20. Paige Buckers - USA (2018)
The UConn guard is a sensation and tips-off our list. Bueckers pulled the strings with almost five assists per game in Belarus and that was quite the first global dance. But she went on to go one better at U19 in Bangkok a year later when she was crowned MVP.
A super-talented playmaker, expect her to potentially go higher in this list in the future when she surely becomes a senior and achieves even more for the national team and at club level. Certainly, nobody beats her off court with ta staggering near 2 million Instagram followers.
19. Marine Fauthoux - France (2018)
The French point guard was instrumental in taking France to the Final and a silver medal six years ago with more than 10 points and 4 assists per game. Since then, she has become a central member of the French senior team with an Olympic bronze at Tokyo 2020 and now likely to be influential at Paris 2024.
She’s also played at two FIBA Women’s EuroBasket editions and at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2022. She has also had success at club level, including winning EuroLeague Women Young Player of the Year.
18. Kia Nurse - Canada (2012)
Nurse fueled Canada’s best ever finish with bronze in Amsterdam in 2012, scoring almost 14 points per game. She then went on to star for the senior team in a big way, including being MVP of the FIBA Women's AmeriCup 2015.
Playing at two editions of the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in 2014 and 2018, she is also is a two-time Olympian having appeared at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 where she was the centerpiece of her team's challenge.
17. Bridget Carleton - Canada (2014)
It's the other Canadian entry on our list, with the winger top scorer for her team in Pilsen and Klatovy in 2014 when she amassed more than 14 points per outing. Carleton has since become a focal point and main scoring option for the senior side due to her downtown skills.
She will be high on the opponents' scouting list for Paris 2024 having balled at Tokyo 2020 and also at the past two editions of the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup, including famously making the All-Star Five at Sydney 2022 as Canada made the Semi-Finals.
16. Julie Allemand - Belgium (2012)
Hitting the floor in Amsterdam back in 2012, Allemand gave a glimpse into her first-class passing skills, although it was a tough time for Belgium.
But she's never looked back and is now one of the world's premiere playmakers and a central pillar of the Cats team that made history with a first FIBA Women's EuroBasket medal in 2017, a first FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup appearance in 2018 (when she equaled the all-time game assists record), a first Olympic outing at Tokyo 2020 then a maiden FIBA Women's EuroBasket title last year.
Next time we will take a look at spots 15-11 in the second part of our four-part series.
FIBA