We may be in the heat of the off-season in women’s college basketball, but the summer has been full of international tournaments that feature some of the best players who will be competing next season. Here are the top 10 women’s performers of this year’s international basketball summer circuit.
1. Syla Swords, 6-foot sophomore guard, Michigan (Canada)
It’s hard to beat the summer Swords had in 2024. She became the youngest Canadian basketball player to suit up for the Olympic team in Paris. However, Swords has been hard at work, carving out an even more impressive offseason in 2025. The lone player on this list to participate in both senior and junior events for their country, Swords showed equal prowess at all levels, taking home all-tournament honors in both the Women’s AmeriCup and Women’s U19 World Cup.
The 2024 five-star recruit not only shined individually but also willed Canada to the semifinals in both tournaments. Swords took center stage, scoring the last-second winner in double overtime to secure the Bronze Medal in the Women’s AmeriCup. Two weeks later, Canada narrowly lost 70-68 to Spain in the bronze medal match of the U19 World Cup, still registering the third-highest finish in the country’s history. The Michigan Wolverine averaged 16.2 points per game in her debut Freshman All-Big Ten campaign. Watch out for a second-year leap.
2. Mikayla Blakes, 5-foot-8 sophomore guard, Vanderbilt (United States)
This year’s Women’s AmeriCup roster was exclusively comprised of college talent, keeping with U.S. tradition. Among a sea of All-American selections and household names, Blakes stole the show. The Sophomore guard made her Team USA debut this tournament and took home the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup MVP.
Competing against senior competition and WNBA talent, Blakes averaged 14 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 2 steals per game throughout the tournament, saving her best performance — a 27-point, 6-rebound outing — for the championship game vs. Brazil. Blakes’s inspired performance propelled Team USA to the 92-84 victory and a Gold Medal, avenging their 2023 AmeriCup final loss to Brazil. The 2024 SEC Freshman of the Year is poised to turn Vanderbilt into a contender.
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3. Clara Silva, 6-foot-7 sophomore center, TCU (Portugal)
Silva was the single most dominant player in the 2025 U19 Women’s World Cup. Silva was unstoppable for Team Portugal, leading the tournament in points (23) and blocks (3.0) while finishing third in rebounds (9.7). Silva was surprisingly snubbed from the all-tournament team but was named the top defensive player and recognized by FIBA.com on their 2nd-team all-tournament.
Silva’s biggest feat was registering the third-most efficient game in the history of the U19 World Cup. In Portugal’s round-of-16 matchup vs Israel, Silva stuffed the stat sheet for 37 points on 15-of-20 from the field, 10 rebounds with a staggering 7 of them on the offensive end, while sprinkling in 2 assists, 2 steals, and a block. Portugal narrowly won 83-80, but eventually Silva’s lack of support caught up with them, placing 7th in the 16-team tournament. Silva was sparingly used at Kentucky in her freshman year, but with her offseason transfer to TCU, she is expected to be a far bigger factor this season.
4. Elisa Mevius, 5-foot-10 senior guard, Oregon (Germany)
Although Mevius didn’t participate in any traditional basketball tournaments this summer, she’s been forging her legacy on the half-court. The two-time All-MAAC selection has won five separate FIBA 3×3 tournaments this year for Germany. Her biggest win of her busy summer was the undefeated gold medal run at the 2025 World University Games in front of a German home crowd.
She has been statistically one of the most valuable players in the circuit, posting an average player value of 7.4 per game. Germany swept its three tournaments in the FIBA 3×3 Youth Nations League. Her impact is even larger than the stat sheet suggests. In the two tournaments that FIBA fully tracked, Mevius was first and second for “highlights per game”. Reflected by her FIBA World Cup highlight reel, reaching over 4.5 million views on Instagram reels. Mevius is going into her final season of college basketball at Oregon.
5. Sienna Betts, 6-foot-4 freshman forward/center, UCLA (United States)
The No. 2-ranked prospect in the Class of 2025 and the most decorated high school basketball player in Colorado history, the expectations were high for Betts in her FIBA World Cup debut. She did not disappoint. Betts put up five double-doubles in seven contests, tying the all-time tournament record. In her opening game, Betts shot 11-of-12 from the field for 25 points in only 18 minutes. This all culminated in Betts being selected to the all-tournament team, an honor that eluded her older sister, Lauren.
Betts averaged 14.1 points, 10 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks in 24 minutes per game across the tournament. Her mere presence was a problem for opposing teams and coaches, racking up an average plus/minus of 24.6 points per game. Betts is entering her freshman year for a UCLA Team that made the Final 4 last year. She looks ready to contribute on day one for Coach Cori Close’s Bruins, who seem right on the cusp of their first NCAA national championship in program history.
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6. Gal Raviv, 5-foot-10 sophomore guard, Miami (Israel)
Israel’s Gal Raviv appears to be on a fast track to stardom. The 18-year-old guard became the first freshman to win MAAC player of the year with Quinnipiac last season. This offseason, she broke another record. Raviv totalled 158 points, 26.3 per game, breaking the all-time scoring record for the event. A record that was held for the last 36 years by FIBA Hall of Famer Danira Bilic, who represented the now disbanded Yugoslavia.
What’s most impressive about Raviv’s record is that it was executed with efficiency. Raviv shot over 50 percent from inside the arc and 42.7 percent from beyond on a volume of 19 field goal attempts per game. Additionally, her FIBA efficiency rating was third among all players tournament-wide. If Raviv’s offensive production is scalable to NCAA play, there’s a good chance she competes for ACC Player of the Year in her sophomore season with the Hurricanes.
7. Lena Bilic, 6-foot-3 freshman small forward, UCLA (Croatia)
UCLA only brought in two freshmen this offseason (Betts and Bilic), but both appear to be great additions. Bilic showed incredible promise in her biggest international tournament to date. The Croatian forward led all scorers in the U18 EuroBasket tournament. She finished her run by carrying her nation to the bronze medal and Division A promotion with a 41-point outburst against Lithuania in the third-place game.
Bilic wasn’t just effective at scoring, however. She also averaged 2.9 steals and 1.4 blocks per game on the defensive end to go with 6 rebounds and 4.7 assists. Bilic promises to be the long-term replacement for Angela Dugalic on the wing, but only time will tell.
8. Kiyomi McMiller, 5-foot-7 sophomore guard, Penn State (Nicaragua)
The COCOBA Central American women’s basketball tournament rarely attracts stars; however, McMiller, a 2024 Jordan All-American, turned Managua into her personal playground. The Penn State transfer has been racking up unreal statlines versus Central America’s best, highlighted by a 33-point, 7-rebound 8- assist effort against Honduras.
McMiller was averaging 26.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.3 steals per game for Team Nicaragua. Last year at Rutgers, McMiller averaged 18.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3 assists, so this isn’t entirely surprising, but it’s impressive nonetheless.
9. Sarah Strong, 6-foot-2 sophomore forward, UConn (United States)
The No. 1 2026 recruit and AP second-team All-American, Strong once again dabbled in the 3×3 game this summer. A three-time U18 3×3 World Cup gold-medalist, it was now her turn to face senior competition. In her first FIBA 3×3 World Cup in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, Strong stole the show. Although the United States finished sixth in the tournament, the 2025 National Champion finished first in a number of categories.
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Strong led all players in total player value, a 3×3 FIBA metric, despite playing two fewer games than the championship teams. She also led in shot efficiency with an 83 percent mark across five games, and was second in the tournament in points per game. While the U.S. went home without a medal, Strong yet again proved her stardom on the world stage.
10. Clara Bielefeld, 6-foot-4 freshman point guard, TCU (Germany)
Bielefeld showed off her well-rounded skill set in the U18 Women’s EuroBasket. The tall German guard had an impressive yet unorthodox statline for the tournament. She finished second in both assists (5.3 per game) and blocks (2.7) while also registering 10.9 rebounds and 2.4 steals. Bielefeld’s best performance was in the semifinals against Croatia, where she dropped 20 points, 17 rebounds, 8 assists, and 3 blocks.
Bielefeld was recognized on the All-Tournament team for the U18 Division B EuroBasket and earned silver, along with German promotion to Division A next year. Bielefeld is joining a 34-4 TCU Horned Frogs, who qualified for the Elite 8 last season. However, this year’s team will look dramatically different with Big 12 Player of the Year Hailey Van Lith and All-Big 12 selections Sedona Prince and Madison Conner gone to the pros.
Honorable Mentions:
Hannah Hidalgo, 5-foot-6 senior point guard, Notre Dame (United States)
Jazzy Davidson, 6-foot-1 freshman guard, USC (United States)
Bonnie Deas, 5-foot-9 freshman guard, Arkansas (Australia)
Gabriela Jacquez, 5-foot-11 senior forward, UCLA (Mexico)
Olivia Miles, 5-foot-10 graduate student point guard, TCU (United States)
Manuella “Manu” Alves, 6-foot-3 freshman forward, Illinois (Brazil)
Gina Garcia Safont, 5-foot-9 freshman point guard, Kansas State (Spain)
Mikaylah Williams, 6-foot-0 junior guard, LSU (United States)
Nastja Claessens, 6-foot-1 freshman power forward, Kansas State (Belgium)
Important note: This was written before 3 major tournaments began or finished. The FIBA Women’s AfroBasket takes place from July 26th through August 3rd and contains 8 Division I players. The U20 Women’s EuroBasket Division A and B tournaments will feature upwards of 50 college players and commits and take place from August 1-10.
