The Phoenix Mercury have had a disappointing start to the 2023 season, but that puts them in the lead in the race for the No. 1 pick for the 2024 WNBA Draft.

The four teams with the worst record at the end of the season all will have a shot for the top overall pick via the WNBA draft lottery. And as the WNBA season continues, teams get a better idea of if they have got a shot at one of the NCAA’s best.

The draft should be stacked with talent, with possible selections including Iowa senior Caitlin Clark, UConn redshirt junior Paige Bueckers and LSU fourth-year junior Angel Reese.

While each of these star players has at least one more year of eligibility remaining, they are far from the only talent on offer. Tennessee’s Rickea Jackson, Virginia Tech’s Elizabeth Kitley and Ohio State’s Jacy Sheldon all are in their final year of eligibility and could have been first-round picks in 2023.

The Mercury (2-9) sit alone at the bottom of the league just over a quarter of the way into the season. Next comes the Seattle Storm (3-9), then the Minnesota Lynx (4-9). Chicago (5-8) rounds out the lottery spots, with the Sky on a five-game losing streak after beginning the season 5-3.

But the Sky’s offseason moves could come back to bite them, as they don’t even have a draft pick in the first round in 2024. Instead, their pick will go to the Dallas Wings, who also reserve the right to swap first-round picks with Chicago in 2025.

The U.S. women won the 2023 FIBA 3×3 World Cup on Sunday, defeating France 16-12 in the gold medal game. It is the U.S. women’s third 3×3 title, but first since 2014.

The U.S. squad was made up of two current NCAA players in LSU transfer Hailey Van Lith and Stanford’s Cameron Brink, plus two longtime 3×3 veterans in Cierra Burdick and Linnae Harper. Burdick, who graduated from Tennessee in 2015 and has played stints with a multiple WNBA teams, was also a member of the U.S. team that won 3×3 gold in 2014.

The Americans went 7-1 during the tournament, losing only to Canada during the first game of group play.

In the gold medal game, Burdick and Van Lith each recorded seven points and six rebounds. Brink, competing in her first ever 3×3 competition, was named tournament MVP after amassing 39 points and 45 rebounds in eight games.

Thanks to the top-four finish, the U.S. women also qualified for the 3×3 Olympic Qualifying Tournament, which will be held in early 2024 ahead of the Paris Olympics. It is also possible the U.S. won’t need to attend that tournament if its 3×3 world ranking improves between now and November, when the top three nations will earn automatic Olympic berths (the U.S. is currently ranked fourth).

The U.S. women won gold in the Olympic debut of 3×3 basketball in 2021 with a roster of WNBA standouts: Stefanie Dolson, Allisha Gray, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young.

During the 2023 WNBA Draft on Monday night, the Washington Mystics selected Stephanie Soares with the fourth pick before promptly trading her to the Dallas Wings. In return, the Mystics received picks in the 2024 and 2025 drafts.

Soares was a sought-after prospect in this year’s draft — 6-foot-6 forward who can shoot 3-pointers is hard to come by. But the Mystics were willing to deal her because of the strength of the next two WNBA draft classes.

With a fifth year of NCAA eligibility still on the table for players as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, several of the top upcoming prospects could declare for next year’s draft or the 2025 draft. Between the two, WNBA teams will have a deep group of prospects to choose from. Here are the top 10 in those classes.

1. Caitlin Clark, G, Iowa

The Iowa guard is one of the most well-rounded prospects we’ve seen in a long time. Her scoring, passing and rebounding skills make her a triple-double threat every game and could set her up to be the No. 1 draft pick in 2024 or 2025 (depending on when she declares). Clark is known for her scoring ability — she can shoot from almost anywhere — but it’s her passing ability, both in the halfcourt and on the fastbreak, that makes the Iowa star a potential No. 1 pick.

2. Cameron Brink, F, Stanford

Brink is the kind of player that will have WNBA coaches and executives salivating. A big with guard skills is one of the most coveted player types as the WNBA continues to evolve into a positionless league. Brink is already a top shot-blocker and scorer on the inside. If she continues to develop her 3-point shot, the Stanford forward will become even more sought after at the next level.

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Angel Reese was named the Final Four Most Outstanding Player after leading LSU to the NCAA title. (C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

3. Angel Reese, F, LSU

The reigning Final Four Most Outstanding Player arrived at Maryland in 2020 as the top-ranked wing in the country. Over the next two years, she played mostly as a post for the Terrapins. Now at LSU, she does a bit of both. Reese’s versatility makes her a player who can fit on any roster, and she’s polished enough to make an immediate impact. Add in her elite rebounding skills, and Reese can expect to hear her name called early on draft night.

4. Olivia Miles, G, Notre Dame

Notre Dame’s point guard is known for her creativity on the court. From facilitating to manufacturing opportunities for herself, it’s hard to predict what Miles will do next. And when it comes to setting up her teammates, there is no one better at understanding tendencies and putting players in positions to score. An injury stopped her from playing in the NCAA Tournament, but I’ve seen enough of Miles to know she’s a future WNBA star.

5. Rickea Jackson, F, Tennessee

Jackson was slated to be a top draft pick this year before deciding to come back to Tennessee for a fifth season. She played her first three years at Mississippi State under three different coaches, so the stability of having coach Kellie Harper for two seasons at Tennessee will be great for Jackson’s development. But even without that, she’s a promising prospect. Jackson is a proven scorer who is strong around the basket and can attack off the bounce. Her 6-2 frame is ideal for the WNBA and will be an asset on defense as well.

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Paige Bueckers missed the entire 2022-23 season for UConn after tearing her ACL. (G Fiume/Getty Images)

6. Paige Bueckers, G, UConn

While a healthy Bueckers could be a No. 1 draft pick, her injuries over the last two seasons are cause for concern. Still, Bueckers was named Player of the Year as a freshman for a reason. She’s been pro-ready since she set foot on UConn’s campus. If she can put together a full season without an injury, the guard will be a top pick. And even if she doesn’t, Bueckers is so skilled that WNBA executives will likely take the risk anyway.

7. Aaliyah Edwards, F, UConn

As injuries plagued UConn this season, Edwards proved she can be the centerpiece of a team. No matter who else was on the court, Edwards performed. Like Reese, she was tabbed as a wing coming into college, so she is able to attack off the bounce and defend on the perimeter. Another versatile prospect, Edwards will be a good get for any team.

8. Elizabeth Kitley, C, Virginia Tech

Kitley could have been a first-round draft pick this season if she didn’t elect to come back to Virginia Tech for a fifth year. Kitley has improved every season, winning ACC Player of the Year in both 2022 and 2023. Her body control on both ends of the floor makes her difficult to guard and difficult to score over. At 6-6, she has the ability to extend to the free-throw line, and her shooting stroke can likely be developed beyond the arc.

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Kamilla Cardoso has all the tools to thrive in the WNBA. (Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images

9. Kamilla Cardoso, C, South Carolina

Cardoso has spent the last two seasons coming off the bench behind this year’s No. 1 pick, Aliyah Boston, but make no mistake, she would be starting on any other team. On several occasions this year, it was Cardoso who made the difference for the Gamecocks when teams tried different defenses to slow them down. She’s 6-7 with good hands, making post-entry passes easy for her teammates. And on the other end of the floor, Cardoso is a skilled shot blocker.

10. Jacy Sheldon, G, Ohio State

Ohio State’s point guard missed most of the year due to injury, but an impressive March Madness improved her draft stock so much that Sheldon could have been a 2023 top-five pick if she hadn’t opted to return for a fifth year. She has the ability to be the best offensive and defensive player on the court in any given game. Sheldon also possesses a toughness that WNBA teams will like.

Eden Laase is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @eden_laase.

The 2023 WNBA draft is here, but some big-name prospects are not.

While many of the brightest stars in college basketball having declared for the draft, others have opted to return for another year, taking advantage of the extra year of COVID-19 eligibility. Just Women’s Sports takes a look at some of those who are running it back.

Rickea Jackson, Tennessee

Rickea Jackson became the first domino to fall in the list of players opting out of the 2023 draft, announcing her intention to return to the Vols before the NCAA Tournament even began.

Before her decision, she was projected as the No. 3 overall pick by Just Women’s Sports analyst Rachel Galligan, making her choice all the more surprising. But her return is big for Tennessee, as the first-team All-SEC selection led the team with 19.6 points per game while adding 6.2 rebounds per game.

Elizabeth Kitley, Virginia Tech

Kitley announced her decision to return in the middle of the national championship game, but it still counted as headline news for Virginia Tech fans.

A former five-star recruit and two-time ACC Player of the Year, Kitley led the Hokies in points, rebounds and blocks per game last season as Virginia Tech made its Final Four run. She’s also the all-time leading scorer in program history.

Georgia Amoore, Virginia Tech

Georgia Amoore is another Virginia Tech senior who opted to run it back, meaning that three of the Hokies’ starting five players will take the court together next season.

Amoore had a standout regular season, averaging 16.1 points and 5.1 assists while leading the team to the ACC tournament title. She’s better against better opponents, making her decision to stay a good sign for the Hokies.

Charisma Osborne, UCLA

While Charisma Osborne opted into the 2023 WNBA draft, she later withdrew her name, instead electing to use her extra year of eligibility. As reported by the New York Times, she even was told by a WNBA coach that the decision to remain an extra year could be a smart move.

Osborne will provide a boost for UCLA, as she has averaged 15.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game throughout her first four years with the Bruins. She also helped the team to a Sweet 16 appearance this year, and will link up with freshman point guard Kiki Rice next year.

Sedona Prince, TCU

Sedona Prince is another player who withdrew her name from WNBA draft consideration. Prince missed their redshirt senior season with an elbow injury and had planned to exhaust their remaining NCAA eligibility to pursue a professional career.

But those plans have changed, as Prince withdrew their name from the draft. She also entered her name into the transfer portal and is headed to TCU with two years of eligibility remaining.

Ashley Owusu, transfer portal

Despite reports that she might enter the WNBA draft, Virginia Tech shooting guard Ashley Owusu has opted to remain in the NCAA. But the former Maryland standout is once again in the transfer portal after spending the second half of the season on the Hokies’ bench.

Cameron Brink, Stanford

There was never a question about whether or not Cameron Brink would return for her senior season at Stanford, despite the fact that she is eligible for the 2023 WNBA draft by a single day. As Brink told reporters last October, college is “fun.”

“Why not stay?” she asked. “I think I want to stay just because I want to just continue to be a kid. Finish my degree in four years, not rush myself.”

Stanford’s “Funky Four” seniors are gearing up for one last postseason run. They kept their momentum going Monday with a 71-66 win against Pac-12 rival UCLA.

The senior quartet has won a national championship and made two Final Four appearances in their first three seasons with the Cardinal. Their only year without a deep tournament run came in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out the postseason.

They’ve won 116 games with the Cardinal, including Monday’s regular-season home finale against No. 17 UCLA. Their latest win earned them a standing ovation from the Stanford faithful in attendance at Maples Pavilion.

“They call themselves the Funky Four, I call them the Final Four or the Fabulous Four,” Tara VanDerveer said after the win. “Let’s keep it rolling.”m

Haley Jones led the senior class for No. 3 Stanford (26-3) with 18 points. Hannah Jump, Francesca Belibi and Ashten Prechtel round out the group.

“We’re trying to win a Pac-12 championship and this game was necessary to do that,” Jones said. “We had to be the aggressor.”

Junior forward Cameron Brink did her part, leading the team with 25 points. She went 15-for-15 from the free throw line, the most free throws without a miss by a Stanford player since at least 1999, according to ESPN.

Stanford has two games remaining in the regular season, against No. 21 Colorado on Thursday and against No. 8 Utah on Saturday, before moving into the postseason.

Cameron Brink continues to have a record-breaking year on the court.

Against USC on Friday, Brink became the career blocks leader at Stanford, putting up six against the Trojans to bring her career total to 278 – five more than Jayne Appel’s mark of 273 that she set in 2010.

Those six blocks also extended her single-season program record to 99.

“It was a really special moment, I’m feeling really humbled and blessed right now,” Brink said postgame.

Speaking via text message to the AP, Appel offered her congratulations to Brink.

“From one Stanford big to another Stanford big: You have taken the torch and moved it to a higher level. Congratulations, Block Queen! Truly an accomplishment to be on the top with all the other Stanford greats!”

Brink called it the “biggest compliment” from someone that she idolizes.

“She was such an amazing player,” she said.

Cameron Brink has a note taped to the inside of her locker. It’s there so she can see it every day — before every practice, after every game. Even if she opens her locker because she forgot something, it’s there, reminding her.

It’s from a former Stanford staff member, Jaylyn Savage. When she left to take another job, she wrote Brink the note.

Composed with thick black ink on white paper, it starts with a greeting. Then comes the part that has stuck with Brink since she first read it.

“It’s so refreshing to see someone as talented as you still be a kid at heart. Never lose that quality. So many athletes of your caliber don’t have that.”

She’s trying not to.

As a basketball player, Brink is thriving. She’s averaging a near double-double with 14.4 points and 9.6 rebounds per game for No. 6 Stanford, and she’s second in the country with 3.6 blocks per contest. Brink was on the cover of SLAM and is a Wooden Award candidate. She’s even tempered the foul problem that plagued her first two seasons. And on Jan. 29, she pulled off a rare feat, recording a triple-double with 10 blocks.

On the court, she’s the best she’s ever been.

Off the court, things aren’t as easy.

Sometimes, Brink lays in bed at the end of the day and thinks about how great everything should be.

“But I don’t feel OK,” she says. “And that’s scary.”

That’s why the note means so much to Brink. Because Savage saw through everything else. Savage saw her for her.

Beyond the intense player on the court. Beyond the pretty face partnering with companies on Instagram. Beyond the Stanford student. Beyond the mental health advocate.

Beyond her own negative thoughts.

Just Cameron.

So when days get heavy, when outside voices are talking too much, or when the chatter in her own head can’t be quieted, Brink can look at the note and know who she is.

***

Cameron Brink’s relationship with basketball started with resistance.

Her early memories were centered on things on the outskirts of the game itself. The outfits she wore, the music that played, the people she loved.

Cameron’s introduction to the sport came at Davidson. Her godbrother, Stephen Curry, was playing for the Wildcats, and the Brinks were in attendance. Cameron couldn’t tell you the score of that first game or how Curry played. But she can recall her excitement about the red-and-white cheerleader outfit she was wearing and the tall brown boots her mom paired with it. She remembers dancing in the crowd and the pure joy that came along with being allowed to wear a temporary tattoo on her face.

“I loved him and I loved the atmosphere. I loved putting on the outfit, but I was not good at paying attention,” she laughs. “It sounds terrible, but it all felt so normal to me. It was just what we did. I grew up around it.”

Basketball is written into the Brink family history.

Michelle Bain and Greg Brink attended Virginia Tech at the same time on basketball scholarships. Their practice facilities were connected by a common hallway, and every day the two passed each other with friendly greetings and flirty jokes. But Greg was shy and never made a move, so after a few years of their hallway meetings, Michelle knew it would fall to her to take their relationship out of the friend zone.

She invited Greg to a pick-up game, and the rest is history.

Their relationship — and eventual marriage — led to long careers at Nike as well as friendships with other athletes, including Dell and Sonya Curry.

By the time Cameron and her older brother Cy were born, the sport had been a catalyst for countless milestones in Michelle and Greg’s lives. Perhaps that’s why Cameron was so resistant to the sport at first. It was commonplace, and she had too much spirit to be the same.

“I always like to be contrarian,” she says.

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Cameron in her Davidson cheerleader uniform
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Cameron and brother Cy (Photos courtesy of Michelle Bain-Brink)

In Cameron’s young mind, there were better things to do. She dreamt of being an artist, so she went to art camp. She was fascinated with space and spent time researching and learning about wormholes. She sat for hours discussing Pokémon with Cy — Blaziken and Charizard are still her favorites.

Michelle and Greg encouraged her to explore those interests. They didn’t force basketball on her. They knew better.

“If you’re the one pushing your kid into the sport, it’s not going to end well for anyone,” Michelle says with a laugh. “They have to want to do it.”

And even when Cameron finally gave basketball a chance, it wasn’t the love of the game that inspired her to keep going. That came later. Instead, it was her innate desire to win.

One summer the Brinks came back to the United States from Amsterdam, where Cameron lived from ages 8-11 thanks to her parents’ jobs with Nike. She had planned to spend her summer drawing and lounging by the pool. Instead, she went to basketball camp.

Cameron needed a way to expend some of her bubbling energy, so Michelle made her a deal. “If you try this camp for one day, we will take you whitewater rafting,” she told her daughter.

It was an intriguing proposition, so Cameron accepted. Besides, if she hated it, Michelle assured her that she wouldn’t have to go back.

She did hate it. Cameron came home with her hair plastered to her forehead, sweaty from the camp that took place mostly outside in humid North Carolina. Most of the other campers were boys who had years of experience, and compared to them, Cameron was terrible.

She hated that more than she hated the idea of playing basketball.

So, with the desire to win propelling her, Cameron went back. And before she knew it, the little contrarian was just like everyone else. She finally loved basketball.

***

Cameron Brink was desperate to be tall.

So desperate that the idea of being under 6-feet made her cry.

Michelle remembers taking Cameron to a pediatrician when they moved from Amsterdam to Oregon. During the check-up, a nurse took her height and weight and then plotted it on a graph to predict how tall 11-year-old Cameron would be as an adult.

The nurse looked at Cameron and informed her that she would grow to be 5-foot-11. Cameron whipped her head around to look at Michelle. Her blue eyes welled with tears and her lower lip protruded into a pout.

The nurse tried her best to reassure the young patient. “You have tall parents,” she said, “so you’ll probably be tall, too.”

But the nurse didn’t understand. Michelle was 6-3, Greg was 6-7, and Cy was already rocketing up in height — he eventually grew to be 6-9. Five-foot-11 was not tall.

“No,” Cameron said. “I want to be taller than my mom!”

Just a few years after that appointment, she was. But by then she was in high school, and suddenly, being tall wasn’t as much fun.

Cameron also played volleyball, and during her freshman season the team had a dress code for game days: no pants; skirts or dresses only. As a kid, Cameron loved dressing up, but as she grew up and into sports, Cameron felt out of place in a dress. Now, she was being pushed out of her comfort zone.

Michelle remembers her daughter in turmoil trying to find something to wear. Skirts were too short on her tall frame. She didn’t have the right shoes. It wasn’t her clothes that were the problem, it was her body. The height Cameron once coveted was suddenly undesirable, and her frame was no longer slender, it was too skinny. At least, that’s what she was hearing.

“She suffered a fair amount of body-shaming, even from her teammates,” Michelle says. “And it made her very self-conscious.”

As she progressed through high school, things got worse. Cameron was thriving on the basketball court, leading Southridge High School to two state titles, but she was miserable.

“We noticed the joy of the game being sucked away,” Michelle says. “And if you can’t have fun playing in high school, then when can you?”

Cameron doesn’t say much about those days at Southridge.

It feels so long ago now, but at the time, what she calls “high school drama” consumed her. After three years there, Cameron realized it wasn’t a healthy atmosphere. So, with one year remaining, she transferred to Mountainside, a school that had just opened in 2017.

“I wouldn’t even say I was being bullied,” Cameron says. “Because bullying gives them too much power. They weren’t bullies. And I just decided to remove myself. I knew I deserved better, so I left. And I’m happy I did.”

It was the right decision, but at the time, Cameron agonized over it. And when she officially filed her transfer paperwork, things got worse before they got better.

“I was distraught,” she says. “Because kids can be so mean, and so hateful.”

Former classmates egged and toilet-papered her house so many times that the Brinks had to get a security system. They could have pressed charges, but they didn’t bother. Instead, she emerged from the experience with a new mindset.

“Stop questioning yourself. Be authentically you,” she says. “Don’t change for others, and don’t give others the power to make you feel small.”

Now, she embraces all six feet and four inches of herself.

Being tall, she says, is one of her favorite things. The fears she had about wearing skirts and dresses during her freshman year are gone, too. She channels little Cam in her Davidson cheerleader outfit and wears what she wants, when she wants.

Her signature game-day hairstyle — two long, blonde braids — is just one piece of the puzzle. Now, Cameron loves how she looks in her uniform, in a chic makeup look, in a dress, and even in a bikini. Her Instagram account showcases all of those looks in a perfectly curated grid of pictures.

At first, Michelle was worried about the swimsuit photos.

“I was like, ‘Cameron, are you sure that’s what you want to put out there?’ But then I thought about it, and we talked about what an empowering statement it is for her,” Michelle says. “So I’ve learned to love it, because she’s confident and comfortable in her own skin. It’s a positive outcome for everything she suffered in high school.”

***

Cameron Brink can be as good as she wants to be.

That’s what Curtis Borchardt remembers thinking when he met her at 14 years old. He and his wife Susan King Borchardt, both former Stanford basketball players, train professional athletes such as Breanna Stewart, Sue Bird and Kelsey Plum. Never teenagers.

But they both felt a pull to Cameron.

The Borchardts had just moved to Oregon and ended up five minutes away from the Brinks. Cameron was fresh off a Stanford basketball camp, and staff members knew Susan could help the teen, already 6-4 and all limbs. While Susan and Cameron worked on strengthening her body, Curtis became her post coach.

Susan can still remember the first conversation she had with Cameron.

Despite her height, Cameron managed to make herself small sitting at the table with her mom. She kept her head down and didn’t make eye contact with Susan. With every question, Cameron glanced up at Michelle, who had to do all the talking.

“To see this beautiful, confident woman now, so much growth has happened,” Susan says.

“She’s like this unicorn athlete who is so graceful and in control of her body, but when we first started, I’d be like, ‘OK Cam, let’s try a reverse lunge,’ and she legit fell on her ass.”

But even then, when Cameron was quiet and a bit awkward on her feet, Susan could sense an innate passion.

It’s easy to see now when the junior blocks shots and lets out screams of celebration. Or when she runs to hug a teammate after a big play. Susan watched firsthand as Cameron took that flickering spirit and set it completely ablaze.

“She’s got some fire to her in a way that not a lot of people do,” Susan says. “I love that you can see that when you watch her play now.”

When Curtis met Cameron, he felt a kinship to her. At 7-feet tall, Curtis also had all the physical gifts necessary to excel, but he didn’t get specialized post coaching until college. In Cameron, he saw himself, and he wanted to help her.

After their first session, Curtis sent a text to Cameron’s mom: “The sky’s the limit.”

She picked up on things quickly and had an attention to detail that surprised him. But more than anything, he loved how fearless she was.

Off the court, Cameron couldn’t look Susan in the eye. On it, she wasn’t afraid of anything. Including Curtis.

“She was going against a 7-foot, 245-pound man, and I was guarding her with some physicality,” he says. “She never backed away from that.”

After watching Cameron grow up on and off the court, the Borchardts think of her like their fifth child.

Every time she’s home, Cameron makes sure to spend time with her second family, and when she’s back at school, the Borchardt kids love watching her play on TV.

“We may have played there, but I think Cameron made Stanford cool in their eyes,” Curtis says with a laugh.

Curtis and Susan can’t take credit for Cameron’s decision to play for the Cardinal, either. That was all thanks to her older brother.

Cameron says most people think of her as a jock and don’t know how much she loves to learn. She credits Cy for instilling that quality in her. Cy was the kind of kid that read atlases for fun and memorized facts about the Egyptian pyramids. His photographic memory earned him the nickname “Google.”

For Cameron, her older brother made it cool to be smart. He also inspired her to reach for more academically.

“He has really helped me appreciate a love of learning,” Cameron says. “He really motivated me to get into Stanford.”

And once the school was on her radar, Cameron had no interest in going anywhere else. It was the first school to offer her a scholarship, though the Brinks didn’t realize it at the time.

Cameron attended a camp in eighth grade, and afterward, former associate head coach Amy Tucker approached her parents and told them, “We’d love for her to come here.”

The meaning got lost in translation. Tucker meant on a basketball scholarship, but the Brinks assumed she was encouraging Cameron to come back to camp the next year. It wasn’t until other offers started flooding in that they realized what Tucker had meant.

That camp opened their eyes to just how good Cameron was and could be. As former college basketball players themselves, her parents knew she had potential, but it was easier to see the things she needed to work on.

“I don’t think we dared dream that she was going to be as good as she turned out to be,” Greg says. “So it actually took other people telling us.”

Michelle and Greg knew Cameron had her heart set on Stanford, but they wanted her to keep her options open. She went on unofficial visits to UConn and South Carolina, and Nebraska wanted her to play volleyball and basketball. All great options, just not for Cameron.

“We tried to open her mind to other schools, but she wasn’t having it,” Michelle says.

At Stanford, the Brinks have watched their daughter blossom. She loves going back to Oregon when she gets the chance to play foosball with her brother and eat chocolate waffles with her family. But Stanford is just as much home to her as Oregon is.

She’s forged friendships that make her high school tribulations seem far away. Like with Brooke Demetre, a sophomore on the Cardinal basketball team. She’s the kind of friend who doesn’t mind styling Cameron’s hair into her signature braids before every game. Cameron knows she will eventually need to learn to braid her own hair, but she enjoys the pregame routine with Demetre, who Cameron always repays with a cup of coffee.

She has a special bond with coach Tara VanDerveer as well. She’s funny, Cameron says, and a straight-shooter. VanDerveer always tells it like it is, even when it’s hard to hear.

When Cameron first got on Stanford’s radar, VanDerveer was worried she might not be strong enough, tricked by her thin frame and narrow shoulders.

“Just wait,” Susan said. “Just wait.”

VanDerveer is glad she listened.

***

Cameron Brink doesn’t always know how to be happy.

When she was younger, she thought of herself as a worrier. But worries go away. This didn’t.

During her freshman year in college, COVID-19 hit, and the negativity consumed her. On the outside, Cameron was a phenom, helping Stanford to a national title, the program’s first since 1992. But on the inside, she felt isolated, confused, uneasy. It was then that her worries got a name: anxiety. And with the name came the guilt.

She had no reason to feel this way, she thought, and that made Cameron feel worse.

“I feel so guilty because I live this privileged life,” she says. “And I have so many blessings, so many people who love me, and I’m doing relatively well in basketball. So, why do I feel bad?”

Neither her looks, which were once a source of stress, nor her abilities on the basketball court are causes of anxiety for Cameron. It’s coming from some unknown place, one she has yet to discover.

“It’s just stuff that’s kind of out of my control,” she says. “Which kind of sends you into more of a spiral.”

It’s a never-ending cycle, and one she’s learning to live with.

“My therapist said that human suffering is pain and resistance, and resisting it makes it worse,” Cameron says. “So I think it’s just been accepting it, and that has made it so much better for me. I’m allowing myself to feel.”

Cameron approaches her therapy sessions like she approaches her classes at Stanford. She’s a sponge, ready to soak up as much knowledge as possible. But mental health doesn’t have a textbook. Cameron does her best to learn. And even though she doesn’t fully understand the anxiety that plagues her, there’s one thing about her mental health struggles she knows for sure: She has to talk about them.

That’s why she’s focused a lot of her NIL partnerships on mental health, like the one she has with Chegg, promoting self-care and mindfulness.

Cameron knows what it’s like to be surrounded by people and still feel alone. And if there is a way to lift that loneliness off the shoulders of someone else, she wants to do it.

“You’ll be in a room full of people you love so much, and you’ll be having these thoughts like, ‘Why can’t I just be present?’ And it’s this constant internal battle,” Cameron says. “That’s why I want to talk about it more, because it’s truly such a scary feeling.”

It would be a beautiful story if Cameron could say that she started therapy and the anxiety melted away. If her mental health struggles had been tied up with a bow and cast aside.

Instead, despite all the work she does everyday, things have gotten worse. And she has no idea why.

“I feel like I’m beating myself up because I feel like everything should be fine,” she says. “I go to therapy twice a week to try to figure it out, but it opens up more wounds, and speaking about it makes it more real sometimes. But it’s helping. Therapy helps.”

There’s beauty in that, too. The realness of it all. And as therapy helps Cameron, she’s able to help others.

Recently, Cameron held a basketball camp for young girls. One day during lunch, the campers were treated to pizza and a Q&A session with the Stanford star. Nothing was off limits. One by one, the girls raised their hands. They asked. Cameron answered. Basketball barely came up.

“They asked me so many insightful questions,” she says. “It was nice to have an honest conversation with them. I told them there are a lot of days that are really hard. But it was really cool to connect with these girls on a deeper level.”

That moment, shared over pizza with girls that want to be just like her, is one that Cameron comes back to often. She feels its impact in her daily life. And she’s not the only one feeling the positive effects.

“She’s going to impact more lives that she’s even aware of,” Curtis says.

***

Cameron Brink is a study in contrast.

She’s like a coin with infinite sides. The more you flip it, the more you learn.

The Cameron you see on the court is just one side. A fierce competitor who, as her mom says, will step on your neck if you get in her way.

A 6-4 shot-blocking machine with long, blonde braids, icy-blue eyes and a sugar-cube smile.

She’s also that little girl in a Davidson cheerleading uniform.

She’s tall. She’s strong. She’s brave. She’s beautiful.

She’s Cy’s sister, Michelle and Greg’s daughter. Steph’s godsister. Brooke’s coffee-drinking and hair-braiding buddy.

She has a wonderful, privileged life. And she has anxiety. Both of those things can exist at once.

And though many of her traits seem to be at odds with each other, they combine to make Cameron Brink perfectly herself.

That’s something she never wants to lose.

Eden Laase is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @eden_laase.

Cameron Brink made history Sunday, recording just the second triple-double with blocks in Pac-12 history in No. 3 Stanford’s 62-54 win over Oregon.

Brink finished with 16 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high 10 blocks. Those 10 blocks also broke the Cardinal’s single-game blocks record.

The Stanford junior joins former Oregon State star Ruth Hamblin, the only other player to achieve a triple-double with blocks in conference history. Hamblin did so in 2014.

“What a great game for Cam,” Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer said. “I don’t think there’s anyone on the block that’s any better in our league for sure, and I think she challenges anyone nationally.”

Even after Brink was called for two fouls, VanDerveer didn’t take the star player out, instead allowing her to play on.

“I was kind of shocked she kept me in,” Brink said. “But I played through it.

“I’m really excited about [the triple-double]. I love blocking shots, it’s probably what I do best. It gets me in trouble sometimes but I’m glad it paid off today.”

On her last block, which came with 3:08 remaining, Brink said she was waiting for the scorer’s table to count it as a block.

“I knew I touched it,” she said. “I really wanted that last one.”

Her 10 blocked shots also added to her career total and brought it to 267, which sits second in program history behind Jayne Appel (272). She could break that record in the next few games — and also break the single-season program record she set last year.

Despite all Brink’s accomplishments, VanDerveer still thinks she can do more.

“On a scale of 1-to-10, and obviously a triple-double is awesome, she’s a five of where she can be,” VanDerveer said. “Cam is just scratching the surface of how good she can be. She’s making great strides, and I mean that as a compliment because she’s got so much upside.”

It took a fourth-quarter run on Friday for No. 2 Stanford to pull away from No. 8 UCLA and take a 72-59 win.

The two teams were tied at halftime, 32-32, and Stanford led 51-49 at the end of the third quarter. It was in the fourth that the Cardinal made their move, going on a 15-0 run and outscoring the Bruins 21-10.

“At halftime I was disappointed with some of our shots,” Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer said. “I thought people were rushing shots, not running our offense and turning the ball over. And then I think we settled down in the second half.”

Cameron Brink took over in the fourth quarter, scoring six points, pulling down eight rebounds and blocking six shots. In total, she had seven blocks – a career-high – as well as 12 points and 11 rebounds. Haley Jones had 16 points and 12 rebounds.

“I think we’re just scratching the surface of how good we can be. We’re just figuring out how to play people and who to play together,” VanDerveer said.

For the Bruins, it’s their largest loss of the season.

“I don’t want anybody telling us, ‘Oh, you’re so young and you know, you’re making such great strides,’” UCLA coach Cori Close said. “At this point in the year, age ain’t nothing but a number. We have to take responsibility.”

Stanford’s Cameron Brink addressed her issue with foul trouble in an interview with ESPN on Thursday.

Last year, Brink committed more fouls than 93% of women’s college basketball players, per Her Hoop Stats. This season that’s down to 61%, but the junior still struggles to stay on the floor for the Cardinal.

She averages 4.3 fouls per 40 minutes, which took her out of commission for her team in several key situations.

When No. 2 Stanford battled to a 76-71 loss at the hands of No. 1 South Carolina, Brink fouled out with 3:01 left in overtime. Before she exited, the 6-4 forward had 25 points, 5 rebounds and 4 blocks. But she was limited to 23 minutes, spending time on the bench with two fouls in the first half, before eventually fouling out.

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(Justin Tafoya/Getty Images)

“It’s been my biggest challenge,” Brink told ESPN. “Some games they let a lot go. Other games, from tipoff, it’s very tight. And then sometimes it changes at halftime. I’m always trying to get a gauge to know, ‘I can be this aggressive.’ It’s a fine balance, and I’m still learning to deal with it. Honestly, it’s really hard.”

When she’s on the floor, Brink is one of the best players in the country. Per 40 minutes of action, she averages 25.1 points and ranks fourth in the country in defensive rebounds per 40 minutes (12.4) and second in blocks (6.1). 

Brink has helped Stanford to a 10-1 record, with their next challenge coming Sunday as the team takes on Tennessee. The Cardinal follow that up with No. 16 Creighton and then head into Pac-12 play.

When Stanford won the NCAA championship two seasons ago, Brink played a key role, even as a freshman. If Stanford wants to win another title, the team will need to rely on her even more.

“I just want her to relax and play,” Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer told ESPN. “Cam is a great player. She’s incredibly athletic and versatile and aggressive. She does have to play with more discipline, and with more patience. But I can’t teach someone to do all the things that she does well. I think she can develop the patience and discipline.”