Through the years WBB has produced its share of dominant programs. The recipe starts with a great coach and recruiter, a championship team or two, a process that reloads recruiting talent year after year, develops them into “pro-ready” players and continues to win or compete for more championships. Undoubtedly, UConn WBB, more than any other program, has employed this formula to achieve unparalleled success.
In addition, WBB had a limited pool of great players who gravitated to top programs. Unlike MBB where “one and done” is often the rule for the very top recruits, the W limits eligibility to players who are either 22 years of age, completed their college eligibility or have graduated from a 4-year college. Finally, transfers used to be required to sit out a year. These restrictions funneled the very best players to the very best programs where they typically remained for 4 years.
Over the past 5 years or so there have been several significant changes that have forever altered the landscape of college sports. While the talent pool in WBB has grown, the top teams still get many, if not most, of the top recruits. More importantly, the changes that have altered the landscape of college sports have resulted in what can best be described as “
the rise of Super teams in WBB.”
The Covid Year – While this will be the last season where 5 years of eligibility will be granted to any player that was in college during the 2019-2020 season, the extra covid year has resulted in hundreds of players putting off the inevitable decision to get on with their lives after college. For most of these players, pro ball is not a realistic option, so why not stay in college for an extra year? But for a handful of highly talented players the covid year presents an opportunity to continue their development, chase a championship, make a few NIL $$$ and better prepare themselves for the pros. Kaitlyn Chen at UConn, Kat Westbeld at ND and Te-Hina Paopao of SC were all projected as potential 1st or 2nd round picks during the past WNBA draft. By running it forward for another year in college at a top program, they are all well-positioned for a run at a championship, some NIL $$$ and a possible future in the W.
Immediate Transfer Eligibility – The process that led to the establishment of the Transfer Portal, immediate eligibility for a 1st-time transfer and now immediate eligibility no matter how many times a player transfers has dramatically reshaped college sports in general and WBB specifically. In the past, players typically elected to transfer and sit out a year in search of more playing time or they were unhappy at their current school. For each of the past 4 seasons, over 1,000 D1 WBB players entered the Transfer Portal, reaching an all-time high of 1,399 this past season. While players still transfer in search of PT and/or happiness, we are now witnessing the transfer of star players in search of championships and/or better compensation. This past season alone, Kiki Iriafen, Raegan Beers, Georgia Amore, Charlisse Leger-Walker, Timea Gardiner, Laila Phelia, Aaronette Vonleh, Talia von Oelhoffen, Deja Kelly and Janiah Barker are just some of the players that were absolute stars with their former programs who have all decided that the “grass is greener” somewhere else.
Collapse of the PAC-12 & Conference consolidation – As the P5 conferences continue to consolidate into what may eventually be the P2, the venerable Pac-12, which dates back over 100 years, closed-up shop this past season. This coming season OR, UCLA, USC & WA are headed for the Big 10; AZ, ASU, CO & UT to the Big 12; CA & Stan to the ACC, OSU & WSU were left standing when the music stopped and legendary coach Tara VanDerveer decided it was time to hang up her coach’s whistle. Lots of player movement both within and out of the former Pac 12 schools. No team got hit worse than 27-8 OSU, who ended up in the Mountain West Conference. OSU lost 8 players to the transfer portal, including 3 talented starters.
NIL & House vs NCAA Settlement – While the ability of talented college athletes to earn money based on their name, image and likeness seemed fair enough, nobody was prepared for the earthshaking upheaval that has resulted from the fast-changing rules, or lack thereof, relative to college athlete compensation. Initially designed to permit advertisers like Gatorade or State Farm to sign endorsement contracts with college athletes like Paige Bueckers or Caitlin Clark, NIL quickly devolved into NIL Alumni Collectives, agents, shadowy middlemen and bidding wars over HS recruits as well as college transfers. The recent story of Aaliyah Chavez, the #1 recruit in the Class of 2025 asking for a cool $1 million in NIL to sign a LOI has to send chills through college basketball coaches everywhere. Add in the historic
$2.8 billion House vs NCAA settlement between the P5 conferences to provide compensation to former athletes and direct pay to current athletes, with no salary cap, and it’s pretty clear that the schools with the most money will eventually field the best teams.
So, my argument is that these major shifts in college sport have created, at least when it comes to WBB, six Super Teams for this coming season. I am certain the BY will voice lots of opinions on my selections, so here they are:
In addition to bringing in more than their share of top HS recruits, each of these teams have either secured star players in the transfer portal, including from the collapse of the Pac12, and/or taken advantage of the Covid 5th year to substantially improve their rosters. I suspect that the players on these teams will all be "fairly-compensated", however that plays out. There are probably other teams I have overlooked, which I suspect the BY will advise me about. But for the foreseeable future, when it comes to WBB, the rich will be getting much, much richer.
One final note. Of the 6 teams that I list, UConn has followed the most conventional route by far. Of the 14 players on the Huskies roster this coming season, only one did not arrive to UConn as a freshman. Kaitlyn Chen transferred from Princeton to Storrs using her 5th year of eligibility (covid year). The Ivy League does not permit a covid year, so Kaitlyn could not have played a 5th year at Princeton had she wanted to. As for Paige in her 5th year at UConn and Aubrey in her 6th, technically both would be eligible to play this year under long standing red shirt rules for injured athletes. So, before anyone asks, YES both Paige and Aubrey could conceivably return to UConn again next year to compete for a 6th and 7th season respectively.
NOW THAT WOULD BE A SUPER TEAM!!!
