Several high school basketball players from the Big Ten Conference (B1G), including Caitlin Clark, have proven their mettle in the WNBA. However, the Big Ten analyst, Autumn Johnson, has no doubts about who the top five are in this category.

Lately, Johnson formed her own team with the five best Big Ten high school alumni currently playing in the WNBA. Well, the names she's chosen shouldn't surprise anyone familiar with the conference's rich history.​​

Caitlin Clark: The Record-Breaking Floor General

Leading the lineup is Iowa's Caitlin Clark. And no doubt, she is arguably the most dominant point guard in high school WBB history. Clark became the NCAA's all-time leading scorer with over 3600 points in her high school career. And also while dishing out 1,000+ assists and grabbing 850+ rebounds.

During her college days, she became the first Division I player to score at least 1,000 points in two different seasons, along with earning the Big Ten POTY honor 3 times.

Clark also redefined collegiate basketball, so it's no surprise she's on Johnson's Big Ten fantasy team. ​

Kelsey Mitchell: Ohio State's Scoring Machine

Johnson elected another Fever star, Kelsey Mitchell, as the shooting guard. She was Ohio's all-time leading scorer, amassing 3,402 career points.

Mitchell was also a three-point assassin. She holds the third spot in scoring three-pointers in the history of the NCAA Division with 497 in her entire high-school career. She averaged 22.6 points per game in her senior season and became the fastest Big Ten player to reach 1,000 points, needing just 41 games.

Hence, her inclusion in Johnson's Big Ten Conference dream team isn't really shocking.

Kahleah Copper: Rutgers' Two-Way Star

Kahleah Copper brings versatility to the small forward position after starring at Rutgers. During her 4 years of career with the Scarlet Knights, she averaged 14.1 points and 5.8 rebounds across 133 games.

Not just that, she earned Second Team All-Big Ten honors. Her most outstanding performance came in a game against Nebraska, where she recorded 13 rebounds and a career-high 5 steals.

Her Paradise Jam tournament MVP performance, averaging 23.0 points and 7.7 rebounds, showcased her ability to dominate when it mattered most.​

Alyssa Thomas: Maryland's Triple-Double Queen

Johnson elected Maryland's Alyssa Thomas as the power forward of her team. Thomas played 135 games for the Terrapins from 2010-14, averaging an impressive 17.5 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game.

She became Maryland's all-time leader in both points (2,356) and rebounds (1,235). Which made her cement a legacy of her own. Thomas recorded four triple-doubles during her career, including consecutive ones during her junior season.

Her ability to stuff the stat sheet made her one of the most feared players in the conference during that time.​

Brionna Jones: The Efficient Force

Next is anchoring the paint position in the lineup, Maryland's Brionna Jones. Jones led the entire nation in FG percentage in back-to-back seasons: 66.5% in 2015-16 and an incredible 69.0% in 2016-17.

She became 31st player in Maryland history to reach 1,000 career points. And also  she consistently delivered double-doubles.

Her career-high 42 points was against Penn State, while her 20-rebound performance against Washington State demonstrated her dominance on the glass.

Veronica Burton: The Sixth Woman

Johnson added Northwestern's Veronica Burton as her sixth player. But it is not difficult to understand why.

Burton was a two-time Big Ten Defensive POTY who accumulated 1,536 career points while starting 114 of 115 games in her college days. She led the Big Ten in steals as both a freshman and a sophomore.

Besides a career that ended with elite defensive numbers, including 4.0 steals per game in her final two seasons, Burton's career-high 32 points at Clemson proved she could score when needed. But her lockdown defense and 6.4 assists per game as a senior made her the perfect utility player.

How do you think Johnson's team does against the WNBA team of your choice?

Written by

Ishika Ghosh

Edited by

Souvik Roy