Part of the fun of the NCAA tournament is envisioning how the game’s brightest stars will play on the next level. What would Azzi Fudd look like playing for the Lynx? Could Lauren Betts add to the young star power in Washington? Or could an LSU reunion of Flau’jae Johnson, Angel Reese and Hailey Van Lith push Chicago back to the top tier of the league? To help you watch the tournament with a WNBA slant, we’ve created a watch list of stars who could be playing in the W this summer.
However, this is not a mock draft for several reasons. The WNBA draft will likely feature several international players who are not playing in the NCAA tournament, including Spanish players Awa Fam and Iyana Martin. And, with no collective bargaining agreement signed yet, the start of the WNBA season and the usual calendar that it follows is still in flux. The WNBA draft is scheduled for April 13, a week after the NCAA title game. Still, the expansion draft, which will feature two new teams in the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo, and free agency are up in the air. Almost every player who is not on a rookie contract still needs to be signed, and each team’s needs are still uncertain because they don’t know who is on the team or how much they’re being paid.
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With all that in mind, here are the top WNBA prospects to watch as March Madness unfold.
Azzi Fudd, UConn
The Huskies are defending champions who are headed into the tournament undefeated, so you would think they might be playing with the weight of the world on their shoulders, right? Nah. Due in large part to Fudd’s leadership and consistency, UConn is playing great basketball at the right time. She can score, averaging 17.7 points per game, and is a reliable defender. But beyond that, Fudd has shown she is ready for the spotlight of the WNBA and that she can play well with pretty much anyone.
Raven Johnson, South Carolina
In every season of Johnson’s career in Columbia, S.C., she has been to the Final Four, winning two national titles. Johnson is battle-tested and conditioned to Dawn Staley’s satisfaction, which is no easy feat. During the Gamecocks’ win over LSU in the semifinals of the SEC tournament, the Tigers played well early. Johnson continued to play her game, and kept her team calm as they came back to win. Though she adds to her team’s offense, putting up 10 points and 5.4 assists per game, defense is where Johnson really shines.
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Flau’jae Johnson, LSU
What stands out the most about Johnson is her energy. Not only does she show it in how she balances being an elite basketball player, a musician and a student, but also in how she spends every minute on the court. Johnson can score from anywhere on the floor, but this season at LSU has shown how she can facilitate her teammates’ scoring, too. She’s scoring 13.8 points per game, which is a drop from last season, but that’s more of a testament to her trust in the players around her.
Cotie McMahon, Ole Miss
Have you ever wondered what it would look like if someone played basketball like they were a linebacker in football? Wonder no more. McMahon owns the court, is comfortable playing inside and on defense, and has made a steady improvement in her ability to score from the outside. Her points per game increased significantly this season after her transfer from Ohio State, going from 16.5 to 19.9 points per game.
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Olivia Miles, TCU
If Miles had entered the WNBA Draft after her last season at Notre Dame, as she was eligible to do, she likely would have been picked in the top five. She had already proved her worthiness. But by sticking in college and heading to TCU, Miles showed she could still improve. With the Horned Frogs this season, she’s scoring more, with 19.6 points per game, up from 15.4 last season, and she’s dishing more assists. She’s even improved her free-throw shooting by five percentage points.
A whole mess of stars from UCLA
Is it a copout to just highlight the whole team? Perhaps, but the Bruins are that good. There’s a reason the team hasn’t lost since December, and why they cruised through the Big Ten Tournament. The team is stocked with skilled leaders who complement each other and who will be draft-eligible this spring, including Gabriela Jaquez, Gianna Kneepkens and Charlisse Leger-Walker, but the two biggest standouts are Lauren Betts and Kiki Rice.
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Betts: Let’s face it. Even if Betts hadn’t been the key to the Bruins’ success this year, WNBA coaches and general managers would still be interested in her for her 6-foot-7 stature. The good news is she has been an absolute rock for UCLA, scoring 16.4 points per game, grabbing 8.6 rebounds and making 1.8 blocks per game. Almost every team in the WNBA could use her services.
Rice: At the beginning of the season, Rice might not have made this list, but her improvement this year has been impressive. Her ability to score (15.3 points per game), grab rebounds (6.0 per game) and dish out assists (4.5 per game) make her the kind of player who could slot into several teams.
