kane spoke to media members on Sunday about its 2022 NCAA Tournament draw: https://youtu.be/I6C8o00aMig https://youtu.be/UdbmIkF1odg

cyclonefanatic.com

WBB: Scouting UT Arlington

Dec 2, 2021; Arlington, Texas, USA; UT Arlington Mavericks forward Starr Jacobs (4) shoots over South Florida Bulls forward Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu (32) during the second half at College Park Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-USA TODAY Sports After being announced as a No. 3 seed, Iowa St

cyclonefanatic.com

Title IX: Episode 68

Steph Copley and Alisa Woods dive into the women's basketball NCAA Tournament bracket and run back through everything that happened last week in Kansas City on a new episode of Title IX presented by the Ivy College of Business at Iowa State University.

cyclonefanatic.com

WBB: Ashley Joens named to AP All-American Second Team

The following is a press release from Iowa State Athletics Communications: AMES, Iowa – Ashley Joens continues to make history, earning Second Team All-America honors by the Associated Press, the organization announced on Wednesday. Joens becomes the fourth Cyclone to make an AP All-America team,

cyclonefanatic.com

WBB: Iowa State earns commitment from four-star wing out of Kansas

Iowa State added a fourth player to its 2023 recruiting class Wednesday night, with the news of four-star wing Addy Brown's commitment to the program. The Cyclones are preparing to face off with UT Arlington on Friday night in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Ames, but remain diligent in

cyclonefanatic.com

CFTV: Fennelly, Joens and Ryan preview UT-Arlington

Iowa State head coach Bill Fennelly, plus stars Ashley Joens and Emily Ryan, preview the Cyclones' NCAA Tournament first-round tilt with UT-Arlington on Friday in this CFTV. https://youtu.be/WlfX4jCx8b8

cyclonefanatic.com

Iowa State's Big Three saved the Cyclones from madness

Iowa State Cyclones guard Emily Ryan (11) shoots as Texas-Arlington Mavericks guard Camryn Hawkins (23) attempts to block during the second quarter in the NCAA first-round game at Hilton Coliseum Thursday, March 17, 2022, in Ames, Iowa. AMES --- Iowa State trailed UT Arlington by eight points

cyclonefanatic.com

WBB: Cyclones survive UTA, advance to Sunday's Round of 32 matchup

For just over three quarters, it looked like March Madness may have caught up to the No. 3 seed Iowa State women's basketball team. Although it waivered early, trailing by eight after the first quarter, the Cyclones powered to a 78-71, NCAA Tournament win. Ashley Joens finished the game with a

cyclonefanatic.com

WBB: A quick turnaround, and onto Georgia

AMES --- Iowa State's first round game in the NCAA Tournament against UT Arlington ended at 11:03 p.m. Friday. Coach Bill Fennelly eventually got to bed at 3:30 a.m. after doing as much immediate prep for the second round game as he and his staff could. "I'm about six Red Bull's in right now,

cyclonefanatic.com

CFTV: Fennelly, Joens & Ryan prepare for Georgia

Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly and players Ashley Joens & Emily Ryan spoke to media members ahead of practice about preparing for Georgia, with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line: https://youtu.be/vMw0Yb-11qo

cyclonefanatic.com

WATCH: Round of 32 preview show

Join us at 2 for a live pregame show for Iowa State / Wisconsin on the men's side and Iowa State / Georgia for the women's. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XztoHuCSYb8

cyclonefanatic.com

WBB: Cyclones down Georgia, earn first Sweet 16 bid since 2010

For the first time in 12 years, the Iowa State women's basketball program is headed back to the Sweet 16. The Cyclones rolled No. 6 Georgia on Sunday night at Hilton Coliseum in a 67-44 win. Lexi Donarski led the team in scoring with 20 points on the night, and helped the Cyclones turn an earl

cyclonefanatic.com

WBB: The Hilton environment that helped Iowa State dance some more

AMES --- Sunday's game between No. 3 Iowa State and No. 6 Georgia got off to a lopsided start, seeing the Cyclones up 9-0 with four forced turnovers before their opponents could call timeout. The team punched its ticket into the Sweet 16 for the first time in 12 years with a 65-30 win, but what h

cyclonefanatic.com

CFTV: Fennelly, Ryan & Donarski secure Sweet 16 bid

Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly and Cyclone standouts Lexi Donarski & Emily Ryan addressed media members following their team's win over Georgia that punched its ticket to the Sweet 16: https://youtu.be/6P6fXfa4uIY

cyclonefanatic.com

Williams & Blum: Our sweetest podcast ever

Chris Williams and Brent Blum did their podcast live on Sunday night following the Iowa State men's and women's programs both advancing to the Sweet 16. Complete analysis on both games and what's to come.

cyclonefanatic.com

By my count, that is 23 pieces of content since the start of the Big 12 Touranment.

That doesn't count the one-on-one podcast that I did with Bill Fennelly before the start of the tournament. He also joined me on my KXnO show, where I talk about this team constantly.

It's just funny to me that I wake up today getting "thank you for your coverage" texts from the program and read this on our free message board.

Whatever though. You have a right to your opinion, and I do mine. I challenge you to find another fan site in America that covers women's basketball as much as we do.

Chris you don't have to respond to every ******* stupid post questioning your journalistic integrity. Sometimes people of integrity expect to be believed and when they are not time proves them right.

 

[cyclone13]

And I think this is where we (Athletic Dept) need a stronger PR.

I think Beth Mowins and Mechelle Voepel are familiar with our program but it seems they are enamored with CC and EIU. IIRC Voepel had a high opinion on BF but it was quite perplexing that her article about Iowa losing was “this shouldn’t have happened - they are a final four team” without assessing that we actually beat them quite well in December basically by playing a good defense and having everyone contributing - same as what Creighton did.

Can we do more? Can we approach the national writers to start writing about our team?

And I would like to commend CW and Connor Ferguson for always promoting WBB here. I understand that there is so much you guys can do but it means a lot to me.

 

[jmb]

Added to ignore list.

 

[jctisu]

IMHO people are misunderstanding how attention is generated. It's both the product and the coverage. My take on Acoustimacs comments are that the product is there in a BIG way and deserves more coverage. More coverage would generate more attention. Chris commenting in a womens basketball thread generated more interactions than the women advancing to the sweet sixteen. It literally proves the point. People have said his mentions during William's and Blum has driven more interest.

Ashley has a legitimate argument to being the greatest to ever do it here, more articles focused on that will lead to more awareness leading to more attention leading to more articles (again, as Acoustimac said beyond CF, this is only a mild criticism of CF and more of a general frustration) and on and on it goes. Not the crowd, not asking the players if they noticed the men won (that interview was realllly bad). But the accomplishments of this team, Ash, the next matchup, whatever.

Caitlyn Clark is damn near a household name in Iowa. That didn't happen just because she scored 30 points a few times. It happened because those 30 point outings were covered by the media. It goes hand in hand, and some of the coverage of Iowa State Womens basketball does hold it back (that interview being a great example).

Using Caitlin Clark as an example is not normal. The reason Clark gets the attention is because she has (and is) doing things that people do NOT see from women’s basketball. When you can routinely pull up from the logo and hit, that pops eyebrows. She has been compared to Steph Curry (who is must watch tv with his shooting ability) because her game is so flashy and smooth for crying out loud. That’s why. Wouldn’t trade Ashley for the world but she does it the old fashioned way. She’s a grinder and is tough as nails. That doesn’t sell though.

Remember Candace Parker dunking? Yeah that wasn’t seen before in women’s hoops like that. She was a known and marketable player.

Breanna Stewart at UConn was absolutely unstoppable, but I would argue she wasn’t covered like the star she was. Having UConn helped nationally but she was quiet and just a phenomenal player who won everything.

 

[fcclone]

Wish I hadn’t opened this thread. Makes me sad. First of all I love the coverage of CF’s coverage of Cyclone WBB. But I also appreciate the insight and enthusiasm provided by posters like @mred , @BoxsterCy , and @acoustimac .

 

[BoxsterCy]

Where to start ...

-- We staffed two writers at both Big 12 Tournament games and one at the NCAA Tournament. Two with the men. We only have three full-time employees.

-- It's important to point out that Connor, our newest full-time employee, is partly dedicated to women's basketball. I can assure you that financially, from a business standpoint only, we would be wise to use those resources elsewhere as much as I love it, women's basketball does not generate the interest that football and men's basketball do. It's just a fact. It's the same with wrestling.

-- We have had a writer dedicated to women's basketball since 2010, when I took over here. We have paid these writers and I promise you, have lost significant money in the process. We do it to support the women's program, that I love so very much and have worked my ass off to promote over the years.

-- Connor is going to Greensboro on Wednesday for the entirety of the next two rounds and hopefully will be in Minneapolis too. I'd like to see another free fan site in America sending writers half way across the country to cover women's basketball. (Again I believe it is important to do so we are doing it. BUT most publishers and business owners do not, and won't choke down the loss).

-- We have a bi-weekly podcast dedicated to the women, which of course touches on other things too. But the basis of the podcast when we created it was to give an extra boost towards women's sports at Iowa State.

-- A few other notes ... This past weekend, we did an NCAA Tournament preview show. Billy Fennelly joined us. On Sunday, we did a Round of 32 preview show. Jamie Steyer-Johnson joined us. On last night's show, an entire segment was dedicated to the women.

On top of that, here are links to every story we have done ONLY in the postseason.

CFTV: Bill Fennelly, Ashley Joens and Morgan Kane preview Big 12 Tournament

Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly and players Ashley Joens & Morgan Kane previewed the weekend's Big 12 Tournament after a practice on Thursday. The Cyclones (25-5, 14-4 Big 12) come in to the weekend as the No. 2 seed and will play the winner of No. 7 West Virginia and No. 10 TCU. https://y

cyclonefanatic.com

PHOTOS: Iowa State women practice in KC

The Iowa State women's basketball team practiced before it takes the court for the Big 12 Tournament this weekend at Municipal Auditorium. Emily Ryan gets ready for a pass at Big 12 Tournament practice. Photo by Connor FergusonAubrey Joens shoots a ball during Big 12 Tournament practice. Photo by

cyclonefanatic.com

WILLIAMS: Iowa State fans' support of women's basketball is special

Mar 11, 2022; Kansas City, MO, USA; Iowa State Cyclones guard Lexi Donarski (21) is introduced before facing the West Virginia Mountaineers at Municipal Auditorium. Mandatory Credit: Amy Kontras-USA TODAY Sports KANSAS CITY, Mo. — I’ve covered somewhere around 15 Big 12 Tournaments over the y

cyclonefanatic.com

WBB: Cyclones survive scoring droughts, advance to Big 12 semifinal

KANSAS CITY, Mo. --- Iowa State had a 21-point lead at one point Friday night in its 66-60 win over West Virginia at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City. Despite multiple scoring droughts that lasted more than three minutes, the Cyclones managed to survive and advance. "They're talented," Iowa

cyclonefanatic.com

CFTV: Bill Fennelly, Joens & Donarski, address media following loss to UT

https://www.jcorpdesignbuild.com Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly and the pair of players in Ashley Joens and Lexi Donarski addressed the media following Saturday's game against Texas. https://youtu.be/wvSne6lDzYg

cyclonefanatic.com

STANZ: Freedom of movement is dead

Mar 12, 2022; Kansas City, MO, USA; Iowa State Cyclones head coach Bill Fennelly looks on in the first half against the Texas Longhorns at Municipal Auditorium. Mandatory Credit: Amy Kontras-USA TODAY Sports KANSAS CITY, Mo. --- Freedom of movement in college basketball is dead -- and has bee

cyclonefanatic.com

FERGUSON: Iowa State proved it Saturday that it can hang with the bullies

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Ashley Joens set a pick to allow a teammate to get open during Iowa State's 82-73 overtime loss to Texas in the Big 12 semifinal game. She was run over like a bowling pin sitting in the lane waiting to be knocked down to complete the spare. This wasn't an outlier in the game. It w

cyclonefanatic.com

WBB: Iowa State a No. 3 seed in NCAA Tournament, could face Iowa in Sweet 16

Iowa State women's basketball team will play its first round NCAA Tournament game on Friday, facing off with No. 14 UT Arlington in the first round. As the No. 3 seed in its bracket, Iowa State will host the first and second round games in the four-team pod it is in. If Iowa State can make it

cyclonefanatic.com

CFTV: Fennelly & Co. talk NCAA Tournament

Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly and players Ashley Joens and Morgan Kane spoke to media members on Sunday about its 2022 NCAA Tournament draw: https://youtu.be/I6C8o00aMig https://youtu.be/UdbmIkF1odg

cyclonefanatic.com

WBB: Scouting UT Arlington

Dec 2, 2021; Arlington, Texas, USA; UT Arlington Mavericks forward Starr Jacobs (4) shoots over South Florida Bulls forward Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu (32) during the second half at College Park Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-USA TODAY Sports After being announced as a No. 3 seed, Iowa St

cyclonefanatic.com

Title IX: Episode 68

Steph Copley and Alisa Woods dive into the women's basketball NCAA Tournament bracket and run back through everything that happened last week in Kansas City on a new episode of Title IX presented by the Ivy College of Business at Iowa State University.

cyclonefanatic.com

WBB: Ashley Joens named to AP All-American Second Team

The following is a press release from Iowa State Athletics Communications: AMES, Iowa – Ashley Joens continues to make history, earning Second Team All-America honors by the Associated Press, the organization announced on Wednesday. Joens becomes the fourth Cyclone to make an AP All-America team,

cyclonefanatic.com

WBB: Iowa State earns commitment from four-star wing out of Kansas

Iowa State added a fourth player to its 2023 recruiting class Wednesday night, with the news of four-star wing Addy Brown's commitment to the program. The Cyclones are preparing to face off with UT Arlington on Friday night in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Ames, but remain diligent in

cyclonefanatic.com

CFTV: Fennelly, Joens and Ryan preview UT-Arlington

Iowa State head coach Bill Fennelly, plus stars Ashley Joens and Emily Ryan, preview the Cyclones' NCAA Tournament first-round tilt with UT-Arlington on Friday in this CFTV. https://youtu.be/WlfX4jCx8b8

cyclonefanatic.com

Iowa State's Big Three saved the Cyclones from madness

Iowa State Cyclones guard Emily Ryan (11) shoots as Texas-Arlington Mavericks guard Camryn Hawkins (23) attempts to block during the second quarter in the NCAA first-round game at Hilton Coliseum Thursday, March 17, 2022, in Ames, Iowa. AMES --- Iowa State trailed UT Arlington by eight points

cyclonefanatic.com

WBB: Cyclones survive UTA, advance to Sunday's Round of 32 matchup

For just over three quarters, it looked like March Madness may have caught up to the No. 3 seed Iowa State women's basketball team. Although it waivered early, trailing by eight after the first quarter, the Cyclones powered to a 78-71, NCAA Tournament win. Ashley Joens finished the game with a

cyclonefanatic.com

WBB: A quick turnaround, and onto Georgia

AMES --- Iowa State's first round game in the NCAA Tournament against UT Arlington ended at 11:03 p.m. Friday. Coach Bill Fennelly eventually got to bed at 3:30 a.m. after doing as much immediate prep for the second round game as he and his staff could. "I'm about six Red Bull's in right now,

cyclonefanatic.com

CFTV: Fennelly, Joens & Ryan prepare for Georgia

Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly and players Ashley Joens & Emily Ryan spoke to media members ahead of practice about preparing for Georgia, with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line: https://youtu.be/vMw0Yb-11qo

cyclonefanatic.com

WATCH: Round of 32 preview show

Join us at 2 for a live pregame show for Iowa State / Wisconsin on the men's side and Iowa State / Georgia for the women's. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XztoHuCSYb8

cyclonefanatic.com

WBB: Cyclones down Georgia, earn first Sweet 16 bid since 2010

For the first time in 12 years, the Iowa State women's basketball program is headed back to the Sweet 16. The Cyclones rolled No. 6 Georgia on Sunday night at Hilton Coliseum in a 67-44 win. Lexi Donarski led the team in scoring with 20 points on the night, and helped the Cyclones turn an earl

cyclonefanatic.com

WBB: The Hilton environment that helped Iowa State dance some more

AMES --- Sunday's game between No. 3 Iowa State and No. 6 Georgia got off to a lopsided start, seeing the Cyclones up 9-0 with four forced turnovers before their opponents could call timeout. The team punched its ticket into the Sweet 16 for the first time in 12 years with a 65-30 win, but what h

cyclonefanatic.com

CFTV: Fennelly, Ryan & Donarski secure Sweet 16 bid

Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly and Cyclone standouts Lexi Donarski & Emily Ryan addressed media members following their team's win over Georgia that punched its ticket to the Sweet 16: https://youtu.be/6P6fXfa4uIY

cyclonefanatic.com

Williams & Blum: Our sweetest podcast ever

Chris Williams and Brent Blum did their podcast live on Sunday night following the Iowa State men's and women's programs both advancing to the Sweet 16. Complete analysis on both games and what's to come.

cyclonefanatic.com

By my count, that is 23 pieces of content since the start of the Big 12 Touranment.

That doesn't count the one-on-one podcast that I did with Bill Fennelly before the start of the tournament. He also joined me on my KXnO show, where I talk about this team constantly.

It's just funny to me that I wake up today getting "thank you for your coverage" texts from the program and read this on our free message board.

Whatever though. You have a right to your opinion, and I do mine. I challenge you to find another fan site in America that covers women's basketball as much as we do.

Hell, I migrated here from CR years ago in a large part BECAUSE Cyclone Fanatic had a forum dedicated to WBB. Other than a handful of elite programs there aren't many fan sites that even have that.

I'd add that the WBB team is doing precisely what was forecast for them, compete for a Big 12 title (close) and advance to the Sweet sixteen or better. And the guys, jeez, that's a BIG story. Being on the bubble would have been huge let alone making the Sweet Sixteen. I'm a pretty big WBB fan but the men's story is just bigger which doesn't mean at all that the gals are getting slighted, they just aren't. The season seems to have had more WBB features than any other season I can recall.