A number of the finest gamers from the 2024-25 ladies’s school basketball season heard their names known as on Monday night time in New York on the 2025 WNBA Draft.
And a few additionally didn’t.
Whereas UConn star Paige Bueckers went No. 1 total to the Dallas Wings and N.C. State gamers Saniya Rivers and Aziaha James each had been chosen within the first spherical, among the high gamers within the sport went unselected by WNBA groups.
Amongst these gamers, statistically, was TCU heart Sedona Prince. The 6-foot-7 24-year-old helped the Horned Frogs win the Massive 12 and play within the Elite Eight for the primary time ever whereas averaging 17.2 factors, 9.4 rebounds and three.1 blocks per recreation, however along with battling accidents off the court docket, Prince has been embroiled in controversy off it as nicely. Not less than 4 ladies have publicly accused her of sexual assault or intimate accomplice violence. Nevertheless, Prince hasn’t been charged and denies these claims.
A number of different school stars went undrafted too, like N.C. State’s Madison Hayes, Tennessee’s Jewel Spear, Texas’ Taylor Jones, and Duquesne’s Megan McConnell.
Listed here are the three finest gamers that went undrafted. Anticipate them to obtain coaching camp invitations the place they’ll have the prospect to make a roster.
Diamond Johnson, Norfolk State
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Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Photographs
Whereas Johnson is simply 5-foot-5, her checklist of accolades appear countless. As a freshman at Rutgers, she was a 50-40-90 participant and made the Massive Ten All-Freshman Staff. As a sophomore at N.C. State, she was the ACC Sixth Participant of the 12 months and helped the Wolfpack go to the Elite Eight. Over the previous two seasons at Norfolk State, she powered the Spartans to a pair of NCAA Match appearances whereas twice profitable the MEAC Participant of the 12 months award. Most lately, Johnson was named MVP of the Lily Ladies’s School All-Star Recreation in Tampa, Florida.
Merely put, whereas Johnson is likely to be small in stature and has performed for an HBCU, she’s confirmed time and time once more that she might be the very best participant on the court docket at any time in any venue. She’s gained within the Massive Ten and ACC, and took Norfolk State to new heights within the MEAC.
Johnson leaves school with a 37.7 capturing proportion from 3-point land and averaging 15.7 factors, 3.1 assists, 4.8 rebounds and a pair of.5 steals per recreation.
Deja Kelly, Oregon
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Photograph by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Photographs
After 4 seasons at North Carolina, Kelly joined the Geese for her fifth season of faculty basketball the place she performed below Kelly Graves. Whereas her scoring statistics took a dip, she posted career-highs in subject purpose proportion (38.6), rebounds (4.3) and assists (3.3) per recreation. Kelly is a winner, a wise and difficult defender, somebody who has a knack for attending to the free throw line, and has an old-school mid-range recreation that she usually finishes off with a clean jumper.
She usually performed nicely in huge video games too, scoring a mixed 40 factors in Oregon’s pair of NCAA Match contests this season.
Ought to Kelly get the chance to impress a WNBA staff in coaching camp, she’ll seize the chance with each arms and provides it all the pieces she has.
Alyssa Ustby, North Carolina
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Photograph by Sarah Stier/Getty Photographs
Being doubted is one thing that Ustby is used to. She wasn’t ranked as one in all ESPN’s high 100 prospects within the 2020 class, however led North Carolina in minutes performed as a freshman. A pure chief and a flexible ahead — and maybe the very best rim-runner in school basketball — Ustby leaves Chapel Hill having taken to the Tar Heels to 5 NCAA Tournaments, together with this season the place they hosted first weekend video games and appeared within the Candy 16 .
Ustby owns the one triple-double in UNC ladies’s basketball historical past and completed her profession because the Tar Heels’ program chief in rebounds.
She’s a participant that does a bit little bit of all the pieces nicely. Think about that she was the one participant within the nation this previous season to common a minimum of 10.5 factors, 9.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, one steal and one block per recreation whereas capturing a minimum of 45 p.c from the ground and 30 p.c from 3-point land. She’d be a stable addition to any WNBA staff’s locker room.