3 prospects who heard their name before most expected in the WNBA Draft

NEW YORK CITY — Ahead of the 2025 WNBA Draft, most expected Paige Bueckers, Dominique Malonga, and Sonia Citron to round out the top three picks.

But, after that, mock drafts conflicted. ESPN’s latest mock draft projected that USC forward Kiki Iriafen, LSU forward Aneesah Morrow, and Maryland point guard Shyanne Sellers would be selected fourth, fifth and sixth overall. SB Nation’s mock draft also had Iriafen going fourth and Sellers going sixth, but had NC State’s Saniya Rivers going fifth.

Mock drafts always get some projections wrong, and Monday night’s draft was no exception.

Here are three WNBA prospects whose names were called far before most predicted.

Juste Joctye wasn’t in the building on draft night, but she became the Valkyries’ first-ever draft pick when she was selected fifth overall. Jocyte, a Lithuanian combo guard, is just 19 years old but has been playing professional basketball in France since 2019.

Jocyte was projected to be picked 22nd in ESPN’s mock draft, so it was shocking to hear her name called so early. Jocyte has a high ceiling — scouts have likened her game to Luka Doncic’s — but it’s not certain when she’d come to the U.S. and was predicted by many to fall into the second round. And, there are questions around her ability to defend and her potential durability.

Georgia Amoore was projected to be a first-round pick, but few predicted her ending up a top-six pick. ESPN’s final mock draft had her going 9th, while The Athletic predicted she’d be picked 11th.

The Australian point guard, who spent most of her career at Virginia Tech before a fifth year at Kentucky, was selected 6th overall by the Washington Mystics.

She’s fresh off a career year where she averaged career highs in points (19.6), assists (6.9), steals (1.0), and assist-turnover ratio (2.2). And, Amoore is one of only three players in women’s Division I history with 2,300 PTS & 800 AST.

The others? Caitlin Clark and Sabrina Ionescu.

Sarah Ashlee Barker, a two-time All-SEC First Team selection, averaged 18.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 2.0 steals for Alabama this past season, converting an efficient 51.4% from the floor and 37.5 from deep. And, ESPN’s mock draft projected that she would be selected 22nd overall.

Barker ended up being the Los Angeles Spark’s No. 9 draft pick, a move that seemed nearly impossible just a few months ago but became a reality after her 45-point performance against Maryland in the NCAA tournament.

Barker ended up being picked before plenty of other projected first-round players, like Maryland’s Shyanne Sellers and South Carolina’s Sania Feagin, who ESPN projected would be picked 6th and 10th, respectively.

Sparks general manager Raegan Pebley gushed about the selection in an official statement.

“Sarah Ashlee is an elite competitor,” Peblery said. “Her mental makeup, ability to stretch the floor beyond the arc, commitment to defense, willingness to rebound and passing instincts make her the total package. We’re thrilled to add her poise and leadership.”

It wasn’t totally shocking to hear Barker’s name called because she was one of just 16 players who were invited to attend draft night in person. Still, it made for a special moment with her family that few could have foreseen before the start of the NCAA tournament.