College Players to Watch Before the WNBA Draft

A list of players to check out prior to the 2024 WNBA Draft.

The 2024 WNBA Draft class has the potential to be an extremely talented and deep group. The big question is whether all the COVID-eligible players opt to use their extra year of eligibility or not. The 2020 Freshmen are the last group that is granted that extra 5th season. The 2024 Draft class has the potential to be something special.

With that in mind, the Seattle Storm’s difficult 2023 season might end up being an important step in acquiring talent that will help the franchise build its next championship-quality team.

Seattle is projected to get the 4th overall pick in the draft. We will learn shortly whether that holds true or if lady luck shines down on the Storm again during the WNBA Draft Lottery. Seattle will own either the 4th overall selection or the 1st or 2nd. There is no possible scenario where they have the 3rd pick in the draft.

Before the draft lottery takes place, let’s take a look at some of the top players coming out and who Seattle may target with both their top pick and their early 2nd round pick.

Caitlin Clark
(Iowa Hawkeyes)

2023-24 Stats: 29.6 PPG, 7.6 APG, 6.7 RPG, 46% FG
2022-23 Stats: 27.8 PPG, 8.6 APG, 7.1 RPG, 47% FG

Caitlin Clark is the top prize for whichever team wins the WNBA Lottery. The sensational scorer will almost certainly be the #1 overall pick if she declares for the draft. Clark is playing her senior season but is eligible for a 5th year if she would prefer to stay in Iowa for one more year. Last season, she was able to lead the Hawkeyes to the National Championship game before ultimately falling short in the Final Four.

Clark has what feels like an unlimited range from beyond the arc. She has been compared to Steph Curry for her ability to knock down ridiculous shots from all over the basketball court. She is also an excellent passer and a strong rebounder for a guard.

She puts on a show every time she’s out there on the court.

Paige Bueckers
(UCONN Huskies)

2023-24 Stats: 19 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 2.9 APG, 49% FG
2021-22 Stats: 14.6 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 3.9 APG, 54% FG

Paige Bueckers is probably the biggest question mark leading up to the draft. For multiple reasons that all stem from her injury history. She had ankle surgery during the off-season before her Sophomore year. Paige then suffered a knee injury that required surgery to repair a fracture and meniscus tear. That caused her to miss half of her second season. Bueckers returned and helped lead the Connecticut Huskies to the National Championship where they fell short to South Carolina.

Unfortunately, Bueckers’ injuries didn’t stop there. Shortly before the start of what would have been her Junior season, she tore her ACL which would require her to miss the entire 2022-2023 season. Because she didn’t play at all, she was able to Redshirt the season and will have two more seasons of eligibility beyond this current season.

When healthy, Bueckers is one of the best guards in the country. If she opts to declare for the draft, she will almost certainly be a lottery selection. Teams will just have to determine if her upside is worth the selection due to her injury history. Paige herself will have to determine if she’s ready to move on to the pro level or if she feels she has unfinished business at UCONN.

Cameron Brink
(Stanford Cardinal)

2023-24 Stats: 18.6 PPG, 11.4 RPG, 3.3 BPG, 60% FG
2022-23 Stats: 15.1 PPG, 9.6 RPG, 3.5 BPG, 49% FG

If both Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers opt to return to college, Cameron Brink may end up as the number one overall pick of the WNBA Draft. The 6’4” Brink has been a defensive stalwart for the Cardinal since her Freshman season. She played a big role in helping Stanford win the National Championship in 2021.

Cameron has continued to improve her offensive game each and every season she’s been in college. It is a limited sample size, but she’s nearly doubled her three-point shooting percentage from her Junior year.

One concern could be that she’s only averaged more than 22 minutes per game in one of her four seasons at Stanford. Even still, Brink almost certainly will end up being a lottery pick if she enters the WNBA Draft.

Aaliyah Edwards
(UCONN Huskies)

2023-24 Stats: 15.8 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 1.9 APG, 58% FG
2022-23 Stats: 16.6 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 2.4 APG, 59% FG

Aaliyah Edwards took her game to the next level during her Junior season last year. Edwards needed to take on a larger role on her team with Paige Bueckers out the entire season with a torn ACL. From her sophomore to junior years, she increased her points per game from 7.9 to 16.6 PPG.

Now with Buckers back on the court, Edwards has continued her elevated play still averaging nearly 16 PPG.

At 6’3” Edwards isn’t as big as Cameron Brink or Kamilla Cardoso, but she does have excellent footwork down in the low post. She may not be a legit five at the WNBA level, but she should be able to keep up with most Power Forwards in the league.

Two other thoughts on Edwards. She’s still just 21 years old and her game has seen significant improvement over the past two years. Nothing is saying she can’t continue to develop and get even better.

Lastly, as a native Canadian, Edwards plays for Team Canada and Coach Noelle Quinn happens to now work with Team Canada. I’m sure Quinn has great insights on Edwards and a strong understanding of what to expect from her.

Kamilla Cardoso
(South Carolina Gamecocks)

2023-24 Stats: 14.4 PPG, 11.5 RPG, 3.3 BPG, 61% FG
2022-23 Stats: 9.8 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 1.9 BPG, 56% FG

Kamilla Cardoso has been playing behind Aliyah Boston at South Carolina for the past two years before this year. With Boston selected #1 overall this past season, Cardoso steps up to potentially become the next talented big to play for Coach Dawn Staley at South Carolina.

Cardoso made a name for herself on the International Stage performing very well at the 2023 FIBA AmeriCup. She won the tournament MVP and led Brazil to a Gold Medal Win over the United States scoring 20 points in the Final.

At 6’7” Cardoso has the height to battle with some of the biggest WNBA Centers. If the Storm’s concerns are a lack of rebounding and post presence Kamilla would be an option to help fill that void.

Rickea Jackson
(Tennessee Lady Vols)

2023-24 Stats: 22.0 PPG, 12.0 RPG, 3.0 APG, 47% FG (2 games only)
2022-23 Stats: 19.2 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 1.4 APG, 55% FG

Rickea Jackson also shined in the FIBA AmeriCup and was Team USA’s best player in the tournament on a roster that also had Angel Reese on it.

One of the Storm’s biggest downfalls of 2023 was not having enough legit scorers to pair with Jewell Loyd. Jackson is a legitimate scorer who is athletic, can score at the rim, and has a nice jumper.

The 5th year senior could be a lottery pick especially if other players opt to return to college. However, Jackson is currently sidelined with a lower leg injury and has been in a walking boot after playing just two games this season.

Seattle could reunite Jackson with her former college teammate, Jordan Horston, which could be a fun story. Pro scouts will want to see her get healthy and improve her rebounding and defense at the next level.

Angel Reese
(LSU Tigers)

2023-24 Stats: 17.4 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 1.6 APG, 48% FG (5 games only)
2022-23 Stats: 23.0 PPG, 15.4 RPG, 2.3 APG, 53% FG

Dubbed Bayou Barbie, Angel Reese made a big splash in the college basketball world as she led the LSU Tigers to a National Championship victory over Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes last season.

Reese is an interesting prospect and a difficult one to project at the WNBA level. She’s been a double-double machine averaging one in each of the past three seasons. She is a tenacious rebounder and scores at the rim at an effective clip.

However, she is limited offensively, scoring the vast majority of her points at the rim. If she can develop a strong midrange shot it will raise her ceiling significantly. But if she can’t, Reese could end up struggling at the next level.

Reese was temporarily suspended by the team earlier this season and missed four games but has since returned and put up 19 points and nine rebounds in her first game back.

Potential 2nd Round Options

While at least one or two of these players will likely end up in the first round, most are projected as late first-round or early second-round picks for the 2024 WNBA Draft. I believe there are multiple strong options at the post and forward positions for Seattle’s lottery selection and if the team goes that route, they may want to target a guard with their early second-round selection (14th overall). Below are a few I believe are worth keeping an eye on.

Jacy Sheldon
(Ohio State Buckeyes)

2023-24 Stats: 15.3 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 3.1 APG, 51% FG
2022-23 Stats: 13.2 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 3.5 APG, 43% FG

Jacy Sheldon is a scrappy defender who can get steals and force a lot of turnovers. She could take on a role similar to what we saw from Jordin Canada. While more of a combo guard, Sheldon could get a look at the point guard position.

She’s been a strong scorer in college, averaging double figures in points in essentially all five years (9.6 PPG her Freshman season). Jacy can slash to the rim and has a good pull-up jumper.

Of this list, she’s probably the least likely to fall to the second round but if she’s still there at 14, you’d think the Storm would certainly consider her.

Charisma Osborne
(UCLA Bruins)

2023-24 Stats: 13.5 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 4.9 APG, 43% FG
2022-23 Stats: 15.9 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 2.8 APG, 39% FG

Charisma Osborne is another 5th year senior and combo guard on this list. She’s had a lot of big moments for UCLA and does a bit of everything for them.

She’s averaged between 12.2 PPG and 17.0 PPG throughout her career. Despite being just 5’9” she’s averaged five rebounds or more per game in all five of her seasons in college.

She’s had to play the point at times for the Bruins and this season Charisma has improved her ability to distribute the ball.

Hailey Van Lith
(LSU Tigers)

2023-24 Stats: 12.2 PPG, 5.0 APG, 2.0 RPG, 43% FG
2022-23 Stats: 19.7 PPG, 3.2 APG, 4.5 RPG, 41% FG

Similar to Angel Reese, Hailey Van Lith is another player with a lot of Boom or Bust potential.

Van Lith has been an exciting scorer at the college level. During her junior season at Louisville, she averaged nearly 20 PPG. Now as a graduate transfer playing for Kim Mulkey and the LSU Tigers, Van Lith is working to improve her passing and distribution skills.

There are legitimate concerns for Hailey Van Lith at the next level. At 5’7” it is unclear if she’ll be able to score against the taller, faster, and more athletic defenders of the WNBA. She also hasn’t been a very efficient three-point shooter in college and that’s something she absolutely will need to develop to stick around in the pros.

Defensively, will she be a complete liability when going up against some of the top guards in the W?

If HVL were to still be available at 14, she might be someone the Storm could target. The Washington State native playing for her “hometown” team could be a feel-good story. Like Caitlin Clark or Kelsey Plum, she does play with a bit of flair that can excite the crowd.

Charlisse Leger-Walker
(WSU Cougars)

2023-24 Stats: 12.9 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 4.5 APG, 38% FG
2022-23 Stats: 17.7 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 4.1 APG, 40% FG

The New Zealand native, Charlisse Leger-Walker, has put the WSU Cougars on the map for women’s basketball leading them to three straight NCAA March Madness tournament appearances. Most recently after winning the PAC-12 Tournament Championship for the first time in program history this past season.

Seattle needs more offensive production and Leger-Walker could fit that role coming off the bench with the Storm. She averaged nearly 19 PPG per game her Freshman season and just under 18 PPG last year. While her scoring is down a bit to begin this season, Charlisse is contributing in other ways. Her rebounding and assists are both up so far in 2023.

Nika Mühl
(UCONN Huskies)

2023-24 Stats: 6.9 PPG, 4.0 APG, 3.6 RPG, 55% FG
2022-23 Stats: 7.1 PPG, 7.9 APG, 3.9 RPG, 41% FG

Seattle Storm Head Coach Noelle Quinn and General Manager Talisa Rhea both emphasized the importance of addressing the Point Guard position heading into the 2024 WNBA season. Nika Mühl is most likely a player they are keeping an eye on.

Mühl’s stat sheet won’t necessarily wow anyone at first glance but that doesn’t tell the whole story. She is a two-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year award winner. Last season, Nika broke Sue Bird’s record for most assists in a single season at UCONN.

Her leadership is an attractive asset for a team in search of a new floor general. Would now be a good time to repeat history?

After all, Seattle had quite a bit of success drafting a point guard wearing #10 out of the University of Connecticut. Maybe they should do it again.