We're a little over a week into the women's college basketball season, which means we're definitely still in "small sample size" territory. Still, we've witnessed a number of strong performances from across the women's basketball landscape, and some of those performances matter when projecting college players forward to the pro game.
While not all of the top prospects are thriving — Indiana's Yarden Garzon and UConn's Serah Williams both have notably low numbers at the moment — there are some surgers who are ready to make big moves up draft boards.
Here are some WNBA Draft prospects — some expected names plus a couple of potential sleepers — who've gotten off to strong starts.
Azzi Fudd, G, UConn
How much can Azzi Fudd rise on draft boards, considering most people view her as a top-three player in this class? Well ... she could always go from "top three" to "consensus No. 1 pick," right?
Through two games, Fudd is averaging a career-best 21.5 points per game on 51.4 percent shooting. The 2024-25 Big East leader in 3-point percentage is doing that despite an uneven shooting start from deep, as she's only shooting 33.3 percent from there. She's been elite inside the arc, shooting 65 percent on 2-point shots.
We knew Fudd was good, but with Paige Bueckers now in the WNBA, there were questions about whether Fudd could step up into an even larger scoring role. It's safe to say those questions are getting answered with a resounding "yes, she can."
Madina Okot, C, South Carolina
Madina Okot's transfer to South Carolina flew under the radar a bit since the Gamecocks also added Ta'Niya Latson, but Okot has already been a huge addition in the frontcourt with Chloe Kitts sidelined.
The 6-foot-5 Okot is averaging 12.3 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game. She pairs nicely up front with sophomore Joyce Edwards — in 44 minutes with both players on the floor, the Gamecocks have an absurd net rating of plus-76.9.
Paint-protecting bigs are a bit of a dying breed in the WNBA, but Okot looks like someone who can carve out a role on the right team.
Gianna Kneepkens, G, UCLA
I wrote a lot about Gianna Kneepkens this offseason, but I'm not sure I mentioned a specific fear I had: that with so many talented players in UCLA's lineup, she might fade into the background.
Maybe I didn't voice that fear because I didn't really think it'd be an issue. So far, I was right to not say anything, because Kneepkens is tied with Gabriela Jaquez for the team lead in scoring at 16.3 points per game. Her 3-point percentage is down a bit in the early going, but it's been good to see her being aggressive on a roster where she could have faded into the background.
Micah Gray, G, Oklahoma State
I've been a huge fan of Micah Gray since she began her career at Texas Southern, but I never really thought of her as a pro prospect. A fun college player, sure, but it didn't seem like she'd land in the WNBA.
I have now changed my tune. Gray landed at Oklahoma State last season and had a strong first season, but she's off to an even better start this year. Gray is currently the Division I leader in win shares at 1.6 and offensive win shares at 1.2. Part of that is obviously that the Cowgirls have already played five games, but Gray's also averaging 18.2 points and 4.0 assists per game while shooting 43.2 percent from deep on 8.8 attempts per game. If she can be an efficient volume shooter from 3-point range, she'll find herself moving up draft boards.
Maggie Doogan, F, Richmond
Richmond's time as a ranked team didn't last long, as the Spiders lost 85-56 to Texas on Nov. 7. However, it's hard to put the blame on that loss on the team's star player, Maggie Doogan.
Against one of the nation's best teams, Doogan scored 22 points and added seven rebounds, five assists and two steals. She was 3-for-8 from deep. One thing about Doogan's game is that she's very good at impacting the court in multiple ways on both ends of the floor, and that's what she did against the Longhorns. It's just that the rest of the Richmond team was unable to find success against a stifling Texas defense. That's not on Doogan, who showed she can still be very good — though slightly less efficient — despite a matchup with an elite opponent.