Iowa’s Caitlin Clark and LSU’s Angel Reese helped take women’s college basketball to new heights over the past two years before becoming early picks in the WNBA draft who had a similar impact on that pro league as star rookies.
While there may be a ratings dip from last season’s record high for women’s college basketball, there are plenty of talented players such as Paige Bueckers, Hannah Hidalgo, Deja Kelly and JuJu Watkins ready to continue the rise.
“I know we lost some great ones in Angel and Caitlin, but we gained so much more. We gained so much more talent, skill set and marketability,” said South Carolina coach Dawn Staley, whose Gamecocks are the top-ranked team in the preseason and seeking the program’s third national championship in a four-year span.
“I’m really looking forward to it. I’m glad it’s happened during a time in which I can attest to it, I can share with other people who are just now tuning in.”
Watkins, a Los Angeles native, draws attention at home games at the University Southern California that routinely sell out and have been known to have a celebrity crowd.
“I don’t know that there’s been a young African American superstar in women’s basketball at this age be able to have this platform, and I think that’s going to do a ton for communities both in L.A. and across the country,” USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. “I wouldn’t bet against her to be able to handle anything. At the same time, it’s our job to prep her for what might be coming and make sure she’s able to have joy and be a kid.”
USC sought out advice from Iowa on how to handle the crush of attention that is on Watkins this year. The USC sophomore said that it was special that Clark, the first time they met, offered to help her if she ever needed advice on how to navigate being the face of women’s basketball.
“She’s great. Goes to show how good a person she is outside of basketball,” Watkins said of the Indiana Fever guard. “To have that kind of mentorship and that relationship with her, it definitely means a lot. She’s had the biggest impact on women’s basketball, and being able to see her journey is really inspiring.”
Watkins is part of a talented sophomore class across Division I women’s basketball. Three of the five preseason AP All-Americans are sophomores, the first time that has happened.
“I never thought I would be the face of something,” said Notre Dame’s Hidalgo, who was one of the three All-Americans. “I didn’t have any expectations coming in. I just wanted to come in and play basketball and, of course, win. Just to see this generational talent is just something unlike any other.”
Bueckers at Connecticut and Kelly at Oregon bridge the gap between the next group and the previous one. Both entered school the same time Clark did. Bueckers’ career was sidelined for a bit by injury, while Kelly is part of the last class that can take advantage of an extra season due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“I think we had one of the best classes, my 2020 class, in a while,” said Kelly, who transferred to Oregon from North Carolina for her final college season. “And obviously with half of them entering the draft last year, you still have a good amount still in school. I don’t want people to forget that.”
A decade ago, the exceptional players would only be at a handful of schools, but now they are more spread out across the country, giving more people a chance to witness their stardom. It has also helped having more games on TV and players getting more exposure through name, image and likeness at an earlier age.
“I just think there’s a whole lot of stars that are just waiting to explode,” N.C. State coach Wes Moore said. “And with the exposure and coverage that we’re receiving now, there’s going to be a whole lot of new stars coming out.”
Kelly sees that the sport is in good hands and will continue to flourish even when the rest of her class is gone.
“Everyone at their respective schools is doing a really good job of making a name for themselves,” Kelly said. “And we have, like I said, a lot of big names in college still that are looking to enter the draft this year, and it’s going to continue to come. So I think women’s basketball is in a super good spot.”
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