Lauren Whittaker's path to national prominence has been anything but seamless. In her first full collegiate season, the Gonzaga forward has become the only player in NCAA women’s basketball ranked in the top 25 in both points and rebounds per game, averaging just under 20 PPG and 10.1 RPG for a Bulldogs team leading the West Coast Conference.

The New Zealand native came to Gonzaga midway through the 2023-24 season, only to be sidelined with a season ending injury for 2024-25. Getting back on the court took an immense amount of rehabilitation, and there were still questions how'd she perform once fully healthy. Her rise through all of the trials and tribulations has truly been one of the most inspiring comeback stories in college basketball.

Lauren is a leading candidate for the 2026 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award. Whittaker's dominance in her first season of college basketball has already attracted pro scouts from all over the world. With Gonzaga chasing more WCC dominance and Whittaker still early in her collegiate career, her story is only beginning.

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Toby Harris’ path to Division I basketball wasn’t traditional — and that’s exactly what makes his story stand out.

After becoming a 1,000-point scorer, D3 All-American, and star at Brandeis, Harris made the jump to Iona, where he’s now the team’s second-leading scorer at 11.7 points per game. His transition from Division III standout to Division I starter is a testament to his development and confidence in himself.

Harris recently delivered one of the biggest moments of Iona’s season, hitting a game-winning shot as the Gaels battle to stay in the top half of the MAAC standings. In this episode, he breaks down his journey from Brandeis to Iona, the adjustments to Division I basketball, and the goals for his last season of CBB.

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Tamara Inoue, UC Irvine's WBB head coach joins this week's episode of @Notevend2 . Inoue’s run at UC Irvine is one of the most impressive turnarounds in college basketball. Taking over a program that finished 5–23 in her first season, Inoue has completely redefined the ceiling of UC Irvine women’s basketball. She’s now on pace to lead UCI to five straight 20+ win seasons, is already the all-time winningest coach in program history, and guided the program to a Big West Championship in 2023–24. This season, her team sits at 17–3, continuing a stretch of sustained success that few programs can match.

A Big West Co-Coach of the Year (2020–21), she’s steadily transformed the program from rebuild mode into a consistent conference contender. What started as a challenging rebuild has evolved into one of the most stable and respected programs in the Big West.

UC Irvine is positioned to remain a force in the conference and beyond. The main goal remains to get back to the NCAA tournament for the second time in three years. Will they win the Big West?