With stands filled and views up, talented women’s college basketball players have struck the court with immense talent and hardwork, bringing new popularity to the women’s side of College Basketball. With news everywhere of various college records being smashed by shooting guards, point guards, and block players alike, Women’s College Basketball is paving the way for women to gain popularity in sports of all kinds. 

Stand out players are coming from all over the country displaying talent in both small and large colleges. The first ranked women’s player, currently, is guard Catilyn Clark from The University of Iowa (Iowa). On March 3, 2024, Clark surpassed Louisiana State University’s (LSU) player Pete Maravich’s record of 3,667 points, allowing her to take the title of leading scorer for the most career points in Division I (D1) history in both men and women’s basketball. 

Zac Crist ‘24 speaks on his personal investment in College Women’s Basketball, “At school I watch the Foothill girls’ basketball play all the time. Women’s basketball was a big thing this year, so I was on vacation and we saw it on TV everywhere, so we put it on and watched.” 

Clark is an inspiration for individuals of all ages and genders as she uses her immense talents to gain views and take Women’s Basketball to the next level. Some of her more impressive records consist of: achieving the most points in a single season in Division I history, breaking the Big Ten all time scoring record and breaking Iowa’s single game scoring record. She became the third player in Iowa history to have her jersey number retired, meaning no one on Iowa basketball would be able to wear number 22 on their jersey again. Clark also impressed crowds by setting the Big Ten career record for 3-pointers, bypassing Stephen Curry who is said to be the greatest three point shooter in the NBA.  

Other key players in the league right now are forward Angel Reese from LSU, forward Cameron Brink from Stanford University, guards Paige Bueckers and Nika Mühl from the University of Connecticut (UCONN), forward Kamilla Cardoso from The University of South Carolina and freshman guard Juju Watkins from the University of Southern California (USC).

Crist speaks on social media raising awareness, “I saw it all over TikTok so I would keep up with the players instead of just the game. It was like I was connecting with them more, and so I watched it more.”

Recently, the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) held their 2024-2025 draft in which many viewers eagerly watched, hoping to follow their favorite Women’s College Basketball players into their futures. The number one pick was Clark from Iowa,  who was chosen by Indiana Fever. The second pick was Brink from Stanford, selected by the Los Angeles Sparks. The third pick was Cardoso from the University of South Carolina who was chosen by the Chicago Sky, joined by Reese from LSU who was picked seventh by the Chicago Sky as well. This garnered the attention of many, as her and Cardoso were said to be the two best forwards in Women’s College Basketball. Finally, Mühl from UCONN was picked 14th by the Seattle Storm. 

Alexa Taylor ‘24 spoke on what this uprise means to her as a female basketball player on the Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) girls’ basketball team, “I think it’s so important because a lot of women’s basketball players have been playing so hard for so many years and they’re finally getting the recognition they deserve.”

Through a combination of new, talented players and entertaining play, College Women’s Basketball players have brought new publicity to the previously overlooked sport. With 24 million viewers for the women’s final March Madness game this year, this was the first time in history that Women’s Basketball topped the total viewers for the men’s final March Madness game, according to the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN). 

High hopes from fans and spectators continue to rise as the popularity from College Women’s Basketball is thought to soon transfer over to the WNBA, a league that has been searching for equality in many areas such as funding and equal pay for the players. These recently graduated college stars will soon step foot on the upper level courts of the WNBA, preceded by generations of talented women’s basketball players, all taking a step closer to changing women’s basketball for the better.