Eden Laase

Passionate, experienced storyteller who specializes in women’s basketball and feature writing. Creative mind who can work individually or as part of a team to produce a high-quality product.

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Eden's Work

Hoops HQ • 29th December 2024

COLLEGE BASKETBALL’S 2024 WOMAN OF THE YEAR: CAITLIN CLARK

To sum up Caitlin Clark’s 2024 simply in terms of basketball wouldn’t be enough. Her year on the court, from being a senior at Iowa and playing in the national title game to being drafted No. 1 overall and embarking on her WNBA career, was only a small part of her impact. Because Clark was so much more than just a figure on a court – whether she wanted to be or not.

Hoops HQ • 10th November 2024

AS GENO AURIEMMA BEGINS YEAR 40 AT UCONN, HE HOPES THE FUTURE LOOKS MORE LIKE THE PAST YOUR ALL-ACCESS PASS TO HOOPS HQ.

STORRS — Eleven was a good age for Geno Auriemma. It’s one he revisits when hit with a wave of nostalgia. Auriemma often thinks of the past, but never with the desire to return, except for that year. He would be 11 again if he could.

Yahoo Sports • 13th February 2024

Heartbreak, hoops and hope: Columbia's Abbey Hsu still learning to cope after Parkland, personal loss

Abbey Hsu never set out to be a spokesperson or an activist. She speaks because she knows it’s important, not because she feels called to it.

Hsu didn’t ask to be the face of the tragedies that befell her generation. But here she is.

Just Women's Sports • 8th February 2023

The many layers of Stanford’s Cameron Brink

Cameron Brink has a note taped to the inside of her locker. It’s there so she can see it every day — before every practice, after every game. Even if she opens her locker because she forgot something, it’s there, reminding her.

It’s from a former Stanford staff member, Jaylyn Savage. When she left to take another job, she wrote Brink the note.

Composed with thick black ink on white paper, it starts with a greeting. Then comes the part that has stuck with Brink since she first read it.

“It’s so refreshing to see someone as talented as you still be a kid at heart. Never lose that quality. So many athletes of your caliber don’t have that.”

She’s trying not to.

Boston Globe • 27th February 2024

The plight of Boston College women’s basketball: How NIL and the transfer portal make an already tall task even harder

When Boston College women’s basketball coach Joanna Bernabei-McNamee took over in 2018, she began searching for an equalizer between her program and the established ACC powerhouses.

She saw new facilities as the answer, but as soon as the Eagles got their updated facilities, something else emerged to create separation: NIL.

Once again, BC found itself playing catch-up.

Just Women's Sports • 14th March 2023

This is South Carolina’s Aliyah Boston, the author of her own story

If you had a TV, a phone or a computer in April 2021, you saw it.

Aliyah Boston certainly did. She lived it, and then she watched as it was played over and over and over again.

Thirty-nine minutes and 59 seconds of basketball had been played before Boston’s putback in the 2021 Final Four against Stanford bounced off the rim, but that moment, one that took place in less than a second, became the defining moment of her season. Never mind that the sophomore averaged 13.7 points, 11.5 rebounds, 2.6 blocks, 1.6 assists and 1.2 steals per game. Never mind that she led her team to a 26-5 record and the Final Four.

Just Women's Sports • 2nd November 2021

Bigger than tall: How No. 1 recruit Lauren Betts found herself and her voice

From the outside, it seems like Lauren Betts should be a pillar of confidence. But reaching those heights was neither easy nor straightforward. This 18-year-old who has accomplished so much still has a long way to go, but she’s getting there. She’s found herself as a basketball player, she’s finding herself as a person and, through it all, she’s starting to find her voice.

Now, she’s ready to use it.

Just Women's Sports • 22nd June 2023

Sophia Smith and a singular drive for soccer greatness

Sophia Smith wants more.

She always has. More wins. More goals. More soccer.

It’s why she told her parents when she was 12 that she needed to leave her local club, and drive three hours round-trip every day to play for Real Colorado. Why she once scored seven goals in a half, and then got into an argument with her coach when he took her out.

Just Women's Sports • 2nd April 2023

The unlikely star behind LSU’s unlikely NCAA championship run

DALLAS — It was a celebration dripping in sequins.

The party started when Flau’jae Johnson ran over to the sidelines and sent a message to coach Kim Mulkey.

“You’re the GOAT!” she yelled. Then again: “You’re the GOAT!” And again. As her freshman guard shouted, Mulkey’s face wrinkled as she tried to fight back the tears pooling into her eyes.

Yahoo Sports • 27th March 2024

How do you top one Caitlin Clark? How about two?

Caitlin Clark usually snoozes her alarm a few times before getting up. Then, she has a cup of coffee — or two — before taking a walk around her neighborhood with her husband, Kyle, and their Shar Pei-pit bull mix, Max. Clark is almost always rushing in the mornings, so she usually opts for a protein bar or shake for breakfast before heading to her job as a city planner.

Confused? Then you know how this Caitlin Clark felt when she opened her LinkedIn account one Saturday morning to find a message asking her to appear in an Xfinity commercial alongside Iowa basketball star Caitlin Clark.

Resume

Freelance

October 2023-Present

Write topical women’s basketball features and analysis. Stories on Cameron Brink, Aliyah
Boston, Hannah Hidalgo and more. Coverage includes WNBA playoffs and March Madness.

Staff Writer

Just Women’s Sports / June 2021-Present

Cover women’s college basketball, WNBA, NWSL and United States Women’s Soccer, responsible for pitching, researching, interviewing and writing news, analysis, and feature stories on multiple leagues and teams. Cover events on the ground and remotely, while highlighting unknown and compelling stories that take readers behind the scenes.

College Hockey Beat Writer / Desk Editor

Colorado Springs Gazette / April 2021-June 2022

Assigned and edited content for publication, assisted with design and assembly of all sections for print and online, coordinated with reporters, editors and photographers. Balanced desk duties with beat reporting duties for two Division 1 Hockey teams, Colorado College and Air Force Academy.

Co-Founder

Upbeat | June 2018 - April 2021

Founder, content creator and editor of the Upper Peninsula’s first region-wide high school sports publication. Wrote stories, took photos, managed a staff of five, maintained Wordpress website and social media, edited content including articles and photos, and recorded a weekly podcast.

Sports Writer

The Daily Mining Gazette | October 2017-June 2018

Beat writer for Michigan Tech (Division I) and high school hockey, assisted with other sports including basketball, wrote game recaps, previews, sidebars, feature stories

Editorial Intern

Sports Illustrated | June 2017-August 2017

Started summer as a fact-checker, but quickly became motorsport beat writer, Covered IndyCar and NASCAR

Contact Me

My inbox is always open. You can contact me with the contact form here. More clips are available upon request.