Duluth Marshall star Gianna Kneepkens projected first-round WNBA draft pick

Gianna Kneepkens, the Duluth Marshall graduate whose 67-point state-tournament game made national headlines, is widely projected as a mid–to–late first-round pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft, scheduled Monday, April 13, 2026, at The Shed at Hudson Yards in New York City. Mock boards from DraftBallR and USA TODAY place her inside the top 12, and multiple outlets list her among prospects expected to attend the event in person.

Kneepkens’ rise began at Marshall School in Duluth, a private school of roughly 500 students, where she finished with about 3,704 career points, placing her among the top scorers in Minnesota girls high-school history. Her state-tournament record came March 30–31, 2021 at St. Cloud Tech, when she scored 67 points against Providence Academy with 42 in the second half, setting or tying several tournament marks and earning 2021 Gatorade Minnesota Girls Basketball Player of the Year honors.

Her collegiate arc included immediate impact at the University of Utah, where she was Pac-12 Freshman of the Year in 2021-22 and compiled multiple all-conference honors. Kneepkens suffered a broken right foot in the Dec. 2, 2023 game at BYU that required surgery and prompted a medical redshirt announced Dec. 4, 2023. She rebounded with a breakout 2024-25 season at Utah, averaging about 19.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists while earning First Team All-Big 12 recognition and Big 12 scholar-athlete honors.

As a graduate transfer to UCLA for 2025-26, Kneepkens started through the season and played a key role in UCLA’s run to the national championship. In Phoenix on April 5, 2026, she played 26 minutes and scored 15 points, hitting 3 of 7 three-pointers as UCLA defeated South Carolina 79-51 to capture the program’s first NCAA women’s title, a game that drew a peak television audience of about 10.7 million viewers.

Across Utah and UCLA, Kneepkens’ collegiate totals are roughly 2,108 points, with career averages near 14.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. Scouts and analysts cite her roughly 6-0 frame, 40%-plus career three-point efficiency and off-ball movement, labeling her a three-level scorer who fits spacing-driven WNBA lineups, with some mock boards specifically linking her to mid-first-round fits such as the No. 10 area.

Locally, Kneepkens’ trajectory has transformed Duluth Marshall into a perennial state-tournament contender and increased visibility for northern Minnesota prospects. Marshall coach C.J. Osuchukwu, trainer Dyami Starks and her mother Betsy Kneepkens are among local figures who have credited her with raising the program’s profile, while Twin Cities and Duluth outlets including the Star Tribune, WDIO, Fox21 and KSTP have highlighted the recruiting attention and community pride tied to a hometown player headed to the professional stage.