Haley and Hanna Cavinder have been two of the best women’s college basketball players in the country for the last three years.
They got to play at Fresno State and led the team in scoring before transferring to Miami when the season was over.
They are also two of the most followed college athletes on social media and just signed a massive NIL deal with WWE.
We had the chance to sit down with the twins to discuss that NIL deal, plus why they transferred to Miami, how they feel about NIL as a whole, their partnership with Six Star, and so much more.
The Spun: You earned a lot of headlines when you announced your decision to transfer from Fresno State, what about Miami was so appealing to you?
Hanna: I would say when we were transferring, we had a lot of goals that we were looking for basketball-wise. We obviously wanted to always get to the March Madness tournament and I think that’s the most exciting time of the year. Literally, I think March is Christmas. We want to be part of that and when we were visiting other schools, what stood out to us about Miami was coach Katie Meier and her staff, and the culture they created. Obviously, they had a great season last year but we just want to be part of something special. They have all the pieces there and that’s what we’re looking forward to.
The Spun: Is there an ACC school that you both are most looking forward to playing against?
Haley: I don’t think there’s a particular school, I just think the ACC is such a big conference. It’s probably one of the better conferences for women’s college basketball, so I just think being able to see all of those teams and the competition, it’s going to be so fun. Being able to go and visit that side of the coast, because Hanna and I are West Coast, so seeing those teams I’m looking forward to, but not one specific one.
Hanna: I would say, so we grew up in South Bend. We were born there, so, my dad loves Notre Dame football, and just being able to be in the same conference as them is kinda crazy. Growing up and watching Skylar Diggins-Smith play, just being able to play them is definitely going to be different.
Haley: And then all of our family from Michigan and Indiana are going to be able to come to that so, actually them (Notre Dame).
The Spun: What are your thoughts on NIL as a whole throughout the past year?
Haley: I think after a year it’s been so crazy. I think Hanna and I didn’t go into it having many expectations, but I think being female athletes and being able to be a part of leading the way for name, image, and likeness is something we’re super prideful of and super passionate about and I think it’s so crazy to see what life was a year ago today so I’m very fortunate, but I think it’s been very impactful on us.
The Spun: Speaking of that, you both inked a NIL deal with the WWE in December, do you have an idea of what a future could look like with them after you finish your college careers?
Hanna: So, we definitely aren’t going to close any doors but we are going down there to see an event and then we’re going to see some facilities. WWE has one of the most loyal fanbases I’ve ever seen in my life. They live it. Being able to align with their audience and kinda being able to bring both of our audiences and mesh them together, it’s been very exciting to see. They’re very competitive and we’re very competitive, so having that, we can’t wait. We’re not going to close any doors though.
The Spun: What was going through your minds when you were in New York City last July, knowing that you both were about to be the first athletes to sign a name, image, and likeness agreement?
Haley: So, we just came off a very long day of travel because of weather but once we got to New York, it was so crazy. Being able to promote Six Star on July 1st and Boost Mobile, it was kind of hard not to think about what was happening, but I couldn’t even put words to it. And then being on a billboard in New York, I just think you never know what to expect, and then seeing that was like, I can’t believe this is happening. It was probably one of the best days of my life.”
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The Spun: How important was it for both of you to monetize your social media following?
Haley: I think that we didn’t really know what to expect when July 1st happened, especially with monetization, how you go about it, what it looks like for college athletes, etc. So, I think just taking it day by day and then being able to have the opportunity to work with brands and companies that align with us and monetize off that way is something you learn as you go, but it’s been so cool to see and build relationships with companies that we have so much interest in and being able to show our fanbase that, so it’s been really, really cool.
The Spun: Going off that, how important is it for other women’s athletes to own and monetize their audience as the 50th anniversary of Title IX looms?
Hanna: I think it’s very important. I think it allows the game to grow and having Six Star invest in equity for female athletes also helps the game grow. We just want to continue to see the growth. Obviously, we’ve come a long way since the 50th anniversary of Title IX, but I can’t wait to see 50 years from now what it looks like. Being able to just monetize your account as a female athlete, I think NIL has really shown that we have the same opportunities as men and if you give us a lot of TV time too, people will watch.
The Spun: What can you tell us about your partnership with Six Star? Do you have plans to monetize merchandise?
Haley: So, Six Star is giving away female athletes’ jerseys for the whole month of June and putting equity in female sports and I think with companies like them that are investing in women, it would be hard to grow the game even more and I think it shows that female athletes do have a lot of people that want to watch (them) and want to buy their jerseys. So, just having companies like them and being able to work and show their message and love for female athletes is super exciting for us.
Haley & Hanna will look to help Miami get back to the NCAA Tournament next season after the program lost in the second round to South Carolina earlier this year.
Check out more of our interviews with the game’s biggest stars here.