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WNBA draft stock continues to rise for Richmond's Maggie Doogan
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- WNBA draft stock continues to rise for Richmond's Maggie Doogan
DAVIDSON, NC — Folks from three WNBA teams were seated inside Belk Arena on Saturday, Feb. 14, when Richmond's women's basketball team notched its 11th consecutive victory by defeating Davidson. They were all there to get a closer look at one player: Maggie Doogan.
The senior forward for the Spiders put on a show by efficiently scoring 26 points on 10-of-14 shooting to go along with six rebounds. Doogan also reached a career milestone, becoming the third player in program history to score 2,000 points.
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"People don't realize, like, this was done in four years, right? This is not 2,000 points over five years," Richmond coach Aaron Roussell told USA Today Sports. "It was just a calm. She made the right decisions, and it helps when you're making shots. Just really, really proud of her overall, what she's done at this level and what she's done for this program. It's really hard to top."
It's becoming increasingly likely Doogan will become the first Richmond player to be selected in the WNBA draft. One WNBA staffer likened her game to Maddy Siegrist , the former Villanova forward who now plays for the Dallas Wings after being selected in the first round in 2023.
Both Doogan and Siegrist are 6-foot-2, can score inside and out and come from outside the Power 4 conferences. Doogan is averaging of 21.9 points and 8.1 rebounds. As a senior at Villanova in 2023, Siegrist led the nation in scoring with 29.2 points a game and averaged 9.2 rebounds.
While Siegrist might be the better rebounder and inside scorer, a case can be made Doogan is a more efficient player and superior passer. Doogan is averaging 4.1 assists per game this season and shooting 51% from the floor, 41% from 3-point land and 88% from the free throw line. Siegrist never averaged more than two assists a game or shot better than 36% from behind the arc.
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Doogan and Richmond's Rachel Ullstrom are the only teammates in the country who attempt more than 6.5 3-pointers per game and shoot better than 40% from behind the arc. Doogan is also the only player in the nation averaging at least 21 points, eight rebounds and four assists a game while shooting north of 50% from the floor.
One WNBA scout who spoke to USA Today Sports complimented Doogan's basketball IQ and competitiveness, pointing out how vocal she is on the defensive end. Another WNBA staffer said simply, "She won't be available when the third round (of the draft) starts."
"The skill set that she has, I think she's already ready…" Roussell said. "She's had some of her best games against some of the best players that are going to be in the WNBA. So I think her game translates And she's a hard worker."
Indeed, Doogan has often played well in big games. She had 30 points and 15 rebounds in an NCAA Tournament upset of Georgia Tech last season, scored 27 points against UCLA in the second round and scored in the 20s against both TCU and Texas this season. She also participated in trials for the AmeriCup last summer with Team USA.
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Doogan turned heads the last time she faced Davidson too, scoring 48 points in a triple-overtime win that set the single-game scoring mark for the season.
Despite losing at George Mason on Monday afternoon in a makeup game postponed due to a winter storm last month, Richmond is one of two teams in the Atlantic-10 with a resume worthy of consideration for an NCAA Tournament at-large bid, joining Rhode Island. The Spiders are now 39th in NET, 44th in WAB and a perfect 20-0 in Quad 3 and 4 games — meaning they don't have any bad losses.
Doogan's draft stock will likely continue to rise if the Spiders can get that NCAA bid.
"Her best games are ahead of her," Roussell said of Doogan's WNBA prospects. "People are seeing what she is now, but she's going to get stronger and she's going to get more athletic."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: WNBA draft stock continues to rise for Richmond's Maggie Doogan
