What happens to the most outstanding players in women's college basketball

Women’s college basketball is all about winning the Final Four. Where the absolute best teams and the top players who lead them contend to prove who really is the queen of the court. If you’re really good it becomes clear during those games that we will be watching you in the future, but where are they now, the most outstanding players in the Final Four? Because if you are the best player for that season in college, you are expected to dominate when you make it to the WNBA, but expectations don’t play the games for you. 

So here is a breakdown of what really happened to each woman who won the most outstanding player award in the Final Four, every single year for the past decade. Some names that you might recognize, and others you didn’t even remember were that good in college. The truth is that success in college for any women’s basketball player is not really the end of your career, but rather the moment when it truly begins.

The criteria to make this list is simple, you have to win the award for the most outstanding player in the final four. An award that traditionally goes to the best player on the national championship team. Which means that if you don’t win at least one national championship, you will not make the cut.

Angel Reese – 2023 (LSU)

The most recent addition to this list is Angel Reese in 2023, who led LSU to a national championship win against Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes. Making that game perhaps the most watched of any game ever played in women’s college basketball history. Graduating high school in Baltimore, Maryland she was actually the second ranked recruit in her class, behind only Paige Bueckers. She started her career at Maryland before transferring to LSU. But now in the age of NIL Angel Reese is a trailblazer where she is not only the most outstanding player, but her projected NIL value is 1.4 million almost twice as much as any other woman in the game. Which is why she says, she has no plans of leaving college early, but the WNBA will certainly be waiting for her as a top pick when she does. 

Aaliyah Boston – 2022 (South Carolina)

In 2022 it was Aaliyah Boston who was the best player on the best team in the women’s game. She led the South Carolina Gamecocks to a 36-2 record in that championship run, as the best post player in the game. She was originally the third ranked recruit out of high school but after becoming one of the biggest names in college, she became the number 1 pick in the WNBA draft by the Indiana Fever in 2023. She’s also averaging 14 points per game already as a rookie, which suggests that she will have a lot of success in the future in the league.

Haley Jones – 2021 (Stanford)

However, In 2021 it was Haley Jones of Stanford who became the most outstanding player in women’s college basketball. Which is a big deal because she was only a sophomore at the time. She never won another national championship but Haley Jones has always been good because she was the Naismith Prep Player of the year when she came out of high school and the top recruit on Hoopgurlz. Year later she became the sixth pick of the WNBA draft for the Atlanta Dream but has played sparingly in her rookie season thus far. So only time will tell what the future holds for Haley Jones.

Chloe Jackson – 2019 (Baylor)

In 2019 it was Chloe Jackson who wore the crown as the best player in the final four. She stands out because she was actually a 3 star recruit on Hoopgurlz before starting her collegiate career at NC State. As a 5’8 guard she transferred twice to LSU and later to Baylor where she would lead them to the National Championship in that her final year of college basketball. Her late ascension as a top player is perhaps the reason she was only drafted in the second round of the WNBA draft as the 15th overall pick by the Chicago Sky. She barely played in her time with the Sky as a rookie and hasn’t played in the WNBA ever since. But today she is actually a stylist for basketball players on both the men’s and women’s sides and is looking like she will be hanging around both the NBA and WNBA as a result for years to come.

Arike Ogunbowale – 2018 (Notre Dame)

The year 2018 belongs to Arike Ogunbowale of Notre Dame who led the Fighting Irish to a national championship as a junior after leaving high school as the 10th best recruit overall in her class. She continued at Notre Dame for one more season and was only one point away from leading them to back to back national championships. That year in 2019 she was drafted fifth overall by the Dallas Wings and became the scoring champion for the league by 2020! She was the MVP of the All Star game in 2021 and splits her time between the WNBA and playing overseas in both the Turkish and Russian basketball leagues. Which means she was probably always better than whatever the scouts gave her credit for, and they gave her a lot of credit as is. 

A'ja Wilson – 2017 (South Carolina)

In 2017 it was A’ja Wilson of South Carolina who proved to be the queen of the court. Which is a big deal because the year after, she did not win the national championship, but literally won all of the national player of the year awards that existed aside from it. She was top recruit when she left high school in 2014 and validated that ranking by becoming the number 1 pick in the WNBA draft by the Las Vegas Aces in 2018. They would be crazy to ever let her go because she is now a 2 time league MVP and a WNBA champion, with a defensive player of the year award just because she could. So not only is A’ja Wilson the most outstanding player in college from 2017, but she is building a resume right now as one of the greatest women’s basketball players of all time.

Breanna Stewart – 2013 to 2016 (UConn) 

The next name on this list needs no introduction, because in the years 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016 Breanna Stewart became the most outstanding player in college basketball. That means she not only won the national championship every year since her freshman year, but led the team when she did it. That requires no explanation. Do I even have to say that she was the number 1 recruit in the class of 2012? I’mma float it out there anyway.  She kept up the trend as the number 1 pick in the WNBA draft with the Seattle Storm. In addition to playing overseas she is now a WNBA MVP, scoring champion, and two time league champion at only 28 years old. So she might not be done adding to her resume just yet.

Brittney Griner – 2012 (Baylor)

Before Breanna Stewart, it was Brittney Griner who was the best post player in the college game, and the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. In 2012 as a junior she won the award along with player of the year honors. However in 2013 her Baylor Bears lost in the Sweet 16. But Brittney became the first pick in the WNBA draft in 2013 and has dominated both in the league and overseas since that point. She has led the WNBA in blocks 8 times, led the league in scoring twice, and won a championship in just her second season in the league. Her name has been in the news a lot lately, but Brittney Griner has always been one of the greatest women’s basketball players at whatever level she played.

Danielle Adams - 2011 (Texas A&M)

In 2011 Danielle Adams stole the show as the tournament’s best player, leading Texas A&M to an unlikely NCAA championship. She is the only former junior college player on this list winning the player of the year award at that level in 2009. Interestingly enough she was only a second round pick in the WNBA draft by the San Antonio Silver Stars in 2011. She actually became an All star in her rookie year, the only time that she did. She actually was suspended from the WNBA for violating the league’s drug policy in 2015, but in 2017 she earned a roster spot once again, finishing her career with the Connecticut Sun in 2020.

Maya Moore – 2010 (UConn)

The final name on this list is a woman who accomplished more in her basketball career in less time than we ever could have imagined. Maya Moore of UConn was the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player in 2010. But she was named the best player in college in 2009 when she won the NCAA championship as well. It should go without saying that she was the top recruit in her recruitment class of 2007 and after going pro both overseas and in the WNBA she made winning a habit. She only competed through 2018, taking time off the court to use her platform to help exonerate an innocent convict and raise awareness to social justice issues. But in the years that she played from 2011 to 2018 her resume is as follows. After becoming the number 1 pick in the draft to the Minnesota Lynx, she won a WNBA MVP, 3 All Star game MVPs, led the league in scoring, and also led in steals, but on top all that she won 4 WNBA championships, more than anyone else on this list. She retired after that final championship but those 4 championships alone tie the Minnesota Lynx as the winningest franchise in WNBA history.

The Bottom Line

When you win the Most Outstanding player award in women’s college basketball, you are set apart as one of the best to play the game. In fact, it actually becomes a rite of passage for any woman who is seriously going to contend as a WNBA MVP. Since 2010 UConn, South Carolina, and Baylor have won 9 of the 13 national championships, and their success in recruiting is the reason why. Because the high school basketball scouts seem to be getting it right, that if you can get the number 1 high school basketball recruit to commit to your team, you will likely have a national championship a few years later to go with it.

KNOW THE GAME. WIN THE GAME.

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