It's hard to picture March Madness stars before they came into stardom in college. However, many of them were top prospects and had big-time offers to consider. Here is what 8 women's March Madness stars were like in high school:

1. Caitlin Clark

University of Iowa‘s great Caitlin Clark attended Dowling Catholic High School in West Des Moines, Iowa. Clark was a Class of 2020 recruit and ESPN had her as the number four overall recruit in her class, and the second-best point guard. In her four years, Clark was named the Iowa Gatorade Player of the Year in 2019 and 2020, IPSWA Miss Iowa Basketball in 2020, and was a three-time IPSWA first-team All-State selection.

According to the Hawkeyes Wire, Clark's high school stats were incredible:

• As a freshman: 15.3 points and 4.7 assists per game.
• As a sophomore: 7.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 4 assists per game. 

Somehow, even after those amazing averages, she just kept getting better:

• As a junior: 32.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game.
• As a senior: 33.4 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists per game.

Received offers from: Iowa, Iowa State, Notre Dame, Oregon

Fun fact: Caitlin Clark also played varsity soccer for two years at Dowling Catholic.

2. Angel Reese

Before her stardom at LSU, Angel Reese attended St. Francis Academy in Baltimore, Maryland. Reese was also a Class of 2020 recruit, and she was considered the number two overall recruit in her class and the best wing in the country by ESPN. Reese won three straight IAAM championships and two conference titles with St. Francis. She was named the Baltimore Sun Player of the Year in 2019 and 2020, USA Today First Team, 3x All-Metro First Team, and was a McDonald's All-American.

According to MaxPreps, Reese started high school off with a bang:

• Freshman year: 12 points and 13 rebounds per game.
• Sophomore year: 17.6 points, 12.1 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game.
• Junior year: 18.3 points, 13.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists per game.
• Senior year: 18.6 points, 10.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists per game.

Received offers from: Maryland, LSU, South Carolina, Tennessee

Fun fact: Angel Reese donated $12,000 to her former high school to cover tuition expenses for a member of the girl's basketball team. 

3. Cameron Brink

Stanford University star Cameron Brink played high school basketball for three years at Southridge High School and one year at Mountainside High School, both in Beaverton, Oregon. Brink was the number three overall recruit in the Class of 2020 and was considered the number one forward in the country by ESPN. 

In high school, Brink was a 2x Gatorade Oregon Player of the Year, 3x Naismith High School All-American, USA Today Oregon Player of the Year, and a McDonald's All-American.

According to Stanford University Athletics, Brink was a standout high school player from day one.

• Freshman year: 12.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.7 blocks per game.
• Sophomore year: 17 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.7 blocks per game.
• Junior year: 21.3 points and 11.1 rebounds per game.
• Senior year: 19.7 points, 12.9 rebounds, 3 assists, 2.5 blocks per game.

Received offers from: Stanford, UConn, Oregon

Fun fact: Cameron Brink also played varsity volleyball and won a state championship.

4. Paige Bueckers

UConn point guard Paige Bueckers attended Hopkins High School in Minnetonka, Minnesota. She was the ESPN number one overall ranked Class of 2020 recruit in the country. 

Bueckers was the 2019-2020 Gatorade Female Athlete of the Year, 2020 Naismith Prep Player of the Year, 3x Gatorade Minnesota Player of the Year, and a McDonald's, SLAM, and Jordan Brand Classic All-American.

According to MaxPreps stats, Paige Bueckers was one of the best high school basketball players of all time:

• Freshman year: 23.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3 assists per game.
• Sophomore year: 24.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 6.1 assists per game.
• Junior year: 24.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists per game.
• Senior year: 21.4 points, 5 rebounds, 9.4 assists per game.

Received offers from: UConn, Notre Dame, UCLA, South Carolina, Oregon, Maryland, Texas, Duke

Fun fact: Paige Bueckers started playing for Hopkins' varsity basketball team in 8th grade. She averaged 8.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.1 assists that season.

5. JuJu Watkins

USC freshman JuJu Watkins played high school basketball for two years at Windward High School in Los Angeles, California, and two years at Sierra Canyon High School in L.A. She was an ESPN five-star recruit and the number one recruit in the Class of 2023. 

At Sierra Canyon, Watkins was named the Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year in 2023 and 2022, USA Today HSSA Girls Basketball Player of the Year, won the 2023 Jersey Mike's Naismith High School Trophy, and was named the WBCA High School Player of the Year. 

As you can assume, JuJu Watkins was basically unstoppable in high school:

• Freshman year: 21 points and 9 rebounds per game.
• Sophomore year: 27 points and 12 rebounds per game.
• Junior year: 24.5 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.8 steals per game.
• Senior year: 27.5 points, 13.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.5 steals, 1.7 blocks per game.

Received offers from: USC, South Carolina, Stanford

Fun fact: JuJu Watkins was the first USC commit to win the Gatorade National Player of the Year award since Lisa Leslie in 1990.

6. Hannah Hidalgo

Notre Dame freshman standout Hannah Hidalgo attended Paul VI High School in Haddonfield, New Jersey. Hidalgo was the number five overall recruit in the Class of 2023. 

At Paul IV, Hidalgo was named the Gatorade New Jersey Player of the Year and was named Co-MVP of the McDonald's All-American game alongside JuJu Watkins.

Hidalgo's high school stats were as impressive as you might think according to High School Sports:

• Freshman year: 17.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 5.5 steals per game.
• Sophomore year: 20.2 points, 5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 4 steals per game.
• Junior year: 26.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 6.2 steals per game.
• Senior year: 28.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 7.3 steals per game.

Received offers from: Notre Dame, Michigan, Stanford, Duke, Ohio State, UCF

Fun fact: In an interview with 6 ABC Philadelphia in April of 2023, Hannah Hidalgo said, “Honestly, I want to get Defensive Player of the Year, Freshman Player of the Year, and just grow. Make it all the way to the league.” On March 5, 2024, Hidalgo was named both ACC Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. 

7. Aaliyah Edwards

UConn forward Aaliyah Edwards played high school basketball for two years at Frontenac Secondary School in Kingston, Ontario, and two years at Crestwood Preparatory College in North York, Ontario. Edwards was the 23rd overall ranked recruit in the Class of 2020 and the third-best wing in her recruiting class. 

In high school, Edwards was named the NBA Basketball Without Borders Global MVP, OSBA MVP and Defensive Player of the Year, and won the OSBA, NPA, and CISAA titles with Crestwood Prep.

Stats were only available from Edwards' senior and junior year of high school, but it gives you a peek into her talent early on:

• Junior year: 22 points per game
• Senior year: 23.7 points and 11.6 rebounds per game.

Received offers from: UConn, Baylor, Louisville, Notre Dame, Oregon, Maryland

Fun fact: Before transferring high schools, Aaliyah and her mother, Jackie, drove two and a half hours to get to her practices.

8. MiLaysia Fulwiley

South Carolina's freshman phenom, Malaysia Fulwiley played high school basketball at W. J. Keenan High School in Richland County, South Carolina. Fulwiley was the 13th-ranked recruit in the Class of 2023.  

At Keenan, MiLaysia Fulwiley was the school's all-time leading scorer, a 4x SCBCA Player of the Year, a five-time SCBCA First-Team All-State, and a WCBA All-American. 

Take a look at how dominant MiLaysia Fulwiley was in high school according to MaxPreps: 

• Freshman year: 26.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and 6.1 steals per game.
• Sophomore year: 25.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 6.9 assists, and 5.2 steals per game.
• Junior year: 30.3 points, 9.2 rebounds, 6.4 assists, and 4.5 steals per game.
• Senior year: 24.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 5.7 steals per game.

Received offers from: South Carolina, Florida, Louisville, Ole Miss

Fun fact: MiLaysia Fulwiley started playing varsity basketball in 7th grade. She averaged 11.7 points per game in 7th grade and 19.7 points per game in 8th grade.