Ohio State has its first WNBA draft pick in five years.
Taylor Mikesell became the first Buckeye since 2018 to have her name called in the WNBA draft when she was selected by the Indiana Fever with the first pick of the second round (No. 13 overall) of Monday night’s draft Monday.
She’s the 17th Buckeye to be selected in a WNBA draft since the league’s formation in 1997. She’s the first Buckeye drafted by a WNBA team since Kelsey Mitchell and Stephanie Mavunga were also drafted by the Fever in 2018, and she will now join Mitchell on the Fever’s roster.
| Year | Round | Pick | Team | Player |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2 | 13 | Indiana Fever | Taylor Mikesell |
| 2018 | 1 | 2 | Indiana Fever | Kelsey Mitchell |
| 2018 | 2 | 14 | Indiana Fever | Stephanie Mavunga |
| 2017 | 2 | 13 | Connecticut Sun | Shayla Cooper |
| 2016 | 2 | 24 | New York Liberty | Ameryst Alston |
| 2013 | 1 | 4 | Washington Mystics | Tayler Hill |
| 2012 | 1 | 6 | Phoenix Mercury | Samantha Prahalis |
| 2011 | 1 | 5 | Los Angeles Sparks | Jantel Lavender |
| 2008 | 3 | 41 | Phoenix Mercury | Marscilla Packer |
| 2007 | 1 | 2 | San Antonio Silver Stars | Jessica Davenport |
| 2007 | 3 | 33 | Seattle Storm | Brandie Hoskins |
| 2006 | 2 | 28 | Connecticut Sun | Debbie Merrill |
| 2003 | 2 | 13 | Connecticut Sun | Courtney Coleman |
| 2002 | 4 | 55 | Orlando Miracle | Tomeka Brown |
| 2001 | 3 | 41 | Washington Mystics | Jamie Lewis |
| 1999 | Player Allocation | Minnesota Lynx | Katie Smith | |
| 1998 | Expansion Draft | 8 | Cleveland Rockers | Adrienne Johnson |
As one of four top-17 draft picks by the Fever on Monday night along with No. 1 overall pick Aliyah Boston (South Carolina), No. 7 overall pick Grace Berger (Indiana) and fellow second-round pick LaDazhia Williams (LSU), Mikesell will look to help turn around a team that went just 5-31 in 2022.
“It’s going to be incredible,” Mikesell told ESPN after being selected by the Fever. “I’m just excited to get to work, be around a ton of incredibly talented players and go ahead and try and be a good addition to the team.”
In her post-draft press conference, Mikesell said she is “very excited” to play with Mitchell and that she had spoken with Mitchell before the draft on Monday.
“She just gave me some advice and told me just to enjoy the moment and just keep being me,” Mikesell said.
Mikesell lands the opportunity to play in the WNBA after two seasons at Ohio State in which she averaged 17.9 points per game. She was one of the nation’s best 3-point shooters in both seasons as a Buckeye, averaging 3.4 made threes per game on 44.2% shooting.
A first-team All-Big Ten honoree in each of her years as a Buckeye, Mikesell also played two seasons at Maryland and one at Oregon before she finished her collegiate career in Columbus.
Mikesell and Mitchell are the only players who finished their college careers at Ohio State currently on WNBA rosters. Former Ohio State forward Dorka Juhász, who played her final two seasons of college basketball at UConn, was also selected in the second round of Monday night’s draft, going to the Minnesota Lynx with the 16th overall pick.
The 2023 WNBA season is scheduled to begin May 19, with the Fever set to open their season against the Connecticut Sun at 7 p.m. that Friday night.