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Beatrice Mompremier, Tynice Martin among NCAA players not entering WNBA draft

By Howard Megdal

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - MARCH 09: West Virginia Mountaineers Guard Tynice Martin (04) works to get past Kansas State Wildcats Guard Kayla Goth (10) during the BIG12 Women's basketball tournament between the West Virginia Mountaineers and the Kansas State Wildcats on March 9, 2019, at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, OK. (Photo by David Stacy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - MARCH 09: West Virginia Mountaineers Guard Tynice Martin (04) works to get past Kansas State Wildcats Guard Kayla Goth (10) during the BIG12 Women's basketball tournament between the West Virginia Mountaineers and the Kansas State Wildcats on March 9, 2019, at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, OK. (Photo by David Stacy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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Some big fish won’t be in this year’s pond.

Miami big Beatrice Mompremier, scoring guard Tynice Martin of West Virginia and several other standout NCAA players will not be entering the 2019 WNBA Draft, a league source tells High Post Hoops.

UPDATED April 3, 4:45 PM: In a statement to High Post Hoops, Mompremier said: “While my dream is to play in the WNBA, I think I have a lot of improvements I can make before moving to that level, including expanding my range. I’m excited to return to Miami for another season and not only work on my skills, but compete alongside my teammates and continue to pursue our goals.”

The players had until March 31 to announced if they’d be forgoing their remaining eligibility if their teams were already eliminated from postseason play. For Jackie Young of Notre Dame and Sabrina Ionescu of Oregon, the season continues, so they will have 24 hours to decide once their seasons conclude, either this Friday night in the NCAA semifinals, or following Sunday’s NCAA final in Tampa Bay.

The lack of other early entrants means that Borislava Hristova of Washington State, Te’a Cooper of South Carolina and Destiny Slocum of Oregon State are all still eligible to play next year, a boon to their respective programs.

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Kitija Laksa of South Florida and Tiana Mangakahia of Syracuse were also allowed to leave school with eligibility remaining. But Laksa announced she will not be entering the 2019 draft as she recovers from injury, while Mangakahia said this week that she’ll be returning to Syracuse next season.

The decisions have ripple effects throughout several WNBA Drafts. Mompremier is a big on par with those at the top of the 2019 Draft, with LaChina Robinson saying on Tuesday that her quickness and face-up game could give her an edge over Kalani Brown and Megan Gustafson. Tynice Martin is a scorer capable of creating her own shot, someone who improved her efficiency significantly this year for the Mountaineers. Up and down this list of returning players are talented people who would have been in WNBA training camps and likely on rosters, too.

It also means 2019-20 will be significantly more talented on the NCAA side. Should Laksa return, the Bulls will be a top 25 team, while Miami with Mompremier and Syracuse with Mangakahia and three other returning starters should be preseason top ten clubs. Keeping Te’a Cooper on that South Carolina team bringing in a huge recruiting class will pay dividends for Dawn Staley, too, making the Gamecocks a legit title contender.

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