The women’s tournament at the Battle 4 Atlantis proved to be a huge success in 2021, attracting a trio of the top teams in the country, including eventual NCAA champion South Carolina. 

The Gamecocks springboarded from the Battle 4 Atlantis into a wildly successful season, culminating in a win over UConn in the final game of the 2022 NCAA Tournament. 

This year’s Battle 4 Atlantis field again features a number of strong teams, including one of the most tradition-rich programs in college basketball.

With that strong field comes a boatload of talent to keep an eye on over the three-day, 12-game tournament. 

Here’s a look at one key player for each team headed to the event, which will be held on Paradise Island in the Bahamas from Nov. 19-21.

Hailey Van Lith, Louisville

The Top-10 ranked Cardinals enter the season with Van Lith as the team’s top-returning scorer, and someone who can fill it up from anywhere.

Van Lith averaged over 14 points per game last season, shooting over 36 percent from deep, and over 81 percent at the line.

A junior, she picked up where she left off last season with a 28-point performance in the Louisville season opener.

She was a preseason All-ACC pick, and a Second Team Preseason All-American selection after an All-ACC season as a sophomore.

If Louisville is going to make a run for the Atlantis title, it will likely be on the back of Van Lith putting up big point totals.

Jordan Horston, Tennessee

At 6-foot-2, Horston is one of the taller lead guards in the nation, but that combination of size, scoring ability, ability and ball handling has her on the radar of the WNBA, and nearly every preseason awards watchlist.

The senior led the Volunteers in scoring a season ago at over 16 per game, while also leading the team in rebounds at 9.4 per night, while also averaging nearly four assists per game. You name it, she can do it.

An All-SEC selection last year, and an All-American honorable mention, Horston was a preseason All-SEC selection this season, and named to the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award watch list.

Horston may well be the most complete player in this year’s field.

Myah Selland, South Dakota State

Selland was an All-American honorable mention two seasons ago, and last season, despite missing seven games, led the Jackrabbits in scoring at 14.3 points per game, and was second on the team in rebounds at 5.5 per night.

What makes the redshirt senior so deadly, is she may be the best 3-point shooter in the country. Last season on over 100 attempts, she hit her long balls at nearly 47 percent. Give her an inch from the outside, and it’s likely going up. Maybe the best pure shooter in the field.

But she also knows how to take advantage of defenses pressuring her outside, averaging over three assists per game last season.

Selland and the Jackrabbits look to get back to the NCAA’s this season, but could also be a team to watch for the Atlantis title.

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Kassondra Brown, Rutgers

Brown, a senior transfer from nearby St. Peter’s, joins the Scarlet Knights after a standout season in the MAAC where she averaged a double-double for the season.

Brown scored at nearly 15 points per game, and pulled in just over 10 rebounds a night while posting 13-double doubles, putting her among the Top-35 players in the country in that category. At 6-2, Brown isn’t the tallent center, but uses her smarts and positioning to beat opponents for the ball.

She also showed what may be to come this season with her close to last season, when she ended the year with nine-straight double-doubles.

Charisma Osborne, UCLA

A senior guard, Osborne returns for the Bruins after leading the team in scoring and assists, finishing second in rebounding and steals, and showing she was unafraid to shoot from anywhere.

Osborne hoisted 178 triples last season, over six per game, but managed to hit them at over 33 percent, while also finding a way to get to the line more than four times per game where she was knockdown at 87.5 percent.

But she is also a dynamic playmaker, finishing fourth in the PAC 12 in assists.

At 5-9, she uses her quickness to get where she needs to be on the floor, and hopes another year of experience can help her and the Bruins get back to the NCAA Tournament.

Jordan King, Marquette

King played the second most minutes on the team last season, starting all 34 games, and is a well-rounded player for the Golden Eagles.

She was fourth in the BIG EAST last season, handing out 4.4 assists per game, but also showed her offensive touch at 11.5 points per game, and her ability to mix it up down low at 4.5 rebounds per game.

That showing, along with stepping into a lead role this season with the departure of three starters, was enough for King to be named to the preseason All-BIG EAST team.

King also is the top defender for Marquette, collecting a team-best 47 steals a season ago. Another player who is asked to do it all, and does for a Marquette team that made the WNIT a year ago.

Rori Harmon, Texas

At just 5-foot-6, Harmon is an explosive offensive threat in a little package.

She burst onto the scene as a true freshman last season, and returns for her sophomore campaign as the top scorer for the Longhorns after netting 11.4 points per game, while leading the team in free throw attempts.

Where Harmon really shines is her distribution, handing out 180 assists, putting her among the Top 20 in the country in the category.

She also led the Big 12 in steals with 86, and despite her lack of size, Harmon was second on the team in rebounds a season ago.

An All-American honorable mention by two publications, Harmon could be poised to take the leap to stardom this season as she inherits the lead role for a Top-15 ranked Texas team.

Yvonne Ejim, Gonzaga

A 6-1 junior, Ejim was one of four Bulldogs to finish in double figures last season for scoring, and did so despite starting just one game.

Her 10.1 points per game were third on the team, and her 189 rebounds ranked second. Ejim should step into a starting role this season with the departure of leading rebounder Melody Kempton.

Ejim is an efficient scorer down low, hitting near 52 percent of her shots from the floor, and was a force on the defensive end too, posting 42 blocks and a team-best 44 steals.

Ejim leads a deep Gonzaga team that put a scare into No. 1 seed Louisville in the second round of the NCAA’s last season.