Number 22 is about to become number 1.
Caitlin Clark, the Iowa superstar who set three collegiate scoring records and made women’s basketball one of the most-watched television shows in America in recent weeks, was selected with the first pick in the WNBA Draft on Monday night. (7:30 p.m., ESPN).
“I would like to personally thank Caitlin Clark for elevating our sport,” University of South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley said last Sunday after her team defeated Clark and Iowa for the national championship. ,Told.
“She’s carried a huge burden for our sport. And the college tour can’t end here. But if she becomes the No. It will happen.”
OK, this is the layup part of these predictions.
The rest of the draft night will be filled with historic levels of anticipation, with college stars like LSU’s Angel Reese, South Carolina’s Camila Cardoso and Stanford’s Cameron Brink joining Clark in Brooklyn’s celebration. What will happen?
(Quick note: Lottery prospect Paige Backers has said she will return to college, and underclassmen like University of Southern California star JuJu Watkins are not eligible for the WNBA draft.)
Here are our predictions for the first round:
Indiana Fever No. 1: Caitlin Clark, Iowa State, PG
The questions surrounding the NCAA’s all-time scoring leader already extend beyond whether Clark will land in Indiana. But imagine how bad it would be if the Fever traded picks after all this. – Will she be a top 10 player or just an All-Star as a rookie? Her fatigue and highly motivated defenders will work against her, but she will also have the best teammates ever.
2nd place Los Angeles Sparks: Cameron Brink, Stanford, PF
In Brink, you get the best defender in college basketball (3.7 blocks, 11.9 rebounds per game as a senior). That’s the worst case. At best, you get a unicorn that flips, protects the rim, and has shooting ability. If that doesn’t work out, the restarting Sparks could try to bring the goddaughter of Stephen Curry’s parents back to the expansion Bay Area team in 2025.
3rd place Chicago Sky: Rekea Jackson, Tennessee, SF
The rebuilding Sky need scoring, and Jackson (20.2 points per game) is an immediate professional hit. She more than held her own in a WNBA game when Tennessee faced Team USA in a fall exhibition. The same conversation about Jackson’s inconsistency in her athleticism continued with 2022 No. 1 overall pick Rhyne Howard, but she leveled up once she reached the league.
4. Los Angeles Sparks: Camila Cardoso, South Carolina, C
The plan was to send the 6-foot-7 Cardoso at No. 3 to the Sky and bring in former SEC grudge match fighter Angel Reese as a teammate (don’t worry, we’ll get to her). Instead, the two-time U.S. champion and one of the co-stars in the upcoming Omaha Productions documentary heads to Hollywood, where she gets plenty of reps to develop her offensive game. I will do it.
5. Dallas Wings: Nyadiu Puoch, Australia, SF/PF
This is more than a concrete insight into Puoc, a 20-year-old Australian who is “getting attention thanks to his elite defense.” According to The Next. Rather, it’s the expectation that the Wings will do something that often confuses everyone tuning in to watch the college favorites. Perhaps it’s fellow Australian Isabelle Borlase, or a draft-and-stash French guard like Carla Leite or Leila Raquin. Something’s wrong.
6. Washington Mystics: Aaliyah Edwards, UW, PF
Edwards (17.6 points, 9.2 rebounds), who last committed the controversial offensive foul that sent Iowa to the title game over UW, is the athletic, IQ player named Geno Auriemma. He’s a high-caliber player (the Huskies have a way to succeed in the WNBA) and has room to grow offensively. The Mystics have long-term questions at the power forward position, with Elena Delle Donne saying she will miss the season.
7. Minnesota Lynx: Jaycee Sheldon, Ohio State, Singapore
Sheldon is a promising player with a low ceiling and a reasonably high floor. He is a strong leader and relentless perimeter defender, hitting a career-high 37.3 percent from three on five attempts per game in 2023-24. Sheryl Reeve seems constitutionally incapable of finding a lottery team, but if there’s a way to secure the No. 1 pick in 2025 and bring the Buccaneers back to Minnesota, the Lynx need to get it done. .
8. Chicago Sky: Angel Reese, LSU, PF
You may think: Why is Reese so low? She had a monster record, was the best player on the title team, and was one of the faces of the sport! ” Now, there’s also the pressing question of how Reese’s game will play out. Can she maintain her signature offensive rebound rate (6.0 per game in two seasons at LSU) against the pros? Will her awkwardly angled finishes and inability to shoot at all take her out of her scoring threat? What about the mysterious midseason absence? The Sky have hired Teresa Weatherspoon, who coached Zion Williamson, as their new head coach, and further Q evaluation is needed.
9. Dallas Wings: Charisma Osborn, UCLA, SG
The Wings continue to search for the right complement to Arike Ogunbowale in the backcourt. Osborn, a five-year icon for the Bruins program, can guard the ball despite being 5-foot-9. The question is whether she can shoot well enough (career 32.3 percent) to stick around.
No. 10 Connecticut Sun: Alyssa Pirri, Utah State, PF
Pili is one of the most promising offensive players on the team. He scored 21.4 points per game as a senior, shooting 40.4 percent from the center spot and knocking down 40.4 percent. But will she be able to protect anyone? She’s probably not big enough to be in the 5s (her 6-foot-2 description is almost certainly fiction), nor fast enough to be in the 4s. Featuring perennial MVP candidate Alyssa Thomas, the Sun has experience with unconventional, highly skilled and positionally ambiguous players.
11. New York Liberty: Nika Muhl, UConn, PG
Liberty needs a defensive Bulldog in the perimeter rotation behind Courtney Vandersloot and Sabrina Ionescu. Mule can submit tape of his shift from the national semifinal game against Clark (or the Elite Eight game against Watkins) as Exhibit A for the draft. Additionally, Mule says: She received seasonal advice From Liberty superstar and fellow UConn product Brianna Stewart. There are points that connect.
No. 12 Atlanta Dream: Daisha Fair, Syracuse, PG.
While the spotlight was on Clark, Fair quietly moved into third place on the Division I women’s all-time scoring list this season (albeit for the first time in five years) with 3,403 points. The Dream could take advantage of backcourt scoring. Other names to watch late in the first round: Elizabeth Kitley, Markesha Davis, Jessica Carter.
