Top 5 Big Ten prospects to watch out for in 2025 WNBA Draft ft. Kiki Iriafen

The Big Ten thrived in women's basketball this season. The conference produced two No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament: USC and UCLA. Twelve tournament teams came from the Big Ten this postseason.

March Madness is now over, meaning college basketball fans have turned their attention to the 2025 WNBA draft. The draft, set to take place on April 14, will feature a number of Big Ten stars who are looking to take their career to the professional level.

Here's a list of the top five Big Ten prospects to look out for in the draft.

Top 5 Big Ten prospects to watch out for in 2025 WNBA draft

KiKi Iriafen, forward, USC

KiKi Iriafen is expected to be the No. 4 or No. 5 pick in the WNBA draft, the highest of any Big Ten player. The forward spent just one year in the conference, playing for USC this season after beginning her college career with three seasons at Stanford.

As a senior, Iriafen averaged 18.0 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists while shooting 49.0%. She contributed on both sides of the ball, adding 0.9 steals and 0.6 blocks per game.

Iriafen aided in leading the top-ranked Trojans on a March Madness run to the Elite Eight, even without JuJu Watkins. She is a proven leader who could provide a WNBA team with a high-scoring forward with excellent rebounding.

Shyanne Sellers, guard, Maryland

Shyanne Sellers is also expected to be a first-round pick in the 2025 WNBA draft, projected to go No. 6 or No. 7. The guard has spent the entirety of her college career at Maryland, emerging as a starter over the past two seasons. She is the first player in Terrapins history to reach 1,500 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists.

At 6-foot-2, Sellers is a sizable guard. She averaged 14.4 ppg and 3.8 rpg as a senior, showing off her ability to put up double-digit points and her rebounding potential. Her 40.8% shooting from beyond the arc will also interest WNBA teams.

Lucy Olsen, Guard, Iowa

Lucy Olsen is likely to be a second-round pick in this year's draft. The guard transferred to Iowa for her final season of eligibility after three years at Villanova. She fit in nicely for the Hawkeyes, who looked to move forward without Caitlin Clark.

Olsen led Iowa in points, with 17.9, and assists, with 5.1. She was a first-team All-Big Ten selection and helped guide her team to a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The point guard has proven scoring potential with over 2,000 career points.

This is a guard with the skill set to be a strong contributor in the league, and fans should look out for her to be drafted somewhere in the second round.

Deja Kelly, Guard, Oregon

Deja Kelly has declared for the 2025 WNBA draft. The senior spent this season at Oregon after four seasons at North Carolina. She led the Ducks in points, with 12.2, and assists, with 3.3.

Kelly helped lead Oregon to its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2022 and its first Round of 32 appearance since 2021. She has both rebounding and assisting potential and is a two-way force, having averaged 1.5 steals per game this season.

The senior is slightly undersized at 5-8 and struggles with shooting. If she ends up being drafted, it likely will not be until the third round.

Janiah Barker, Forward, UCLA

Janiah Barker has yet to announce her plans for next season, but some speculate that she could declare for the WNBA draft. The junior played for UCLA this season after transferring from Texas A&M.

Barker is a strong rebounder, averaging 6.0 rpg in just 17.5 minutes this season. She also contributed 7.4 ppg and 1.4 apg. The forward has defensive potential, putting up 0.6 steals and 0.5 blocks per game. Her shooting from beyond the arc needs some work, as she averaged just 18.2% from three this season.

It's unclear if Barker plans to declare for the WNBA draft. If she does, she will likely be a third-round pick. It might be in her best interest to return to UCLA for her senior season.

About the author

Lindsey Ware is a college sports journalist at Sportskeeda with over five years of experience working with publications such as The News & Observer, The Daily Tar Heel, Triangle Tribune and Cardiac Cane. She has also worked for Major League Baseball, The Holly Springs Salamanders, The Tri-City Chili Peppers, Tuffy Talk, Super Meteors Basketball, Just Good Network and Living Sport.

Lindsey has a Bachelor’s Degree in Media and Journalism from UNC Chapel Hill. Her education allowed Lindsey to gain experience in sports communication, which she honed in internships. Other than being a storyteller and sports fanatic, Lindsey is also a social media and marketing specialist.

Her favorite college team is UNC, although she grew up a N.C. State fan as both of her parents are Wolfpack alumni. Michael Jordan was a huge deal in North Carolina when Lindsey was growing up, and after a summer spent at UNC’s Sports Journalism Camp back in high school, Lindsey was set on being a Tar Heel.

Lindsey's favorite college coach of all time is Roy Williams. During her time attending UNC Chapel Hill and writing for The Daily Tar Heel, Lindsey was lucky enough to meet and speak with Williams a few times. He was like a celebrity on UNC’s campus and was beloved for his coaching style and success with the Tar Heels, accumulating three NCAA championship titles in 18 years.

When not watching or writing about sports, Lindsey enjoys reading, trying new restaurants and coffee shops, and spending time with my friends, family and dog. She also likes to journal, watch movies and paint.

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Edited by Joseph Schiefelbein