Mid-major players to watch in WNBA this season

As the WNBA season commences, here is a look at the players who suited up for mid-major schools, listed alphabetically.

Kierstan Bell (Florida Gulf Coast) – Las Vegas Aces

Bell is coming off winning the 2022 WNBA championship with the Aces in her rookie season. She posted 1.3 points per game last season. In two seasons with the Eagles, she amassed 23.6 points and 9.0 per game, while shooting 50% from the field.

Morgan Bertsch (UC-Davis) – Chicago Sky

A third-round pick in 2019, Bertsch played four seasons with the Aggies. She posted a career-best 23.6 points per game as a senior and pulled down 6.0 rebounds.

Emma Cannon (Florida Southern) – Indiana Fever

Cannon was an undrafted free agent. She played 24 games for the Fever last season and notched a career-best 6.8 points per contest. She led all rookies in field goal percentage in 2017. She played at Division II Florida Southern, where she averaged a double-double with 15.7 points and 12.1 rebounds per game as a senior.

Alysha Clark (Middle Tennessee) – Las Vegas Aces

Clark has been in the WNBA a decade and won a pair of titles with the Seattle Storm. She led the league in 3-point field goal percentage in 2019 and 2020. A star at MTSU, she was an AP Third Team All-American as a redshirt junior in 2009. She played one season with the Blue Raiders after transferring from Belmont.

Natasha Cloud (St. Joseph’s) – Washington Mystics

Cloud led the league in assists last season. A seven-year veteran, she posted career-highs of 10.7 points and 7.0 assists per contest last year with Washington. A two-year co-captain at St. Joe’s she tallied a career-best 12.9 points per game as a senior.

Elena Delle Donne (Delaware) – Washington Mystics

One of the best players in the world, Delle Donne guided the Mystics to the 2019 WNBA title. A two-time MVP, she was the only player in league history to shoot 50/40/90 in a season when she shot 51.5% from the floor, 43.0% from 3-point range and 97.4% from the free throw line in 2019. She finished her career with the Blue Hens fifth in NCAA history with 3,039 points. She guided Delaware to the 2013 Sweet 16.

Jasmine Dickey (Delaware) – Dallas Wings

Dickey was selected in the third round of the 2022 WNBA Draft. She played 20 games with Dallas last season. At Delaware, she averaged 17.7 points per game, including 25.3 points as a senior. She poured in 52 points against Charleston on Feb. 4, 2022.

Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu (South Florida) – Seattle Storm

Fresh off being named the Co-AAC Player of the Year, Fankam Mendjiadeu is entering her first season in the WNBA. She was drafted in the second round of last month’s draft. She averaged 16.5 points and 12.3 rebounds per game as a senior with the Bulls.

Feyonda Fitzgerald (Temple) – Chicago Sky

Fitzgerald played two games with the Sun back in 2017. She averaged double figures in each of her four years with the Owls. She poured in a career-high 17.3 points and dished out 7.3 assists per game as a senior in 2017.

Jonquel Jones (George Washington) – New York Liberty

The 2021 MVP joined the Liberty this offseason after guiding the Sun to a pair of WNBA Finals appearances. She has posted double figures in each of the last five seasons. She is averaging 14.8 points and 8.6 rebounds per game over her career. She graduated from GW as third in career rebounds (961), fourth in scoring average (15.4) and fifth in blocked shots (177).

Cheyenne Parker (Middle Tennessee) – Atlanta Dream

The forward is averaging 11.8 points and 6.2 rebounds per game over her eight seasons. The fifth pick in 2015, Parker tallied 11.8 points last season. She recorded 18.6 points per game in her final year of college as a member of the Blue Raiders.

Robyn Parks (Virginia Commonwealth) – Chicago Sky

In four years with VCU, Parks averaged 12.5 points per game. She poured in a career-best 21.6 points per game as a senior with the Rams.

Shey Peddy (Temple) – Phoenix Mercury

Peddy is averaging a hair under 10 points at night at 9.9. She is also pulling down 3.8 rebounds and dishing out 3.4 assists. She was selected in the 2021 WNBA Draft but didn’t make her debut in the league until 2019. The 2012 Atlantic 10 Player of the Year registered 15.8 points per game in her two years with the Owls.

Kayla Thornton (UTEP) – New York Liberty

An undrafted free agent, Thornton is averaging 8.0 points and 5.9 rebounds per game over her first seven seasons in the WNBA. She has played in Dallas the last six year. She averaged 8.0 points per contest last season. She poured in 19.5 points a night in her senior season.

Courtney Vandersloot (Gonzaga) – New York Liberty

Vandersloot ranks third on the WNBA career assist ledger at 2,387. She helped guide the Sky to the 2021 title and has been named to the All-WNBA First Team twice. The veteran point guard joined the Liberty this offseason. Over the course of her career with the Zags, she tallied 17.0 points and 9.8 assists per contest.

Courtney Williams (South Florida) – Chicago Sky

The eighth pick in the 2016 Draft, Williams was an all-star in 2021. She has scored in double figures in every season since her rookie season. The guard was a three-time All-Conference First Team selection with the Bulls. She poured in 16.6 points per game, including 22.4 as a senior.