Campus Connection: Schools that have Produced the Most WNBA Draft Picks

[SVCBeercats]

Sliced and diced several ways. Before viewing the post and article, what school produced the most WNBA league MVPs? Not most MVP players. Most MVPs. I missed it.

Campus Connection: Schools that have Produced the Most WNBA Draft Picks - WNBA.com - Official Site of the WNBA

Which collegiate program has produced the most players drafted into the WNBA over the league’s first 25 years? What about first round picks? What about No. 1 overall picks? What about players that went on to become league MVPs? How about Finals MVPs?

www.wnba.com

Below is the list of the top 10 schools (and one country) that have sent the most players to the WNBA via the draft.

• Connecticut: 40 players
• Tennessee: 40 players
• Stanford: 27 players
• Duke: 25 players
• Georgia: 24 players
• Baylor: 21 players
• North Carolina: 21 players
• Rutgers: 21 players
• Australia: 20 players
• Maryland: 19 players
• Notre Dame: 19 players

Schools producing the most No. 1 overall picks

There have been four occasions in which the first two players selected came from the same school:

• USC (1997): Tina Thompson (1 / Houston), Pam McGee (2 / Sacramento)
• UConn (2002): Sue Bird (1 / Seattle), Swin Cash (2 / Detroit)
• UConn (2016): Breanna Stewart (1 / Seattle), Moriah Jefferson (2 / San Antonio)
• Oregon (2020): Sabrina Ionescu (1 / New York), Satou Sabally (2 / Dallas)

The NCAA Title / No. 1 WNBA Pick Double - won NCAA Championship and drafted first overall

• Sue Bird (UConn, 2002) – drafted first overall by Seattle
• Diana Taurasi (UConn, 2004) – drafted first overall by Phoenix
• Candace Parker (Tennessee, 2008) – drafted first overall by Los Angeles
• Tina Charles (UConn, 2010) – drafted first overall by Connecticut
• Breanna Stewart (UConn, 2016) – drafted first overall by Seattle

Schools that have produced the most WNBA league MVPs

• USC: 2 players, 5 MVPs – Cynthia Cooper (1997, 1998), Lisa Leslie (2001, 2004, 2006)
• Connecticut: 4 players, 4 MVPs – Diana Taurasi (2009), Tina Charles (2012), Maya Moore (2014), Breanna Stewart (2018)
• Tennessee: 2 players, 3 MVPs – Candace Parker (2008, 2013), Tamika Catchings (2011)

 

[EdSaid]

They kinda forgot one very import draft fact. The year one school had the first THREE draft picks. 2016

 

[HuskyFan1125]

Interesting tidbit: Both of ND's #1 picks left school after their junior season.

Loyd would have been in Stewart's class and would have likely gone #2 thus nullifying the top 3 picks in the same draft and maybe a Storm championship (2018 & 2020).

Young's path would be harder to gauge as she would have been in the 2020 draft with Sabrina, Satou, and Chennedy Carter. Lauren Cox was #3 in that year so I'm guessing she may have gone #2?? But I honestly am just guessing and to tie it back to UCONN the 2020 Rookie of the year was our very own Crystal Dangerfield (who went in the second round).

 

[NYCHUSKIES]

Sliced and diced several ways. Before viewing the post and article, what school produced the most WNBA league MVPs? Not most MVP players. Most MVPs. I missed it.

Campus Connection: Schools that have Produced the Most WNBA Draft Picks - WNBA.com - Official Site of the WNBA

Which collegiate program has produced the most players drafted into the WNBA over the league’s first 25 years? What about first round picks? What about No. 1 overall picks? What about players that went on to become league MVPs? How about Finals MVPs?

www.wnba.com

Below is the list of the top 10 schools (and one country) that have sent the most players to the WNBA via the draft.

• Connecticut: 40 players
• Tennessee: 40 players
• Stanford: 27 players
• Duke: 25 players
• Georgia: 24 players
• Baylor: 21 players
• North Carolina: 21 players
• Rutgers: 21 players
• Australia: 20 players
• Maryland: 19 players
• Notre Dame: 19 players

Schools producing the most No. 1 overall picks
View attachment 79038

There have been four occasions in which the first two players selected came from the same school:

• USC (1997): Tina Thompson (1 / Houston), Pam McGee (2 / Sacramento)
• UConn (2002): Sue Bird (1 / Seattle), Swin Cash (2 / Detroit)
• UConn (2016): Breanna Stewart (1 / Seattle), Moriah Jefferson (2 / San Antonio)
• Oregon (2020): Sabrina Ionescu (1 / New York), Satou Sabally (2 / Dallas)

The NCAA Title / No. 1 WNBA Pick Double - won NCAA Championship and drafted first overall

• Sue Bird (UConn, 2002) – drafted first overall by Seattle
• Diana Taurasi (UConn, 2004) – drafted first overall by Phoenix
• Candace Parker (Tennessee, 2008) – drafted first overall by Los Angeles
• Tina Charles (UConn, 2010) – drafted first overall by Connecticut
• Breanna Stewart (UConn, 2016) – drafted first overall by Seattle

Schools that have produced the most WNBA league MVPs

• USC: 2 players, 5 MVPs – Cynthia Cooper (1997, 1998), Lisa Leslie (2001, 2004, 2006)
• Connecticut: 4 players, 4 MVPs – Diana Taurasi (2009), Tina Charles (2012), Maya Moore (2014), Breanna Stewart (2018)
• Tennessee: 2 players, 3 MVPs – Candace Parker (2008, 2013), Tamika Catchings (2011)

Make that 7... With Paige and Azzi.. unless Morrow from DePaul ...

 

[MilliniumPrince]

The NCAA Title / No. 1 WNBA Pick Double - won NCAA Championship and drafted first overall

• Sue Bird (UConn, 2002) – drafted first overall by Seattle
• Diana Taurasi (UConn, 2004) – drafted first overall by Phoenix
• Candace Parker (Tennessee, 2008) – drafted first overall by Los Angeles
• Tina Charles (UConn, 2010) – drafted first overall by Connecticut
• Breanna Stewart (UConn, 2016) – drafted first

Doesn't Maya belong on this list as well?

 

[MilfordHusky]

Doesn't Maya belong on this list as well?

It depends on the details. Maya won NPOY 2x, won 2 NCAA championships, and was drafted #1--but she did not win the NCAA championship in the year in which she was drafted (sadly). As a reminder, the only back-to-back undefeated teams ever were the 2009 and 2010 teams, led by Maya and Tina.