Six SEC Players Selected in 2024 WNBA Draft
Six SEC players were selected during the WNBA Draft. In this article, we take a deeper dive into who they were and their stats.
20% of the picks in the 2024 WNBA draft were SEC players. Out of the 36 players picked in the three rounds Monday's WNBA Draft, six of them came from SEC schools. Not just that, but four of the twelve 1st round picks were SEC players. We also had two teams pick two different SEC players.
Now, Let's Take a Quick Look at the Six SEC Players Selected.
Pick No. 3 (1st round) - C Kamilla Cardoso (South Carolina) selected by Chicago Sky
After winning her second National Championship less than two weeks ago, Kamilla Cardoso was the first SEC player (and just the third player overall) off the board in the WNBA Draft.
Cardoso had a career year this year, averaging 14.4 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 2.0 APG, and 2.5 BPG on 59.4% shooting earning first team All-SEC honors.. At 6'7, Cardoso is a great rim-protector, but that's not all she brings to the table. The Sky went 18-22 last season, earning the final playoff spot. They fell to the 1-seed Aces in the 1st round.
Pick No. 4 (1st round) - F Rickea Jackson (Tennessee) selected by Los Angeles Sparks
There were debates on what the order would be between Cardoso and Jackson with the third and fourth picks, but the Sparks won't be upset with Jackson. A five year SEC star (3 years with Mississippi State followed by the 2 seasons in Knoxville), Jackson averaged 20.2 PPG, 8.2 RPG, and 2.3 APG on 48.5% shooting from the field (33.8% 3P) this season with career averages of 17.8 PPG and 6.1 RPG on 47.9% shooting.
Jackson was also a first team All-SEC selection this season. The Sparks will pair Jackson with No. 2 overall pick Cameron Brink with the hopes of making the playoffs next year after going 17-23 this year and missing the playoffs by just one game.
Pick No. 7 (1st round) - F/C Angel Reese (LSU) selected by Chicago Sky
The 2024 SEC Player of the Year, Reese will now be teammates with one of her college rivals in Cardoso. The Sky needed defense, and they double dipped with arguably the two best interior defenders in the draft in Reese and Cardoso (while also double-dipping in the last two National Champions).
In 2023/24, Reese averaged 18.6 PPG, 13.4 RPG, 2.3 APG, and 1.9 SPG on 47.1% shooting. Reese was second in the nation in rebounding this year. For her career (split between LSU and Maryland), Reese averaged 18.6 PPG and 12.3 RPG on 49.8% shooting.
Pick No. 11 (1st round) - F Marquesha Davis (Ole Miss) selected by New York Liberty
The fourth and final 1st round pick from the SEC, Marquesha Davis heads to the Liberty. Davis took a step forward this season offensively as she averaged 14 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 1.5 SPG on 44.7% shooting on the year while earning first team All-SEC honors.
Davis is a good perimeter defender who took a step forward offensively this season. The Liberty were 1A/1B all season last year with the Las Vegas Aces. New York finished the regular season 32-8 before eventually falling to the Aces in the Championship Series
Pick No. 23 (2nd round) - C Jessika Carter (Mississippi State) selected by New York Liberty
The other SEC pairing, and another one of rivals (this time it being an Ole Miss player and a Mississippi State player teaming up).
Carter is a six-year college player (played five seasons along with a redshirt). The 6'5 center averaged 14.9 PPG, 9.9 RPG, and 1.7 BPG this season on 52.8% shooting. Carter was second team All-SEC. Across 151 career games, Carter averaged 11.6 PPG and 7.4 RPG on 54.4% shooting
Pick No. 27 (3rd round) - G Leilani Correa (Florida) selected by Indiana Fever
While Correa will have to work against the WNBA's tough roster limitations (just 12 roster spots on 12 teams), she has some qualities that could make her one of the third round picks who make the roster. She averaged 16.9 PPG and 4.2 RPG on 43.8% shooting with a 36.1% mark from deep.
Correa started her career at St. John's where she showed the ability to run things, but this year was arguably the best year of her career all things considered (and was second team All-SEC). The Fever went 13-27 last year, but have now paired last year's No. 1 overall pick (Aliyah Boston) with this year's (Caitlin Clark).