3 WNBA draft prospects express what it would mean to hear their names called to go pro

• The 2022 WNBA Draft will see hoops dreams realized Monday starting at 7 p.m. ET.
• Top prospects NaLyssa Smith, Veronica Burton, and Lexie Hull spoke to Insider ahead of the draft.

WNBA Draft day is upon us, and a handful of college stars are preparing to realize their lifelong dreams of becoming professional basketball players.

Three of the best-known prospects — Baylor Bears forward NaLyssa Smith, Northwestern Wildcats point guard Veronica Burton, and Stanford Cardinal shooting guard Lexie Hull — spoke to Insider about their mindsets leading up to the big day and what it would mean to hear their names called at the draft.

Smith, who is projected to be among the top three picks in this year's draft, expressed confidence about her professional basketball prospects. And while she said it would be "a blessing regardless" to hear her name called Monday night, she's set her eyes on the top of the board.

"I deserve to be the number one pick," Smith said.

The 2019 NCAA champion and two-time All-America selection cited "all the time and energy I've put into the game of basketball" as part of her reasoning for going first overall while speaking to Insider about her NIL partnership with Wingstop. And that hard work and dedication shows up in her statistics and highlight reels; the 6-foot-4 forward averaged 15.5 points and 8.3 rebounds per game over her four years at Baylor, becoming one of just eight Bears players to record 2,000+ career points and the seventh to do so while also accumulating 1,000 career rebounds.

This year, Smith averaged a team-high 22.1 points and 11.5 boards en route to a Baylor single-season record 25 double-doubles. Her 403 rebounds on the year were the most from a Bears player in more than 40 years, and the Texas native hinted that her style of play — and sheer dominance in the post — was inspired by two of the greatest bigs to ever play in the WNBA.

"I was always a Sparks fan growing up because of Candace Parker and Lisa Leslie," Smith said.

Burton, meanwhile, spent four years dominating the other end of the court for Northwestern. One of the best defensive guards in this year's draft, the 5-foot-9 point guard led the nation with four steals per game this season en route to becoming a third-team All-America selection.

After averaging a team-high 17.8 points and 6.4 assists per contest with 5.5 rebounds per game to boot in her senior season, Burton watched in disappointment as her Wildcats fell on the wrong side of the NCAA tournament bubble. She told Insider that the snub will help fuel her as she moves on to the pros.

"It was definitely pretty tough to not hear our name on Selection Sunday," Burton said of Northwestern. "But it for sure fueled me for whatever is to come next for me, and from seeing the disappointment on my teammates' faces I know they'll use it as motivation for the future as well."

A stint in the WNBA is likely on the horizon, as Burton is projected to be among the first 15 players picked in Monday night's draft. Experts at SB Nation, CBS, and Winsidr all expect the Wildcats star to be taken in the first round, according to their most recent mock drafts, while Bleacher Report's Jackie Powell has Burton going the highest at sixth overall.

But the Newton, Massachusetts, native isn't all that concerned with how quickly her name is called. She's just interested in landing somewhere she has a chance to make "an impact" and snag one of the highly coveted roster spots.

"It would mean a lot to hear my name called come Draft night," Burton told Insider. "Being able to experience a night where all your hard work is celebrated is extremely special.

"I really am not focused on what round or what number I get called," she added. "Any opportunity is all I could ask for."

After four standout years playing for Tara VanDerveer's Stanford squad, Hull has a similar outlook on Monday night's draft. The prolific shooting guard has already made her case to the powers that be in the pros: Her career stat line of 11.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.6 steals per game — plus two regular-season Pac-12 titles, three conference tournament trophies, and an NCAA championship — speaks for itself.

But the draft is just a reflection of what she's already accomplished. Hull knows that the tough part comes after the picks come in.

"It would mean the world to me able to walk on the stage at the draft, but I am hungry for any pick because I know that regardless of where I'm taken, there is a lot more important work to do," Hull told Insider. "I am excited for an opportunity to try out for any WNBA team and have the chance to play with the best players in the world."

"I am excited for the draft, but I know that the draft is the first step of many to making a team and not necessarily the most important," she added.

Smith, Burton, and Hull will be among a pool of 108 players hoping to hear their names called as one of the 36 picks at the 2022 WNBA Draft. But as the Cardinal star insinuated, the journey from draft pick to a roster spot is arguably even more arduous; even some lottery picks have failed to make the cut in years past.

Still, getting drafted is a huge step on the path to the pros. Fans can tune in Monday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN to watch it all unfold at the 2022 WNBA Draft.