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Four Ohio State women’s basketball players declare for WNBA Draft
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
The Buckeyes four players include award winners and potential high draft picks
Thursday afternoon, the WNBA announced its list of eligible potential draftees. Included in the list were four players from the 23/24 Ohio State women’s basketball. Guards Jacy Sheldon and Celeste Taylor and forwards Rebeka Mikulášiková and Taiyier Parks each hope to get drafted and earn a spot in the United States’ top professional women’s basketball league.
Leading the group is Sheldon. The five-year Buckeye came back to Ohio State for a fifth season after her senior season was detoured with a foot injury, missing most of the season and returning in the postseason.
Sheldon had her second-best scoring season (17.8 points per game) and best assist year (3.8 assist per game) in scarlet and gray. It earned Sheldon her first AP All-American spot, on the Second Team. Of the four, Sheldon’s name is also connected to mock drafts across women’s basketball.
ESPN, Sporting News, and The Athletic all have Sheldon as a top-10 pick. Some as early as No. 5 to the Dallas Wings or No. 6 to the Washington Mystics. The guard who graduated from Dublin Coffman High School, outside of Columbus, Ohio, brings offensive ability but also strong defense. The latter is important for players hoping to not only get drafted but make a team long-term.
Last season, shooting guard Taylor Mikesell heard her name called by the Indiana Fever but didn’t make it out of training camp. However, the guard found a temporary home on the roster of the Atlanta Dream to fill in for injury. Mikesell made six appearances for the Dream, averaging 4.8 minutes per stint on the court.
The next strongest case for hearing their name on April 15 is Taylor. The ACC and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year in 2022-23 and 2023-24 respectively has the defense that teams in the league want. It’s the offensive side of the ball that has held the player back from mock drafts.
Even so, Taylor showed increased offense and the ability to learn and grow in only one year with the Buckeyes. After averaging less than eight points per game in the non-conference schedule, Taylor averaged 11.4 points per game in the Big Ten conference and the postseason.
For Mikulášiková and Parks, their draft stock isn’t near Sheldon or Taylor but professional basketball goes far beyond the WNBA. If the four Ohio State players don’t get drafted, there’s still the potential to play overseas in Europe or Australia.
Plus, even if players are drafted, the likelihood of making a WNBA team full-time isn’t likely. Each season there are more than a hundred college players declaring and only 12 teams to land on. In 2025, a 13th team will join the league in the Bay Area, with an expansion led by the Golden State Warriors of the NBA.
Should a Buckeye get drafted, it’ll be the 17th WNBA college draft pick in program history, with Jamie Lewis’ third-round pick in the 2001 WNBA Draft being the first. It’ll be the second college pick since 2018.
If multiple players get picked, it’ll be the third time the Buckeyes achieved the feat. In 2007, forward Jessica Davenport and guard Brandie Hoskins. Then, in 2018, guard Kelsey Mitchell and forward Stephanie Mavunga heard their names. Mitchell is the lone Ohio State graduate in the WNBA, leading the Indiana Fever.
The consensus No. 1 pick is another name from the Big Ten. Iowa Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark is the expected first selection, going to play alongside Mitchell and the Fever. While there’s no guarantee, upon announcing her declaration to the WNBA Draft, the Fever shared a link for people to purchase season tickets and have joined the online conversation when Clark’s been playing or in the news.
ESPN airs the draft live on Monday, April 15. It begins at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Continue reading...
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
The Buckeyes four players include award winners and potential high draft picks
Thursday afternoon, the WNBA announced its list of eligible potential draftees. Included in the list were four players from the 23/24 Ohio State women’s basketball. Guards Jacy Sheldon and Celeste Taylor and forwards Rebeka Mikulášiková and Taiyier Parks each hope to get drafted and earn a spot in the United States’ top professional women’s basketball league.
Leading the group is Sheldon. The five-year Buckeye came back to Ohio State for a fifth season after her senior season was detoured with a foot injury, missing most of the season and returning in the postseason.
Sheldon had her second-best scoring season (17.8 points per game) and best assist year (3.8 assist per game) in scarlet and gray. It earned Sheldon her first AP All-American spot, on the Second Team. Of the four, Sheldon’s name is also connected to mock drafts across women’s basketball.
ESPN, Sporting News, and The Athletic all have Sheldon as a top-10 pick. Some as early as No. 5 to the Dallas Wings or No. 6 to the Washington Mystics. The guard who graduated from Dublin Coffman High School, outside of Columbus, Ohio, brings offensive ability but also strong defense. The latter is important for players hoping to not only get drafted but make a team long-term.
Last season, shooting guard Taylor Mikesell heard her name called by the Indiana Fever but didn’t make it out of training camp. However, the guard found a temporary home on the roster of the Atlanta Dream to fill in for injury. Mikesell made six appearances for the Dream, averaging 4.8 minutes per stint on the court.
The next strongest case for hearing their name on April 15 is Taylor. The ACC and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year in 2022-23 and 2023-24 respectively has the defense that teams in the league want. It’s the offensive side of the ball that has held the player back from mock drafts.
Even so, Taylor showed increased offense and the ability to learn and grow in only one year with the Buckeyes. After averaging less than eight points per game in the non-conference schedule, Taylor averaged 11.4 points per game in the Big Ten conference and the postseason.
For Mikulášiková and Parks, their draft stock isn’t near Sheldon or Taylor but professional basketball goes far beyond the WNBA. If the four Ohio State players don’t get drafted, there’s still the potential to play overseas in Europe or Australia.
Plus, even if players are drafted, the likelihood of making a WNBA team full-time isn’t likely. Each season there are more than a hundred college players declaring and only 12 teams to land on. In 2025, a 13th team will join the league in the Bay Area, with an expansion led by the Golden State Warriors of the NBA.
Should a Buckeye get drafted, it’ll be the 17th WNBA college draft pick in program history, with Jamie Lewis’ third-round pick in the 2001 WNBA Draft being the first. It’ll be the second college pick since 2018.
If multiple players get picked, it’ll be the third time the Buckeyes achieved the feat. In 2007, forward Jessica Davenport and guard Brandie Hoskins. Then, in 2018, guard Kelsey Mitchell and forward Stephanie Mavunga heard their names. Mitchell is the lone Ohio State graduate in the WNBA, leading the Indiana Fever.
The consensus No. 1 pick is another name from the Big Ten. Iowa Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark is the expected first selection, going to play alongside Mitchell and the Fever. While there’s no guarantee, upon announcing her declaration to the WNBA Draft, the Fever shared a link for people to purchase season tickets and have joined the online conversation when Clark’s been playing or in the news.
ESPN airs the draft live on Monday, April 15. It begins at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Continue reading...