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Since the first WNBA draft in 1997, hundreds of the top women’s college basketball starts have heard their names called. But only one program has averaged more than one first round pick per draft — UConn. The Huskies have had 25 first-round picks, by far the most in the country.
Last year, Oregon star Sabrina Ionescu went No. 1 overall to the New York Liberty in the 2020 draft. Ionescu was Oregon’s first-ever draft pick in the top round.
Here are the colleges with the most WNBA first-round draft picks (through 2020):
| RANK | COLLEGE | FIRST-ROUND PICKS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | UConn | 25 |
| 2 | Tennessee | 15 |
| 3 | Stanford | 12 |
| 4 | Duke | 11 |
| 5 | Notre Dame | 10 |
| 6 | Baylor | 9 |
| 6 | South Carolina | 9 |
| 8 | North Carolina | 8 |
| 8 | Georgia | 8 |
| 8 | Maryland | 8 |
| 11 | Rutgers | 7 |
| 11 | LSU | 7 |
Do you see the trend with these particular schools? These 12 schools have combined for 30 national championships, most recently Stanford in 2021.
Since 1997, 21 of the 24 top overall picks came from NCAA Division I schools. The remaining three came from overseas.
No school has produced more No. 1 picks than Connecticut, which has five.
UConn’s five is Sue Bird (2002, Seattle Storm), Diana Taurasi (2004, Phoenix Mercury), Tina Charles (2010, Connecticut Sun), Maya Moore (2011, Minnesota Lynx) and Breanna Stewart (2016, Seattle Storm).
In all, 14 schools have had at least one No. 1 pick taken with four having more than one.
Here’s are the colleges with the most overall WNBA No. 1 picks:
| RANK | COLLEGE | NO. 1 OVERALL PICKS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | UConn | 5 |
| 2 | Notre Dame | 2 |
| 2 | Stanford | 2 |
| 2 | Tennessee | 2 |
