With the 2024-25 NCAA women’s basketball season right around the corner, it’s a good time to start thinking about which collegiate players have the best chance at getting drafted to the WNBA next spring.
Though a lot can happen over the course of the season, it’s widely assumed that UConn’s Paige Bueckers will be the first player taken in the 2025 draft. Bueckers is far from the only big-name collegiate player to watch, though; the 2025 draft class is projected to be a fairly deep one, particularly at the guard position, and while we don’t yet know the complete draft order (the draft lottery will take place on Sunday, Nov. 17), there are a handful of names that will likely be chosen sooner in the draft rather than later.
The following is, of course, far from an exhaustive list. There are plenty more NCAA players who are worth following if you’re a WNBA fan, and we’ll be taking more in-depth looks at them here at Swish Appeal throughout the season. That being said, here are some names to put on your radar before the games begin.
Kiki Iriafen (USC)
2023-24 stats (with Stanford): 19.4 points, 11 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game
If the 2025 WNBA Draft was held today, Iriafen would have the best chance at challenging Bueckers for the No. 1 overall pick. Among the frontcourt players in the class, Iriafen’s game is the most polished, with a quick first step and reliable midrange jumper making her an extremely difficult cover from the free throw line and below. The only question for Iriafen is how she’ll fit alongside fellow star JuJu Watkins on her new team; if the pair can establish chemistry early on in the season, there’s no telling how good Iriafen will be looking come draft time.
Ja’Naiya “JJ” Quinerly (West Virginia)
2023-24 stats: 19.8 points, 2.7 assists and 2.9 steals per game
Quinerly broke out last season as a guard who can control the game on both ends of the floor. She’s always been a tenacious and havoc-inducing defender, as evidenced by her consistently excellent steal numbers, and she’s a legitimate scoring threat now, too. WNBA scouts may now look to see if Quinerly can improve as a playmaker; at her height (5-foot-8), she may be asked to play more as a primary ball handler in the pros than she does at West Virginia.
Laila Phelia (Texas)
2023-24 stats (with Michigan): 16.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game
There aren’t as many standout wing players in this class as there are lead guards, which opens the door for Phelia to be a draft riser in her first season at Texas. Phelia began her collegiate career as a defensive specialist, but since then she’s been able to leverage her size and physicality into capable offensive production. She’s going to be playing alongside some major offensive talent at Texas, so Phelia’s areas of development to monitor will be those that make players of her physical archetype successful in the WNBA, namely 3-point shooting and off-ball movement.
Raven Johnson (South Carolina)
2023-24 stats: 8.1 points, 4.8 assists and 2.1 steals per game
Johnson has made a name for herself as a hard-nosed point-of-attack defender who spearheads the South Carolina machine, and while she was once a player who opponents would willingly leave open beyond the arc, she’s shown considerable progress as a spot-up shooter. Johnson pushes the envelope by turning defense into offense and often plays bigger than she is; physically, she’s certainly ready for the pros. Can she make further strides as a scorer in her fourth collegiate season?
Makayla Timpson (Florida State)
2023-24 stats: 14.3 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game
No matter how the game of basketball evolves, shot-blocking never goes out of style, and Timpson is one of the best bigs in the country at turning opponents away at the rim. She’s got everything you’d want in a defensive-playmaking forward, including the wingspan, the vertical and the anticipation, and she’s a solid offensive player too, capable of finishing plays in the post and as a roller. Timpson may not be the biggest or strongest post player, but she has what it takes to thrive in an aggressive defensive scheme.
Olivia Miles (Notre Dame)
2022-23 stats: 14.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game
Before suffering a torn ACL in 2023, Miles was one of the most statistically productive players in the NCAA, having recorded a triple-double on several occasions and seeming destined to be a lottery pick in the WNBA Draft. Now, she’ll have to share Notre Dame’s backcourt with reigning ACC Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year Hannah Hidalgo—an exciting and extremely talented pairing that will nonetheless require Miles to prove that she can function off the ball and be an outside scoring threat.
Saniya Rivers (NC State)
2023-24 stats: 12.5 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game
To call Rivers an elite athlete would almost feel like a disservice. She regularly does things on the court that most players are physically unable to do, particularly on the defensive end, where her massive wingspan and relentless activity make her a game-changer on the perimeter. Rivers’ offensive game is still developing, and she’ll likely be drafted to the WNBA as more of a “project,” but a team willing to invest in her development with patience could have a uniquely impactful player on its hands in the future.
Aneesah Morrow (LSU)
2023-24 stats: 16.4 points, 10 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game
Morrow may only be 6-foot-1, but she certainly doesn’t play like it in the paint. An extremely physical forward, Morrow excels at scoring through contact, and she’s going to draw plenty of fouls as opponents try to keep her off the boards. How Morrow’s game translates to the pros as a smaller frontcourt player remains to be seen, but she has the strength, the motor and the post-up game to make her a potential first-round draft pick.
Azzi Fudd (UConn)
Azzi Fudd is on the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award watch list!
The award honors the top shooting guard in women’s NCAA Division I college basketball. pic.twitter.com/Qf6gyEoI4p
— UConn Women’s Basketball (@UConnWBB) October 29, 2024
2022-23 stats: 15.1 points, 1.3 steals and 2.3 made 3-pointers per game
There may not be a prospect in the class with more to gain from a healthy season than Fudd, who has struggled with injuries throughout her collegiate career. When she’s healthy, Fudd is one of the country’s deadliest outside shooters, with a silky-smooth form and the versatility on her jumper to hit 3-pointers off screens and off the dribble. Fudd’s skill as a shooter is undeniable, especially when stacked up against the other guards in this class; she’ll have to prove that she can stay on the court, though, having played just 42 total games in her first three seasons.
Shyanne Sellers (Maryland)
2023-24 stats: 15.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game
Though the 6-foot-2 Sellers profiles as a wing, Maryland’s lack of a traditional point guard in recent seasons has forced her into more of a ball handling role. The Terrapins look to be more balanced this season, however, which should let Sellers shine as the three-level scorer we know she’s capable of being. Look for Sellers to increase her scoring and cut down on her turnovers as she enters her senior campaign.
