RJ sports writer Callie Fin’s 5 favorite stories of 2025

Callie Fin, Aces and UNLV basketball beat writer for the Review-Journal, spent the year chronicling the WNBA champions’ unlikely road to winning a third league title and the Rebels’ transition to a new chapter.

She is on maternity leave after giving birth to her son, Caleb, in October.

Like UNLV guard Sydni Summers after welcoming a daughter in September, Fin eagerly awaits a return to the gym. Fin covered another successful such feat when veteran forward Cheyenne Parker-Tyus exclusively announced her pregnancy via the RJ and returned to the court three months after giving birth.

Here are Fin’s five favorite stories from 2025, along with her perspective on each piece:

1. Aces security director more than A’ja Wilson’s bodyguard

At Michelob Ultra Arena, the House that A’ja Wilson built, there’s one consistent presence protecting the WNBA star and her teammates: Aces security director Leon “Sonny” Watson.

Watson was often noticed by Wilson’s avid fan base as a tall bodyguard shrouded in mystery. But his background and personality, uncovered exclusively in this feature, make him a compelling key part of the Aces’ championship culture.

2. How A’ja Wilson powered the Aces with another MVP-caliber season

Wilson’s eighth WNBA campaign made her the first player in WNBA and NBA history to win MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, Finals MVP and a scoring title in a season. Although she often made it look easy, she opened up to the RJ about the effort being the hardest of her career.

3. Planted, not buried: Aces’ win streak mirrors gift from head coach

Aces coach Becky Hammon encountered plenty of firsts in the Aces’ tumultuous 2024-25 campaign.

One of them, an unconventional gift to start the season, perfectly encapsulated the mentality she fostered in her team long before they mounted the longest win streak to close a regular season in WNBA history.

She presented plants in customized pots to her players, displaying short messages she hoped they would keep in mind as they worked to help the plants — and their season — bloom from the depths of the dirt.

4. Is UNLV’s Kevin Kruger coaching for his job?

Before he was fired in May after four seasons, former UNLV men’s basketball coach Kevin Kruger said he doesn’t “really think about” the speculation surrounding his job status.

That said, whether he would remain at the helm of the Rebels was a major point of interest as the program’s decade-long NCAA Tournament drought continued.

This feature explored that predicament ahead of the postseason, providing previously undisclosed context leading up to his ouster.

5. Watching film with UNLV’s Josh Pastner

Although Josh Pastner’s first season succeeding Kruger is still unfolding, the charismatic new coach displayed his excitement for the role in his new office during a practice film session with the RJ, as discussions of the NBA’s future and top Las Vegas hot spots took place in the backdrop of the NBA Summer League at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Pastner showcased a unique energy and ethos over the summer that supports an expectation from many that he is capable of reigniting the spark of the old Rebels.