Charles, Smith Shine as Athletes Unlimited Basketball Season 5 Tipped Off in Nashville
Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball Season is Here
Tina Charles picked up right where she left off. The three-time Olympic Gold medalist and 2010 WNBA first overall pick out of UConn, dropped 17 points and nine rebounds Wednesday night as Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball tipped off its fifth season at Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Tennessee.
What I love about this league is the number of veteran players who continue to lace it up and put MVP caliber performances on the court, especially with little practice as a team. Chemistry seemed to be no issue in the first couple of games of this season.
In game one, it was Glow over Rhythm 86-73. Charles led the Glow to victory while compiling 544 leaderboard points and taking MVP 1 honors in game one.
The 2023 AU Basketball Champion NaLyssa Smith added 16 points and 16 rebounds, earning 520 leaderboard points and MVP 3 honors in her first Athletes Unlimited action since that 2023 season. Smith is one of the all-time leaders in Athletes Unlimited Basketball history. Last night she notched her 13th career double-double, with her 16 rebounds setting an opening night record.
Even in loss, Kia Nurse led all scorers with 22 points and took MVP 2 honors in game one. Nurse averages 16.3 points per game in 12 Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball games played.
Former South Carolina Gamecock Bree Hall made her AU debut and posted a 17-point night for the Rhythm with four rebounds, one block and one steal. Hall recorded 23 minutes of action and shot a solid 42.9 percent from the field, going 3-for-8 from beyond the arc.
Eclipse took game two 101-83 over the Gold Rush and was led by Asia Taylor, who is from Columbus, Ohio and played her collegiate ball at the University of Louisville. Taylor finished 14th last year in her first AU Pro Basketball season, and last night she jumped out to a great start. Taylor scored a career-high 22 points and took MVP 1 honors while compiling 723 leaderboard points.
After coming to a 19-19 tie in the opening minutes, Eclipse took the lead for good by scoring nine of the next 13 points for a 28-23 lead. Eclipse led by as many as 19 points in the fourth quarter.
Rebekah Gardner added 17 points and took MVP 2, and Aneesah Morrow completed the MVP sweep for the Eclipse with 14 points and 13 rebounds, recording a double-double to start the season.
Setting the Standard
Beyond the box scores, Wednesday night showcased why Athletes Unlimited Basketball keeps getting better. The league’s iron woman, Odyssey Sims, continues to show up and ball. Wednesday marked her 55th career game, and here’s the best part, she hasn’t missed a single one since joining the league. That perfect attendance record is unmatched in AU Basketball history.
Even in a loss, she brought a solid performance to say the least, with 18 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and three steals. She also crossed 300 career rebounds and extended her double-digit scoring streak to 25 straight games. In 53 of her 55 career appearances, Sims has scored 10 or more points, the best consistency mark in the league.
Rebecca Harris joined some elite company too, crossing the 10,000 career win points threshold after Rhythm took the second quarter. She’s now the fourth player ever to reach that milestone and sits at 10,080 win points. Lexie Brown still holds the top spot with 10,390.
When it was all said and done on opening night, Asia Taylor leads the Athletes Unlimited Basketball leaderboard with 723 points, followed by Rebekah Gardner at 680, Aneesah Morrow at 611, Alysha Clark at 549, and Tina Charles rounding out the top five with 544 points.
Action returns on Friday night, with Eclipse taking on Glow at 6:30 PM ET, and Rhythm facing Gold Rush at 9:00 PM ET. Games can be seen on the ESPN App.
Stay tuned to Mays Sports Media for more coverage across sports.
