Editor’s note: This is the second in a five-part series previewing the top five girls basketball players in the Class of 2023. The series counts down to No. 1 and aligns with the start of the 2022-23 high school season. Click here to see the latest rankings from the Class of 2023. Counting down: No. 5 Hannah Hidalgo | No. 4 Aalyah Del Rosario | No. 3 Jadyn Donovan | No. 2 Juju Watkins | No. 1 Mikaylah Williams.

There’s a common misconception in basketball that bigs are one-dimensional. That they’re effective in the post but limited to it. That they’re slower than most and don’t have the handles to take defenders one-on-one.

Perhaps that’s why everyone loves a big guard — it’s exciting to see a player defy the norm.

Aalyah Del Rosario, whose game has notes of Candace Parker’s, is high school basketball’s best reminder of what a post player can be with her strong court vision, elite rebounding abilities and calm confidence when double- or even triple-teamed.

After spending two years at Trenton Catholic (N.J.), it didn’t take long for Del Rosario to transition to a successful career at The Webb School (Tenn.).

She’s averaged double figures in each of her three high school seasons thus far. As a junior last year, she helped lead Webb to a state championship while collecting regional MVP honors, earning a selection to the all-tournament team and being named a 2022 TSSAA Division II-A Miss Basketball finalist.

Coach’s analysis

This season, Del Rosario and her Webb teammates have the opportunity to earn back-to-back-to-back state titles under head coach Matt Shewmake.

“Aalyah is a generational-type player,” Shewmake said. “She’s 6-foot-6, she moves well, she’s all the tangible measurables that any college coach or professional coach is going to get excited about. Nobody has one of her.

“She requires a lot of defensive attention and has earned that.”

Webb’s roster boasts multiple Power 5 commits. There’s no shortage of talent, which has fostered a mutual understanding that, in some games, others might shine brighter. Del Rosario is more than capable of dropping a 20- or 30-piece, but her enthusiasm for sharing the success is indicative of both her character and her ability to thrive at the next level.

“Aalyah’s got a great team around her,” Shewmake said. “She can really find some comfort and confidence in that. She’s completely bought into that, into understanding that she’s got great players around her that pick up the load, and she hopes that they double her because that means one of her very talented teammates is wide open.”

The coaching staff recognizes Del Rosario as a source of stability for Webb.

“She’s a great person. She’s a great teammate,” Shewmake said. “Her teammates love her, no distractions there. She is what she is. She’s solid every day — the same person, the same smile, always giving out hugs.

“She’s an easy teammate to have and an easy person to coach.”

Catching up

Del Rosario is the newest member of LSU’s 2023 recruiting class. She chose the Tigers on Oct. 25 over North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. In Baton Rouge, she’ll develop under head coach Kim Mulkey, who has recruited and produced 11 first-round WNBA Draft picks.

Webb will also send starting point guard Angelica Velez to LSU next year.

“That’s a win-win there,” Shewmake said. “Kim’s getting a very talented player, and Aalyah’s getting to be coached by one of the most talented and most successful coaches in the history of our game who’s developed pros, who’s developed post players, whether it was Lauren Cox, or Kalani Brown or [Brittney] Griner. There’s a long list of post players that have gone to Kim Mulkey and gotten better and went on to have fruitful professional careers.

“If Aalyah will put in the work and be coached and submit to being coached by Kim, which I have no reason to think that she wouldn’t, she’ll be another one on that list.”

100% Committed…LSU BOUND! #GeauxTigers🐯

🎥 @MovingPictureny pic.twitter.com/F2gyP1R7VZ

— Aalyah Del Rosario (@del_aalyah) October 25, 2022

LSU is assembling one of the nation’s top recruiting classes in the 2023 cycle. Del Rosario is the second top-10 recruit in the Tigers’ class, following the commitment of No. 1 overall recruit Mikaylah Williams. Also committed are Velez and wing Janae Kent, the top prospect in Illinois.

Over the summer, Del Rosario, who has dual-citizenship in the U.S. and the Dominican Republic, won gold with the United States U18 national team. Across six games in the tournament, she averaged 7.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.0 blocks.

At the end of October, she signed with SIG Sports and agent Boris Lelchitski, who represents more than 30 WNBA players and Olympians.

Caroline Makauskas is a contributing writer for Just Women’s Sports. She also covers a variety of sports on her TikTok @cmakauskas. Follow her on Twitter @cmakauskas.

More NWSL stars are jumping ship, as both the San Diego Wave and North Carolina Courage saw respective key players Delphine Cascarino and Denise O'Sullivan sign with WSL clubs over the last few days.

Former Wave forward Cascarino inked a deal through the 2029/30 season with the London City Lionesses on Monday, one day after San Diego announced they had mutually parted ways with the French international despite her contract running through 2026 with an option for the 2027 NWSL season.

"I'm really happy to be here," said the 28-year-old in a statement. "London City is the only independent women's club in the WSL, which excites me."

North Carolina midfielder and captain O'Sullivan made a similar move on Saturday, as the Ireland international signed with Liverpool following more than eight seasons and a club-record 186 appearances for the Courage.

The last-place WSL team reportedly shelled out a club-record transfer fee of approximately £300,000 to roster the 31-year-old two-time NWSL champion and three-time Shield-winner, who called Liverpool "a new challenge" that will see her "only a 40-minute flight away" from her family in Cork, Ireland.

Though the NWSL departures of Cascarino and O'Sullivan mark a kind of homecoming for the European standouts, they are just the latest to exit the US league, after USWNT star Sam Coffey joined WSL-leaders Manchester City last week.

"England — for men and women — is the country of football," noted Cascarino. "It's always been a goal of mine to play in this league."

New York Sirens forward Taylor Girard made PWHL history this week, earning a record four-game suspension for leaving the bench to join a line skirmish at the end of Sunday's 2-1 win over the Montréal Victoire.

The brawl occurred at the the final buzzer of the PWHL's record-breaking Takeover Tour stop in Washington, DC, with eight players — four Sirens and four from the Victoire — subsequently issued 10-minute misconducts in addition to Girard's infraction.

As the sole player not originally on the ice to join the skirmish, Girard was the only player to receive an additional 20-minute charge.

Even more, Girard's actions immediately triggered a four-game suspension, as the PWHL Rulebook dictates that exact punishment for "the first player to leave the players' bench illegally during an altercation or for the purpose of starting an altercation from either or both Teams."

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The four-game ban marks the longest punishment in PWHL history, doubling the two-game suspension that Seattle Torrent defender Aneta Tejralová received for an illegal check to the head last month.

With the PWHL on break after January 28th as 30% of the league's rosters compete in the 2026 Winter Olympics, the four-game suspension means that Girard — who sits second on New York's scoring sheet with five goals on the season — will not be available for the No. 2 Sirens until March 5th.

The WTGL is stocking up on golf stars, as TMRW Sports' newly announced offseason league begins to build its debut roster in partnership with the LPGA.

World No. 1 golfer Jeeno Thitikul (Thailand) signed on to participate in WTGL's inaugural season this week, alongside No. 5 Charley Hull (England), No. 6 Lydia Ko (New Zealand), No. 25 Brooke Henderson (Canada), and No. 79 Lexi Thompson (USA).

"WTGL will be a global stage to showcase LPGA stars, and this first wave of committed players represents that opportunity with some of the world's best," said TMRW Sports founder and CEO Mike McCarley in Monday's press release.

Set to launch next winter, the WTGL looks to build off the popular, second-year men's Tomorrow's Golf League (TGL), with the competition integrating both a physical and virtual golf environment inside Palm Beach Gardens at Florida's SoFi Center.

"These players will thrive in WTGL's competitive environment as fans will witness their skill and connect more deeply with their personalities through the unprecedented access the league delivers," said McCarley, noting that TGL golfers remain mic'd up throughout the team event.

The WTGL is also earning stamps of approval from several women's sports greats, as the Alex Morgan co-founded Trybe Ventures — an investment group that includes Morgan's fellow former USWNT stars Mia Hamm and Abby Wambach — became the new league's lead capital partner last week.

The WSL is cashing in on the women's game, with two UK clubs surpassing €25 million in annual revenue for the first time, according to the Deloitte Football Money League report on the 2024/25 season that dropped this week.

Reigning UWCL champions Arsenal topped the list for the first time after taking in €25.6 million last season, followed closely by WSL title-holders Chelsea FC's €25.4 million.

Meanwhile, Perennial European contender FC Barcelona (€22 million) dropped to third after leading the group in 2023/24, outpacing WSL titans No. 4 Manchester City (€12.9 million) and No. 5 Manchester United (€12.8 million).

Due to a lack of revenue data, the yearly study did not include major women's leagues in the US, Sweden, or Australia, giving the rankings a European bent as the total sum crossed the €150 million mark for the first time — a 35% increase over the previous season's Top-15 Money League clubs.

Commercial income was the biggest revenue driver for many top clubs, with sponsorship deals and brand partnerships leading the charge.

Arsenal also benefitted from increased revenue on the men's side, allowing the women's team to up its investment while avoiding running at a loss.

How to watch the top Deloitte Football Money League clubs in action

Deloitte Football Money League leader Arsenal will take on No. 5 Man United while revenue runners-up Chelsea will face the WSL-leading Man City in the 2025/26 Women's League Cup semifinals on Wednesday.

The concurrent clashes will kick off at 2 PM ET, streaming live on YouTube.