In the latest episode of Locked On Women’s Basketball, The Next’s Hunter Cruse and Em Adler discuss several international prospects who could be selected in the 2025 WNBA Draft.
Before getting into the scouting reports on individual players, Cruse evaluates the international player pool for 2025 as a whole:
“This depth is definitely the best since we’ve started doing this, I think. … And my main takeaway is that international scouting — the general managers and the front offices that take it seriously are going to be set up so much better than the other teams. [In] 2026, the international class looks great. 2027 as well.”
The Saturday crew ranks Slovenia’s Ajsa Sivka as the top international prospect for 2025. Sivka is a 6’3 power forward who turns 19 in November. She currently plays for Tarbes, a French team that competes in the EuroCup, and she has also played in Italy and the EuroLeague with Famila Schio. Here’s Adler’s assessment of what makes Sivka unique:
“The first thing that stands out probably is the shooting. Like, players don’t shoot like this. Players don’t shoot like this at this height. You basically have [New York Liberty rookie and Germany native] Leonie Fiebich, and then there’s no other comp for this. …
“[Her] upper-body form on her shots is maybe the best that we’ve seen since we started scouting, and we’re up to five full classes now since we started. It’s just such a quiet release. Her shoulders are so steady. Her footwork is — it’s fine, but it’s awesome. She also just makes her own footwork irrelevant because of how well she transfers the power from her lower body to her upper body.”
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