Women’s basketball has never had more parity or been more exciting, and leading the charge in all of this is the fact that the talent at the top of the college game is better than ever. Take this season alone: There is no de facto best player. Two players are not just great but potentially generational (and as the season progresses, there likely will be arguments for another two to three players in this debate). That means selecting players for the preseason All-America first team was difficult, but so was choosing for the second team.
The caveat here is that it’s subjective. Even if we organized the best guards and forwards in America, it would be nearly impossible given how much positionless basketball is played and each team’s different needs from each player at her position. Taking all that into account, The Athletic broke down its ranking of the 20 best players heading into this season, including not just our reasoning for why they’re so dangerous but also that of game scouts for coaches who faced each player last season.
We’ll look at spots 20-11 on Wednesday. Thursday, we’ll unveil the top 10.
Key stats (Villanova): 23.3 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 3.8 APG, 1.9 SPG
New beginnings ✍️ @IowaWBB #Hawkeyes #letsgo 💛🖤 pic.twitter.com/CmlhzmCYGd
— Lucy Olsen (@LucyOlsenbball) April 17, 2024
Caitlin Clark had the third-highest usage rate in the Power 5 last season, so who better to replace that volume of production than the player who had the fourth-highest usage? Olsen is comfortable commanding a large share of possessions and can score at all three levels — her midrange game is elite — and she will be emboldened to let the rock fly if Jan Jensen’s system is anything like Lisa Bluder’s. Olsen was the third-leading scorer in the country (behind Clark and JuJu Watkins) for Villanova, which played 11 fewer possessions per game than the Hawkeyes. If her 3-point percentage gets closer to her freshman and sophomore marks — and her 80.7 free-throw percentage gives hope it will — Olsen will continue a proud legacy of bucket-getters in Iowa City.
Coach’s scout: “There’s an aggressive mindset that she has. She is always going to try to get a bucket every time she touches it. And she’s going to force you to put a game plan around her, and she’ll find people. And I think her ability to get into the lane and to the free-throw line is tough. The volume of how much she has the ball, you never get a break. She has the ball every single possession. She’s a tough kid.”
Key stats: 15.6 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 5.5 APG, 1.3 SPG
Few players were as balanced as a scorer and distributor as Sellers was last season. When she’s the ballhandler in Maryland’s pick-and-roll scenarios, she’s money. Sellers is elite at drawing fouls (nearly six per game) and then making her opponents pay at the free-throw line, where she’s a career 81.7 percent shooter. Her athleticism and length make her a dangerous defensive rebounder and shot blocker. Sellers has won almost every potential Big Ten award, but in her final season at Maryland, look for her to make a run at seemingly the only one absent from her shelf: conference player of the year.
Coach’s scout: “She’s got a motor and a confidence. When she gets Maryland going, she can shift the game. She’s long, but it’s really her savvy of getting to the rim that hurts you. She’s got a really quick first step in that. So she’s quick, long, lanky. And sometimes when players are long and lanky, they’re not always as quick. And then she has the IQ and she’s swaggy. I don’t know if Brenda (Frese) would agree with this, but even if it’s not the right play, she wills it to be the right play. She can make it into a good play because of her ability to read things quickly.”
Key stats: 12.5 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 3.7 APG, 2.1 SPG
In her first season as a full-time starting point guard, Rivers showed all the promise that led her to be a top-three recruit in 2021. She was disciplined in her half-court decision-making, created her own shots in the midrange and got to the rim with efficiency. She was also a dynamite defensive playmaker and an excellent defensive rebounder, spurring the Wolfpack’s fast-break attack. With NC State forced to play a little smaller this season with fewer frontcourt options, Rivers will have to become more comfortable playing off the ball and improve her jump shot (20.8 percent from 3-point range for her college career). Rivers can also become a better cutter and outlet in transition. The physical tools are there, and the improvement from Year 2 to Year 3 suggests Rivers is merely scratching the surface of her potential.
Coach’s scout: “Because of her size, she can do a lot. I thought she took a big jump last year. She had a great year. She’s long. Her shooting is getting better, which makes her even tougher as a matchup because she’s terrific around the basket. She’s got a quick first step, and her pull-up is good. But she gets to the rim, and if she ever becomes a good 3-point shooter, she moves up to the top of players in the country.”
Key stats: 21.4 PPG, 4.1 APG, 4.2 RPG, 1.5 SPG
Latson was the national freshman of the year two seasons ago and was just as effective as a sophomore despite every defense in the country having the scout on her. She is impossible to keep out of the paint and efficient when she gets there. Latson also improved as a playmaker, ranking in the 96th percentile last season for assist rate, per CBB Analytics. Even in the deep ACC, Latson seems like the surest bet to put up numbers given her importance to the Florida State offense and her skill level.
Coach’s scout: “Elite downhill slasher. Even when we sent multiple people with her, she found a way to get to the cup. And also, when you’re that deliberate and that effective getting that deep, you get yourself to the free-throw line a whole lot more. She’s just really difficult to stop in transition. The key factor for her is how consistently she can hit the outside shot, so she can continue to play to that strength, but maybe one of the best downhill drivers in the country.”
Key stats (Virginia Tech): 18.8 PPG, 6.8 APG
Amoore is one of the most prolific and creative playmakers in the country. It’s a joy watching Amoore defy her size limitations with her footwork to get openings behind the arc and knife her way to the basket for runners and floaters. After years of watching Amoore dance with Elizabeth Kitley in the half court, it will be interesting to see her with a new partner and if that forces Amoore to play at a different pace. In her final season of eligibility, this is also Amoore’s chance to prove she can provide a little more resistance defensively.
Our QB1 has been named to the 2024-25 Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year Watch List. @georgia_amoore 🔥 pic.twitter.com/K3Qtr9x2ur
— Kentucky Women’s Basketball (@KentuckyWBB) October 28, 2024
Coach’s scout: “Not only is she just a phenomenal three-level scorer, she’s the head of the snake. She leads their team. She makes them go. She just has this aura about her, too. From the moment she walks into the gym, you know she’s in there. She’s shiftier than you would think she is. She has a good build to her. She’s saucy — she can get her shot off, get space, she can break you down. She also never seems to get tired.”
Key stats: 11.7 PPG, 2.2 APG, 1.7 SPG
Fulwiley might be the most talented player in college basketball. She can finish from any angle around the basket and find the slightest openings for a seemingly impossible pass. She’s also never out of the play defensively. Even if an offensive player thinks she’s beaten Fulwiley to the rack, a block could still be coming. Fulwiley is likely still coming off the bench for South Carolina, which speaks to the defending champion’s depth of talent, but it doesn’t diminish the sophomore’s capabilities. At Kelsey Plum’s Dawg Class in April, Fulwiley was unstoppable, even among a group that included four other players on this list, three current pros and Plum herself. The only limit on Fulwiley’s production this season will be how many minutes she can squeeze in a crowded Gamecocks guard group.
Coach’s scout: “End to end, she can get to the basket. The pressure she puts on the rim, the pressure she puts on your transition defense — she’s one of the most aggressive attacking players that I’ve seen in the country.”
Key stats: 17.5 PPG, 10.3 RPG, 1.3 BPG, 67% FG
Nobody loves a 30-second shot clock quite like Beers. Possibly the most methodical post player in the country, Beers knows how to work the defense until the final seconds, backing her way down to get herself a bucket or find the right teammate. She’s strong, patient and supremely skilled in the post, making her an impossible cover in isolation. Her frame and feel for the game make her an excellent rim deterrent on defense, and she holds up surprisingly well in space. Going from one of the slowest teams in Oregon State to Oklahoma — where the sooner the shot goes up, the better — will be a fascinating stylistic shift. Beers still will cook when she gets the ball, but only if her teammates wait for her to get down the floor.
Coach’s scout: “We talked about her a lot last year. Anytime our post defense wasn’t good enough in practice last year, we were like, ‘That’s not going to cut it against Raegan Beers.’ The kid has tremendous hands. She’s sneaky athletic. You don’t think she’ll have that much bounce, but she does. The one thing I’m interested to see is that Scott (Rueck) is a master of half-court basketball. He’s going to manipulate and get you in situations to make you look good. And when Beers is running up and down the floor fast with Oklahoma, how does that look? But I’m a fan. You can’t guard her one-on-one. She’s tough.”
Key stats: 19.2 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 58% FG%
Crooks gained national acclaim after dropping 40 on Maryland in last season’s NCAA Tournament first round, but anyone who saw the freshman play in the Big 12 was well aware she’s a matchup nightmare. She’s a high-usage, high-volume 2-point shooter who spent her offseason developing more counters against taller defenders, handling double-teams and increasing her conditioning so she can consistently play 30-plus minutes a game this season. As a freshman, one of Crooks’ biggest strengths was pursuing her misses (she shot 72 percent of second-chance opportunities), but if she couples that with a deeper bag of moves, she’ll give Big 12 coaches fits. She’ll be a pillar for the Cyclones, who have a chance to make their deepest postseason run.
Coach’s scout: “She is so physically dominant that she just clears space. And then what she does so well is that if she doesn’t finish her first shot, she’s so crafty at getting the rebound for the second-chance shot. She can get good position. But I think (teammate) Emily Ryan really puts Audi in the right positions and spots where Audi wants to play. Audi has a contagious personality. She does a great job of leading them. She seems like the kind of leader who, when the moment is intense, she can crack a joke. That’s so valuable.”
Key stats: 14.7 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 2.2 APG
McMahon certainly wasn’t in a sophomore slump last season, but after her terrific freshman season in 2022-23, it wasn’t quite as dominant as expected. Offensively, her game is tough to stop at the basket and in the midrange. On the glass — even when she gives up a few inches to rebounders — there aren’t many who will out-effort her for the ball. But her biggest downfall was defense, and being a one-dimensional player doesn’t land you on any top-10 player lists. However, after a summer playing with Team USA’s U-23 team and 3×3 teams — where individual defensive performance is a necessity to getting on the floor — McMahon comes into her junior season with a stronger approach to that end of the floor. If she can pair even a decent defensive game with her offensive abilities, McMahon will be the standout for the Buckeyes, who should be contending at the top of the Big Ten race.
Buckeye nation, see you soon😈! pic.twitter.com/6MdeTMXkwb
— cotie (@cotiemcmahon23) October 28, 2024
Coach’s scout: “If you let her get going downhill, it’s over. She’s so hard to stop, and in the paint, you don’t want her there. You can try to keep her out, if at all possible, because she’ll own you in there. She’s so strong. She’s only 6 foot, but she has really good timing for rebounding. She’s Rodman-esque in that way. You don’t move her, and she has a quick ability off the floor. She won’t back you down or take her time. She’s just explosive. She plays with a power that’s rare.”
Key stats (through 12 games): 14.1 PPG, 7.8 APG, 5.6 RPG, 3.1 SPG
If this ranking were purely based on a value-by-inch equation, Harmon would have an argument for the No. 1 spot. We haven’t seen Harmon on the floor since December 2023, when she tore her ACL just 12 games into the season. Though she has yet to be cleared for the 2024-25 season, she said she’s close. When she returns, Harmon will instantly be one of the most important and best players in the country. Her ability to defend 94 feet makes her perfect for Texas’ system, and she’ll be a pain in the side of every SEC guard matched up against her. As a scorer, she’s effective even though she’s not a high-volume or high-percentage 3-point shooter, but her real ability is in that probing, pass-first role where she can find her teammates open on a dime. She’s this high on the list because of the players who will be surrounding her and how much more that could impact Harmon’s ability to share the ball with players who’ll sink shots.
Coach’s scout: “Rori — defensively and her aggressiveness — she just sets the tone for Texas. She can control the game, impact the game, dominate the game just by her presence. Her midrange game is really, really, really good.”
(Top photos of MiLaysia Fulwiley and Cotie McMahon: Eakin Howard / Getty Images, Matthew Holst / Getty Images)
