DAVIDSON, N.C. — WNBA scouts attended Richmond women’s basketball’s 11th straight victory, against Davidson on Feb. 14, to get a glimpse of a player.
Their eyes were on Maggie Doogan, who put on a show, scoring 26 points on 10-of-14 shooting and grabbing six rebounds. The Spiders’ senior forward also reached a career milestone, becoming the third player in program history to score 2,000 points.
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“People don’t realize it was done in four years, right? It’s not 2,000 points over five years,” Richmond coach Aaron Roussell told USA Today Sports. “It was just calm. She made the right decisions, and that helps when you’re making shots. I’m just really, really proud of her overall and what she’s done at this level and what she’s done for this program. It’s really hard to top that.”
It’s increasingly likely that Doogan will become the first Richmond player to be selected in the WNBA draft. One WNBA staffer compared her play to that of Maddy Siegrist, the former Villanova forward who now plays for the Dallas Wings after being selected in the first round in 2023.
Doogan and Siegrist are both 6-foot-2, can score inside and out and come from outside the Power 4 conferences. Doogan is averaging 21.9 points and 8.1 rebounds. As a senior at Villanova in 2023, Siegrist led the nation in scoring with 29.2 points per game and averaged 9.2 rebounds.
While Siegrist may be the better rebounder and interior scorer, it can be argued that Doogan is a more efficient player and a superior passer. Doogan is averaging 4.1 assists per game this season and is shooting 51% from the floor, 41% from 3-point land and 88% from the free throw line. Siegrist never averaged more than two assists per game or shot better than 36% from behind the arc.
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Doogan and Richmond’s Rachel Ullstrom are the only teammates in the country to attempt more than 6.5 3-pointers per game and shoot better than 40 percent from behind the arc. Doogan is also the only player in the country to average at least 21 points, eight rebounds and four assists per game while shooting north of 50 percent from the floor.
A WNBA scout who spoke to USA Today Sports complimented Doogan’s basketball IQ and competitiveness, noting how well she expresses herself on the defensive end. Another WNBA staffer simply said, “She won’t be available when the third round (of the draft) begins.” »
“With the skill set that she has, I think she’s already ready…” Roussell said. “She had some of her best games against some of the best players in the WNBA, so I think her game translates to being a hard worker.”
Indeed, Doogan has often played well in big matches. She had 30 points and 15 rebounds in an NCAA tournament run against Georgia Tech last season, scored 27 points against UCLA in the second round and scored in the 20s against TCU and Texas this season. She also participated in the AmeriCup tryouts last summer with Team USA.
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Doogan also turned heads the last time she faced Davidson. scoring 48 points in a triple overtime victory which set the single-game goal mark for the season.
Despite losing to George Mason Monday afternoon in a make-up game postponed due to a winter storm last month, Richmond is one of two teams in the Atlantic-10 with a CV worthy of consideration for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, joining Rhode Island. The Spiders are now 39th in NET, 40th in WAB and a perfect 20-0 in Quad 3 and 4 games, meaning they don’t have any bad losses.
Doogan’s stock will likely continue to rise if the Spiders can secure that offer from the NCAA.
“Her best games are ahead of her,” Roussell said of Doogan’s WNBA hopes. “People see what she is now, but she’s going to get stronger and more athletic.”
This article was originally published on USA TODAY: WNBA Draft Stock Continues to Rise for Richmond’s Maggie Doogan
