Miami’s latest center prospect.
Last month, I wrote about seven college players who will soon decide whether to return to school next season or enter the 2019 WNBA Draft. I broke down their season stats and biggest strengths in college and explained which WNBA team would be the best fit for them. Since then, High Post Hoops has confirmed that Miami forward Beatrice Mompremier is also eligible for the draft. The redshirt junior played two seasons at Baylor, then sat out last season as a transfer and is now playing her first season for her hometown school. Let’s take a look at her college career and the best fit for her at the next level.
At Baylor (70 games): 14.7 minutes, 7.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.5 blocks per game; 54.2% shooting from the floor
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Mompremier showed a lot of talent off the bench at Baylor, but the Lady Bears’ frontcourt was crowded with standouts like Nina Davis and Kalani Brown. After two seasons, Mompremier transferred home to Miami, which had been one of her finalists coming out of high school.
2018-19 stats: 29.0 minutes, 16.9 points, 11.9 rebounds, 0.9 blocks per game; 53.7% shooting from the floor
At Miami, Mompremier has moved into the starting lineup and doubled her minutes. Her production has taken a corresponding leap: she is averaging about twice as many points and rebounds as she did at Baylor while still shooting over 50 percent from the field. Despite being a primary focus of opposing defenses for the first time at Miami, she is scoring more efficiently than she did as a freshman and nearly as efficiently as she did as a sophomore. Mompremier led the ACC in double-doubles in the regular season and was named First Team All-ACC. Mompremier’s contributions have helped Miami post a 24-8 record to date, finish fourth in a loaded ACC, beat top-5 teams Notre Dame and Louisville, and be a mainstay in the top 25 rankings this season.
Biggest strength: Rebounding. While her scoring output is certainly impressive, Mompremier ranks ninth nationally with 11.9 rebounds per game this season. She excels on both ends of the court, ranking in the top 25 in both offensive and defensive rebounding. Overall, Mompremier wins 21.1% of available rebounds while she’s on the court, which ranks 20th nationally. And she has gotten over a quarter of Miami’s total rebounds this season, which has helped the Hurricanes outrebound their opponents by over 7 rebounds per game.
Best WNBA fit: Los Angeles. It’s tempting to say Minnesota because Mompremier was compared to Miami native and current Minnesota Lynx star Sylvia Fowles throughout her prep career, but Fowles will be one of the few holdovers for a rebuilding Lynx team this season. Arch-rival Los Angeles could certainly use Mompremier’s rebounding, though. Despite having two All-Star forwards in Nneka Ogwumike and Candace Parker, the Sparks ranked last in the WNBA in 2018 in rebounds per game. They also ranked 10th in the league in points and blocks per game, so new coach Derek Fisher would likely appreciate Mompremier’s ability to score and protect the rim.
However, two important questions remain about this match. First, would Mompremier be comfortable playing a role similar to the one she played in her first two seasons at Baylor, where she was an efficient option off the bench? And second, will the Sparks trade for Dallas Wings center Liz Cambage? Cambage wants to play in Los Angeles, but the two front offices have not been able to agree on a deal. If Los Angeles does acquire Cambage, that makes the Sparks’ frontcourt even more crowded and leaves even less room for Mompremier. In that case, Indiana, which finished ninth in the WNBA in rebounding last season and is rebuilding around a young core, could be a better fit.
(All college statistics are from Her Hoop Stats for games through March 12. All WNBA statistics are from the WNBA’s Team Stats page.)
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