For sure in 2015 Kalana Grene was on MN roster (just played in 2 games regular season) & Renee Montgomery also was (playing 9 of 10 play-off games)
Thank you so much. Excellent work. I wonder if that's the most from any one college? ( That's not a challenge, just a random thought.) Once again, I am very impressed.
Since tne WNBA just started in 1997, the only other contenders could be Tennessee, Stanford & Notre Dame. But I think they're just battling for 2nd place far behind ...
Yeah it's #1 by a wide margin.
I don't think Stanford is even in the running for 2nd. For all the success of the program, their alums haven't had as big of an impact in the WNBA as would be expected. In fact other than Nneka, I'm trying to think of any who really thrived. Or hung around on rosters for an extended period of time.
Several of their touted alum went on to have nice pro careers but didn't blossom as stars liked many thought they may. Particularly Nicole Powell, Chiney Ogwumike and Candice Wiggins. Powell had a nice career as more of a sharp shooter, Chiney has never seemed to have her heart fully in basketball since coming back from her injury, and Wiggins had a good start but I think struggled socially in the WNBA per her infamous article from a few years back.
Wow, USC surprised me the most but that was old days, or new for the W ....Yeah it's #1 by a wide margin.
I think USC is #2...they have at least 13 between Thompson, Cooper, Leslie and Monica Lamb. I don't believe anyone else from USC has won but I could be wrong.
Tennessee has 12 total from 9 players per this report:
LVFLs Celebrate 2021 WNBA Title - University of Tennessee Athletics
LVFLs Candace Parker, Diamond DeShields and Tonya Edwards have won a 2021 WNBA title with the Chicago Sky.utsports.com
LSU is up there too...from my count I have 10:
Seimone Augustus-4
Sylvia Fowles-2
Elaine Powell-3
Temeka Johnson-1
Rutgers with 7 championships per this page:
ND I think has 7:
Dev Peters-2
Ruth Riley-2
Jewel Loyd-2
Coquese Washington-1
Stanford from my count has 7:
Sonia Henning-1
Nneka-1
Pohlen-1
Nicole Powell-1
Olympia Scott-Richardson-1
Brooke Smith-1
Wiggins-1
Maryland has 6 graduates, at least 8 including transfers:
Walker Kimbrough-1
Tianna Hawkins-1
Toliver-2
Langhorne-2
Natasha Cloud-1 (transfer)
Lexie Brown-1 (transfer)
I was definitely thinking of those 3. Appel was physically wrecked by the time she got to the W, she might've had a decent career otherwise.
Thanks for the info.
Alanna Smith
It surprised me at first glance as well, but then I remembered that Cynthia Cooper and Tina Thompson alone account for 8 WNBA titles between the two of them. By @bballnut90 's reckoning above, that would already put USC ahead of all but 3 other schools.
Oops, I forgot about her (just like Sandy Brondello has
).
Some surprises on there. Tulane? Florida? Texas Tech much higher than I would've expected. There's Swoopes and Jia Perkins and....I can't think of any of their other alums.
She was a stud in college, I expected much bigger things for her as a pro as well. I didn't follow wcbb as closely back then (well it was impossible because there weren't many games on TV), but there for a few years Powell and Giuliana Mendiola from UW were dueling as the 2 best players in the Pac 12. I thought both would go on to be good pros. Mendiola did significantly less than Powell did in the WNBA.
Did you see her play this year? It's not like she never saw the court. She shot less than 25% FG in 8.5 mpg. She really wasn't good.Oops, I forgot about her (just like Sandy Brondello has
Yeah but she got hot in the playoffs, 67% overall and 50% behind the arc.
(albeit in only 3.5 mpg in 4 games total...)
Mendiola was a joy to watch. I bet her career pans out differently if her family didn't have crazy off the court issues. I'm sure that affected her play and focus significantly.
Any reason you included Alexis Jones (Baylor grad) but not Azure Stevens (UConn grad)?
I forgot about Stevens.
