With their professional debuts looming at the WNBA Draft, UConn and South Carolina standouts are heeding their head coaches’ final orders.
NEW YORK—With WNBA Draft hype in full swing, stars from the South Carolina Gamecocks and UConn Huskies have had their final words on the Final Four.
(Photo by C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
The latest chapter between the college basketball powers predictably produced several players who will hear their names called at the 2026 WNBA Draft on Monday night in Manhattan (7 p.m. ET, ESPN). Azzi Fudd represents the Huskies in New York, while Raven Johnson, Ta’Niya Latson, and Madina Okot comprise the Columbia contingent that posted a 62-48 win, earning them entry into the national title game.
Postgame extracurriculars between lauded head coaches Geno Auriemma and Dawn Staley somewhat overshadowed the latest chapter of the relatively young yet passionate rivalry. Tensions rose in the otherwise mundane tradition of the postgame handshake, but cooler heads have since prevailed: both Auriemma and Staley put aside the drama to call for the national narrative to shift back toward the progress and innovations of women’s basketball instead of honing in on their lack of pleasantries.
South Carolina, UConn Will Shake It Off
Players on both sides were ready to fulfill their respective coaches’ final orders as they descended upon New York to meet their professional destinies.
“The growth has been insane…I don’t think anyone could have predicted this, just how much the game has grown, the media, the attention, and all the positive feedback,” Azzi Fudd said as draftees gathered at The Luxury Collective Hotel in Midtown Manhattan. “I felt like, growing up, there was so much negativity around women’s sports, women’s basketball. To have all those… labels kind of squashed [is great]. We actually are really good at our sport, like we are stronger, confident, like we don’t back down.”
Raven Johnson making it hard for NPOY Sarah Strong pic.twitter.com/016DlusPbd
— Shabazz (@ShowCaseShabazz) April 3, 2026
“She always says that you’ve got to work for what you want. If you don’t work for what you want, it’s just not going to be handed to you,” Raven Johnson added, taking things a little more personally. “I think she means you have to get in a gym. You put in what you get out. You have to put into basketball to get the awards, the benefits that you want out of basketball. Every time she says that, that means a lot to me. That means me watching film, getting in a gym, pouring into a teammate. It’s little things like that that go along the way. So I want to carry that with me for the rest of my life.”
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UConn, South Carolina Prospects Headline 2026 WNBA Draft
Draft night has long been a holiday for fans in Columbia and Storrs, and the trend will continue on Monday. All four players from the 2026 Final Four meeting should hear their names called fairly early. Fudd has been a popular pick to lead mock drafts, with many expressing interest in seeing her reunite with fellow UConn champion Paige Bueckers in Dallas, which owns the top choice for the second consecutive spring. In addition to Fudd, UConn fans may also get to see the drafting of Serah Williams, who has been a popular selection in mocks that extend to the second and third rounds.
“This is why I came to South Carolina. To play in the National Championship and win it.”
—Ta’Niya Latson is one win away from glory @GamecockWBB pic.twitter.com/AWnzdsxCUm
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) April 4, 2026
Gamecocks and Huskies at the top of the board bring about a sense of tradition and normalcy atop the draft board, but there’s something a little different about this class: it’s the first to be staged since the WNBA and its players agreed to a groundbreaking collective bargaining agreement that has raised salaries across the league. Reports of seven-figure salaries during the free agency fastbreak have emerged, while Monday’s top pick is due to start on a $500,000 salary.
The work of the veteran players, those who fought at the bargaining table rather than on the floor, will serve as the ultimate example for the incoming talent.
“[The incoming class] has to be carrying all the load that the Players Association did for us, especially with the CBA helping the new generation be able to be active and have a voice for women’s basketball and women’s sports in general, women in general,” Latson said in explaining what she’ll do to heed Staley’s words. “[We can’t] be afraid to voice [our concerns]. We just got to keep moving the needle.”
The Draftees Will Let Their Play Do the Talking
The latest bout between UConn and South Carolina, the fourth in the regional final round or later since 2018, left a profound impact on the draft board. Latson harkened back to her headlining days at Florida State with a game-best 16 points (pairing them with 11 rebounds) while Johnson’s defense on Fudd and more opened eyes as well.
Fudd, limited to eight points in an offensive struggle for Storrs, opted to glean the positives from the defeat, which could well be used as fuel for the rest of her career.
Azzi Fudd is equipped with a pure jumper and effortless range
Follow her next steps in the #WNBADraft presented by State Street Investment Management SPY.
Tune in Monday at 7pm/ET on ESPN pic.twitter.com/NKsJM1qD9g
— WNBA (@WNBA) April 11, 2026
“It’s not the way we wanted to end our season, but there was a lot to take away, [like] how incredible my five years have been,” Fudd said. “It’s hard to sit knowing my last game [was a loss], but that’s not what it’s all about. [It’s about] being able to learn from that, being able to take all those experiences, the wins, the losses, the hard practices, the everything.”
“[It’s about] the good, the bad, being able to learn from that, continue to grow from that, and then bring all those habits, and those from that championship, that winning mentality I got from UConn, being able to bring those with me and implement that wherever I go.”
Be sure to follow us for 2026 WNBA Draft coverage LIVE from New York. Check out our mock draft here.
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