Top 5 women high school hoopers in the last 5 years and where are they now ft. Paige Bueckers

Every year, we witness incredible talents emerge in girls' high school basketball, and each time, they seem to be the next big thing. Of course, some of them carry their brilliance into college basketball and eventually make their mark in the WNBA. However, some, due to circumstances, end up not as their potential had suggested.

In this article, we take a look at the top five women high school hoopers from the past five years, evaluating their basketball journeys so far and where they stand today.

Paige Bueckers (2020)

Paige Madison Bueckers had quite a spectacular high school basketball career. As a freshman, she was Hopkins' highest scorer, leading the team to a 31-1 record while averaging 20.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists.

She practically dominated high school basketball, winning nearly every major accolade, including the Class 4A state championship, Gatorade National Player of the Year, Naismith Prep Player of the Year, and Minnesota Miss Basketball, among others. By the time she graduated, she was the No. 1 ranked recruit in the nation, and every top college program wanted her.

Bueckers wasted no time in showing her incredible talent at the college level. As a freshman with Uconn, she swept every National Player of the Year award she was eligible for, including AP Player of the Year, Naismith College Player of the Year, and the USBWA Women's National Player of the Year. Even more impressive, she was the first freshman in history to win any of these awards.

Bueckers' sophomore year was, however, derailed by injuries. She first underwent ankle surgery, which sidelined her for most of the offseason. Then, midway through the season, she suffered a left knee fracture that kept her out for about eight weeks.

Her injury struggles continued the following year. In fact, she was forced to redshirt what would have been her junior season due to an ACL tear that sidelined her for the entire 2022-23 campaign.

However, even with these challenges, Bueckers still became the fastest player in UConn history to reach 1,000 career points when she got back to playing the following season. She also played a key role in UConn's Big East tournament title that season.

To make up for her lost year, Bueckers chose to return to UConn for the 2024-25 season instead of joining the 2024 WNBA draft as a top-three pick. She continues to play for the Huskies and currently averages 18.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.4 assists this season.

Azzi Fudd (2021)

Another UConn recruit, Azzi Fudd also dealt with impeding injuries, which started during high school at St. John's College. Shortly after her sophomore year, in which she won the Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year, she suffered two injuries to her right knee, which sidelined her for several weeks.

However, despite the injury setback, she still ended up as the No. 1-ranked prospect in the country at the time of graduation.

As a freshman at UConn, Fudd averaged 12.1 points and 2.7 rebounds per game. Sadly, that season remains the only injury-free campaign of her college career so far.

As a sophomore, she suffered another knee injury that sidelined her for about six weeks. But despite the setback, she still managed to finish the season with solid numbers, averaging 15.1 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.

Like Bueckers, Fudd's junior season was also a complete write-off due to injury. After just one game, she suffered an ACL tear that ruled her out for the rest of the season. She's, however, back on the court for her senior year, and is currently averaging 11.2 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.

Lauren Betts (2022)

Lauren Bets spent her high school basketball career at Grandview High School, where she established herself as the top-ranked player in the country. She led her team to the state title game as a sophomore and eventually won the title as a senior.

Betts was recruited by Stanford as the number one player in the 2022 class. However, she ended up spending only one season with the Cardinals, where she recorded an average of 5.9 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.

She made the transition to UCLA for her sophomore year, and it ultimately yielded better results for her; she got featured in more games, making 27 starts for the Bruins and averaging 14.9 points.

She's currently in her junior year with the Bruins, where she's averaging 20.2 points, 9.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game.

Juju Watkins (2023)

Juju Watkins kickstarted her High School basketball career at Windward High School but transferred to Sierra Canyon in her junior year. At Windward, she won the Los Angeles Times Player of the Year and the SportsKid of the Year award while averaging 21 points and nine rebounds as a freshman.

Her sophomore season was equally brilliant, as she averaged 27 points and 12 rebounds per game.

At Sierra Canyon School, Watkins led her team to the Open Division state title, averaging 25 points, 10.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists as a junior. As a senior, she helped the Trailblazers to the CIF Southern Section Open Division title while averaging 27.3 points, 13.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.

She also earned several accolades, including the Gatorade National Player of the Year and Naismith Prep Player of the Year.

Watkins was recruited by USC as the No.1-ranked player in the 2023 class, and she wasted no time showing her quality. In her debut game, she set the record for most points scored by a debutant with 32.

She ended the season averaging 27.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.3 steals per game. She also won several accolades, including the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award.

Watkins is currently in her sophomore season with the Trojans, averaging 23.9 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.

Sarah Strong (2024)

Currently in her freshman season with the Huskies, Sarah Strong is another No. 1-ranked Uconn recruit. She was recruited from Grace Christian School, which she joined in her sophomore year from Fuquay-Varina High School. As a freshman at Fuquay-Varina, she averaged 25 points and 19 rebounds per game.

The next three years at Grace Christian School saw her win three consecutive NCISAA state titles with the team. She also won a number of accolades, including two North Carolina Miss Basketball awards and one Naismith High School Player of the Year award.

The 19-year-old forward is currently averaging 17.1 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists with the Huskies this season.