Best collegiate players whose pro careers didn't pan out

[JellyBean]

hey now.

 

[JellyBean]

I’d say Collier was a bit of a disappointment as a college player. I am a Texas fan who was not that sorry to see her leave a year early. I don’t know how much Geno could have gotten her to develop more.

For me, I am of the mindset of "right fit". With a lot of these college players who were "great" at the college level and things did not pan out for them at the pro level, stateside, it is all about that "right fit". Players need a good coach who can see the vision of a player like Collier for that particular team, in this case the Wings. A player like Collier needs the right players around her, like Aliyah Boston found out at the start of the season and how those players could blend her talents into the offensive flow.

A lot of the players mentioned on my list as well as others, injuries played a part of their struggles at the pro level. A lot of players are sitting on benches, like a Megan Gustafson. Could they be better on another team? Could they become stars on their current teams? Who knows. For me, Collier just got caught up with the wrong team at the wrong time. Collier goes to foreign teams and plays decently. Team Mexico: 10/8 in 7 games. Team Israel last year: 13/8/3 apg/ in 24 games.

As for what Geno could or could not have gotten Collier to do? So many "what if" situations. I mean who knows what could have happened. Same if she would have gone to South Carolina or Stanford. We will never know.

 

[bballnut90]

I’d say Collier was a bit of a disappointment as a college player. I am a Texas fan who was not that sorry to see her leave a year early. I don’t know how much Geno could have gotten her to develop more.

Agreed. She was more of a finesse 6-5 forward who had a tendency to completely shut down against better competition. She wasn't a banger inside. Had she picked UCONN I think it would've been a case similar to Azura Stevens, where she didn't like being primarily a lowpost player for Geno.

2021 was an all time awful draft, so even though Collier went first overall I don't think anyone had particularly high hopes for her, though most probably thought she'd at least make it through her rookie contract.

 

[JellyBean]

Beard had a 15-year career in the W. That in and of itself is pretty remarkable. She also like Nikki Powell won a championship and was DPOY twice-consecutively- and nine times was on the first or second all defensive team.

So perhaps not a super superstar but a tremendous defensive player and let's face it what percentage of players in the W last 15 years?

I mean the hype behind Beard in college and when she hit the draft was pretty high. I am not trying to diminish her longevity in the W.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Good call @JellyBean as far as fit and opportunity as well. This year Alanna Smith is a prime example. Hardly played and barely did anything for 3 years with Phoenix and 1 year with Indiana. Suddenly she's blossomed playing in Chicago this season.

 

[azfan]

Good call @JellyBean as far as fit and opportunity as well. This year Alanna Smith is a prime example. Hardly played and barely did anything for 3 years with Phoenix and 1 year with Indiana. Suddenly she's blossomed playing in Chicago this season.

The dysfunction in Phoenix over the past three years has been well documented. Really glad to see her having an opportunity to display her skills with the Sky.

 

[visitingcock]

That was a VERY weak draft.

Players that are (maybe) still in the W:

Kuier
McDonald (injured)
Onyenwere
Evans
Carrington

Not exactly an all-star lineup. Anyone else?

In contrast, the 2020 draft had some stars and other solid players:

Ionescu
Sabally (Satou)
Harris
Hebard
Willoughby
Dangerfield (ROY)
Holmes
Sutton

Take thiis with a grain of salt:

Ionescu is a very, very good pro player. However, I really thought she was going to be recognized as a TOP 3 (under 10 year veterans) in the game by this year. She hasn't quite lived up to my (perhaps over-lofty) expectations) especially related to consistency of her game. When she's on, she is what I expected, but she off-games more frequently than I expected.

 

[baggerbob]

Take thiis with a grain of salt:

Ionescu is a very, very good pro player. However, I really thought she was going to be recognized as a TOP 3 (under 10 year veterans) in the game by this year. She hasn't quite lived up to my (perhaps over-lofty) expectations) especially related to consistency of her game. When she's on, she is what I expected, but she off-games more frequently than I expected.

She needs to learn not to force things, the same thing with Laney.
Watch Stewie and Sloot, even JJ will make a simple pass first, which leads to another pass and good shot.
The spectacular play is nice, but the simple pass and score is 2 points.

 

[bbsamjj]

I mean the hype behind Beard in college and when she hit the draft was pretty high. I am not trying to diminish her longevity in the W.

It was very high, and you have to look at her career in almost two series:

2004-2009 (Washington): Averaging between 13 and 19ppg; makes 4 All Star games appearances, and 4 appearances on the all defensive first or second team.

2010 and 2011: Injury

2012-2019 (LA): Becomes more of a defensive specialist. Makes three straight WNBA 1st defensive team. Wins two DPOY [in the last 3 years of her career, which is immensely impressive]. Wins title in 2016.

Maybe on offense she didn't live up to the college hype post injury. But I'd argue she was every bit as good as advertised on the defensive end [she finished her career 4th all time in the league in steals].

 

[MSSportsGuy]

Janelle McCarville, Minnesota and LaToya Thomas, Miss State come to mind. Both #1 picks that underwelmed as pros.

McCarville wasn't terrible, just nothing to write home about.

LaToya Thomas is my all time favorite MSU player in all honesty. She was the highest ranked player to stay in state to attend MSU, and she helped get them to 3 NCAA tournaments after years of the program being the absolute cellar of the SEC. I saw her play in person a couple of times and she was fantastic.

I admit her pro career wasn't good. Injuries played a part but she was somewhat undersized and not particularly fast for a player of her reputation so in retrospect it's not surprising she didn't stick. Perhaps had the Cleveland Rockers not folded after her (respectable but not sensational) rookie year she would have hung around and made them a solid starter and contributor but sometimes these things don't work out.

 

[hornets]

IF Alana Beard didn't stay injured, it's no telling how good she could have been. She was better than Taurasi, no doubt about it!

 

[nwhoopfan]

IF Alana Beard didn't stay injured, it's no telling how good she could have been. She was better than Taurasi, no doubt about it!

Oh, that's gonna get an interesting response.

 

[bballnut90]

Agree on Holdsclaw. She went to a poorly run franchise that gave her a new coach each year and she went through severe depression after her grandmother died and she was never the same player after. Collegiately she has a strong case for best player ever and her game should have (and early on it did) translate effortlessly to the pros. She still had a solid pro career but you can’t help but feel she would have had a Moore/Catchings/Taurasi/Parker-esque pro career if she had better mental health, coaches and teammates.

 

[MSSportsGuy]

Agree on Holdsclaw. She went to a poorly run franchise that gave her a new coach each year and she went through severe depression after her grandmother died and she was never the same player after. Collegiately she has a strong case for best player ever and her game should have (and early on it did) translate effortlessly to the pros. She still had a solid pro career but you can’t help but feel she would have had a Moore/Catchings/Taurasi/Parker-esque pro career if she had better mental health, coaches and teammates.

I posted this on Volition and maybe here too but:

Catching is my all time favorite LV as she played with full effort and energy whenever she stepped on the court. Even in college if her shooting was off she impacted the game in other ways.

Parker was probably the most athletically gifted to play for Pat in that she could do everything and make it look easy. She didn't always give 100% effort like Catchings but she oozed athleticism from day one and you knew it was there and could be turned on at any moment with little opposition could do to stop it.

However, Holdclaw had a better UT career than either of them. To me Chamique should be in the basketball HOF. Her WNBA career went very well until she lost her grandmother and began to suffer from mental illness, which I gathered she's struggled with in the past but her family and UT basketball family helped her cope with. Without that support network she was missing that piece to balance her out.

While her pro career didn't match college though, she still played 11 years and averaged almost 17 points per game. That's not a disappointment but just a failure to match what were truly unreasonable expectations from college.

 

[Jackalope]

Respectfully, Kara Walters didn't have a spectacular professional career after being named AP National Player of the Year in 1997. She joined the ABL for 2 years and then had a four year WNBA career averaging 6.5 pts and 3.2 rebounds per game before being released by the Sacramento Monarchs in 2003.

 

[bballnut90]

Respectfully, Kara Walters didn't have a spectacular professional career after being named AP National Player of the Year in 1997. She joined the ABL for 2 years and then had a four year WNBA career averaging 6.5 pts and 3.2 rebounds per game before being released by the Sacramento Monarchs in 2003.

Same with Kate Starbird who was the Naismith winner that year.

 

[Kaizen]

I think most people know Jackie and believe she is a great player. This video just tells you more about her.

 

[FormerCTrez]

I think most people know Jackie and believe she is a great player. This video just tells you more about her.

This video really brought back some good memories of Jackie Stiles. During her college years, I’d lived in CT and was captivated by the Huskies, but I can vividly remember hearing and reading about her STATS. I cheered her on from a distance, and also thought how wonderful it must have been, to be celebrated, loved, and supported by everyone in one’s town, regardless of the town‘s size. She was good!
Thanks @Kaizen for sharing it.

 

[Millenial23]

How about Moriah Jefferson due to injury so far. Although I am holding out hope for her still!

 

[ISUnorth]

Collier made a verbal commitment to UConn and later changed her mind and committed to Texas. I can’t help feeling that UConn would have prepared her for the WNBA better than she was.

Although not first round draft pick, Megan Gustafson, won virtually every player of the year award as a senior at Iowa, struggled in her first year in the WNBA. She appears to have improved her game in Europe and is now playing for the Mercury. I wish her well for a pro career.

Megan has seemed to have carved herself out spot in WNBA now and had a great off season playing Euro League this year. Both state of Iowa rivals, Gustafson and Cyclones Bridget Carleton, got cut first year but have found their niche, Carleton with the Lynx as a reliable trustworthy player Reeves really seems to like.

And Megan does have the official corgi of the WNBA, Pancake Gustafson.

 

[CamrnCrz1974]

There is a laundry list of players who were Elite college players but their pro career did not measure up. Just off the top of my head, I have:

Alana Beard/Duke

Let's try this again ...

Alana Beard

• 4× WNBA All-Star (2005–2007, 2009)
• All-WNBA Second Team (2006)
• 2× WNBA Defensive Player of the Year (2017, 2018)
• 5× WNBA All-Defensive First Team (2007, 2012, 2016–2018)
• 4× WNBA All-Defensive Second Team (2005, 2006, 2009, 2014)
• WNBA champion (2016)
• #4 in WNBA history in career steals
• Top 30 in WNBA history in both points and assists

@triaddukefan

 

[ISUnorth]

I’d say Collier was a bit of a disappointment as a college player. I am a Texas fan who was not that sorry to see her leave a year early. I don’t know how much Geno could have gotten her to develop more.

Bit late in responding to this but as a fellow Big 12 fan I agree with you. It sometimes seemed like the light would come on for her and it looked she might finally sustain effort and motivation and than it seemed to dim again. Not really trying to take a shot at her here, everyone is wired differently and what comes naturally for some is just really hard for others.

 

[The deacon]

Let's try this again ...

Alana Beard

• 4× WNBA All-Star (2005–2007, 2009)
• All-WNBA Second Team (2006)
• 2× WNBA Defensive Player of the Year (2017, 2018)
• 5× WNBA All-Defensive First Team (2007, 2012, 2016–2018)
• 4× WNBA All-Defensive Second Team (2005, 2006, 2009, 2014)
• WNBA champion (2016)
• #4 in WNBA history in career steals
• Top 30 in WNBA history in both points and assists

@triaddukefan

That really is an enviable career. I always enjoyed watching Alana play (except against the Deacs), but admittedly had no idea her WNBA credentials were so, so good.