She Dominated the WNBA All-Star Game, and Her Girls Are Dominating Club Hoops
Anwar Stetson
WNBA player Napheesa Collier, a five-time All-Star, former Defensive Player of the Year, and current MVP front-runner, captained her first WNBA All-Star game this past weekend in Indianapolis.
The exuberant event for the highest level of women’s basketball was filled with entertainment, athleticism, and even controversy. The players have continuously called for better pay in the growing league, with five expansion franchises coming to the league by 2030. All-Stars wore shirts reading “Pay Us What You Owe Us,” sparking conversation across the sports world about the players’ salaries.
The play on the court, however, was record-setting, culminating with the high-scoring All-Star game on Saturday night. The two captains, Collier and second-year sensation Caitlin Clark, picked from a roster of All-Stars to play each other in front of nearly 17,000 fans. Collier’s squad defeated Clark’s 151-131.
Star Power
Clark has had such a profound impact on women’s basketball that the surrounding whirlwind has been dubbed the “Caitlin Clark Effect,” but due to a nagging groin injury, she didn’t play in front of her home fans in Indianapolis. Instead, the attention gravitated to Collier, who set the single-game All-Star record with 36 points while winning her first All-Star game MVP award.
An advocate for player empowerment and increased salaries herself, Collier founded her own offseason pro league with former MVP Breanna Stewart called “Unrivaled.” The league is noted for having higher salaries than the WNBA and ownership stakes for players.
While women’s basketball fans may know her hoops accolades and successful business ventures well, they may not know much about Collier’s even more successful youth girls’ team.
Youth Rising
Napheesa Collier Elite (Phee Elite) just won its third-straight title in the Elite 40 tournament in Louisville, Kentucky, over the weekend. Sponsored by Collier, Phee Elite has 15 different girls’ club squads in various age groups.
Its 17U squad, helmed by Webster University head coach Jordan Olufson, completed the three-peat with some of Missouri’s best girls’ hoopers. The MVP of the tournament was 5’8” point guard Peyton Olufson, Jordan Olufson’s daughter.
Peyton Olufson is the No. 2-ranked combo-guard from Missouri by Prep Girls Hoops. The Class of 2026 star attends Collier’s old high school, Incarnate Word in St. Louis, and is committed to Saint Louis University. Prep Girls Hoops contributor Earl Austin describes Olufson as a three-level scorer and “solid playmaker” who has won two state championships with Incarnate Word.
In a statement on the Phee Elite website, Collier said, “As someone who played in St. Louis, I want to see the girls in St. Louis elevated and go on to the next level.”
‘Show-Me’ Stars
Though not known as a hoops powerhouse, the Show-Me State has produced some big talent, including Collier, and NBA stars like Jayson Tatum, Bradley Beal, and Michael Porter Jr.
With this level of success, Collier proves that winning starts at the top, as the future looks bright for Missouri’s next crop of women’s basketball stars.
The team also includes Missouri’s 10th-ranked Class of ‘26 prospect, 6’2’’ power forward Kennedy Stowers. The senior, committed to Illinois State, is an All-District player at Lutheran St. Charles (Mo.), along with fellow Lutheran St. Charles and Phee Elite teammate Kyrii Franklin. The team of seniors successfully put a pin on their successful club careers, with many playing in their final AAU tournament before the upcoming high school season.