PHOENIX — Mia Nicastro looked around the court at Grand Canyon University’s Global Credit Union Arena on April 4 and found herself surrounded by stars from the Power 4 conferences. There was North Carolina’s Nyla Harris, LSU’s Amiya Joyner and Baylor’s Darianna Littlepage-Buggs.
In the stands of the Women’s College All-Star Game, scattered amongst fans, were scouts and coaches from WNBA teams. This game, played each of the last three years on the day between the Final Four and national championship in the host city, serves as one last showcase for players hoping to get picked in the WNBA draft.
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Nicastro didn’t need to score in bunches to wow professional decision-makers. There’s plenty of film of her doing that at Western Illinois, where she was fourth in the nation in scoring this past season at 24.1 points per game. She had something else to prove.
“I hope I showed that I move well without the ball and I’m versatile. I can do a lot of things, I can play a lot of different positions and I play hard,” Nicastro told USA TODAY Sports. “I think there is something to be said about being able to play well in a system and being able to play team basketball. And I think I do that well.”
A 6-foot-2 guard from St. Charles, Missouri, Nicastro is one of a handful of mid-major players who hope to have their name called on Monday night during the WNBA draft.
Last season, two mid-major players were drafted. Both Gonzaga’s Yvonne Ejim and Harvard’s Harmoni Turner were selected in the third round, but neither of them played in the WNBA. Indeed, in recent history, it’s been difficult for mid-major players to get drafted and stick around in the league.
Since 2016, when George Washington’s Jonquel Jones and USF’s Courtney Williams were both first-round picks, three mid-major products have been selected in the first round: Princeton’s Bella Alarie and USF’s Kitija Laksa in 2020 and Florida Gulf Coast’s Kierstan Bell in 2022. Of the three, only Bell is still playing for the team that drafted her, the Las Vegas Aces. Alarie lasted two seasons with the Dallas Wings and Laksa didn’t make her WNBA debut until last season with the Phoenix Mercury. Laksa was recently selected by the Toronto Tempo in the expansion draft.
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But this year, with Toronto and the Portland Fire starting up, there’s more teams, picks and roster spots than before, increasing the chances of mid-major hopefuls getting selected and finding long-term homes in the WNBA.
In Monday’s draft, there are three players from the mid-major level that have a decent chance of having their names called: Nicastro from Western Illinois, Brooklyn Meyer of South Dakota State and Richmond’s Maggie Doogan.
Of the three, it seems likely that Doogan will go the highest. A 6-foot-2 forward, Doogan powered Richmond to three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and this season was the highest single-game scorer, pouring in 48 points in a triple-overtime win in January. Doogan averaged 21.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game this season while shooting 50.6% from the floor, 40.4% from 3-point land and 89.1% from the free throw line — just shy of a coveted 50-40-90 season.
When Doogan scored 26 points on 10-of-14 shooting to go along with six rebounds in a Feb. 14 win at Davidson, representatives from the Tempo, Atlanta Dream and Wings were in the building.
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Former Richmond coach Aaron Roussell — who was hired as Virginia’s new head coach last week — has fielded dozens of calls from WNBA folks this season.
“I’ve probably left just about every conversation I’ve had with seemingly every WNBA franchise of, ‘Yep, she is that, but guess what? In three years, that kid is going to be in the gym probably more than anybody else,’” Roussell said after Richmond’s NCAA Tournament loss to Nebraska. “She’s going to consume the game of basketball more than anybody else.
“She can make an impact right away, but what I’m really excited about is what Maggie Doogan is going to be on the professional stage over the next two to five years and beyond. I know how special she is.”
Nicastro and Meyer were the only mid-major players — out of a total of 20 — that played in this year’s college all-star game.
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“Obviously, only 20 girls in the country got to be here, so I’m just really grateful that I was considered,” Nicastro said. “Coming from a mid-major, I think it’s a little bit harder to get that exposure and get your name out there.”
In addition to some of her eye-popping scoring totals, Nicastro also grabbed 9.8 rebounds per game and ranked eighth nationally in player efficiency rating.
Each year, the basketball analytics and statistics website Her Hoop Stats gives out the Becky Hammon Award to the best mid-major player of the year. Before she coached the Aces to three WNBA titles, Hammon was an All-American at Colorado State and led the Rams to three NCAA Tournament appearances.
This year, that award went to South Dakota State’s Meyer, who averaged 22.6 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. She was third in the nation in field goal percentage with a mark of 64.6% from the floor.
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“I feel like what I pride myself in is just playing hard,” Meyer told USA TODAY Sports. “I know I’m a little undersized, but I’m willing to get in there and do what I have to do.”
While some mid-major players have transferred to Power 4 programs ahead of their senior seasons to boost their draft stocks — something that worked for Kaitlyn Chen, who went from Princeton to UConn before being selected by the Golden State Valkyries in the third round last season — Meyer played her entire career with the Jackrabbits. South Dakota State went to the NCAA Tournament in each of Meyer’s four seasons.
“I’m just so glad that I stayed there all four years. It’s been so rewarding,” Meyer said. “I have such great coaches and great teammates around me that make it really easy to show up every day and get to work.”
In this year’s March Madness, South Dakota State faced off against Washington in the first round. For Huskies coach Tina Langley, there was only one player at the top of the scouting report.
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“If you do a statistical analysis, she’s actually in some systems paired with (UCLA center) Lauren Betts and her efficiency,” Langley said. “So, she’s incredibly talented.”
With expansion teams coming online, this year’s WNBA Draft will have 45 picks — the most since 2002 when it was four rounds long.
For Nicastro, hearing her name called would be a dream come true, but she’s also being realistic.
“It would just be a testament to a lot of hard work. It’s something that I’ve dreamed of since I was a kid. It’s kind of surreal, you know? It’s actually here and I’m being considered,” Nicastro said. “If it doesn’t work out, I’m a big believer in everything happens the way it’s supposed to. So, I’ll go overseas, see what happens, have a good year and try again.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Three mid-major college stars who could be picked in 2026 WNBA Draft
