Will Sedona Prince Scramble the WNBA Draft?

[GamecockFam]

What makes Sedona that much different than say Charli Collier? Charli used to have amazing stats as well but as soon as she played against a big with either similar size and/or talent she would have an average games. Who is a potential quality big that Sedona has truly dominated in the past 2 seasons. Her games against South Carolina and Kansas State will hold a lot of weight as it relates to her being a first round pick.

Amihere was drafted in the first round based on potential alone. I think the same will apply for Prince. Nobody, with possibly the exception of Bueckers, has a higher ceiling at the next level in the upcoming draft. I could very easily see LA taking that gamble with the second pick. Barring injury, Prince's stock will continue to rise if she continues on her current path.

 

[visitingcock]

With her body's history, I think the wnba is probably sitting and waiting to see if her body can sustain this performance level over the season.

Are you talking about Paige or Prince?

 

[willtalk]

Are you talking about Paige or Prince?

We know they are talking about Prince, but it could easily also apply to Paige. She has also been injured and missed time in more than one season.

 

[Zanzman]

Are you talking about Paige or Prince?

Thought that was why Paige came back to show she can stay healthy

 

[WBBTakeover]

Amihere was drafted in the first round based on potential alone. I think the same will apply for Prince. Nobody, with possibly the exception of Bueckers, has a higher ceiling at the next level in the upcoming draft. I could very easily see LA taking that gamble with the second pick. Barring injury, Prince's stock will continue to rise if she continues on her current path.

Amihere is younger than Prince--and will have been in the league two seasons longer than Prince once 2025 rolls around. These are not similar circumstances. The last two WNBA ROY winners (Aliyah Boston, who turns 23 in nine days, and Caitlin Clark, who turns 23 in a little over a month-and-a-half) are both younger than Prince. Rhyne Howard (2022 WNBA ROY) is less than one month older than Prince. Michaela Onyenwere (2021 ROY) is less than one year older than Prince.

It bears repeating: Sedona Prince is 24 years old. She will be 25 before she plays in her first regular season WNBA game. She is who she is and is going to be at this point. She is not a potential pick. She is very much a known quantity at this point. Her ceiling is not particularly high given her age and her injury history. Her floor might be, but I'm not so sure about that, either.

And since we're talking about the Sparks, current center Li Yueru (born in March 1999) is only about a year older than Sedona Prince. I think that Li's about as good as she's going to be--and, to me, that's better than Prince.

 

[GamecockFam]

Amihere is younger than Prince--and will have been in the league two seasons longer than Prince once 2025 rolls around. These are not similar circumstances. The last two WNBA ROY winners (Aliyah Boston, who turns 23 in nine days, and Caitlin Clark, who turns 23 in a little over a month-and-a-half) are both younger than Prince. Rhyne Howard (2022 WNBA ROY) is less than one month older than Prince. Michaela Onyenwere (2021 ROY) is less than one year older than Prince.

It bears repeating: Sedona Prince is 24 years old. She will be 25 before she plays in her first regular season WNBA game. She is who she is and is going to be at this point. She is not a potential pick. She is very much a known quantity at this point. Her ceiling is not particularly high given her age and her injury history. Her floor might be, but I'm not so sure about that, either.

And since we're talking about the Sparks, current center Li Yueru (born in March 1999) is only about a year older than Sedona Prince. I think that Li's about as good as she's going to be--and, to me, that's better than Prince.

Most players don't peak until their late 20s / early 30s, so I don't understand your point. There are plenty of players who don't get their first minutes in the W until their mid 20s...Erica Wheeler comes to mind as an example. She still has plenty of time to grow.

 

[oldude]

For what it’s worth, Hunter Cruse, a WNBA beat writer who follows WBB, posted his AA teams based entirely on the performance of players so far this season. While he acknowledged that things will change by the end of the season (ie Paige as NPOY) here are his selections:

1st Team

Paige
Hidalgo
Johnson - LSU
Betts
Prince

2nd Team

Miles
Paopao
Latson - FSU
Watkins
Beers

3rd Team

Van Lith
Richardson - Duke
Swords - Michigan
Morrow
Strack - KY

Honorable Mention

Aarnisalo - UCLA
James - NC St
Nichols - KS
Iriafen
Lee - KSU

Freshman of the year

Swords

(note that he suggests that Sarah Strong could well be the NFOY by the end of the season if her 3’s start falling)

DPOY

Prince

POY

Prince

COY

Campbell - TCU

 

[WBBTakeover]

Most players don't peak until their late 20s / early 30s, so I don't understand your point. There are plenty of players who don't get their first minutes in the W until their mid 20s...Erica Wheeler comes to mind as an example. She still has plenty of time to grow.

Yes--after entering the league in their early 20s. This means that they've been facing pro competition (playing against the best of the best) for years as they're developing. Everyone marvels at how well Europeans and Australians are able to contribute to their teams at young ages. Well, they've been playing against grown women since their teens. Of course they're prepared.

Meanwhile, Prince has been playing on and off for what will be seven years against collegiate competition. How is that supposed to help her in the pros?

Erica Wheeler is not a good counter to what I'm arguing because (1) she is a guard (and players her size do not receive the same chances by WNBA teams that players Sedona's size do) and (2) she didn't spend seven years in college.

 

[bballnut90]

Amihere is younger than Prince--and will have been in the league two seasons longer than Prince once 2025 rolls around. These are not similar circumstances. The last two WNBA ROY winners (Aliyah Boston, who turns 23 in nine days, and Caitlin Clark, who turns 23 in a little over a month-and-a-half) are both younger than Prince. Rhyne Howard (2022 WNBA ROY) is less than one month older than Prince. Michaela Onyenwere (2021 ROY) is less than one year older than Prince.

It bears repeating: Sedona Prince is 24 years old. She will be 25 before she plays in her first regular season WNBA game. She is who she is and is going to be at this point. She is not a potential pick. She is very much a known quantity at this point. Her ceiling is not particularly high given her age and her injury history. Her floor might be, but I'm not so sure about that, either.

And since we're talking about the Sparks, current center Li Yueru (born in March 1999) is only about a year older than Sedona Prince. I think that Li's about as good as she's going to be--and, to me, that's better than Prince.

Similar argument could be made for Paige who is just a year and a half younger and also has significant injury history. Paige at the end of her rookie season will be 24 years old, and guards often have a tougher time adjusting to the pros than post players do (although I think she will adjust just fine). No one is making a case that PB is a risky pick or has hit her ceiling.

Due to injury history, Prince missed out on a couple of years of development and is still growing her game. Her upside is massive. She simply has assets and skills that we've never seen from a 6-7 player before and has been incredibly dominant to start the season. She is playing at a NPOY level right now. If she stays healthy, motivated, and out of trouble, she will continue to improve as her career develops.

 

[WBBTakeover]

Similar argument could be made for Paige who is just a year and a half younger and also has significant injury history. Paige at the end of her rookie season will be 24 years old, and guards often have a tougher time adjusting to the pros than post players do (although I think she will adjust just fine). No one is making a case that PB is a risky pick or has hit her ceiling.

That's likely because this draft is weak overall (hence all of the Prince talk). If Caitlin, Kamilla, Cam, and Rickea were in this year's draft, then people would be making that argument.

Due to injury history, Prince missed out on a couple of years of development and is still growing her game. Her upside is massive. She simply has assets and skills that we've never seen from a 6-7 player before and has been incredibly dominant to start the season. She is playing at a NPOY level right now. If she stays healthy, motivated, and out of trouble, she will continue to improve as her career develops.

Again, she's darn near 25 years old doing this against players who were in middle school when she first stepped foot onto a college campus. Hard pass.

If we want to talk upside, let's look at Dominique Malonga instead.

If she stays healthy, motivated, and out of trouble, she will continue to improve as her career develops.

You can literally say this about any WNBA prospect. Prince is no different.

 

[Jumper33]

For what it’s worth, Hunter Cruse, a WNBA beat writer who follows WBB, posted his AA teams based entirely on the performance of players so far this season. While he acknowledged that things will change by the end of the season (ie Paige as NPOY) here are his selections:

1st Team

Paige
Hidalgo
Johnson - LSU
Betts
Prince

2nd Team

Miles
Paopao
Latson - FSU
Watkins
Beers

3rd Team

Van Lith
Richardson - Duke
Swords - Michigan
Morrow
Strack - KY

Honorable Mention

Aarnisalo - UCLA
James - NC St
Nichols - KS
Iriafen
Lee - KSU

Freshman of the year

Swords

(note that he suggests that Sarah Strong could well be the NFOY by the end of the season if her 3’s start falling)

DPOY

Prince

POY

Prince

COY

Campbell - TCU

I thought it was interesting that Hunter Cruse said this, but then in the comments of another recent video he put a message stating he will not make an in-depth video covering Prince’s draft prospects as he has with other players, due to her off-court controversies/issues.

I know speculation about these controversies is not an allowed topic on here so I’m trying not to say anything about the details. But if we’re discussing whether her significant injury history could be a factor, I wonder if these allegations could also give teams pause. Maybe, maybe not at all.

All I will say is from a basketball standpoint she is certainly playing great. Although the two good teams TCU beat had a significant frontcourt disadvantage - NC State no dominant post at all, ND one big but inexperienced freshman and no depth - Prince looked undeniably dominant and the pick and roll with Van Lith was very successful.

 

[oldude]

I get that there are a number of folks on this thread that are not fans of Sedona Prince. But honestly, if you watch her play, she is doing things at 6’7” that no other player her size is doing, and that includes Cardoso, Griner, Amihere, Collier, Betts, Malonga or any other Big you can think of.

If Prince continues to play at the level she has been playing for the rest of the season, she will be a legitimate candidate for both NDPOY & NPOY, as well as giving TCU a real possibility of making it to the FF. Under that scenario, her draft stock will soar.

While I will acknowledge that from a commercial and marketing standpoint, having Paige as the face of your franchise is a definite plus, it’s not a slam dunk for Curt Miller to select Paige over Prince. If he does, LA will jump at the chance to pair Prince with Brink with the #2 pick.

 

[packwrap]

It's easy for us to find flaws with unicorns, but much harder for a GM. You don't want to face your owner having passed on Prince if she is quickly a star.

She can still project to an 8 year career 25-33, and most teams are only interested in the time of the rookie deal. For the rookie price they get a 25 yr old grown woman.

I personally think it's a great draft. CBS has no Prince, Fudd, Morrow, dare I say VanLith even in their current top 10. A lot will still happen between now and draft day, entire league seasons in fact. Prince and VanLith sort of in a 'prove it' year. See if they can keep up the level of play.

Prince does have questions, but enormous upside, if she can stay healthy.

 

[bballnut90]

NBAdraft does have Fudd, Morrow, Caroline Ducharme and even van Lith mentioned in their top 25 list, but no Prince.

2025 WNBA Mock Draft - NBA Draft Room

The 2025 WNBA Draft will bring the next generation of stars into the WNBA. Check out the mock draft to see our draft projections

nbadraftroom.com

I don’t see how anyone can take this mock draft seriously with Shayeann Day-Wilson and Caroline Ducharme listed as top 10 picks.

 

[cancontent]

I don’t see how anyone can take this mock draft seriously with Shayeann Day-Wilson and Caroline Ducharme listed as top 10 picks.

Where did you see this? I don't see a link to one in this thread.

 

[Hayven]

Prince is a nice middle to late first round pick. She hasn’t developed much, granted she has been injured a lot. However, Paige is a program changer. That can’t be said about Prince.

 

[WBBTakeover]

I get that there are a number of folks on this thread that are not fans of Sedona Prince. But honestly, if you watch her play, she is doing things at 6’7” that no other player her size is doing, and that includes Cardoso, Griner, Amihere, Collier, Betts, Malonga or any other Big you can think of.

Like what, exactly? Because none of those bigs entered/will enter the WNBA at age 25 (Malonga is 19) like she will. At least half of them can dunk with ease. BG was one of the biggest game-changing presences in WCBB in at least a generation. Cardoso, Amihere, and Griner have NCAA rings. Malonga was part of a medal-winning senior national team as a teenager. What is Prince doing that most collegiate All-American bigs don't do?

If Prince continues to play at the level she has been playing for the rest of the season, she will be a legitimate candidate for both NDPOY & NPOY, as well as giving TCU a real possibility of making it to the FF. Under that scenario, her draft stock will soar.

Again, we can say this about pretty much every prospect. IF this, then that. This is not unique to Prince. What is unique to Prince is that she's doing this at 25 years old while the average college senior is about 21-22 (23 if they take the extra year and/or have a late birthday).

While I will acknowledge that from a commercial and marketing standpoint, having Paige as the face of your franchise is a definite plus, it’s not a slam dunk for Curt Miller to select Paige over Prince.

It is, actually. Curt Miller doesn't thumb his nose publicly at his old organization just to take a 25-year-old 6'7 player while having two 6'7 players (and a recent 6'6 lottery pick) on his roster. He's taking Paige because (1) his team needs her and (2) he can keep the team that needs her more (the Sparks) from getting her.

If he does, LA will jump at the chance to pair Prince with Brink with the #2 pick.

The Sparks are not chomping at the bit to pair Brink up with a 25-year-old rookie big when they have a 26-year-old "veteran" international big who is just as tall and versatile offensively.

The Sparks would, however, take Paige in a nanosecond if she's available. Thanks to Curt Miller, she won't be.

 

[WBBTakeover]

I want to close out my part in the discussion by saying that I wish Sedona well. She can be a rotation piece for somebody. I just don't think it would be prudent for a WNBA franchise to think of her as being a cornerstone given her age, history of injury, and other alleged issues. She's less than five years younger than a three-time WNBA MVP. Think about that.

Need upside? Go for Dominique Malonga.

 

[packwrap]

Like what, exactly? Because none of those bigs entered/will enter the WNBA at age 25 (Malonga is 19) like she will.

You really like that Prince is 25.

Old dude is just working on an elegant solution to get Paige to LA.

On the choice of Prince at 25 vs a veteran Hamby (or Stevens), Prince on rookie contract only costs $78k vs $200k for the veteran player.

It's way way early to have a strong opinion on Prince (or even Azzi), but will be fun to see if they really can play their way into top 5 or 10 picks.

The team I think is in a great spot is actually the Mystics at 4 and 6. They could end up with two strong players like Morrow and Citron, or even Fudd and Prince, risky but high upside.

Excited for Golden State draft this week.

 

[nwhoopfan]

However, Paige is a program changer.

Explain how Paige has changed a program.

 

[bballnut90]

Where did you see this? I don't see a link to one in this thread.

2025 WNBA Mock Draft - NBA Draft Room

The 2025 WNBA Draft will bring the next generation of stars into the WNBA. Check out the mock draft to see our draft projections

nbadraftroom.com

 

[bballnut90]

Prince is a nice middle to late first round pick. She hasn’t developed much, granted she has been injured a lot. However, Paige is a program changer. That can’t be said about Prince.

I'm fully in the camp of Bueckers being the clear cut #1 pick, but this is a bad way to differentiate the two. Technically speaking, between them, I'd argue Sedona is the program changer, as she has TCU in the top 10 for the first time ever. UCONN is the same program it was before Paige. They made 3 Final Fours with no titles in the 4 years before Paige arrived, and they've made 3 Final Fours with no titles in the 4 years since Paige arrived.

 

[bballnut90]

Like what, exactly? Because none of those bigs entered/will enter the WNBA at age 25 (Malonga is 19) like she will. At least half of them can dunk with ease. BG was one of the biggest game-changing presences in WCBB in at least a generation. Cardoso, Amihere, and Griner have NCAA rings. Malonga was part of a medal-winning senior national team as a teenager. What is Prince doing that most collegiate All-American bigs don't do?

Her ability to create and finish in the midrange is better than any of the players listed above, she has a quicker release, and she moves smoothly like a guard or a wing rather than a 6-7 post. She also has better handles than anyone listed above besides maybe Amihere, but I'd probably bet on Sedona being the stronger ball handler. I don't think anyone is saying she's necessarily better than the players above, but she's more of a unicorn than anyone there besides Griner based on her unique size and skillset. You'll get to see her first hand this weekend when she goes up against South Carolina.

Again, we can say this about pretty much every prospect. IF this, then that. This is not unique to Prince. What is unique to Prince is that she's doing this at 25 years old while the average college senior is about 21-22 (23 if they take the extra year and/or have a late birthday).

No, you can't say that though about any of the other highly projected picks like Iriafen, Miles, Morrow, Pao Pao, or Janiah Barker. None are performing at a NPOY or NDPOY level this season. Prince is. And she's 24, not 25.

 

[darrell]

I'm fully in the camp of Bueckers being the clear cut #1 pick, but this is a bad way to differentiate the two. Technically speaking, between the two I'd argue Sedona is the program changer, as she has TCU in the top 10 for the first time ever. UCONN is the same program it was before Paige. They made 3 Final Fours with no titles in the 4 years before Paige arrived, and they've made 3 Final Fours with no titles in the 4 years since Paige arrived.

In fairness, the one season Paige was out with injury, they lost in the Sweet 16. One could say these last five years could have looked completely different for UConn without Paige.

 

[bballnut90]

In fairness, the one season Paige was out with injury, they lost in the Sweet 16. One could say these last five years could have looked completely different for UConn without Paige.

Agree 100%. But she's not changing the program like Prince/Hailey Van Lith are doing at TCU right now.