3 More Potential First Round Picks for the Portland Fire
Here are three more names the Portland Fire might announce Monday night with the 7th overall selection.
Yesterday, I wrote about the three players who consider to be the Portland Fire’s likeliest first round selections in Monday night’s WNBA draft.
Here are three more names who I think make sense with the 7th overall pick.
South Carolina combo guard Ta’Niya Latson
The 5’9” combo guard transferred to Dawn Staley’s national championship runner-ups after an impressive three year run at Florida State. During her junior year in Tallahassee, Latson led the nation in scoring, averaging 25.2 points per game while shooting 45.1% from the field and 34.3% behind the arc.
Across her four years of college basketball, Latson earned a reputation for being a two-way player, averaging 1.7 steals per game. Complimenting that defensive prowess, the Miami native uses her elite speed to convert turnovers into transition buckets. She also boasts substantial playing experience, having started every game across those four seasons.
UCLA small forward/shooting guard Gabriela Jaquez
When Gabriela Jaquez first arrived on UCLA’s Westwood campus as a wide-eyed freshman, fans already knew her name. Not only was Jaquez a much-hyped five star recruit and a McDonald’s All-American, but her signing furthered a rich UCLA legacy: her older brother Jaime starred on UCLA’s 2021 Final Four team, and was later named the 2023 Pac-12 Conference Player of the Year.
Gabriela furthered that legacy over three seasons - each more successful than the last - as Jaquez helped the Bruins reach last season’s Final Four, and then win this season’s national championship. Her 2025-26 statline brims with potential: she averaged 13.5 points per game, while shooting 53.9% from the field and 39.0% behind the arc. Further, Jaquez’ defense took a leap this season: in 2024-25 she notched 23 steals, but that tally soared to 43 (averaging more than 1 steal per game) in 2025-26.
South Carolina point guard Raven Johnson
Like LSU guard Flau’jae Johnson, who I profiled yesterday, South Carolina guard Raven Johnson is the rare modern student-athlete who stayed with one school for her entire collegiate career.
The South Carolina senior’s loyalty paid dividends: she was a two-year starter, a two-time national champion, and capped her senior year with All-American honors, plus the SEC’s Defensive Player of the Year award.
Like her teammate Ta’Niya Latson, Johnson is a ferocious defender capable of converting turnovers into transition buckets. As a sixth-man in 2023-24, she averaged 2.1 steals per game. Across 40 games this season - all starts - Johnson averaged 1.5 steals per game.
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Matt Bagley is a professional sportswriter and broadcaster with a passion for women’s sports. Outside of work, he cherishes quality time with his birth family, his chosen family, and one very pesky house panther.
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