Cotie McMahon’s year keeps getting better.
After one of the most productive seasons in Ole Miss history, the senior forward has officially been invited to the 2026 WNBA Draft on April 13 in New York City.
It is a strong indicator of how the league views her. Players do not get invited unless teams expect them to come off the board early, and McMahon is widely projected as a top 10 pick.
Cotie McMahon is NYC BOUND 🗽
See y'all at the WNBA Draft!
📰 | https://t.co/NGHFlMBNnf#HottyToddy x #WNBADraft pic.twitter.com/DbNQi1h0kq
— Ole Miss Women's BB (@OleMissWBB) April 9, 2026
If she hears her name called, she will become the ninth Rebel drafted and the fourth under Yolett McPhee‑McCuin, joining Madison Scott, Marquesha Davis and Shakira Austin. That is the kind of company McMahon has played herself into.
ESPN’s Michael Voepel has her slotted ninth overall to the Washington Mystics in his latest mock draft, and he laid out exactly why teams are intrigued.
“McMahon will have to transition to be more of a perimeter player in the WNBA and improve her 3‑point shooting. She has worked on that over the past two seasons,” Voepel wrote. “This year, after transferring to Ole Miss after three years at Ohio State, McMahon averaged a career‑high 19.5 points and had a career‑best 36 3‑pointers. But she shot 28.6 percent from behind the arc. McMahon’s physical style of play should translate well in the WNBA.”
That physical style was on display all season. McMahon earned spots on the Cheryl Miller Final Five list, the Wooden Award National Ballot and the WBCA Regional Finalist list. She collected 27 individual honors, was named SEC Newcomer of the Year and landed on the First Team All‑SEC. She’s also a finalist for the 2026 Gillon Trophy, awarded to the best women’s college basketball player in Mississippi.
She also stacked up All‑America recognition from USA TODAY, The Sporting News, the USBWA and the AP. It was one of the most decorated seasons any Rebel has ever had.
Her production backed it up. McMahon averaged 19.5 points on 45.1 percent shooting, along with 5.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists. In SEC play, she elevated her numbers to 21.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists. She finished with 703 points, the fourth‑highest single‑season total in program history, and her 34 double‑digit scoring games set a new Ole Miss record.
The draft invite simply confirms what the numbers already suggested. McMahon is viewed as one of the best players in the country, and WNBA teams see her as someone whose game will translate at the next level.
For Ole Miss, it is another milestone in a season full of them. For McMahon, it is the next step in a career that keeps trending upward.
