With Clark and Reese gone, new crop of talented women's basketball players ready to take over

Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese helped bring women’s hoops to new heights complete nan past 2 years. While location whitethorn beryllium a ratings dip from past season's record high, location are plentifulness of talented players for illustration Paige Bueckers, JuJu Watkins, Deja Kelly and Hannah Hidalgo fresh to proceed nan rise.

“I cognize we mislaid immoderate awesome ones successful Angel and Caitlin, but we gained truthful overmuch more. We gained truthful overmuch much talent, accomplishment group and marketability,” South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said. “I’m really looking guardant to it. I’m gladsome it’s happened during a clip successful which I tin attest to it, I tin stock pinch different group who are conscionable now tuning in.”

Watkins, a Los Angeles native, draws attraction astatine location games astatine Southern California which routinely sellout and person been known to person a personage crowd.

“I don’t cognize that there’s been a young African American superstar successful women’s hoops astatine this property beryllium capable to person this platform, and I deliberation that’s gonna do a ton for communities some successful L.A. and crossed nan country,” USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. “I wouldn’t stake against her to beryllium capable to grip anything. At nan aforesaid time, it’s our occupation to prep her for what mightiness beryllium coming and make judge she’s capable to person joyousness and beryllium a kid.”

USC sought retired proposal from Iowa connected really to grip nan crush of attraction that is connected Watkins this year. The USC sophomore said that it was typical that Caitlin Clark, nan first clip they met, offered to thief her if she ever needed proposal connected really to navigate being nan look of women’s basketball.

“She’s great. Goes to show really bully a personification she is extracurricular of basketball,” Watkins said. “To person that benignant of mentorship and that narration pinch her, it decidedly intends a lot. She’s had nan biggest effect connected women’s hoops and being capable to spot her travel is really inspiring.”

Watkins is portion of a really talented sophomore class. Three of nan 5 preseason All-Americans are sophomores — nan first clip that's ever happened.

“I ne'er thought I would beryllium nan look of something,” said Hidalgo, who was 1 of nan 3 All-Americans. “I didn’t person immoderate expectations coming in. I conscionable wanted to travel successful and play hoops and, of course, win. Just to spot this generational talent is conscionable thing dissimilar immoderate other."

Bueckers and Kelly span nan spread betwixt nan adjacent group and nan erstwhile one. Both entered schoolhouse nan aforesaid clip Clark did. Bueckers' profession was sidelined for a spot by wounded while Kelly is portion of nan past people that tin return advantage of a COVID year.

“I deliberation we had 1 of nan champion classes, my 2020 class, successful a while,” said Kelly, who transferred to Oregon from North Carolina for her last season. “And evidently pinch half of them entering nan draught past year, you still person a bully magnitude still successful school. I don’t want group to hide that."

A decade ago, nan exceptional players would only beryllium astatine a fistful of schools, but now they are much dispersed retired crossed nan country, giving much group a chance to witnesser their stardom. It's besides helped having much games connected TV and players getting much vulnerability done name, image and likeness astatine an earlier age.

“I conscionable deliberation there’s a full batch of stars that are conscionable waiting to explode,” N.C. State coach Wes Moore said. “And pinch nan vulnerability and sum that we’re receiving now, there’s going to beryllium a full batch of caller stars coming out.”

Kelly sees that nan athletics is successful bully hands and will proceed to flourish moreover erstwhile nan remainder of her people is gone.

“Everyone astatine their respective schools is doing a really bully occupation of making a sanction for themselves,” Kelly said. "And we have, for illustration I said, a batch of large names successful assemblage still that are looking to participate nan draught this twelvemonth and it’s going to proceed to come. So I deliberation women’s hoops is successful a ace bully spot.”

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AP Basketball Writer Aaron Beard and AP Sports Writers Andrew Seligman and John Zenor contributed to this story.

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