Greatest High School Girls Basketball Player From Every State

These are the GOAT high school girls basketball players from every state in the U.S.

Picking the greatest high school girls basketball player from every state wasn’t easy, but imagine it like a draft: You’ve got the No. 1 pick in every state and you’ve got the entire history of high school basketball players in every state to pick from … as the player they were in high school. Not in college. Not in the pros or the WNBA if they were good enough to make it that far.

Individual awards are important, as are individual stats. State championships are golden. A great high school basketball player can come from anywhere, no matter the size of the town or city.

Here’s a look at the greatest high school girls basketball players of all time, from all 50 states.

Alabama: Dewanna Bonner, Shooting Guard/Small Forward

Danny Johnston / AP Photo

High school: Fairfield High School (Fairfield, Alabama)

Graduation year: 2005

Height: 6-foot-4

College: Auburn

Bottom line: Dewanna Bonner was the Alabama Gatorade Player of the Year and a McDonald’s All-American at Fairfield High in 2005. She stayed in her home state to star at Auburn, where she was the SEC Player of the Year in 2009. The Phoenix Mercury selected Bonner No. 5 overall in the 2009 WNBA Draft, where she’s been a five-time WNBA All-Star, two-time WNBA champion, and three-time WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year. Bonner played her 14th year of pro basketball in 2023.

Alaska: Ruthy Hebard, Power Forward

wegotnext / Twitter

High school: West Valley High School (Fairbanks, Alaska)

Graduation year: 2016

Height: 6-foot-4

College: Oregon

Bottom line: The most remote location to become a star basketball player for anyone on this list belongs to West Valley High’s Ruthy Hebard coming out of Fairbanks, Alaska. She became a three-time Alaska Gatorade Player of the Year and scored 2,227 career points. As a senior, Hebard filled up the stat sheet as she averaged 25.9 points, 14.8 rebounds, 3.3 steals and 2.1 blocks.

Hebard was a four-time All-Pac-12 pick and two-time winner of the Katrina McClain Award as the nation’s top power forward at Oregon. She became the first Alaskan to win a WNBA championship with the Chicago Sky in 2021.

Arizona: Kayla Pedersen, Power Forward

Gerry Broome / AP Photo

High school: Red Mountain High School (Mesa, Arizona)

Graduation year: 2007

Height: 6-foot-4

College: Stanford

Bottom line: Kayla Pedersen was a two-time Parade All-American at Red Mountain High and led her school to a Class 5A-Division I state championship as a senior in 2007. She was a two-time Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year. Pedersen set the 5A career record with 2,611 points and also had 1,444 rebounds and 304 blocks. The athlete was the 2008 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year at Stanford and helped lead the Cardinal to four consecutive Final Fours. She was selected No. 11 overall in 2011 by the Tulsa Shock and played nine seasons in the WNBA.

Arkansas: Christyn Williams, Shooting Guard

iamchristyw / Twitter

High school: Central Arkansas Christian School (North Little Rock, Arkansas)

Graduation year: 2018

Height: 5-foot-11

College: Connecticut

Bottom line: Central Arkansas Christian School guard Christyn Williams swept all of the major national player of the year awards as a senior in 2018 and capped her career with a Class 4A state championship. Williams averaged 26.8 points and 10.4 rebounds as a senior and left high school as No. 2 on the state career scoring list — CACS went 117-24 over four years with her in the lineup. Williams helped lead UConn to a pair of Final Four appearances and won the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award in 2022 as the nation’s top college shooting guard.

California: Cheryl Miller, Small Forward

darrenrovell / Twitter

High school: Riverside Polytechnic High School (Riverside, California)

Graduation year: 1982

Height: 6-foot-2

College: USC

Bottom line: No state has produced more elite girls high school basketball players than California, which makes the fact that Cheryl Miller is still the GOAT more than 40 years after her last high school game truly remarkable.

Riverside Poly High went 132-4 in four seasons with Miller as she became the first and only four-time Parade All-American — male or female — as well as a two-time Street & Smith National Player of the Year. Miller averaged 32.8 points and 15.0 rebounds for her career and set California records for single-season points (1,156) and career points (3,405). As a senior in 1982, she scored 105 points in a game against Norte Vista High.

Miller won two national championships at USC and was named Naismith National Player of the Year three times and NCAA Tournament MVP twice. Miller led the U.S. to the Olympic gold medal in 1984 and is a member of the Naismith Hall of Fame, Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame and FIBA Hall of Fame. Truly one of one.

Colorado: Ann Strother, Shooting Guard/Small Forward

McDonald's All-American West's Ann Strother

Jeff Zelevansky / AP Photo

High school: Highlands Ranch High School (Highlands Ranch, Colorado)

Graduation year: 2002

Height: 6-foot-3

College: Connecticut

Bottom line: Ann Strother led Highlands Ranch High to back-to-back state championships in 2001 and 2002 and was named both USA Today and Gatorade National Player of the Year as a senior, as well as earning MVP honors at the first girls McDonald’s All-American Game.

Strother won two national championships at UConn playing alongside Diana Taurasi, where they became the first two players in school history with 1,600 points, 600 rebounds, 400 assists, 100 steals and 100 blocks. Strother also played three seasons in the WNBA.

Connecticut: Nykesha Sales, Small Forward

Bob Child / AP Photo

High school: Bloomfield High School (Bloomfield, Connecticut)

Graduation year: 1994

Height: 6-foot

College: Connecticut

Bottom line: One of the first superstars to play for UConn was in-state product Nykesha Sales, who starred at Bloomfield High and was named USA Today National Player of the Year as a senior in 1994. Sales won a national championship as a freshman with the Huskies in 1995 and was a two-time All-American as well as Big East Player of the Year in 1998. Sales played nine seasons in the WNBA and made the All-Star Team eight times in a row, from 1999 to 2006.

Delaware: Elena Delle Donne, Small Forward/Shooting Guard

Steve Ruark / AP Photo

High school: Ursuline Academy (Wilmington, Delaware)

Graduation year: 2008

Height: 6-foot-5

College: Delaware

Bottom line: Ursuline Academy’s Elena Delle Donne swept every major national player of the year award as a senior in 2008 after she led Ursuline to three consecutive state championships. She signed with national powerhouse UConn but left school after just two days and opted to play volleyball as a walk-on at the University of Delaware as a freshman.

Delle Donne returned to basketball in 2009-10 at Delaware and was a four-time All-American, three-time CAA Player of the Year and led the nation in scoring as a sophomore. Selected No. 2 overall in 2013 by the Chicago Sky, Delle Donne is a two-time WNBA MVP, including in 2019 when she led the Washington Mystics to the WNBA championship.

Florida: Sylvia Fowles, Center

Jack Dempsey / AP Photo

High school: Gulliver Prep School (Coral Gables, Florida)

Graduation year: 2004

Height: 6-foot-6

College: LSU

Bottom line: Sylvia Fowles won three state championships at two different high schools — two at Miami Edison High and one at Gulliver Prep, where she averaged 20.6 points and 11.6 rebounds as a senior on the way to being named a McDonald’s All-American.

Fowles led LSU to four consecutive Final Four appearances and set the SEC career record for rebounds. She played 15 seasons in the WNBA, where she won two WNBA championships with the Minnesota Lynx, was WNBA Finals MVP twice, WNBA MVP in 2017 and WNBA Defensive Player of the Year four times while setting the WNBA career record for rebounds. Legend.

Georgia: Maya Moore, Small Forward

Andrew’s Collectible Corner / ebay

High school: Collins Hill High School (Suwanee, Georgia)

Graduation year: 2007

Height: 6-foot

College: Connecticut

Bottom line: Collins Hill’s Maya Moore became just the second player to win Naismith National Player of the Year honors twice and led her school to three state championships and a national championship in 2007.

Moore was a four-time All-American at UConn and led the Huskies to back-to-back national championships in 2009 and 2010. She was the No. 1 overall pick by the Minnesota Lynx in 2011 and led the franchise to four WNBA championships, meaning in a 10-year stretch from 2007 to 2017, teams Moore played on won the championship seven times. Which is unheard of.

Hawaii: Nani Cockett, Guard

hawaiiwbb / Twitter

High school: Kamehameha School (Honolulu, Hawaii)

Graduation year: 1993

Height: 5-foot-11

College: Hawaii

Bottom line: Hawaiian basketball legend Nani Cockett led Kamehameha School to four consecutive Division I state championships and was named Hawaii Gatorade Player of the Year three times. Cockett starred for the University of Hawaii as well, where she was a two-time All-WAC selection and AP All-American as she led her school to three NCAA Tournament appearances. Cockett briefly played in the WNBA and was inducted into the UH Hall of Fame in 2023.

Idaho: Andrea Lloyd, Forward

Jill Connelly / AP Photo

High school: Moscow High School (Moscow, Idaho)

Graduation year: 1983

Height: 6-foot-2

College: Texas

Bottom line: Andrea Lloyd led Moscow to two state championships. She was also a three-time Idaho Player of the Year and a Parade All-American as a senior in 1983 at the University of Texas, where she helped lead the Longhorns to an unbeaten season and national championship in 1986 and another Final Four in 1987. Lloyd won a gold medal with Team USA at the 1988 Olympics and played pro basketball for five seasons before going into broadcasting.

Illinois: Candace Parker, Power Forward

Bill Haber / AP Photo

High school: Naperville Central High School (Naperville, Illinois)

Graduation year: 2004

Height: 6-foot-4

College: Tennessee

Bottom line: Naperville Central’s Candace Parker was the first player to earn national player of the year honors twice from USA Today and Gatorade, sweeping both awards in 2003 and 2004 while being named Gatorade National Athlete of the Year in 2004.

Parker’s career was built on first — she was also the first girl to win the slam dunk contest at the McDonald’s All-American Game and the first girl to announce her commitment live on ESPN.

Parker is also one of the most decorated college and WNBA players of all time, winning two national championships at Tennessee and two WNBA championships. She was named National College Player of the Year twice and WNBA Most Valuable Player twice. GOAT status, unlocked.

Indiana: Skylar Diggins, Point Guard

Matt Cashore / AP Photo

High school: Washington High School (South Bend, Indiana)

Graduation year: 2009

Height: 5-foot-9

College: Notre Dame

Bottom line: Washington High’s Skylar Diggins led her school to a 102-7 record over four years and two state championship game appearances, including a title in 2007. Diggins averaged 25.9 points for her career and capped things off by being named Gatorade National Player of the Year, Gatorade National Female Athlete of the Year and a McDonald’s All-American.

Diggins stayed home to play for Notre Dame, where she led the Irish to three consecutive Final Fours and back-to-back national runner-up finishes. Diggins was a three-time All-American at Notre Dame and is a six-time All-WNBA Team selection through 11 pro seasons.

Iowa: Kiah Stokes, Center

Steve Pope / AP Photo

High school: Linn-Mar High School (Marion, Iowa)

Position: Center

Graduation year: 2011

Height: 6-foot-3

College: Connecticut

Bottom line: Kiah Stokes led Linn-Mar High to a 26-0 season and Class 4A state championship as a junior in 2010. She then averaged 25.0 points, 14.8 rebounds and 5.1 blocks as a senior on the way to being named a McDonald’s All-American.

Stokes, the daughter of former NBA player Greg Stokes, won three national championships at UConn and established herself as one of the school’s greatest defensive players, earning AAC Defensive Player of the Year in 2015.

The athlete won a WNBA championship with the Las Vegas Aces in 2022.

Kansas: Lynette Woodard, Point Guard/Shooting Guard

University of Kansas

High school: Wichita North High School (Wichita, Kansas)

Graduation year: 1977

Height: 6-foot

College: Kansas

Bottom line: Wichita North’s Lynette Woodard was a player ahead of her time. She won two state championships at North before starring at Kansas, where she averaged 26.9 points per game and was a four-time All-American — her 3,649 career points are the all-time scoring record for women’s college basketball.

Woodard won a gold medal for Team USA at the 1984 Olympics and became the first woman to play with the Harlem Globetrotters in 1985. She returned to pro basketball in 1997, at 38 years old, to play in the WNBA and was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2004.

Kentucky: Lisa Harrison, Forward

AP Photo

High school: Southern High School (Louisville, Kentucky)

Graduation year: 1989

Height: 6-foot-1

College: Tennessee

Bottom line: Lisa Harrison set the Kentucky state tournament record with 98 points as she led Southern High to a state championship in 1988. Harrison was a two-time Parade All-American and swept all of the major national player of the year awards as a senior in 1989. The three-time All-State pick played college basketball for Tennessee, where she won a national championship as a sophomore in 1991.

Harrison played a decade of professional basketball, including her final seven seasons in the WNBA.

Louisiana: Kim Mulkey, Point Guard

Doug Pizac / AP Photo

High school: Hammond High School (Hammond, Louisiana)

Graduation year: 1980

Height: 5-foot-4

College: Louisiana Tech

Bottom line: Modern basketball fans know Kim Mulkey as one of the greatest college basketball coaches of all time — history will show you she was one of the game’s great point guards before that.

Mulkey led Hammond High to four consecutive state championships and was her senior class valedictorian before she starred at Louisiana Tech, where she won two national championships including the first official NCAA championship in 1982.

Mulkey won a gold medal with Team USA at the 1984 Olympics before going into coaching. She spent 15 years as an assistant coach and associate head coach at Louisiana Tech before becoming Baylor’s head coach in 2000 and has won four national titles since then, including three with the Bears and one with LSU in 2023.

Maine: Joanne Palombo, Point Guard

Brunswick High School

High school: Brunswick High School (Brunswick, Maine)

Graduation year: 1984

College: Northwestern

Bottom line: Joanne Palombo was a two-time All-State selection at Brunswick High and became the first player from Maine, male or female, to be named a Parade High School All-American. Palombo was an All-Big Ten pick at Northwestern and led the Wildcats to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. She was the first person in Division I history to win conference titles and be named coach of the year in four different conferences. She also led Michigan State to a national runner-up finish in 2005.

Maryland/District of Columbia: Angel Reese, Power Forward

Mic Smith / AP Photo

High school: Saint Frances Academy (Baltimore, Maryland)

Graduation year: 2020

Height: 6-foot-3

Colleges: Maryland/LSU

Bottom line: Angel Reese averaged 18.0 points, 20.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists for her career at St. Frances Academy, where she led her school to three consecutive IAAM championships. Reese was named The Baltimore Sun Player of the Year twice, then McDonald’s All-American and USA Today All-American as a senior.

she was an All-American at Maryland in 2022 after she led the Terrapins to the Sweet 16. She became a household name in 2023 after transferring to LSU, where she earned All-American honors once again as she led the Tigers to the first national championship in school history and was named the Final Four Most Outstanding Player.

Massachusetts: Rebecca Lobo, Center

Bob Child / AP Photo

High school: Southwick-Tolland Regional High School (Southwick, Massachusetts)

Graduation year: 1991

Height: 6-foot-4

College: Connecticut

Bottom line: Rebecca Lobo’s hoops career began to catch people’s attention at Southwick-Tolland Regional High as she set the state career scoring record with 2,740 points. Lobo kicked off one of the great three-year runs in sports history in 1995 when she led UConn to a perfect 35-0 season and the national championship and swept every major national player of the year honor. In 1996, she helped lead Team USA to the Olympic gold medal and in 1997 she was one of the building blocks for the WNBA’s first season with the New York Liberty, leading the franchise to the first WNBA Finals.

Lobo was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame in 2017.

Michigan: Rickea Jackson, Forward

AP Photo

High school: Detroit Edison High School (Detroit, Michigan)

Graduation year: 2019

Height: 6-foot-2

Colleges: Mississippi State/Tennessee

Bottom line: Detroit Edison’s Rickea Jackson led her school to three consecutive state championships across two different divisions, moving up to Division 2 as a senior as she averaged 22.1 points and 8.1 rebounds. Jackson was named Michigan Gatorade Player of the Year twice and is one of the most versatile players on this list. She averaged 16.5 points as a freshman at Mississippi State, was an All-SEC selection and led the SEC with 20.6 points per game in 2021-22. Jackson transferred to Tennessee in March 2022.

Minnesota: Paige Bueckers, Point Guard

Women’s Basketball Coaches Association

High school: Hopkins High School (Minnetonka, Minnesota)

Graduation year: 2020

Height: 6-foot

College: Connecticut

Bottom line: Paige Bueckers started playing high school basketball while she was still in middle school and led Hopkins High to three consecutive state runner-up finishes before going 32-0 and winning the state championship as a junior in 2019. Bueckers is the only three-time Minneapolis Star-Tribune Player of the Year while also earning Minnesota Gatorade Player of the Year honors three times and sweeping all of the major national player of the year awards in 2020.

Bueckers led UConn to a national runner-up finish as a freshman in 2021 but has seen her career derailed by injuries the last two seasons — she only played 17 games in 2021-22 and missed all of 2022-23 with an ACL injury.

Mississippi: Chana Perry, Center

San Diego State Athletics

High school: Brookhaven High School (Brookhaven, Mississippi)

Graduation year: 1984

Height: 6-foot-5

Colleges: Northeast Louisiana/San Diego State

Bottom line: Brookhaven High’s Chana Perry led her team to a 75-4 record over her final two seasons, including a 40-0 record and a state championship as a senior in 1984. That same year, she was named USA Today National High School Player of the Year.

Perry’s college recruitment turned into one of the more sordid recruiting scandals in women’s college basketball history — she led Northeast Louisiana to the Final Four as a freshman in 1985 before she was declared ineligible by the NCAA. She eventually landed at San Diego State, where she was the first Aztec to be named an AP All-American and averaged 23.3 points over two seasons.

Missouri: Napheesa Collier, Power Forward

Jeff Roberson / AP Photo

High school: Incarnate Word Academy (Bel-Noir, Missouri)

Graduation year: 2015

Height: 6-foot-1

College: Connecticut

Bottom line: Incarnate Word’s Napheesa Collier led her school to three consecutive Class 4A state championships and was named Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year each season and a McDonald’s All-American as a senior.

Collier was a three-time All-American at UConn, won a national title in 2016 and the Katrina McClain Award as the nation’s top collegiate power forward as a senior in 2019. Collier was named WNBA Rookie of the Year in 2019 and is a three-time WNBA All-Star through her first five seasons.

Montana: Joslyn Tinkle, Power Forward

Paul Sakuma / AP Photo

High school: Big Sky High School (Missoula, Montana)

Graduation year: 2009

Height: 6-foot-3

College: Stanford

Bottom line: The daughter of former University of Montana head coach and current Oregon State head coach Wayne Tinkle, Big Sky High’s Joslyn Tinkle won back-to-back Class AA state championships as a junior and senior. Tinkle was named Montana Gatorade Player of the Year both years and became the first player from Montana to be named a McDonald’s All-American and Parade High School All-American.

Tinkle played college basketball for Stanford did one season in the WNBA for the Seattle Storm.

Nebraska: Chatrice White, Center

McDonald's West All-American Chatrice White

Charles Rex Arbogast / AP Photo

High school: Shelby-Rising City High School (Shelby, Nebraska)

Graduation year: 2014

Height: 6-foot-3

Colleges: Illinois/Florida State

Bottom line: Shelby-Rising City High’s Chatrice White became the first girls high school basketball player selected to play in the McDonald’s All-American Game in 2014 after she set the state career record for rebounds (1,349) and was sixth for career points (2,136). White played two seasons at Illinois and was a two-time All-Big Ten pick before transferring to Florida State for her final two seasons.

Nevada: Gabby Williams, Power Forward

Jessica Hill / AP Photo

High school: Reed High School (Sparks, Nevada)

Graduation year: 2014

Height: 5-foot-11

College: Connecticut

Bottom line: Reed High’s Gabby Williams was one of the best in the country in two sports: she was named Las Vegas Review-Journal Player of the Year for basketball and was Nevada Gatorade Player of the Year in Track & Field twice.

Williams won a state championship as a sophomore at Reed and was averaging 30.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 7.0 blocked when she tore her ACL halfway through her junior season.

The impressive athlete won a pair of national championships at UConn and made it to four consecutive Final Fours. She was also named National Defensive Player of the Year in 2017 and was selected to the All-WNBA Defensive Team in 2022 with the Seattle Storm.

New Hampshire: Kerry Bascom, Forward

UConn Athletics

High school: Epping High School (Epping, New Hampshire)

Graduation year: 1987

Height: 6-foot-1

College: Connecticut

Bottom line: Growing up in rural New Hampshire, Kerry Bascom was allowed to play on the varsity team at Epping High when she was still in the eighth grade. Here, she scored 12 points in the first four minutes she was ever in a game.

Bascom led her school to a state championship as a sophomore and state runner-up finishes as a junior and senior. Bascom set the UConn career scoring record with 2,177 points, led the Huskies to the first Big East regular-season and tournament titles as well as the first Final Four in school history. Bascom was a three-time All-Big East pick and the first UConn player to be named to the AP All-American Team.

New Jersey: Kris Durham, Guard

Union Catholic High School

High school: Union Catholic Regional High School (Scotch Plains, New Jersey)

Graduation year: 1987

Height: 5-foot-8

Colleges: Tennessee/Seton Hall

Bottom line: Kris Durham was named National Gatorade Player of the Year in 1987 after she led Union Catholic High to the Non-Public Group A state championship and the Parochial Group A state championship.

Durham played two seasons at Tennessee and two seasons at Seton Hall, where she was a two-time All-Big East selection and is still among the Pirates’ Top 10 for single-season points, scoring average (twice), assists, field goals, free throws made and free-throw percentage.

New Mexico: Danni Williams, Guard

Rogelio V. Solis / AP Photo

High school: Clovis High School (Clovis, New Mexico)

Graduation year: 2015

Height: 5-foot-10

Colleges: Texas A&M/Texas

Bottom line: Clovis High’s Danni Williams became the first three-time New Mexico Gatorade Player of the Year winner after she led her school to three consecutive appearances in the state semifinals, including a Class 5A state championship as a sophomore in 2013. Clovis went 114-10 during four seasons with Williams, who averaged 25.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.2 steals and 2.6 assists as a senior.

Williams was an All-SEC selection at Texas A&M before she transferred to Texas for her senior season.

New York: Breanna Stewart, Power Forward

Mike Groll / AP Photo

High school: Cicero-North Syracuse High School (Cicero, New York)

Graduation year: 2012

Height: 6-foot-4

College: Connecticut

Bottom line: Breanna Stewart is already one of the most accomplished women’s basketball players of all time — a legacy that began at Cicero-North Syracuse High.

Stewart began playing on the varsity at Cicero-North Syracuse in the eighth grade and averaged 26.4 points, 13.9 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.8 steals and 4.2 blocks as a senior in 2011-12. She also won the Class AA state championship.

Stewart swept every major national player of the year honor as a senior. At UConn, she won four consecutive national championships, NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player four times and was named the consensus National Player of the Year three times. In the WNBA, she’s won two championships and been named WNBA MVP twice. She’s also won two Olympic gold medals for Team USA.

North Carolina: Shea Ralph, Point Guard

Terry Sanford High School

High school: Terry Sanford High School (Fayetteville, North Carolina)

Graduation year: 1996

Height: 6-foot

College: Connecticut

Bottom line: Shea Ralph was a scoring machine at Terry Sanford High, where she scored 3,002 career points including 39.1 points per game as a junior. Ralph was named the USA Today National Player of the Year as a senior in 1996.

The North Carolinian helped lead UConn to two Final Four appearances and a national championship in 2000 but tore her ACL three times in college and five times over her basketball career. She won six NCAA championships as an assistant coach at UConn and has been Vanderbilt’s head coach since 2021.

North Dakota: Logan Nissley, Guard

NDHSAA

High school: Bismarck Century High School (Bismarck, North Dakota)

Graduation year: 2023

Height: 6-foot

College: Nebraska

Bottom line: The youngest player on this list is former Bismarck Century High star Longan Nissley, a three-time North Dakota Gatorade Player of the Year winner in basketball and two-time winner in volleyball. Nissley, who is currently a freshman for Nebraska, led Century to a state title and two state runner-up finishes — she averaged 20.8 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 3.9 steals as a senior in 2022-23.

Ohio: Katie Smith, Guard/Forward

The Logan Daily News

High school: Logan High School (Logan, Ohio)

Graduation year: 1992

Height: 5-foot-11

College: Ohio State

Bottom line: Logan High’s Katie Smith was named Gatorade National Player of the Year in 1992 after she led her school to the Division I state championship game and was named a Parade High School All-American.

Smith led Ohio State to the Final Four as a freshman, was Big Ten Player of the Year in 1996 and became the first female athlete in school history to have their number retired.

Smith played pro basketball for almost 20 years, winning two ABL championships and two WNBA championships along with three Olympic gold medals in 2000, 2004 and 2008. She was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2018 and was one of the charter members of the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.

Oklahoma: Angel Goodrich, Guard

Charlie Neibergall / AP Photo

High school: Sequoyah High School (Tahlequah, Oklahoma)

Graduation year: 2008

Height: 5-foot-4

College: Kansas

Bottom line: Angel Goodrich made history at Sequoyah High, a Native American boarding school run by the Cherokee nation, becoming the school’s first Division I athlete and leading them to three consecutive Class AAA state championships.

Just 5-foot-4, Goodrich was a dominant player at Kansas as she became an All-American and All-Big 12 selection and set the school record for assists. She was drafted No. 29 overall by the Tulsa Shock in 2013 and played three seasons in the WNBA.

Oregon: Mercedes Russell, Center

McDonald's West All-American's Mercedes Russell

Nam Y. Huh / AP Photo

High school: Springfield High School (Springfield, Oregon)

Graduation year: 2013

Height: 6-foot-6

College: Tennessee

Bottom line: Springfield High’s Mercedes Russell was named Gatorade National Player of the Year in 2013 after leading her school to two state championships and a state runner-up finish. The 6-foot-6 center averaged 25.1 points, 12.3 rebounds, 5.5 blocks, 3.8 assists and 2.0 steals as a senior.

Russell, the No.1 recruit in the nation in 2013, was also a three-time Class 5A State Player of the Year and McDonald’s All-American Game MVP. She was a two-time All-SEC selection and two-time All-American at Tennessee. She’s been in the WNBA since 2018 and has won two WNBA championships with the Seattle Storm.

Pennsylvania: Dawn Staley, Point Guard

NCAA

High school: Dobbins Tech High School (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

Graduation year: 1988

Height: 5-foot-6

College: Virginia

Bottom line: One of the most well-known women’s basketball players of all time, Dawn Staley first got on the radar for basketball fans at Philadelphia’s Dobbins Tech in the late 1980s, when she was named USA Today National Player of the Year in 1988.

Staley led the University of Virginia to three Final Fours and one national runner-up finish along with being named National Player of the Year and Final Four Most Outstanding Player in 1991. She left college with the NCAA career record for steals (454) and the ACC record for assists (729). She also played 12 years in the pros and won three Olympic gold medals for Team USA. Staley was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2013.

As South Carolina’s head coach since 2008, Staley has won six SEC regular-season championships and six SEC Tournament championships along with making it to the Final Four four times and winning two national championships.

Rhode Island: Davida Dale, Forward

Contributed photo

High school: La Salle Academy (Providence, Rhode Island)

Graduation year: 2015

Height: 5-foot-11

Colleges: Syracuse/Rhode Island

Bottom line: Davida Dale won back-to-back Division I state championships at La Salle Academy in 2012 and 2013 and was named the Division Tournament MVP in 2013.

Dale played two seasons for Syracuse before transferring to Rhode Island, where she was an All-Atlantic 10 selection in 2020.

South Carolina: A’ja Wilson, Power Forward

McDonald's East All American A'ja Wilson

Charles Rex Arbogast / AP Photo

High school: Heathwood Hall Episcopal School (Columbia, South Carolina)

Graduation year: 2014

Height: 6-foot-5

College: South Carolina

Bottom line: Named after the classic Steely Dan song “Aja” — her father’s favorite song — basketball superstar A’ja Wilson was the Parade National Player of the Year as a senior at Heathwood Hall Episcopal in 2014 and a three-time South Carolina Independent Schools Association Player of the Year.

Wilson led South Carolina to the first NCAA championship in school history in 2017, was a three-time All-American, three-time SEC Player of the Year and swept every major national college player of the year award as a senior in 2018. She was selected No. 1 overall by the Las Vegas Aces in 2018 and through her first five seasons was already a two-time WNBA Most Valuable Player, two-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year and led the Aces to the WNBA championship in 2022.

South Dakota: Becky Hammon, Point Guard

Colorado State Athletics

High school: Stevens High School (Rapid City, South Dakota)

Graduation year: 1995

Height: 5-foot-6

College: Colorado State

Bottom line: Becky Hammon was named South Dakota Miss Basketball as a junior in 1994 and South Dakota Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior in 1995 before gaining national attention at Colorado State, where she led the Rams to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in school history.

Hammon went undrafted in 1999 but played 16 seasons in the WNBA, where she was a six-time All-Star, four-time All-WNBA Team selection and led her teams to the WNBA Finals four times. She was elected to the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2023 and is currently the head coach of the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces, winning her first WNBA title in 2022.

Tennessee: Crystal Dangerfield, Point Guard

Mike Strasinger / AP Photo

High school: Blackman High School (Murfreesboro, Tennessee)

Graduation year: 2016

Height: 5-foot-5

College: Connecticut

Bottom line: Blackman High’s Crystal Dangerfield won two Class AAA state championships and was a three-time Tennessee Gatorade Player of the Year. She averaged 23.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.5 steals as a senior and was the No. 1 point guard and No. 3 overall recruit in the country for the Class of 2016. Dangerfield battled injuries during her career at UConn — she had offseason hip surgery twice. She was named an All-American and WNBA Rookie of the Year in 2020 in 2020.

Texas: Chiney Ogwumike, Power Forward

Kim Raff / AP Photo

High school: Cy-Fair High School (Cypress, Texas)

Graduation year: 2010

Height: 6-foot-2

College: Stanford

Bottom line: Perhaps the toughest state to pick a player for was Texas, where Cy-Fair’s Chiney Ogwumike edged out Nimitz’s Brittney Griner — two of the most well-known women’s basketball players of all time.

Ogwumike led Cy-Fair to state championships in 2008 and 2010 and was named USA Today National Player of the Year and Gatorade National Player of the Year in 2019. Ogwumike led Stanford to three consecutive Final Four appearances and left college with Pac-12 career scoring and rebounding records. She was selected No. 1 overall by the Connecticut Sun in the 2014 WNBA Draft.

Utah: Raegan Scott, Power Forward/Center

Mountain View High Athletics

High school: Mountain View High School (Orem, Utah)

Graduation year: 1993

Height: 6-foot-4

College: Colorado

Bottom line: Raegan Scott — now Raegan Pebley — was named Utah Gatorade Player of the Year and Deseret News Class 4A Most Valuable Player in 1993 after she led Mountain View High to the state championship.

Pebley averaged 12.6 points and 8.4 rebounds as a senior and was an All-Big 12 pick at Colorado as the Buffs came just one game short of the Final Four in 1995. She played two seasons in the WNBA and was a Division I head coach for 20 years at Utah State, Fresno State and TCU.

Vermont: Nicole Levesque, Point Guard

Wake Forest Athletics

High school: Mount Anthony Union High School (Bennington, Vermont)

Graduation year: 1990

Height: 5-foot-3

College: Wake Forest

Bottom line: The shortest player to make this list at 5-foot-3, Nicole Levesque led Mount Anthony High to two Division I state championships and was a two-time Vermont Gatorade Player of the Year. Levesque was also a star soccer player who set the state record with 148 career goals — a record that would stand until 2015.

The point guard starred at Wake Forest, where she was a two-time All-ACC selection and won the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award in 1994 as the nation’s top senior under 5-foot-8.

She is still the only player from Vermont to ever make it to the WNBA, playing one season with the Charlotte Sting in 1997.

Virginia: Megan Walker, Small Forward

McDonald's East All-American Megan Walker

Charles Rex Arbogast / AP Photo

High school: Monacan High School (North Chesterfield, Virginia)

Graduation year: 2017

Height: 6-foot-1

College: Connecticut

Bottom line: Megan Walker led Monacan High to three consecutive Class 4A state championships as her school went 59-1 over her last two seasons. Walker was named Virginia Gatorade Player of the Year twice and National Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior in 2017 when she averaged 25.9 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.2 steals.

The small forward played three seasons at UConn and was named an All-American in 2020. She then left school early for the WNBA Draft, where the New York Liberty selected her No. 9 overall.

Washington: Kate Starbird, Guard/Forward

Lakes Lancers Basketball Alumni / Facebook

High school: Lakes High School (Lakewood, Washington)

Graduation year: 1993

Height: 6-foot-1

College: Stanford

Bottom line: Kate Starbird was a sensation at Lakes High, where she was a two-time Parade All-American, two-time Seattle Times Player of the Year and set the state career scoring record and the Class 3A Tournament scoring record. Starbird led Stanford to three consecutive Pac-10 championships and three consecutive Final Four appearances and was a two-time All-American — she was named Naismith College Player of the Year as a senior in 1997 and set Stanford’s career scoring record.

The athlete played a decade of pro basketball in the ABL, WNBA and overseas.

West Virginia: Alexis Hornbuckle, Guard

Steve Miller / AP Photo

High school: South Charleston High School (South Charleston, West Virginia)

Graduation year: 2004

Height: 5-foot-10

College: Tennessee

Bottom line: Alexis Hornbuckle earned high school All-American honors at South Charleston High and MVP honors at the 2004 WBCA High School All-American Game.

Hornbuckle won two national championships at Tennessee. She was also a two-time All-SEC pick and set the school career record for steals.

Hornbuckle played six seasons in the WNBA and won two WNBA championships with the Detroit Shock in 2008 and the Minnesota Lynx in 2011. She also led the WNBA in steals in 2008.

Wisconsin: Arike Ogunbowale, Point Guard

Divine Savior Holy Angels' Arike Ogunbowale,

Mike Roemer / AP Photo

High school: Divine Savior Holy Angels High School (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)

Graduation year: 2015

Height: 5-foot-8

College: Notre Dame

Bottom line: Arike Ogunbowale dominated throughout four seasons at Divine Savior Holy Angels, earning Wisconsin Gatorade Player of the Year honors three times and capping her career with a Division I state championship as a senior in 2015, when she averaged 27.2 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 2.5 steals.

Ogunbowale was just the third player from Wisconsin to earn McDonald’s All-American honors and was a four-time Division I All-State choice. Ogunbowale was a two-time All-American at Notre Dame and turned in one of the greatest clutch performances in NCAA Tournament history in 2018 — men or women — when she hit the game-winning shots in the national semifinal against UConn and the national championship game against Mississippi State.

She was drafted No. 5 overall by the Dallas Wings in 2019 and is a three-time WNBA All-Star and two-time All-WNBA Team selection.

Wyoming: Kaylee Johnson, Guard/Forward

Mark Holm / AP Photo

High school: Natrona County High School (Casper, Wyoming)

Graduation year: 2014

Height: 6-foot-2

College: Stanford

Bottom line: Natrona County’s Kaylee Johnson led the entire state in points (16.7), rebounds (14.3), blocks (4.3) and assists (5.1) as a senior — it was also the second time in her career she led the state in scoring and rebounding.

Johnson was named Wyoming Gatorade Player of the Year three times and closed her career as the highest-rated recruit in state history. Johnson made the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team in 2015 and was a two-time Pac-12 All-Defensive Team selection.