I was sitting in the media area of Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama, during the Sweet 16 last year. I was chatting with another writer, talking about how there really is no offseason (great podcast on The Athletic, by the way) for women’s hoops.

Think about it:

  • The WNBA season runs from May until October
  • NCAA women’s basketball runs from October until April
  • Unrivaled runs from January to March

And that’s only basketball stateside. 

It’s nonstop. It’s a lot. And it’s absolutely fantastic. 

And while it’s a lot for the basketball fan, it’s even more strenuous for the players—especially those who are entering the WNBA Draft right after their season concludes. 

“It was definitely a quick turnaround,” Te-Hina Paopao said after being drafted by the Atlanta Dream nine days after playing in the NCAA Championship game.

It’ll be a quick turnaround for players who are entering the 2026 WNBA Draft, too. But before they get to that point, they continue to build their resumes throughout the 2026-2027 collegiate season.

Every other week at Winsidr, we’ll be taking a look at players we’re expecting to appear in this year’s draft class, what they are doing on the court, and how their value is changing.

 

Olivia Miles (G – TCU)

Last year, there was one guarantee in the draft: Paige Bueckers was going No. 1 overall. After that, Olivia Miles was the name that most had going second until Dominique Malonga started gaining momentum as the draft got closer.

At worst, though, Miles wasn’t going to drop further than No. 3 in the draft, which is why it was surprising when Miles not only said that she was returning to college for another season, but was transferring away from Notre Dame to TCU.

Mark Campbell’s program has had success with transfers. Look no further than his Elite Eight team last year which featured Hailey Van Lith. And Miles is hoping to go out with a bang in college, replicating the type of success for TCU that it has had in the past while positioning herself as a top-three prospect once again.

So far, so good. Through five games, Miles is averaging 18.4 points per game (PPG) on 49.1 percent shooting. While yes, her eFG% has dipped to 53.3 percent, her assist rate has climbed up to 35.8 percent as a go-to facilitator for the Horned Frogs. As of this filing, Miles is one of four players in all of the country with a Win Shares value higher than 2.0.

It’s eight games so far, and there’s a lot of basketball to play. However, Miles is picking up right where she left off, looking like a clear-cut option to go top three in the draft.

Azzi Fudd (PG – UConn)

Speaking of players deciding to return to school, look no further than Fudd. And honestly, I get it.

During the early part of the season last year, Fudd was tentative and looked like she was shaking off rust from her ACL injury. Understandably so, right?

But the thing is, March Madness can change a lot for a player.

Look at Van Lith, who was seen as a late second-round pick at best before March came along, but was able to improve her stock and get drafted by the Chicago Sky in the first round.

The same path was happening with Fudd. Right before the end of the season, the thought was that Fudd was an early second-round pick if she decided to declare for the draft. There were some rumblings of the backend of the first round, but the late surge alone wasn’t enough to get her to the first round.

But the tournament changed that, as she immediately became in discussions to go top six if she declared.

Fudd made the decision to go back to school for another year, to show that she is healthy, and get another year of high-level experience under her belt as the option for UConn. 

Yes, Sarah Strong helps. As do Kayleigh Heckle, KK Arnold, Serah William, and, well, you get the picture.

But it’s different this year. It’s always been Bueckers’ team while Fudd was at UConn. It’s her turn to lead, and it’s going pretty, pretty well so far.

Through seven games, Fudd has the second-highest usage rate of her career, and her 19.7 PPG on 51 percent shooting are both career highs. 

What we’ve been able to see with Fudd is that she’s been operating as the primary ballhandler for the Huskies, averaging a career-best 3.4 assists per game (up from 1.8 last year) and a 34.3 PER, which is in the 99th percentile in the country.

Fudd is showing that the late-season surge last year wasn’t a fluke, but it’s who she is. It’s a reminder of the player that she was before her injury, and the player that she is now that she’s at 100 percent.

 

Cotie McMahon (F – Ole Miss)

McMahon rolled the dice in the transfer portal, opting to leave Ohio State after three fantastic years there to go to Ole Miss to play for Coach Yo (Yolett McPhee-McCuin). 

Moving to the SEC for one year was a gamble for McMahon. It is still a gamble for McMahon. But so far, she’s thriving down south.

It helps that she’s one of the most physical players in the country, which makes her a perfect fit for the style of play in the SEC.

McMahon and Latasha Lattimore, another transfer, are fitting right in beside Sira Thienou and Christeen Iwuala for Ole Miss.

But it’s McMahon who is leading the way early for the Rebels. Her usage, scoring, and field goal percentage are all at career highs already under Coach Yo, and she’s hitting the glass hard, along with Lattimore and Iwuala, to rank third in the country in defensive rebounding rate. 

The physical approach to McMahon’s game hasn’t been reduced or exposed in the SEC. In fact, the ability to still play that style of ball at a high level in this conference only increases her draft stock.