Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese helped women’s basketball take its place worldwide new heights in the last two years. There may be a decrease in ratings compared to last season record highThere are many talented actors ready to continue their rise, including Paige Bueckers, JuJu Watkins, Deja Kelly, and Hannah Hidalgo.

“I know we lost some greats in Angel and Caitlin, but we gained so much more. “We gained so much more talent, skill sets and marketability,” South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said. “I’m happy, I can share this with other people who are just starting the channel.”

Watkins, a Los Angeles native, stands out at home games in Southern California, which are known to routinely sell out and feature celebrity crowds.

“I don’t know if there’s a young African American superstar in women’s basketball at this age who would have that platform, and I think it would bring a lot to the communities both in Los Angeles and across the country,” USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. in question. “I wouldn’t bet against him being able to overcome anything. At the same time, it is our job to prepare him for what may happen, to ensure that he can feel joy and remain a child.”

USC sought advice from Iowa on how to handle the intense attention on Watkins this year. The USC sophomore said it was special that when they first met, Caitlin Clark offered to help her if she needed advice about becoming the face of women’s basketball.

“He’s great. “It shows what a good person he is outside of basketball,” Watkins said. “It definitely means a lot to have that kind of mentorship and to have that relationship with him. “She has had the biggest impact on women’s basketball, and being able to see her journey is truly inspiring.”

Watkins is a truly talented sophomore. three out of five Preseason All-Americans We are sophomores – this is the first time this has happened.

“I never thought I would be the face of something,” said Hidalgo, one of three All-Americans. “I didn’t have any expectations coming in. I just wanted to come and play basketball and of course win. Just seeing this generation of talent is like nothing else.”

Bueckers and Kelly bridge the gap between the next group and the previous group. Both entered the school at the same time as Clark. While Bueckers’ career was sidelined for a while due to injury, Kelly is part of a senior class that could benefit from a COVID year.

“I think we learned one of the best lessons in a while, the lesson of 2020,” said Kelly, who transferred from North Carolina to Oregon for his senior season. “And of course, with half of them going into the draft last year, you still have a significant amount that are still in school. I don’t want people to forget that.”

Ten years ago, outstanding players were only available at a handful of schools, but now they are more spread out across the country, giving more people the chance to witness their stardom. It also helped make more games available on TV and make players more visible at an earlier age through name, image and likeness.

“I think there are a lot of stars waiting to explode,” NC State coach Wes Moore said. “And with the attention and news we’re getting now, there will be a lot of new stars emerging.”

Kelly sees the sport as being in good hands and will continue to thrive even when the rest of the class is gone.

“Everybody at their respective schools is doing a really good job of making a name for themselves,” Kelly said. “And, like I said, there are still a lot of big names in college waiting to enter the draft this year and will continue to do so, so I think women’s basketball is in a very good spot.”

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AP Basketball Writer Aaron Beard and AP Sports Writers Andrew Seligman and John Zenor contributed to this story.

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