Most outlets (including this one) project South Carolina to have exactly three players drafted in the first round, a feat that has been accomplished seven times previously, including five years in a row from 2016-2020.
The gold standard for a collegiate draft class came in 2002, when UConn had four players drafted in the first six picks: Sue Bird, Swin Cash, Asjha Jones and Tamika Williams. The first three were all All-Stars and Olympians, with Cash already a Hall of Famer and Bird set to join her soon.
Even if the Gamecocks get four draftees in the first round (Laeticia Amihere, Brea Beal, Aliyah Boston and Zia Cooke), they would be hard-pressed to match the overall impact of that Huskies quartet. Nevertheless, producing three first-round picks and two All-Stars would still put this group in rarefied air alongside 2008 Tennessee's class with Candace Parker and Nicky Anosike, 2019 Notre Dame's class with Jackie Young and Arike Ogunbowale, and 2020 Oregon's class with Sabrina Ionescu and Satou Sabally.
(Photo: Jacob Kupferman / Getty Images)
