Women’s Basketball: Mikesell first Buckeye selected in WNBA Draft since 2018

Ohio State senior guard Taylor Mikesell (24) celebrates an early 3 in the Ohio State-North Carolina NCAA tournament game in Columbus on March 20. Ohio State won 71-69. Credit: Zachary Rilley | Photo Editor

Senior guard Taylor Mikesell was selected by the Indiana Fever with the No. 13 overall pick in the second round of the 2023 WNBA Draft Monday.

This makes her the first Buckeye selected in the draft since Kelsey Mitchell and Stephanie Mavunga in 2018.

The All-Big Ten First Team honoree finished this season with a team-high 17.2 points per game, and ranked third in the nation in 3-pointers made with 116, after leading the country in distance shooting percentage a year ago. She also made 86 percent of her free throws, a team-high for players who logged in more than 45 minutes of game time this season.

During her last two seasons as a Buckeye, the Massillon, Ohio, native has grown her game in nearly every statistical category and helped lead the Buckeyes this past season to their first Elite Eight appearance since 1993.

Before transferring to Ohio State, the combo guard played her first two years with Maryland and was named the Big Ten Freshman of Year. Mikesell averaged 12.3 points per game for the Terrapins and broke the Maryland single-season record for 3-pointers made, before taking her talents west to Oregon in 2020.

In her lone season with the Ducks, she scored in double figures 10 times and helped lead Oregon to its fourth-straight Sweet Sixteen appearance. She returned to her home state the following season to finish her collegiate career with Ohio State.

In the 2022-23 season, Mikesell started in all 36 games, surpassing her 2,000th collegiate-career point against Indiana on Jan. 27 and her 1000th point as a Buckeye in 68 games with the team.

A consensus five-star recruit, Mikesell was ranked No. 32 in the class of 2018 following the completion of her career at Jackson High School. She set the Stark County single-game scoring record with 60 points on Feb. 10, 2018, while knocking down 14 3s from beyond the arc.