The women’s college basketball season is over. LSU beat Iowa in a national title game watched by a record-breaking amount of people. Angel Reese rightfully talked her trash, taught a lot of folks a lesson about double standards, and rebuffed Jill Biden’s invitation to the White House.
So, the women’s basketball calendar turns. Now, everything in the college game is about the ever-revolving transfer portal, while the pro teams are getting ready for the 2023 WNBA Draft.
And no, the two players we talked about the most in the last week – Reese and Iowa’s Caitlin Clark – aren’t eligible for the draft this year. We’ll get to enjoy them in college for at least another year.
But some of the game’s biggest stars are off to the WNBA, including 2022 National Player of the Year Aliyah Boston, the nation’s leading scorer in Maddy Siegrist, and electric Maryland guard Diamond Miller.
The draft is on Monday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Here’s For The Win’s mock draft to get you ready for one of the biggest nights in women’s basketball.
1
Indiana Fever: Aliyah Boston, South Carolina
This has been the consensus for months now. As long as Boston wasn’t going to come back to South Carolina for fifth year, she was going to be the No. 1 pick. The Fever picking anyone else here would be an absolute shock. Boston is the best player available in this draft and someone that a franchise can be built around. She is an elite defender, and we’re about to find out how lethal she can be on offense. In college, there is no 3-second defensive violation, so opposing teams have been able to regularly disrupt Boston with double and triple teams. In the WNBA, that violation will be called, and Boston will be able to move more freely in the paint.
2
Minnesota Lynx: Diamond Miller, Maryland
Miller has a WNBA-ready body. She’s 6-foot-3 and fast, and what pro scouts would call a big guard. She can defend multiple positions and she’s great in transition. Her shooting could use some work, but that didn’t stop her from averaging 19.7 points per game this season and leading Maryland to the Elite Eight. Like Boston, Miller is a player who can help any team and should be able to play in the pros right away. The Lynx will be lucky to have her.
3
Dallas Wings: Maddy Siegrist, Villanova
Siegrist may not be a star right away in the WNBA, but some team is going to be awfully happy that they drafted her. She finishes her career at Villanova as one of the best scorers in the history of women’s basketball, piling up 2,896 points, two AP All-American nods and two Big East Player of the Year awards. The 6-foot-1 forward can score inside and out, has a high release point on her smooth and reliable jumper, and knows how to get to the foul line.
4
Washington Mystics: Jordan Horston, Tennessee
Horston has the size and IQ to succeed in the WNBA, and she’s a great defender, but she’ll have to improve her 3-point shooting – 27.8 percent this past season – if she wants to last long. Still, Horston piled up the points in March, averaging 17.5 points per game over six contests in the SEC and NCAA tournaments.
"Anytime the ball is in her hands, she is such a threat."
In SEC play:
• 15.5 PPG
• 7.0 RPG
• 3.2 APGJordan Horston • First Team All-SEC pic.twitter.com/5TAx1s7AMs
— Lady Vols Basketball (@LadyVol_Hoops) February 28, 2023
5
Dallas Wings: Haley Jones, Stanford
Two things should translate right away for Jones at the next level: her outstanding passing and her instincts on defense. She’s fallen a bit on some draft boards because of her inability to be a consistent 3-point threat, but everything else is there with Jones. She’s a good defensive rebounder, she’s excellent in transition and she’s versatile.
6
Atlanta Dream: Stephanie Soares, Iowa State
Soares is every bit of 6-foot-6, and her ability to protect the rim and score in the paint has made her an intriguing prospect, despite the fact that she only played 13 games at the Power 5 college level. Soares was at an NAIA program before transferring to Iowa State, and then tore her ACL in January. The NCAA denied her request for another year of eligibility, so now she’s in the draft. She averaged 14.4 points, 9.9 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game in 22.6 minutes a night for the Cyclones.
Stephanie Soares putback 👏👏👏
She has her fifth double-double: 10 points, 10 rebounds, 4 blocks
Q3, 4:56 | 34-33 ISU
🌪🏀🌪 pic.twitter.com/vhZBGWKukq
— Cyclone Basketball (@CycloneWBB) December 8, 2022
7
Indiana Fever: Brea Beal, South Carolina
Beal is the prototypical 3-and-D wing. She’s 6-foot-1, long, and might’ve been the best perimeter defender in the country this season. And she also shot 38 percent from behind the arc and averaged 2.7 assists per game. Boston grabbed a lot of the headlines, but Beal’s play was a big reason why South Carolina was undefeated heading into the Final Four. In the Gamecocks’ Elite Eight win over Maryland, Beal shined, tallying 16 points, seven rebounds, six assists, three steals and two blocks.
8
Atlanta Dream: Grace Berger, Indiana
At first glance, Berger has everything you’d want in a professional point guard. She’s strong on defense, quick on her feet, sharp with her passing and has a decent ability to create her own shot. Berger’s playmaking – particularly her excellence in pick-and-rolls – helped Indiana win the Big Ten regular season title this past season. Her 5.8 assists per game ranked 19th in the country and she also shot 40.7 percent from 3-point range.
9
Seattle Storm: Laeticia Amihere, South Carolina
According to The Next, Amihere has a wingspan that stretches to nearly 6-foot-11. For South Carolina, she played a bit like a free safety on defense, doing a little bit of everything and doing it extremely well. Like her fellow South Carolina counterparts Boston and Beal, Amihere is one of the top defenders available in the draft. The questions with her lie in her offensive value and her durability. Playing for a Gamecocks’ team that went deep into its bench, Amihere never averaged more than 17.9 minutes per game in a single season in her career there. And she attempted just 53 shots from behind the arc in 127 games, making just 14 of them.
LAETICIA AMIHERE SENT THIS 🚫 pic.twitter.com/YMW5p59O6O
— espnW (@espnW) March 19, 2023
10
Los Angeles Sparks: Taylor Mikesell, Ohio State
Wherever Mikesell has been – Maryland, Oregon, Ohio State – she has always been a knockdown 3-point shooter. That skill should translate to the WNBA, whether she’s shooting off the dribble or on catch-and-shoot opportunities. Mikesell was a career 42 percent 3-point shooter in college and connected on an average of 2.9 3’s per game across 158 contests in the Big Ten and Pac-12. She was great in big games too, knocking down seven shots from deep in the Elite Eight against Virginia Tech.
11
Dallas Wings: Lou Lopez Senechal, UConn
Senechal shot 44 percent from 3-point land for UConn this season and is a 40.5 percent shooter from that range for her career. In addition to being a great shooter, Senechal also has pretty good instincts when moving without the ball and is an elite cutter. There’s a lot to be desired on the defensive end, but if a team needs an offensive punch off the bench, Senechal could be a good fit.
12
Minnesota Lynx: Taylor Soule, Virginia Tech
Soule was the best defender on a Virginia Tech team that won the ACC and went to the Final Four. Her role changed when she got to Blacksburg last offseason; at Boston College, she was often the No. 1 scoring option, but with the Hokies she was the fourth or fifth option. She excelled in that role and averaged 10.9 points per game on 51.7 percent shooting from the floor. She used her length and athleticism to grab 5.6 rebounds per game too, and often guarded the opponent’s top offensive threat, no matter the size, from Hailey Van Lith to Angel Reese.
Taylor Soule came out of NOWHERE 😤 pic.twitter.com/siKdgAfyuB
— espnW (@espnW) December 4, 2022
