With Clark and Reese in WNBA, new crop of college players ready to take over

Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese helped bring women’s basketball to new heights over the past two years. While there may be a ratings dip from last season's record high, there are plenty of talented players like Paige Bueckers, JuJu Watkins, Deja Kelly and Hannah Hidalgo 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,” South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said. “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 Southern California which 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 gonna 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 Caitlin 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. “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 really talented sophomore class. Three of the five preseason All-Americans are sophomores — the first time that's ever happened.

“I never thought I would be the face of something,” said 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 and Kelly 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 a COVID year.

“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 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's 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.”