With the Final Four upon us and the WNBA draft taking place next week, it’s time  to take a look at the new class of professional ballers.

Last year was considered the deepest class in WNBA history. This year there isn’t as much depth but with roster reductions, the competition for spots in the league will be equally fierce.

Two of the top picks will be playing this weekend in the Final Four so be sure to catch UConn’s Renee Montgomery and Oklahoma’s Courtney Paris in their final collegiate contests.

Montgomery is the whole package. She could be a starting point guard for almost any team she goes to. She’s a great leader who exudes confidence and knows how to build team chemistry. She’s smart, knows how to play both ends of the floor and has extemely high basketball IQ.

Six foot four Paris knows how to bang the boards and is a strong presence physically and mentally. She got a lot of attention last month when she offered to repay her scholarship if Oklahoma didn’t win a national championship this year so the stakes for her are high.

Atlanta Dream has the first pick in the draft followed by the Washington Mystics and there’s a good chance Montgomery and Paris will go in early rounds. But  Louisville’s Angel McCoughtry, the Big East conference’s defensive player of the year, and Maryland’s Kristi Toliver and Marissa Coleman are also considered top picks.

The Terrapins are going to have to face life next year without seniors Coleman and Toliver. Toliver is a shooting point guard always willing to go for the big shot. She’s going to fit best with an uptempo team such as Phoenix.

Who else will have a chance to play with the pros? Look for Cal’s Ashley Walker,  the second leading scorer and top rebounder in program history, Rutger’s Kia Vaughn, and Duke’s Chante Black. Both Vaughn and Black might be a good fit for a team like Connecticut.

All these players know how to play under pressure. They’ve got the necessary work ethic and each brings a unique set of skills to a team. Once the top players are picked, it will be like a game of dominoes to see how the rest fall.

The goal of a competitor is to play as long as possible so those not picked for the WNBA draft will probably look at their prospects for playing overseas. Stay tuned.