Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Brooklyn Meyer is bypassing the women's NCAA basketball transfer portal, instead joining SDSU volleyball after going undrafted in this year's WNBA Draft.
The 6-foot-2 South Dakota State University forward will join the Jackrabbits' volleyball team for the upcoming NCAA season after exhausting her basketball eligibility. Meyer averaged 22.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game this past season, while ranking third nationally in field goal percentage at 64.6%.
Only one mid-major player — Davidson's Charlise Dunn — was selected in the 2026 WNBA Draft, leaving Meyer and other elite mid-major stars without pro opportunities in the US despite standout college careers.
"Brooklyn is a champion, plain and simple," SDSU volleyball coach Dan Georgalas said. "We are excited to welcome an elite competitor with a championship mentality to our program."
Meyer leaves the women's NCAA basketball program ranking third all-time at South Dakota State in career points (2,097), fifth in rebounds (850), and tied for second in blocks (174). She additionally led the Jackrabbits to four Women's March Madness appearances.
The NCAA permits athletes to play a fifth season in a different sport after exhausting eligibility in their primary sport. Meyer was a multi-sport athlete at West Lyon High School in Larchwood, Iowa, playing three seasons of varsity volleyball.
Meyer will feature as a middle blocker while pursuing her master's degree in nutrition and dietetics. She joins a volleyball program that went 23-5 overall and 16-0 in Summit League play last season before making its second consecutive NCAA tournament in 2025.
"I am so excited to join the SDSU volleyball team and represent the Jacks for another season," Meyer said.
Ta'Niya Latson wasn't selected as high as many expected in the 2026 WNBA Draft — but she still walked away with strong support from one of the league's most respected voices.
The former South Carolina guard fell to No. 20 overall, where the Los Angeles Sparks selected her in the second round. The pick marked a notable slide from earlier projections that had Latson going higher in the night's opening round.
Draft Night didn't unfold as expected — something Latson acknowledged herself.
“It was shocking to everybody; I mean, I was kind of shocked,” she said. “It’s about fit, I feel like. Fit over pick. I flipped my mentality immediately when I found out I was going to LA.”
Even so, her value hasn't gone unnoticed.
Longtime Sparks icon and future Hall of Famer Nneka Ogwumike praised Latson during her own (re)introductory press conference.
“I absolutely love her,” Ogwumike said Monday. “I think she is the biggest steal [in the WNBA draft] this year. You can tell who's somebody that's locked in. She is someone who does not like to lose, and she's quite mature for her age.”
Latson entered the draft after a standout season at South Carolina, where she adjusted her role on a loaded roster. After finishing 2024/25 at Florida State as DI basketball's leading scorer, she transfered to a more balanced system under coach Dawn Staley. There, she showed she could contribute beyond just putting up points.
And that versatility subsequently helped shape her fit in Los Angeles.
The Sparks are currently rebuilding, and Latson arrives with proven scoring instincts and heightened adaptability to different roles and systems.
With veteran support and clear opportunity ahead, Latson enters the WNBA with both motivation and belief. And the combination that could quickly redefine how the league's remembers her selection.
Monday’s WNBA Draft viewership delivered, after an average of 1.5 million viewers tuned in to ESPN’s coverage — marking the second-most watched event on record.
Viewership peaked at 1.79 million near the end of the first around, well after Dallas selected UConn’s Azzi Fudd No. 1 overall.
Ratings were up 20% over 2025, falling second only to 2024, when 2.45 million saw Indiana take Iowa’s Caitlin Clark with its first pick.
Monday’s numbers reinforce the women’s basketball boom’s endurance, arriving shortly after ESPN aired the second-most watched March Madness in network history.
Prior to 2024, WNBA draft viewership peaked at just 601,000 in 2004, while the last three years remain the only broadcasts to clear seven figures.
The 2026 WNBA Draft also ranked as the night’s top program among male-identified adults aged 25 to 54 and all adults from 18 to 34 — providing a captive audience as the league heads into its 30th season.
"The past 30 years have been about building the foundation. The next 30 are about scaling the game, unlocking what's possible for the entirety of women's basketball and women's sports," WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert told reporters in New York.
"Season 30 arrives at what I think is the perfect moment... this starts a new chapter, and I can't wait for what's ahead."
Caroline Ducharme earned a chance to pursue her WNBA dreams this week, as the UConn women's basketball product signed a training camp contract with the Golden State Valkyries, marking another twist in the WNBA's 2026 offseason moves.
The Valkyries offered Ducharme a one-year, nonguaranteed deal at minimum salary. Players on training camp contracts compete to make the final 12-player roster, with many facing waivers before WNBA preseason concludes.
"We're so excited to be able to add Bailey, Caroline, and Ndjakalenga to our training camp roster," Valkyries GM Ohemaa Nyanin said, also welcoming Bailey Maupin, and Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda to the team. "Each of these players have shown a high level of competitiveness, a winning mentality, and a desire to improve."
Caroline Ducharme battled significant injury adversity throughout her UConn women's basketball career. She averaged just 7.4 minutes across 25 games in 2025/26 after sitting out much of the previous two years with various injuries.
The 6-foot-2 guard arrived at UConn as the Class of 2021's No. 5 prospect. She excelled in her freshman year, averaging 9.8 points and 21 minutes per game across 11 starts in 31 appearances.
However, injuries derailed the rest of her trajectory. Ducharme suffered her first head injury in February of her freshman season. She missed 13 games with a concussion sophomore year, before neck spasms kept her out for all but four games in 2023/24. She didn't receive clearance to return until late February 2025.
Ducharme's redshirt senior year brought migraines that cost her six games, with coach Geno Auriemma often listing her status as day-to-day.
Ducharme now reunites with former teammate Kaitlyn Chen on the Valkyries, while fellow Huskies Gabby Williams and Kiah Stokes also play for the 2025 WNBA expansion team.
Washington Mystics rookie Lauren Betts signed a shoe deal with Reebok on Wednesday. The 2026 NCAA champion and No. 4 draft pick becomes the fifth WNBA athlete to join the brand's basketball roster.
Lauren Betts joins Angel Reese, DiJonai Carrington, Aneesah Morrow, and Lexie Brown under the Reebok umbrella. Reese released her signature shoe, The Angel Reese 1, in 2025 after signing with the brand in 2024.
"As the No. 4 pick in this year's WNBA Draft, [Betts] is a dominant interior presence, poised to bring that same impact to the pro game," Reebok wrote in its announcement.
Angel Reese welcomed Lauren Betts to the family on X.
"AHHHH! What's up CHAMP!" the Atlanta Dream forward tweeted.
Reebok relaunched its basketball division in 2024, subsequently making strategic signings in both the men's and women's game as the market continues to boom.
The UCLA center joins a growing list of current WNBA athletes with signature shoes, including Sabrina Ionescu, Caitlin Clark, Breanna Stewart, and A'ja Wilson.
Betts isn't the only rookie signing shoe deals, as Indiana's Raven Johnson partnered with Adidas this week.
"Earned My Stripes. @adidasbasketball - what's good? From The A to the WNBA," Johnson wrote on Instagram.
The partnerships highlight women's basketball's widespread commercial appeal. Top WNBA rookies now command lucrative endorsement deals before playing their first professional game, reflecting the sport's expanded business opportunities.
Women’s basketball is flexing its global muscles, as the league ushered in the latest batch of international rookies at Monday’s 2026 WNBA Draft.
No. 3 pick Awa Fam Thiam (Spain) is joining 2025 No. 2 pick Dominique Malonga (France) in Seattle. Both European recruits started their pro careers at just 15-years-old.
Later, WNBA newcomer Portland picked up Fam Thiam’s Spain teammate Iyana Martín Carrión at No. 7. Connecticut subsequently selected French forward Nell Angloma at No. 12.
“[The WNBA] was always my dream,” Fam Thiam told Slam Magazine. “If I am there, I will keep improving… Seeing the best players in the world, seeing what they’re doing each day, how they approach the game, and competing against them.”
WNBA Draft Creates Avenue for Global Talent Like Awa Fam Thiam
US-born prospects must either graduate, be four years removed from high school, or turn 22 within the year to be draft-eligible. However, international players are eligible the year they turn 20 — creating another avenue for young talent.
19-year-olds Fam Thiam and Angloma and 20-year-old Martín Carrión all arrive with years of professional and national team experience. But that doesn't mean there isn't room to grow as they enter a new career phase in the WNBA.
“When I was defending Emma Meesseman, it was like, ’Oh my God. I was only 19 years old and I’m playing in the EuroLeague and defending one of the best players in Europe,’” Fam Thiam recalled.
“It was a special moment. I’m [thinking], ’OK, I’m doing things well, and I want to keep improving.’”
Raven Johnson is officially teammates with guard Caitlin Clark, and the newly drafted Indiana Fever guard says she's most excited to share the floor with her former NCAA rival.
Indiana selected the South Carolina standout with the No. 10 overall pick in Monday night's 2026 WNBA Draft, as the Fever paired one of the draft class's top defensive guards with Clark and center Aliyah Boston.
Johnson's game gives Indiana needed versatility. She pressures the ball, pushes tempo, and can take on tough defensive assignments — skills that should complement Clark's ace scoring and playmaking.
Built-in familiarity in the locker room will likely help ease Johnson's transition to the pros. She'll reunite with former South Carolina teammate and mentor Boston in Indiana, while joining a Fever team with real title expectations.
But for Johnson, Clark presents the ultimate draw. She made that clear in an interview with Overtime after hearing her name called on Monday.
"She is a phenomenal player," Johnson said. "I mean, with the things she does, it's bar standard. She can shoot the ball, can lead a team, and they win. Like, she has a winning mentality. And I think that's the biggest thing."
That mindset is likely to contribute to Johnson's fit at Indiana, after the 23-year-old helped South Carolina capture two national titles while becoming a top perimeter defender.
Raven Johnson Shares History with Fever Teammate Caitlin Clark
However, the new teammates share a contentious history. Johnson was on the other side of a defining 2023 Final Four moment, when then-Hawkeye Clark waved her off an open 3-point shot during Iowa's upset win over South Carolina.
Now that rivalry must transform into a backcourt partnership, as Indiana tips off the 2026 WNBA season with real postseason expectations.
"[Johnson's] a competitor from one of the greatest programs from college basketball, and she's won at the highest level," said Fever COO and GM Amber Cox.
"We were just so pumped when she was available at No. 10. We know she's going to come in here and compete really hard and create great depth in our backcourt rotation."
UCLA made history on Monday night, after a record six Bruins were selected in the 2026 WNBA Draft — including five in the first round.
The unprecedented feat came just eight days after UCLA lifted its first-ever NCAA championship trophy.
Two-time All-American Lauren Betts led the charge, as Washington selected the Final Four Most Outstanding Player No. 4 overall. The Mystics' pick tipped off a run that saw three straight UCLA products selected.
"This season has been so special. I've enjoyed every second,” Betts said afterwards. "I'm playing with my best friends, my sister. I've had the most amazing season, and I feel like you can just see all the positivity that I play with."
Chicago then took forward Gabriela Jaquez at No. 5, before expansion team Toronto Tempo selected guard Kiki Rice at No. 6. Washington later doubled down on UCLA talent, taking forward Angela Dugalić at No. 9.
Connecticut claimed the final two Bruins, selecting guard Gianna Kneepkens at No. 15 to close out the first round, before taking guard Charlisse Leger-Walker in the second.
Betts and Dugalić will reunite on the Mystics' frontcourt, while Kneepkens and Leger-Walker join forces again on the Sun. Jaquez heads to Chicago while Rice starts fresh with expansion side Toronto.
The haul shattered the WNBA's prior Draft Day record. Four teams previously shared the high-mark, with South Carolina (2023), Notre Dame (2019), and Tennessee (1999, 2008) each yielding five simultaneous draftees.
The six seniors anchored UCLA's dominant championship run, combining to score all 130 points across the Bruins' Final Four wins. UCLA beat Texas 51-44 in the national semifinal, before crushing South Carolina 79-51 in the title game.
The historic 2026 WNBA Draft success caps a 37-1 season for UCLA and head coach Cori Close.
UCLA obviously faces a significant rebuild after losing its core to the WNBA. However, the program has plenty to celebrate after a historic season in Westwood.
Hannah Stuelke did not hear her name called in last night's 2026 WNBA Draft, leaving the former Iowa forward to pursue the next step of her professional career as an undrafted free agent.
Stuelke entered Monday's event as a projected second- or third-round pick, before all 45 selections came and went without the Iowa senior captain coming off the board.
The result was surprising given her production and resume. Stuelke spent four seasons at Iowa and played a central role in one of the program's most successful stretches in history, including back-to-back national championship game appearances alongside superstar Caitlin Clark.
For Stuelke, her senior season counted as one of her most complete. She averaged 13.4 points and a team-high 9.0 rebounds while shooting 53.6% from the field. She also led Iowa with 20 eight-rebound games while earning her third All-Big Ten Second Team honors.
Finishing her collegiate career with 1,565 points and 910 rebounds, the 6-foot-2 Cedar Rapids native became just one of four players in Hawkeyes history to pass 1,500 points and 900 rebounds.
Those stats indicate Stuelke could still become the 21st Iowa product to enter the pros via either the WNBA draft or free agency. Undrafted players are permitted to sign training camp deals and compete for roster spots before the regular season opens. Several teams around the league need frontcourt depth, and Stuelke's rebounding, efficiency, and big-game experience could keep her in the mix.
Now, Stuelke's focus shifts from setback to opportunity. Her path to the WNBA may be less direct than expected, but her Iowa resume might be strong enough to set her up for a shot at the next level.
Raven Johnson is headed to Indiana after the Fever selected the South Carolina guard with the No. 10 overall pick in Monday's 2026 WNBA Draft, setting up a reunion with former Gamecocks star Aliyah Boston.
The pick gives Indiana another versatile guard as the franchise continues to build around Caitlin Clark and Boston. Johnson brings perimeter defense, pace, and playmaking to a Fever backcourt that needed more depth heading into the season.
The reunion with Boston adds immediate familiarity. Johnson arrived at South Carolina just as Boston was finishing her final collegiate season, and the two helped the Gamecocks win the 2022 national title. However, Boston's influence stuck with Johnson well beyond that championship run.
“It’s so crazy,” Johnson said. “[Boston] taught me so much through my college experience. She taught me what pro habits were… her leadership, [being] a role model, it goes a long way. She is a phenomenal person and instills so much in young people. There’s no way you don’t want to play with somebody like that.”
Johnson leaves South Carolina a two-time national champion, 2026 SEC Defensive Player of the Year, and one of the best perimeter defenders in the 2026 WNBA Draft class. She averaged 9.8 points, 4.5 assists, and 2.1 steals last season while helping lead the Gamecocks back to the Final Four.
2026 WNBA Draft Pick Raven Johnson Teams Up with Caitlin Clark
There is history with Clark, too. Johnson was on the other side of one of the most memorable 2023 Final Four moments, when Clark waved her off an open 3-point shot during Iowa's upset win over South Carolina.
Now, that college rivalry must translate into a professional partnership. Johnson joins a Fever team with playoff expectations and a veteran core already in place.
"They have a lot of vets that I can learn from and they’re winners,” Johnson said. “Everybody on that team likes to win. I think that’s what makes that team special."