Alissa Pili developed into one of college basketball’s premier players during her two seasons at Utah after transferring from USC.
Now, the All-American forward with a penchant for scoring will face a new learning curve when she enters the WNBA.
Pili will find out her new team on Monday during the 2024 WNBA draft (5:30 p.m. MDT, ESPN), where she is expected to be a first-round selection.
The Anchorage, Alaska, native is poised to become the seventh Ute player taken in the WNBA draft and first since forward Megan Huff was a third-round selection by the New York Liberty in 2019.
The highest a former Utah player has ever been drafted was seventh overall. That’s where guard Shona Thorburn was taken by the Minnesota Lynx in 2006.
That year, the Utes had two first-round picks, with forward Kim Smith being selected 13th overall by the Sacramento Monarchs.
The 2024 draft will be a historic one, with names like Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, Stanford’s Cameron Brink, South Carolina’s Kamilla Cardoso and LSU’s Angel Reese among those joining Pili in New York for draft festivities.
Even in a stacked draft class, Pili’s merits stand strong.
“I will say I think she’s a unique talent. Clearly she’s demonstrated an ability to play at a high level with the college game,” Dallas Wings president and CEO Greg Bibb told reporters about Pili during a pre-draft conference call last Thursday.
“I think anyone with that talent level can find their way to a job in the WNBA.”
How Pili — who is listed at 6-foot-2 but jokes she’s “5′11 on a good day” — fits into the WNBA is a prevailing question, as she is a smaller forward who has the ability to score in bunches after working on her shooting and becoming the Pac-12 Player of the Year in 2023.
“Pro talent evaluators don’t believe she is long enough to guard WNBA power forwards or if she’s quick and athletic enough to guard slashing pro small forwards,” Yahoo Sports’ Jackie Powell wrote in evaluating the Utah star. “If Pili is going to stick in the WNBA, she’ll have to develop her game and add versatility to it.”
“I think anyone with that talent level can find their way to a job in the WNBA.”
— Dallas Wings president and CEO Greg Bibb, on Alissa Pili
What is more of a sure thing is Pili’s offensive game.
Pili shot 55% from the field during her senior season, averaging a career-best 21.4 points per game. She often drew fouls and shot 82% from the free-throw line. She nearly doubled the number of 3-point shots she made (29 as a junior, 57 as a senior) while shooting 40.4% from outside.
“I think it will be interesting for Pili because she certainly has the skill set that is unmatched in terms of the way she shoots the ball from the post position,” an anonymous WNBA GM told The Athletic. “She’s used to playing against bigger players, so her craftiness around the rim, being able to use the goal, being able to use her footwork and her body to her advantage.”
The majority of experts, whether WNBA top brass or media, also stress the importance of Pili finding a good system that matches her skill set.
“There will be a transition period. I think there’s some uncertainty around what exactly position-wise is the best fit for her,” Bibb said. “And I think she’s one of those players, too, that her early career success will be largely dictated by the circumstances in which he’s drafted, i.e. which team takes her and how she fits within that roster.”
Where could Pili fit?
Several recent WNBA mock drafts link the 22-year-old Pili with the Connecticut Sun, as well as the Wings.
The Sun own three picks: the No. 10 overall selection in the first round, the 19th overall pick (second) and the 34th pick (third).
The Wings have two first-round selections — at No. 5 and No. 9 — as well as the 33rd overall pick in the third round.
Pili is seen by most as a late first-rounder.
“Pili is one of the most unique talents in this year’s draft. With her, she brings floor-spacing ability in addition to an array of moves around the basket,” wrote Sporting News’ Gilbert McGregor, who projected Pili to the Sun at the No. 10 pick.
“Connecticut’s main rotation is set but in the margins, it could use the scoring punch Pili would provide. Defensively, the Sun are strong and principled enough to compensate for Pili’s potential shortcomings.”
There were several especially encouraging games from Pili’s senior season that showcased her ability against other top individuals.
None was bigger than the Utes’ 78-69 loss against top-ranked and eventual national champion South Carolina. It was a high-profile matchup that also included the 6-foot-7 forward Cardoso.
Pili scored a career-high 37 points while shooting 15 of 23 from the floor. She added three steals, two rebounds and an assist in the loss to the Gamecocks, an effort that caught national attention even in a loss.
Following the game, South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said she had the “utmost respect” for Pili, while Utah associate head coach Gavin Petersen saw a pro-caliber athlete on display.
“If I’m a WNBA GM, there’s no doubt in my mind that kid can play in the WNBA,” Petersen said after the game, as the Deseret News previously reported. “She’s a winner, she’s an assassin in between the lines and she’s a great teammate.”
The reality of the WNBA is that even a first-round draftee isn’t guaranteed a spot in the rotation early in their career, or sometimes even a spot on the roster.
Often, teams carry 11 players on their roster during the season — even though there’s room for 12 — due to salary cap restrictions, CT Insider’s Maggie Vanoni explained, “in an effort to pay top players accordingly.”
Yahoo Sports’ Cassandra Negley said that teams often favor veterans over rookies to fill out those final roster spots.
The numbers paint a grim reality for rookies who aren’t high draft picks.
Of the 36 players taken in the 2023 WNBA draft, only 15 played last season, according to Negley. The year before, 17 rookies made an opening-day roster, and in 2021, just eight rookies were around when the season started, Negley reported.
“Unlike the NBA, there is no G League option. Players will either stay stateside to fulfill short-term hardship contracts that could turn into longer stays, or go overseas before trying again at the next training camp,” Negley wrote.
Chicago Sky general manager Jeff Pagliocca said that while there may be fewer opportunities for rookies, particularly those outside of those top picks, the evolution of the game is creating multi-skilled players whose development is happening at a higher level.
“From a player development perspective, the game is evolving so fast now. These college players are super skilled. They’ve got size, they’ve got athleticism. And there’s not always a ton of opportunity on these teams to make rosters,” Pagliocca said during the pre-draft press conference.
“I believe that the player development, it’s very critical now. And from my perspective, you know, you’re getting players with multiple skills already. You see what is happening in college basketball, the range that players have, the bigs that can shoot the ball. The way the game has evolved, the floor is being spaced differently now. You’re seeing freshmen and sophomores doing things that you know, 26 and 27 year olds, you know, are doing in the WNBA.”
For Pili, there is optimism she’s got the right mindset, work ethic and skill set to succeed in the WNBA.
“Clearly, (she’s) a very talented basketball player who I know will be drafted fairly early and will have a great shot to have a very productive WNBA career,” Bibb said.