Atta Kusi, a former defender for Asante Kotoko, regrets playing football.

In terms of the expansion of the game, the WNBA fulfilled several requirements this season.

The W had its greatest attendance total since 2002 and its most-viewed regular season across all national networks, according to a league news release. "We got next" was the league's tagline when it first started out in 1996. Now, the W must decide what to do next.

The next phase of the game's grassroots development might be the most significant. The next step is a group of young athletes who have the imagination to engage a wider audience and a vision of what is possible.

This surge in attention during Caitlin Clark's freshman season is no accident. In addition to smashing rookie records in scoring and three-point shooting, the WNBA Rookie of the Year already holds the WNBA single-season assist record. But it goes beyond the numbers. Clark's skill demonstrates that the women's game does not need to be the NBA's vertical game to draw in more spectators.

The spark is not athleticism but elite talent. Clark's skillful passing and long-range shooting thrill supporters of all stripes. Formerly, young hoopers aspired to jump as high as Michael Jordan, but it appears that most now want to showcase their range, vision, and handle like Caitlin Clark and Steph Curry. The women's game is undergoing a guard revolution, if you look at what is happening in gyms around the nation.

JuJu Watkins, a sophomore at USC, is the ideal example. The 6-foot-2 native from Los Angeles has a unique flow and elegance to her game. Watkins' game has a component that all great athletes possess. She makes the game appear simple.

In the college game, there are additional gifted rock handlers. Another hooper who can help the W reach new heights is Paige Bueckers, a senior at UConn. Most people predict that she will be the first choice in the 2025 draft. Hannah Hidalgo, a sophomore at Notre Dame, is another name to keep an eye on. Hidalgo received the same Associated Press preseason All-American designation as Bueckers and Watkins.

But it does not end on campus.

Wilmington, Delaware, and Lubbock, Texas, are home to two of the most talented high school athletes. Watch a few clips of Aaliyah Chavez, a senior at Monterey, and Jezelle "GG" Banks, a sophomore at Ursuline Academy, to get a sense of the women's game's progress and future direction. You will notice a dazzling diversity of handles, inventive basket finishes, and the audacity to shoot from deep.