Young women’s college basketball players may sue to join WNBA earlier, Fever GM predicts

Lin Dunn has watched a lot of basketball throughout her five decades in the sport. At the college level, she was the head coach at Austin Peay, Ole Miss, Miami and Purdue. In the WNBA, she held the same role with the Seattle Storm and Indiana Fever.

Now, as the Fever’s general manager, Dunn has witnessed something while watching this college season she hasn’t observed before.

“Have you ever seen this many freshmen this strong, this early?” she said on the most recent episode of “The Athletic Women’s Basketball Show.” “I can’t remember it.”

Throughout the college season’s first third, a number of debutants have starred: Texas’ Madison Booker, Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo, Arkansas’ Taliah Scott, South Carolina’s MiLaysia Fulwiley, LSU’s Mikaylah Williams, USC’s JuJu Watkins. The list could continue.

The college game is presumably in good hands as a result. Though Dunn believes it’s possible some might go pro sooner than expected. The reason?

“I’ll tell you what I think may happen,” Dunn said. “One of these freshmen is gonna file a lawsuit and say: ‘I’m ready to turn pro. Why can’t I? The men can. Why can’t I?’ Because they’re that good enough.”

Watkins has already broken a Trojans record for most 30-point games in a season by…