GREENVILLE , SC - MARCH 06 - Ole Miss's Cotie McMahon (32) during the 2026 SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament between the Ole Miss Rebels and the Vanderbilt Commodores at Bon Secours Arena in Greenville , SC on Friday, March 6, 2026. Photo by Addi Ray/SEC

Cotie McMahon Poised for First-Round Selection in Monday’s WNBA Draft

BY Taylor Hodges

The 2026 WNBA Draft takes place Monday night in New York City, and Ole Miss fans should expect to hear Cotie McMahon’s name called early. The SEC Newcomer of the Year is projected as a first round pick after a standout season in Oxford.

In his final mock draft, ESPN’s Michael Voepel slotted McMahon at No. 11 overall to the Washington Mystics, a small shift from his previous projection that had her going ninth.

Voepel noted that McMahon’s move to the perimeter and continued development as a shooter will be key at the next level, but her physical style and production make her an appealing fit.

McMahon’s résumé backs that up. She landed on the Cheryl Miller Final Five list, the Wooden Award National Ballot and the WBCA Regional Finalist list. She earned 27 individual honors, including SEC Newcomer of the Year and First Team All‑SEC, and is a finalist for the Gillon Trophy, given to Mississippi’s top women’s college basketball player. She also picked up All‑America recognition from USA TODAY, The Sporting News, the USBWA and the AP.

Her numbers matched the accolades. McMahon averaged 19.5 points on 45.1 percent shooting, along with 5.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists.

In SEC play, she bumped those averages to 21.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists. Her 703 total points rank fourth in program history for a single season, and her 34 double‑digit scoring games set a new Ole Miss record.

If she’s selected Monday night, McMahon will become the ninth Ole Miss player drafted and the fourth under head coach Yolett McPhee‑McCuin, joining Madison Scott, Marquesha Davis and Shakira Austin.

And she may not be the only Rebel to hear her name. Voepel’s latest mock draft projects forwards Latasha Lattimore and Christeen Iwuala as third‑round selections, with Lattimore going 33rd to the Connecticut Sun and Iwuala 37th to the Portland Fire.

The 2026 WNBA Draft begins at 6 p.m. on ESPN.

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