CLEVELAND — The first time Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers met on a game floor at the collegiate level, the two were freshmen playing in the Sweet 16. It was Bueckers that season who was having the banner year. She became the first freshman to be named the Naismith and AP national player of the year, but even then, anyone watching the game knew that this group of freshmen, led by Bueckers and Clark, was something special.
Four days before that Iowa–UConn matchup, then-Connecticut Sun coach (and current Sparks coach) Curt Miller posed a question:
Does this freshman class re-open discussions on should early entries into the WNBA mirror the NBA requirements? Not a quick fix but interesting discussions.
— Curt Miller (@CurtMillerWBB) March 23, 2021
Interesting discussions, indeed.
The rule hasn’t changed in the last three years, but the game has. The freshmen this season are maybe even more impressive than back in 2021, and now, Clark is the headliner and the soon-to-be No. 1 WNBA Draft pick while Bueckers will return to UConn for a fifth season. The other top players from that class Miller referenced? Cameron Brink, Kamilla Cardoso and Angel Reese? All near-locks as first-round draft picks, and one will likely end up with Miller as her head coach (the Sparks have the…
