On April 10, the next wave of WNBA stars will walk across the stage during the 2023 draft. Before we get there, most of those same players will try to lead their college teams to a national championship during the Women's NCAA basketball tournament this month.
Ahead of all the exciting action, here's a look at 10 prospects to watch during March Madness.
The projected No. 1 pick: Aliyah Boston (C, South Carolina)
Boston has been in this position for a few years now, and that remains the case heading into the tournament, where she'll try to lead the undefeated Gamecocks to a third Final Four in a row and back-to-back national championships. If they can go all the way, they'll become the first team to repeat since UConn's four-peat from 2013-16.
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While Boston's 13.3 points, 9.7 rebounds and two blocks per game are not eye-popping numbers, they actually speak to both her and her team's dominance. Boston is routinely double, even triple-teamed when she attempts to operate in the post. In addition, because the Gamecocks games are non-competitive -- they had more 50-point wins (five) than single-digit wins (four) -- Boston has only played 25.9 minutes per game.
On the offensive side of the ball, Boston prefers to operate around the basket, where she has an array of post moves and feasts on the offensive glass. And unlike some collegiate stars, Boston has the size, athleticism and skill to do the same at the next level. It will be interesting, however, to see if she ever seriously expands her range. She only took 41 jump shots this season and shot 26.8% on them, per Synergy Sports. A more reliable jumper, even if only from the mid-range, would make her an even bigger matchup problem.
Another list narrowed but our 👑 @aa_boston remains! https://t.co/0UBgWzkf0B pic.twitter.com/mWdoQ06w3y
— South Carolina Women's Basketball (@GamecockWBB) March 9, 2023
Boston is likewise most comfortable and effective in the paint on defense, both on the ball and as a help defender. She excels at staying vertical, which means she almost never fouls -- 1.5 per game this season -- and has terrific timing to go along with her obvious physical attributes. But do not let that fool you into thinking she's a typical big that you can exploit by pulling away from the basket; she's agile enough to hold her own on the perimeter when necessary.
Last summer, Boston was the only collegiate player invited to Team USA's training camp ahead of the FIBA Women's World Cup. Though she ended up being one of the final cuts for the squad that went on to win the gold medal, the fact that she was included says all you need to know about her status in the game.
Boston is the best prospect to enter the league since fellow South Carolina star A'ja Wilson in 2018. And like Wilson, Boston has the potential to be a foundational franchise player.
Likely lottery picks
Diamond Miller (G, Maryland)
Though Miller was a surefire first-round pick coming into the season, there were some questions about how she would look after a disappointing campaign that was cut short due to knee surgery. The answer: better than ever.
Miller has established herself as the likely No. 2 overall pick by doing a little bit of everything for the Lady Terrapins. She averaged 19.7 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.3 blocks per game. Of the 52 players in Division I that had at least 600 offensive possessions, only eight were more efficient than Miller at 0.974 points per possession, per Synergy Sports.
At 6-foot-3, Miller's size and skill on the perimeter is what makes her such an intriguing pro prospect. She shines in transition, where she can really put her athleticism on display, but she can also get into the paint off the dribble in the half court and has deft footwork to create shots that don't seem to be there. Like many players, her ceiling will depend in large part on her jump shot; she's a career 30.3% 3-point shooter in college, but her strong free throw shooting (79.1%) suggests there's room for improvement.
On the other side of the ball, Miller has all the tools to be a disruptive defensive player. She's active, has good hands and has the length and athleticism to guard multiple positions -- though she will need to get stronger in order to avoid getting bullied in the post.
Haley Jones (G/F, Stanford)
Jones, who already has a national championship and an NCAA Most Outstanding Player award to her name, continued her storied collegiate career this season by leading Stanford to a 28-5 record and a No. 1 seed in the tournament. She did so while averaging 13.4 points, 9.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game, all of which were career-high marks.
And yet, among all the top prospects, Jones' stock has seemingly dropped the most, due in large part to her total lack of an outside shot. She hasn't made a 3-pointer since Dec. 20, and for her career is 23-of-104 from behind the arc.
Without a marked improvement from beyond the arc, Jones' ceiling is likely limited. But given Jones' versatility on both sides of the ball and her atypical feel for the game, it's hard to imagine her not being a productive WNBA player. She's athletic, a terrific playmaker and a dogged defender who can guard multiple positions.
More potential first-rounders
- Jordan Horston (G, Tennessee): Horston, who put up 15.5 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game this season for the Lady Volunteers, is a fascinating prospect with boom or bust potential. She's a 6-foot-2 guard with pro-level athleticism who seems to always be involved in the action and has flashes some incredible scoring, playmaking and defensive skills. At the same time, she's a bad shooter (28.4% from 3 for her career in college) and is prone to real lapses in decision-making.
- Jacy Sheldon (G, Ohio State): Sheldon has been limited to nine games due to a lower leg injury and has not been able to find a rhythm since returning on March 3. It remains to be seen how much Ohio State head coach Kevin McGuff will trust her come tournament time, but she has game-changing skills on both sides of the ball. She's a dynamic offensive player who can truly score at all three levels and make plays for others. Defensively, she's a ballhawk who averaged 1.9 steals per game for her career in college. If she had been healthy this season, she may have been a lottery pick.
- Maddy Siegrist (F, Villanova): Siegrist made headlines earlier this season when she put up 50 points in Villanova's win over Seton Hall, setting both the school record and Big East conference game record for points in a game. A remarkably consistent scorer, she put up at least 20 points in every single game this season en route to leading the nation at 28.9 points per game on 51.8/37.3/85.1 shooting splits. There are definitely some questions about her lack of athleticism and how she'll fare defensively in the pros, but her ability to shoot and score at her size cannot be overlooked.
- Elizabeth Kitley (C, Virginia Tech): Kitley has been remarkably consistent for the Hokies over the last three seasons, almost to a bizarre degree. Take a look -- 2020-21: 18.2 ppg, 10.4 rpg, 1.9 bpg, 53.1 FG%, 2021-22: 18.1 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 2.4 bpg, 55.1 FG% 2022-23: 18.6 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 2.3 bpg, 56.3 FG%. Though she does have a nice little face-up mid-range jumper, Kitley is the type of traditional center that the game is moving away from. But while that may mean she's not a fit for every roster, there's still a place in the league for a 6-foot-6 rim-protector who rebounds and scores efficiently around the basket.
- Charisma Osborne (G, UCLA): Osborne, who was named to the All-Pac 12 Team in March for the third season in a row, has been the driving force for the Bruins on both sides of the ball. Her 15.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game are good for first, second, third and first on the team, respectively. Though she never been an efficient scorer in college (38.2% from the field for her career), that's in large part because of how much of a load she has to carry. In any case, her calling card at the next level will be her terrific perimeter defense.
- Lou Lopez Senechal (G/F, UConn): Lopez Senechal's fascinating basketball journey has taken her from an academy in Ireland, to Fairfield (where she was named MAAC Player of the Year in 2022) to UConn as a grad transfer. The next stop may be the WNBA after her impressive play for the Huskies this season. She stepped into a big role due to injuries and put 15.7 points and 3.2 rebounds per game on 43% shooting from 3-point land. While she doesn't offer a whole lot besides shooting, that's perhaps the most important skill in the sport and she does it at a super high level.
- Celeste Taylor (G, Duke): The Blue Devils are back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018, and they're there as a No. 3 seed thanks in large part to Celeste Taylor, who epitomizes their hard-nosed defensive style. A big guard at 5-foot-11, Taylor causes all sorts of havoc for opponents with her size and tenacity on the perimeter, which helped her average 1.9 steals per game. She's also been a decent 3-point shooter since arriving at Duke (32.5% on 200 attempts), and if she can improve slightly there she has a real chance to find a spot at the next level.
