When Carine Silatsa started playing basketball in Cameroon, there was just one women’s team in the nation. What makes her story even more unlikely is that there was just one court in her home city and, at first, she wasn’t considered for the local team. That rejection fueled the competitive fire within her, and it’s been burning ever since.

Last year, she played in the third league in Italy for Salerno, where her team went undefeated and she made such an impression that Roche Vendee’s coach brought her to play in the French first league. At 26 years old, she has a bronze AfroBasket medal to her name and many more goals to reach. She discussed all that and more with Swish Appeal. Some highlights from the talk include:

Why she wears number 23 for Cameroon:

I was having a new coach and that coach, I don’t know why, but he saw me as a LeBron James [of his team] and he told me, “You are gonna wear the 23.” For me, the number was just a number at that moment, so when he said that, I said, “Okay, I’m gonna wear it.” Sometimes we can see something more in numbers, you know? So people were really calling me LeBron James. I was like a LeBron James of Cameroon. And step by step, I started loving this number. And I love how he plays.

On how she was able to sign with a first-league team in France after playing in the third league in Italy:

I had a really great season in Italy, without any games lost. Before the end of my season there, this team in the First Division in France one day contacted me and told me that they wanted me for the next season. The fact is that the coach of my current team likes players who fight on the court and when he saw me playing, he said, “I want this player. I want someone who can fight. I want someone who has a lot of energy. This girl has what I want.”

A special thank you to Kuki and Jelena of Dagger Basket for arranging the interview.

The fall brings a lot of attention to women’s basketball college—and for good reason. With the end of the WNBA season, it’s often one of the best places to watch high-quality women’s basketball. But sleeping on high school games is a mistake, and several athletes around the country are increasingly demanding their slice of the attention pie.

Eyeballs often fall on prep and charter schools, where students are allowed to develop their game a little differently than at traditional high schools. The schools are dynamic and attract high-quality coaches and athletes, something that is reflected on the court over and over again. But that doesn’t mean that traditional high school athletes should be counted out—and as some members of this list prove, it would be a mistake to do so. Here are six high school hoopers to pay attention to this fall and winter:

Ky Williams (Valley Prep)

Williams, a high school senior at Valley Prep in Tempe, Arizona, got a lot of attention after she went toe-to-toe with Kaleena Smith at the Border League tournament in Las Vegas in October. Williams’ path in basketball hasn’t been steady—she’s moved frequently and transferred schools often as a result—but this year she’s locked in with Bahaadar Russell, former Cleveland State guard and the owner of the Phoenix-based training company Sniper Skool, who, as she told Swish Appeal, has “helped me tremendously.”

Williams is a dynamic, mindset-focused athlete who sets goals and hits them. Her speed and tenacity make her fun to watch, as the crowd found out in her recent game. What she might lack in size she more than makes up for in aggressiveness, a crucial component to dominating the women’s game in an increasingly talented pool.

Her goals include landing a scholarship at a Division I school and playing in the WNBA or overseas, with Cal and South Carolina at the top of her list.

Kaleena Smith (Ontario Christian High School)

Smith is, frankly, a really fun player to watch. She attended the 2024 USA Basketball Women’s Junior National Team minicamp in Portland as a member of USA Basketball’s U17 team and has been eating up the court in tournaments this fall.

Smith, one of the top-ranked sophomores in the country, has gained a lot of attention. In January the Los Angeles Times reported that the then-freshman had already received college offers from 20 schools. She spent her summer on the Nike EYBL circuit, which introduced her game to people around the United States, something that expanded both her brand (she has nearly 90k followers on Instagram) and her perception of who she is as an athlete.

“Around California people know me but my brand and my image have expanded more nationally over the last year,” she told the newspaper. “I’m comfortable with it now … I love it.”

Jade Bethea (Becton Regional High School)

Freshman Bethea has a complete skill set and is considered an intriguing prospect. After a successful 8th grade year, she joined Becton Regional High School and plans to spend the next four years developing into a strong, determined athlete who will be an asset to any team.

Bethea’s off-the-court activities are just as compelling as her on-the-court skills. Her father, Dell Bethea, is the coach of the Brooklyn Nets Academy, and the pair will travel to France next summer as part of Tremaine Dalton’s We Play Too program. Bethea wants to follow in the steps of Louisville’s Jayda Curry, who spent the summer of 2024 doing the same.

Armanyie Reed (Bishop Montgomery High School)

Reed, a 5-foot-7 combo guard, is a general of the floor who excels when playing under pressure. She can hit the 3-ball effortlessly, get in the paint and is known for her assists as much as her shooting prowess. Reed won a state title as a starting freshman point guard and has several years of exciting basketball ahead of her, with goals of playing in the WNBA or overseas.

Also known as Buddha due to her ability to remain calm on the court, Reed is the younger sister of Phillip Reed, Jr. Together, the pair have branded themselves as the next-generation incarnation of Reggie and Cheryl Miller, with the same goals, tenacity and aspirations that the famous brother-sister duo has had. With offers from Cal and USC under her belt, Reed’s future in the sport is certainly bright.

Alex Eschmeyer (Peak to Peak Charter School)

Eschmeyer was part of USA Basketball’s gold medal-winning team at the FIBA U17 World Cup this July. Team USA won all seven of their games at the tournament, thanks in part to Eschmeyer’s efforts.

The 6-foot-5 senior is heading into her final year at Peak to Peak Charter and has already committed to Stanford. She averaged 19.9 points and 12.7 rebounds in her first three years at the school, and her gold medal experience this summer will only compel her to reach greater heights.

Brooklyn Stewart (Pine Creek High School)

Stewart committed to Oklahoma in early October, a big move for a player who is known for making only big moves. She and her classmate Sienna Betts, who recently committed to UCLA, are known for their court interplay, and the four-star recruit is also known for her rebounding and defending abilities.

Stewart will be a strong asset to Oklahoma. As a 6-foot-2 power forward and track athlete, she’s difficult to guard or keep up with—and good luck to anyone who tries.

The NCAAW season begins tomorrow! But that doesn’t mean all is quite around the rest of the women’s hoops world. Catch up on the latest announcements, developments and more:

Democracy is not a spectator sport

By the time you’re reading this, there are less than two days until Election Day. The WNBA is encouraging everyone to exercise their right to vote, partnering with Rock the Vote to make sure fans, players and coaches make their priorities heard.

As Nneka Ogwumike, leader of LeBron James’ More Than a Vote initiative, discussed with our Zachary Draves, WNBA players’ intersectional identities give them acute awareness of the importance of social and civic engagement.

In 2024, much of that engagement has been directed toward fighting for reproductive freedom and women’s bodily autonomy. Ogwumike told Sports Business Journal:

As you look out in society and feel what’s going on, specifically for this year, it’s clear that there’s a huge issue on the ballot that has to do with women.

You talk about reproductive rights and everyone automatically goes to abortion. Well, I’m an athlete who makes money with her body. Within that, you weave the idea of what it means to think about the future when it comes to my rights as a woman. It’s incredibly nuanced.

On X/Twitter, Satou Sabally likewise emphasized the importance of reproductive freedom, posting:

I used my right to Vote today. I’m grateful to have the freedom over my own body, but so many women don’t. Especially in Texas, our right to reproductive freedom is stripped away year by year.

In Phoenix, Brittney Griner participated in an early voting cabalgata, a traditional Mexican procession where citizens rode to the polls on horseback, motivated by the issues of reproductive justice and child care.

Other voices from across women’s basketball also are using their platforms to underscore the urgency of this election.

Unrivaled is already expanding

Before the inaugural season has even tipped off, Unrivaled is expanding. Originally organized as a 30-player 3×3 professional league featuring six five-player teams, it now will be a 36-player league, with each team rostering six players.

As explained by co-founder Napheesa Collier in a social media video:

We’re able to do this because we outperformed our financial projections, and so now we get to do something that we wanted to do in the future, which is give more people spots in Unrivaled. This is such an amazing time in women’s sports, and we’re so thankful to all the positive people who have come out and supported us.

Soon after Collier’s announcement on Thursday, the league revealed its 30th participant: 2023 Rookie of the Year Aliyah Boston.

Boston’s inclusion follows that of Lexie Hull and Kate Martin. That trio has fueled speculation about Caitlin Clark’s involvement, as she is a WNBA teammate of Boston and Hull and played with Martin at Iowa. Unrivaled president Alex Bazzell, who also is Collier’s husband, has reiterated the league’s interest in Clark, while also emphasizing that, with or without the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year, the league is set to be a success. He told Sportico:

We’re always going to have a roster spot for Caitlin Clark. We’re not applying a full court press the way people think. We are letting her decompress from basketball. … She knows that we have a spot for her when she’s ready…. [We are] proud of what we’ve built, and we’re in a position to succeed. But if she played, she would take it to another level. … She knows we would love to have her.

Ionescu tore UCL in WNBA Finals

Last week, ESPN’s Alexa Philippou reported that Sabrina Ionescu suffered a high-grade UCL tear on her right hand during Game 4 of the WNBA Finals. The injury explains Ionescu shooting troubles during Games 4 and 5, when she was 6-for-34 from the field and 1-for-15 from 3.

Ionescu, who will not need surgery, is expected to make a full recovery. Her status will be re-evaluated in four weeks.

Mahomes, Tatum talk WNBA expansion

Conversations about when and where the WNBA will expand to reach the league’s 16-team target by 2028 continue to percolate.

The latest rumblings come from Kansas City and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. An investor in the NWSL’s Kanas City Current along with his wife Brittany, Mahomes told ESPN:

We want to get basketball to Kansas City in general and then WNBA. The success that they’ve had this last season and these last few seasons, it’s kind of a no-brainer. To try to get a WNBA team in Kansas City to this fan base….the city of Kansas City is going to come out and they’re going to fill the stadium.

It was cool that we were able to get this soccer team, this women’s soccer team here in the Current and they’re going into the playoffs now and you see the support that they have. So let’s try to get a WNBA team in here as well [with] that same ownership group. They’ve done the Current the right way, and I want to continue to work with them to take that next step and get a WNBA team here.

ESPN notes that Kansas City already has the infrastructure necessary to house a professional basketball team with T-Mobile Center.

Nearby St. Louis, however, also has eyes on an expansion franchise, with the Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum supporting the bid of local billionaires, according to Sportico. Asked about his involvement, Tatum declined, only saying, “I can’t speak on it too much right now, but there will be a time when I can, and I’ll be able to elaborate.”

Jordan Horston is Unlimited

Another Tennessee Lady Vol is set to join Athletes Unlimited for the league’s Tennessee-based fourth season. Jordan Horston, a four-year standout on Rocky Top, will show off her skills in Nashville. She joins Alissa Pili as one of the league’s newcomers.

Another WNBA head coaching vacancy has been filled.

The Chicago Sky are set to hire Tyler Marsh as the franchise’s next head coach, as Marsh’s agent, Klutch Sports’ Andy Miller, told ESPN’s Alexa Philippou, Andraya Carter and Bobby Marks on Saturday afternoon. The Athletic and Chicago Sun-Times have confirmed the hiring, although the team has not made an official announcement.

Marsh spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach with the Las Vegas Aces, focusing on player development for the 2022 and 2023 WNBA champions. Marsh, in particular, has been credited with Jackie Young’s improvement. He is the second coach to be plucked from Vegas head coach Becky Hammon’s staff this offseason, with the Golden State Valkyries having hired Natalie Nakase.

Marsh is expected to mold a successful Sky team around the tandem of Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso. With a lottery pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, Chicago will have the opportunity to add another talented player to their young core. Reese appeared to give her stamp of approval with a post on X/Twitter.