I think some of it is where the women choose to play (and their parents). Bluntly: for years the face of women’s basketball has been psychopaths like Summit or Mulkey, the game is “physical,” and the fan base heavily lesbian. Without judgment, you are only appealing to a small slice of potential players.
I think a lot of athletic and competitive girls did get steered into volleyball or tennis. Look, Sharapova was 6’2 of fast-twitch muscle and coordination, don’t tell me she couldn’t have destroyed on the court. Venus Williams could have been the best PG of all time. Its like when people ask where the next great American heavyweight is. He’s an all-pro DE for the Cleveland Browns. The previous generation’s CC was trying to win Wimbledon.
Players in the pipeline can change the image and grow the game. But the league has to get shit together. Eye-raking? Come on, that’s not physical or hard-nosed basketball. That’s some catty, talentless bullshit. Most women and girls are not here for that stuff.