CLEVELAND – Ironically, one of the best examples of how far women’s basketball has come on the national landscape concerns Cleveland State and an upcoming game more than 660 miles away.
On Dec. 16, the Vikings are set to take on the University of Iowa as part of a doubleheader scheduled in Des Moines.
This morning, tickets went on sale ranging from $85 to $8,500, said Cleveland State women’s coach Chris Kielsmeier.
Kielsmeier was part of a panel at the City Club addressing the state of women’s basketball in Cleveland – timely considering the city will host the Women’s Final Four in April.
And that, the panelists said, is all about opportunities – for the city as much as for young girls.
The economic impact for 50,000-plus visitors in Cleveland wasn’t loss on the panelists. This year’s title game pitted the Iowa Hawkeyes and their captivating Caitlin Clark, against the Louisiana State Tigers, led by one of the game’s most successful coaches, Kim Mulkey. That championship game, won by LSU, drew almost 10 million viewers – most watched for any women’s final, said Monica Gustin, Greater Cleveland Sports Commission vice president of business development and executive director of the 2024 Women’s Final Four.
Moderator Kelsey Russo of The Athletic doesn’t see an end to the growing numbers and mounting excitement: “There’s lots of room to grow for women’s athletics.”
That’s a good thing for Cleveland, which the panelists see as fertile ground to spawn empowerment for girls and yield success stories later in their life.
Former Cleveland Rockers coach Dan Hughes ran down a list of his former players from more than 15 years ago, most of whom are still in the game in some capacity – an ambassador for the WNBA, a team executive and assistant coach of the U.S. Olympics team, Hall of Famer and many others.
“The stories I’m most proud to tell are what these women have gone and done with their lives,” he said.
Jessica Davis, senior manager of youth basketball operations for the Cleveland Cavaliers, also forecasts an optimistic horizon.
“I think the conversation just needs to continue from this positive momentum going on,” she said.
She said that momentum is fueled by giving girls life lessons learned from early age, increasing female participation in gyms and empowering them to build their confidence to accept mistakes and move on.
“We have to provide them with this space that all athletes want to come back to,” she said.
Her feel-good attitude fits Kielsmeier’s vision for Cleveland State women’s basketball.
“Let’s be the face of women athletics in Cleveland, let’s be the face of women’s basketball in Northeast Ohio,” he said, encouraging fans who have never been to a game to give it a try.
“If you’ve never been, go – I think you’re going to love it. This isn’t the ’50s; we need to keep talking about women’s athletics, we need to give them a voice that is equal to the men’s. That’s a big part of what we can do.”
Gustin, from her vantage of promoting large-scale sporting events in Cleveland, said the Final Four will create opportunities, opening doors to coaching possibilities and other aspects of the game including networking and communitywide events.
All of those opportunities will be in the spotlight in April as media coverage catches up to the women’s game.
“March madness now being branded on the women’s tournament?” Hughes said. “That was a good day. We’re seeing the outreach of 2023, and you’re going to see that in 2024.”
He added: “I think the people in Cleveland are in for a treat.”
Gustin noted an added benefit, saying the Final Four won’t be the only drawing card for Cleveland next April. Viewing of the total solar eclipse is slated for Monday, April 8, a day after the championship.
“It’s going to be one for our lifetime,” she said.
With the women’s game growing, Gustin could have been talking just as easily about the astronomical event or the Final Four.
