Players to Watch This Weekend in Seattle
With the WNBA Draft happening next month you can watch some of the league's top prospects this weekend at Climate Pledge Arena.
The 2023 WNBA Draft is less than a month away now. The event will take place on April 10th in New York. Before we get to the draft, Seattle basketball fans will get to enjoy some amazing NCAA action as the March Madness tournament arrives at Climate Pledge Arena this weekend starting on Friday.
Seattle (and South Carolina) will host the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 rounds before the Final Four takes place in Dallas, Texas. Eight teams are headed to Seattle shortly to take part in the tournament. That includes the Connecticut Huskies, Tennessee Volunteers, Iowa Hawkeyes, Ohio State Buckeyes, Louisville Cardinals, Virginia Tech Hokies, Colorado Buffalo, and the Ole Miss Rebels.
Friday’s and Saturday’s games are already scheduled with the winners advancing to play on Sunday and Monday. First up, we’ll see the Iowa Hawkeyes (2) face off against the Colorado Buffalo (6) at 4:30 PM on Friday, March 24th. That game will be followed up with the night-cap game between Ole Miss (8) and Louisville (5) at 7:00 PM. Then on Saturday, the Connecticut Huskies (2) will battle it out with Ohio State (3) at 1:00 PM. Virginia Tech (1) will face off against the Tennessee Volunteers (4) at 3:30 PM to complete the Sweet 16 matchups!
These teams are loaded with talent including some potential future WNBA stars. Of course, some of those players will have to wait a little longer to join the league. Iowa’s Caitlin Clark and Louisville’s Hailey Van Lith will likely be drafted in 2024. UConn’s Azzi Fudd will enter the WNBA a year or two after that. But we also know of several other seniors that will be draft eligible this year and I thought I would highlight some of them here before Friday’s games. It is certainly possible a player from one of these teams gets drafted by the Seattle Storm next month.
The Tennessee Volunteers have two players that likely will make their way to the WNBA in Jordan Horston and Rickea Jackson. The latter (Jackson) just recently announced she would be returning to Tennessee next season for her 5th year of eligibility instead of entering the WNBA Draft as expected. Jackson will definitely be a strong prospect for the 2024 draft but Horston could be a Top 5 pick this year.
Horston is a very athletic wing (guard/forward) that is averaging 15.5 PPG, 7.1 RPG, and 3.4 APG this season. Jackson is averaging 19.3 PPG, 6.1 RPG, and 1.5 APG. The two of them will look to upset the top-seeded Virginia Tech team.
While some of UConn’s best prospects are at least another year or two away in Aaliyah Edwards, Paige Bueckers, and Azzi Fudd. The Huskies consistently develop WNBA talent and this year likely won’t be any different.
Lou Lopez-Senechal has been a big boon for the Huskies this season and likely played her way into a first-round selection. Lopez-Senechal is averaging 15.3 PPG, 3.1 RPG, and 1.6 APG. The grad transfer has been impressive during her lone season at Connecticut. Her three-point shooting (44%) and scoring ability have helped UConn; notably with Bueckers being out with another injury.
Dorka Juhász is the other player to keep an eye on from the Huskies. The 6’5” forward/center is averaging a near-double-double with 14.2 PPG, 9.9 RPG, and 3.1 APG. Like Lopez-Senechal, she could be drafted either in the late first round or certainly before the 3rd round. She’s had strong performances so far in the NCAA tournament and really helped UConn advance past Baylor last weekend; especially with Aaliyah Edwards sitting for large portions of the game due to foul trouble.
Another post player to keep an eye on is Elizabeth Kitley from Virginia Tech. Kitley was named a Finalist for the Naismith Player of the Year Award. The 6’6” Center averages 18.2 PPG, 10.8 RPG, and 2.3 BPG. She’s also averaged 55% FG shooting throughout her 4-year career including 56% this season. Kitley has been primarily mocked as a mid-to-late first-round selection. She has helped lead the Hokies to a #1 seed in the March Madness tournament
Ohio State also features a couple of draft prospects in Shooting Guards Jacy Sheldon and Taylor Mikesell. They will look to upset the Connecticut Huskies when they match up on Saturday at Climate Pledge Arena.
Sheldon has been injured for most of this season but returned recently and hit the game-winning shot against North Carolina to advance her team to the Sweet 16. Sheldon is averaging 12.4 PPG, 3.2 RPG, and 3.5 APG.
Pacific Northwest basketball fans might remember Mikesell who played at the University of Oregon in 2020-2021 before transferring to Ohio State. She has taken her game to the next level since joining the Buckeyes. Mikesell is averaging 17.2 PPG, 2.9 RPG, and 2.4 APG this season. Sheldon and Mikesell may not be drafted in the first round but they will definitely have a chance to get drafted on April 10th.
While Caitlin Clark grabs all the headlines at Iowa, Monika Czinano continues the tradition of the Hawkeyes having a strong low-post presence. Czinano may not be quite as talented as her predecessor Megan Gustafson but she still plays a large factor in Iowa’s success on the court. She’s averaging 17.5 PPG, 6.6 RPG, and 1.4 APG. Czinano is also one of the nation’s leaders in field goal shooting percentage at nearly 70% (67.5%). The 5th year senior has a chance to be drafted this April.
Some of the country’s most prolific college basketball programs are heading to Seattle with a trip to the Final Four on the line. If you’ll be in the Seattle area this weekend, I highly recommend you come out and support these NCAA teams that will provide lots of exciting plays, shots, and entertainment over the next few days. There is nothing else quite like March Madness!
Notes: Credit to ESPN and Sports Reference for player stat information. To my readers, thanks for your support! This article only looked at players from the teams that will be in Seattle. This does not include any top prospects from other teams that are playing this weekend from South Carolina, UCLA, etc.