With Clark and Reese gone, a new group of talented college basketball players are ready to take over

Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese helped popularize women’s basketball new peaks over the last two years. Although there could also be a drop in viewership compared to last season record highthere are plenty of talented players like Paige Bueckers, JuJu Watkins, Deja Kelly and Hannah Hidalgo ready to proceed their development.

“I know we lost some great people in Angel and Caitlin, but we gained so much more. We have gained a lot more talent, skill and marketability,” South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said. “I’m really looking forward to it. I’m glad this happened at a time where I can acknowledge it and share it with other individuals who are joining us immediately.

Watkins, a Los Angeles native, has attracted attention for home games in Southern California that often sell out and draw celebrity crowds.

“I don’t know if there was a young African-American women’s basketball superstar at that age who could use this platform, but I think it will be very useful to the community both in Los Angeles and across the country,” USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. “I wouldn’t bet against her that she can handle anything. At the same time, our job is to prepare her for what may come and make sure she can enjoy life and be a child.”

USC turned to Iowa for advice on how to take care of the quantity of attention Watkins is receiving this 12 months. The USC sophomore said it was special that Caitlin Clark offered to help her the primary time they met if she ever needed advice on navigating her role because the face of women’s basketball.

“She’s great. “It shows how good of a person he is outside of basketball,” Watkins said. “To have that sort of mentorship and that relationship together with her, it definitely means a lot to me. She has made the most important impact on women’s basketball and having the ability to watch her journey is actually inspiring.

Watkins is a component of a truly talented sophomore class. Three out of five preseason All-Americans they are second-year students – that is the primary time of their lives.

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“I never thought I would be the face of something,” said Hidalgo, who was one of three All-Americans. “I had no expectations. I just wanted to come, play basketball and of course win. Just seeing this generational talent is unlike any other.”

Bueckers and Kelly bridge the gap between the subsequent group and the previous one. They each went to school concurrently Clark. Bueckers’ profession was briefly interrupted by injury, and Kelly is a component of a senior class that may benefit from a pandemic 12 months.

“I think we had one of the best classes in a while, my class of 2020.” said Kelly, who transferred to Oregon from North Carolina for her senior season. “And of course, considering half of them entered the draft last 12 months, there are still a lot of people in class. I don’t need people to forget that.”

Ten years ago, exceptional players played at just a handful of schools, but now they’re more opened up across the country, giving more people the possibility to see their stardom. Increasing the number of games on television and giving players more exposure through name, image and likeness at an earlier age also helped.

“I just think there’s a lot of stars just waiting to explode,” NC State coach Wes Moore said. “And with the publicity and coverage we’re getting, there’s going to be a lot of new stars coming out.”

Kelly sees that the game is in good hands and will proceed to thrive even when the remaining of her class is gone.

“Everyone at their schools is doing a really good job of making a name for themselves,” Kelly said. “And like I said, we still have a lot of big names in college looking to enter the draft this year and they will continue to grow. So I think women’s basketball is in a very good place.”