Will Ole Miss Women's Basketball Star Cotie McMahon Be a First-Round Pick in 2026 WNBA Draft? Less than a month after the Ole Miss women’s basketball season concluded in the NCAA Tournament, Cotie McMahon is shifting her focus to the 2026 WNBA Draft. The standout player, who led her team with stellar performances, will attend the draft on April 13 at The Shed at Hudson Yards in New York. The event, broadcast live on ESPN at 6 p.m. CT, will feature 15 prospects, including McMahon, marking her third consecutive year as an Ole Miss player selected in the draft. If drafted, McMahon would join a select group of Ole Miss athletes chosen during coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin’s tenure, becoming the program’s ninth overall draft pick. McMahon’s draft projections have positioned her as a strong contender for a first-round selection. ESPN’s latest mock draft places her as the No. 9 pick, with the Washington Mystics expected to select her. The Athletic projects her as the No. 14 pick for the Seattle Storm, while USA TODAY and CBS Sports both anticipate the Connecticut Sun taking her with the No. 15 pick, the final selection of the first round. This projection aligns with predictions from The Sporting News and Sports Illustrated, which also place her at No. 15 for the Sun. However, Bleacher Report’s mock draft diverges slightly, projecting McMahon as a second-round pick, though she would still end up with the Sun at No. 18. McMahon’s season performance has solidified her status as a top prospect. She averaged career-highs in points and assists, scoring 19.5 points per game—ranking third in the SEC—and dishing out 3.0 assists per game, a team-leading stat for Ole Miss. Her contributions extended beyond scoring and playmaking, as she also recorded 5.1 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game.#ole_miss #seattle_storm #wnba_draft #cotie_mcmahon #the_shed_at_hudson_yards
