Best collegiate players whose pro careers didn't pan out

[LwrcasefaN]

They would have all shined brightly, but the WNBA ran out of teams unlike the NBA. lol SO, is this fair? lol

 

[jdote33]

Of course getting to the w and spending time there is an accomplishment. So no shade. But here's who comes to mind.

Lindsey Harding - her final season at Duke she was amazing. She was super quick and really good defensively. Definitely thought she'd be an all star caliber guard.

Marissa Coleman - I think she did make an all star team but I remember watching her drop 40 in the tournament. I also remember Maryland was confident they could be UConn that year when UConn was undefeated. They thought they matched up well. And in particular Maya moore vs Coleman.

Kelsey Griffin- absolute monster her senior year at Nebraska. Was physical, athletic, just a bit undersized. Didn't have that long of a run in the W.

Cameo Hicks - this is a throwback and I had just started watching wcbb (besides UConn). She was a great scorer, I legit don't know what happened after Washington.

Katie Geralds- always liked big guards. She was 6'1 could post and shoot. Led Purdue to the elite 8 I believe. I was surprised she didn't have a more impactful career in the W.

Shalee Lehning - she was small and wasn't a super athlete but she was fun to watch and a triple double threat. She did have meaningful stint in the W but I thought she'd have a long career just how savvy she was.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Cameo Hicks - this is a throwback and I had just started watching wcbb (besides UConn). She was a great scorer, I legit don't know what happened after Washington.

Whoa! I bet not many people on this board remember her (or were ever aware of her). I went to a handful of games back when she was playing.

I'm really surprised that other than Plum, Whitcomb is the one former UW player to find a niche in the WNBA. They've had a few ballers here and there. I really thought Talia Walton would stick in the W. Good size, decent athleticism for a wing (or combo forward maybe), fairly versatile. She washed out instantly and never got another look as far as I know. I just can't figure it sometimes.

 

[faninwisc]

Courtney Paris comes to mind

 

[Bone Dog]

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.

Like Rebecca Lobo, Kara’s pro career was hampered by injury.

 

[jdote33]

Courtney Paris comes to mind

This is a great one. Also Danielle Adams.

I was also going to say Candice Wiggins. I know she had some injuries but she was a superstar in college.

Rachel Banham has had a long career but I thought she really was gonna be a star

 

[faninwisc]

This is a great one. Also Danielle Adams.

I was also going to say Candice Wiggins. I know she had some injuries but she was a superstar in college.

Rachel Banham has had a long career but I thought she really was gonna be a star

I never really thought Danielle Adams was going to be a great WNBA player. She was too small to play in the post and not quick enough to be a wing. I would also add Jayne Appel to the list.

 

[nwhoopfan]

I would also add Jayne Appel to the list.

Injuries. She was a pale shadow of herself by the time she was a pro.

 

[jdote33]

I never really thought Danielle Adams was going to be a great WNBA player. She was too small to play in the post and not quick enough to be a wing. I would also add Jayne Appel to the list.

Great one! Jayne Appel. I remember her and Tina Charles used to battle. And I thought she was just as good if not better. She was a great college player.

 

[faninwisc]

Great one! Jayne Appel. I remember her and Tina Charles used to battle. And I thought she was just as good if not better. She was a great college player.

I will never forget her game against Iowa State in 2009, she was unstoppable.

 

[faninwisc]

I am going to toss Jessica Davenport's name on the list too. She had a great career at Ohio State but didn't do much after that.

 

[VAUConnFan]

Off the top of my head that was the 3rd dumbest trade in the history of my life.

What were the first two?

 

[triaddukefan]

What were the first two?

Herschel Walker from the Cowboys to the Minnesota Vikings.

Milwaukee Bucks sent Dirk Nowkizi to Dallas for Robert Tractor Traylor (RIP)

Ha. I see i already answered it earlier.guess that is the top 4

 

[VAUConnFan]

1. Dallas trading Herschel Walker to the VIkings (Jerry Jones is still laughing)

2. New Orleans trading their entire draft class and a first round pick the following year for Ricky Williams.

Who here goes far enough back to remember the San Francisco Giants trading Orlando Cepeda to St. Louis for Ray Sadecki?
How about the Cubs trading Lou Brock to St. Louis for Ernie Broglio and Bobby Shantz?
Nolan Ryan from the Mets to the Angels for Jim Fregosi.

 

[VA Huskie]

Courtney Paris comes to mind

Courtney is a perfect example of “built to be a great college player, but doesn’t translate to the pros”. I wonder if Pili and the kid on Iowa St (Combs?) will see the same future? Of course Pili has an outside shot, so she may be different.

 

[VA Huskie]

Who here goes far enough back to remember the San Francisco Giants trading Orlando Cepeda to St. Louis for Ray Sadecki?
How about the Cubs trading Lou Brock to St. Louis for Ernie Broglio and Bobby Shantz?
Nolan Ryan from the Mets to the Angels for Jim Fregosi.

I’m a Giants fan and totally remember that trade. The Giants had 2 future HOF 1st baseman (McCovey being the other). Tried each in the outfield…NOT. So had to trade one. Sadecki looked like he was going to be pretty good… NOT. I loved Cepeda, and still do.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

Courtney is a perfect example of “built to be a great college player, but doesn’t translate to the pros”. I wonder if Pili and the kid on Iowa St (Combs?) will see the same future? Of course Pili has an outside shot, so she may be different.

And the person who brought up Jessica Davenport, but I think you nailed it. Very few classic centers have great WNBA careers, they need more. An outside shot would count as "more". Ability to dribble. Extra special rebounding or shot blocking skill (not all are equal). Ability to draw fouls. Something.

 

[Magy Cannon]

Kaleena Mosqueda Lewis

 

[WBBTakeover]

Of course getting to the w and spending time there is an accomplishment. So no shade. But here's who comes to mind.

Lindsey Harding - her final season at Duke she was amazing. She was super quick and really good defensively. Definitely thought she'd be an all star caliber guard.

Marissa Coleman - I think she did make an all star team but I remember watching her drop 40 in the tournament. I also remember Maryland was confident they could be UConn that year when UConn was undefeated. They thought they matched up well. And in particular Maya moore vs Coleman.

Katie Geralds- always liked big guards. She was 6'1 could post and shoot. Led Purdue to the elite 8 I believe. I was surprised she didn't have a more impactful career in the W.

Shalee Lehning - she was small and wasn't a super athlete but she was fun to watch and a triple double threat. She did have meaningful stint in the W but I thought she'd have a long career just how savvy she was.

Glad that you brought up these names! I hadn't thought about some of these players in a while. I'll share my thoughts:

Re Lindsey Harding--I believe that the lack of a reliable jump shot (in particular, a 3-point shot) killed her career progress. She did make an All-Star team, I believe. But she could've done more offensively had she been able to rely on a jumper consistently.
To that point, I'm glad to see Jordin Canada developing a 3-point shot and hope she sticks with it.

Marissa Coleman--maybe it's the anti-Maryland bias speaking here, but I never saw her as being that good. Her size played into her hype as a prospect, IMO. I couldn't see her consistently guarding her position in the W based on what I saw of her in college. I think it's telling that the player drafted just after her had a better WNBA career despite being much smaller (and being a college teammate).

Katie Gearlds--I always thought that her size at guard is what really had people excited about her, but she seemed too slow to make it in the W. She is transitioning into a decent young coach at the P5 level.

Shalee Lehning--I didn't think she had the physical gifts to make it long-term in the W, but she did find a home briefly in Atlanta and looked great as a distributor for a few seasons. Then, she got injured and that was that. Not a great talent, but not terrible.

I'll add two more names to the discussion: Monica Wright (UVA to Minnesota Lynx) and Jantel Lavender (Ohio State to Los Angeles Sparks). Both players got stuck behind multiple future HOF teammates. They ended up winning titles, but it would've been interesting to see how their careers would've panned out had they been starters on other (i.e. not as good) teams.

 

[cockhrnleghrn]

The 2020 class also had Chennedy Carter (I think) as a prime example of a flop.

She was never a team player at A&M.

 

[LETTERL]

Elissa Cunane turned down her COVID year at NC State to enter the WNBA draft but never made a roster and is playing overseas.

 

[MSSportsGuy]

Elissa Cunane turned down her COVID year at NC State to enter the WNBA draft but never made a roster and is playing overseas.

This situation makes me wonder about Kitley's ability to stick in the W.

 

[FormerCTrez]

Elissa Cunane turned down her COVID year at NC State to enter the WNBA draft but never made a roster and is playing overseas.

I liked Elissa Cunane. She was a hard worker who played well, and seemed to be loved by her teammates. But some students just want to be done with school, studying, exams, assignments, etc. I wish her well in all her endeavor.