Caitlin Clark’s ascension to the top of the WNBA world is one that many saw coming, considering her success at Iowa. However, with the 22-year-old continuing to dominate on the biggest stage, there is an opening ripe for the taking to be the next big college basketball star.
As it stands, there are a handful of stars that could take Clark’s place as the biggest star in college basketball: Paige Bueckers, Kiki Iriafen and Aneesah Morrow. There are more than a handful of other college basketball stars that could feasibly take the luster away from the aforementioned three, though that remains to be seen until the season begins.
With Clark dominating in the WNBA, here is an in-depth look into who might claim the Hawkeyes’ star’s vacated spot in the limelight.
- Geno Auriemma perfectly sums up Paige Bueckers brilliance with Taylor Swift comparison
- Paige Bueckers target clear as Caitlin Clark pressure builds at UConn
Paige Bueckers is college basketball’s biggest star, as it stands (
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Paige Bueckers
Of the three, Bueckers is one of the most popular picks to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, if she continues on the torrid pace under UConn head coach Geno Auriemma. Tabbed as the next successor to the Huskies’ legendary dynasty, Bueckers has led UConn to postseason success, though a national championship eludes her.
What’s more, Bueckers understands that Auriemma is hungry for a championship, just like she is. During Big East media day, the star guard explained how the lack of a national championship is driving UConn this season.
“He’s very motivated this season ’cause we came up short so many times that he wants it for us as bad as we want it ourselves,” she said, per Essentially Sports. “So he’s very tedious about things, very hard on the details and making sure that we’re not allowing these bad habits to carry on but stopping them right away when they happen. But you can tell as much as I have a sense of urgency, he has one too. He wants it super bad for me, he wants it super bad for the team.”
If Bueckers secures a national championship, her status as the biggest star in college basketball is unquestioned.
Kiki Iriafen could be college basketball’s biggest star, provided she excels playing alongside JuJu Watkins (
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Kiki Iriafen
A star player at Stanford, Iriafen is a 6-foot-3 forward who could wreak havoc against opposing defenses. In her final year at Stanford, she averaged 19.4 points on 54.6 percent shooting from the field, to go along with 11.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists.
In the offseason, Iriafen transferred to USC, teaming up with star guard JuJu Watkins to form a formidable one-two combo, with the former doing her damage in the paint and the latter being an outside presence. While her numbers surely will dip, there is no mistaking that Iriafen is one of the more underrated stars in college basketball.
Aneesah Morrow is poised to be a star as the undisputed leader at LSU (
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Aneesah Morrow
With Angel Reese now in Chicago as the Sky’s next star, LSU is looking for their next star to lead them to the national championship. And who better to lead them there than Morrow, the heir apparent to Reese’s crown in Baton Rouge?
A capable guard, Morrow’s ability to fill up the stat sheet makes her an incredible asset for LSU as it looks to capture college basketball glory yet again. Reese made sure to let the college basketball world how talented Morrow was before the 2024 NCAA women’s basketball tournament.
Speaking to reporters, Reese lauded Morrow’s ability and her potential to be a star. “”Aneesah’s not a second team player, she’s not an honorable mention player. I feel like sometimes she gets overlooked because of me, and I hate that,” Reese said at the time.
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