With the women's college basketball season officially over, attention now shifts to the WNBA Draft. Earlier this week, USA Today released its latest mock draft, and it has USC's Kiki Iriafen going in the top five picks. USA Today writer Cydney Henderson has Iriafen going at No. 5 overall to the Golden State Valkyries.
Here is what Henderson had to say about Iriafen:
"Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase told USA TODAY Sports she's looking for an 'ultra competitive,' 'high character,' 'never satisfied' player that will help build the team's culture in its inaugural season. Kiki Iriafen checks all those boxes. The 6-foot-3 forward would make an immediate impact in Golden State, not far from her playing days at Stanford before she transfered to USC. Iriafen averaged 18 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists and shot 49% from the field for the Trojans this season. When she's not backing up opponents in the paint or cleaning up the glass with her physicality and explosiveness, Iriafen is a midrange master. She also highlighted her leadership skills after stepping up following JuJu Watkins' injury in the second round."
Golden State is entering the league as an expansion team in 2025. Hence, Iriafen getting selected there would be historic, as it would make her the first draft pick in franchise history. It would also send her to a familiar location, as Iriafen played the first three years of her college career in the Bay Area at Stanford.
On Friday morning, it was announced that Iriafen officially earned an invitation to the draft in New York City. If she is selected at No. 5, Iriafen would be the highest drafted Trojan since the WNBA's inaugural draft all the way back in 1997. No USC player has even gone in the first round since Ebony Hoffman was selected ninth overall by the Indiana Fever in 2004.
The 2025 WNBA Draft will be held on Monday, April 14 at 4:30 p.m. Pacific time.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Kiki Iriafen could be a top five pick in the upcoming WNBA draft
