We Speak Women's College Basketball

Azzi Fudd Goes No. 1 as UCLA’s Title Core Sweeps the First Round of the 2026 WNBA Draft

Published

6 months ago

April 13, 2026

The 2026 WNBA Draft opened with a reunion and closed with a record. The Dallas Wings selected UConn guard Azzi Fudd with the No. 1 overall pick on Monday night at The Shed at Hudson Yards in New York City, reuniting her with former UConn teammate and fellow No. 1 pick Paige Bueckers in Dallas. Fudd became the seventh UConn player taken No. 1 overall in WNBA draft history. TCU guard Olivia Miles went second to the Minnesota Lynx, and Seattle took Spanish center Awa Fam Thiam third.

The night, though, belonged to the national champions. UCLA placed five players in the first round — a WNBA draft record for one school — beginning with center Lauren Betts at No. 4 to Washington, followed by Gabriela Jaquez at No. 5 to Chicago and Kiki Rice at No. 6 to the expansion Toronto Tempo in a run of three straight Bruins. Angela Dugalic went ninth to Washington and Gianna Kneepkens 15th to Connecticut. With Charlisse Leger-Walker taken 18th by Connecticut in the second round, six Bruins were drafted overall — also a single-school record.

The SEC was all over the board. LSU star Flau’Jae Johnson was drafted eighth by Golden State and traded to Seattle for the draft rights to Marta Suárez and a 2028 second-round pick — the only first-rounder traded on the night. South Carolina sent guard Raven Johnson to Indiana at No. 10 and center Madina Okot to Atlanta at No. 13, and Gamecock guard Ta’Niya Latson went 20th to Los Angeles in the second round. Ole Miss forward Cotie McMahon went 11th to Washington.

The 2026 draft was also the first for the league’s two newest expansion teams, Toronto and Portland — a fitting stage for a class that rewrote the record book.

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Five-Star Center Zaniya Johnson Commits to South Carolina

Five-star center Zaniya Johnson of Biloxi, Mississippi, committed to South Carolina over LSU, becoming Dawn Staley’s third five-star pledge of October for the Class of 2027.

Published

3 days ago

October 22, 2026

Royal Jones

Zaniya Johnson poses with South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley during her official visit to Columbia

Dawn Staley’s October run on the recruiting trail is officially a streak. Five-star center Zaniya Johnson announced Wednesday that she is taking her game to South Carolina, choosing the Gamecocks over finalist LSU and giving Staley her third five-star commitment of the month for the Class of 2027.

The 6-foot-4 post from Biloxi, Mississippi, is ranked No. 18 in ESPN’s SC Next 100 for the Class of 2027, and the 247Sports Composite has her at No. 16 overall and the No. 2 center in the class. She is the top-rated player in Mississippi.

“I truly believe [South Carolina] has everything I need and more to grow both on and off the court,” Johnson told ESPN. “South Carolina has a proven track record of developing post players, and having the opportunity to be part of a program like that was something I couldn’t pass up.”

Johnson visited Columbia on Oct. 2 and was spotted alongside Staley on the sideline before the Kentucky football game. She also took visits to Florida State and Texas A&M, and she canceled a scheduled Mississippi State visit after her South Carolina trip — an early sign of where this was headed. She made it official at a ceremony at her school on Oct. 21.

Johnson joins guards Taylor Brown, who committed on Oct. 3, and Jezelle “GG” Banks, the No. 4 overall player in the class, in South Carolina’s 2027 haul. After loading up on the perimeter, Staley now has her true center — a traditional back-to-the-basket post in the mold the Gamecocks love to build around.

As a junior, Johnson averaged 14.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game. She passed 1,000 career points as a sophomore and 1,000 career rebounds as a junior, and she is a two-time Region Player of the Year. For a program with a proven record of developing post players, the fit in the paint is easy to see.

Photo: Johnson’s official visit to South Carolina (via ESPN)