Will Myah Selland get picked in Monday's WNBA Draft?
Apr. 8—BROOKINGS — Myah Selland wrapped up her Jackrabbit career as an all-time great at South Dakota State, taking SDSU to the second round of another NCAA tournament and leaving school as the Jacks' second all-time leading scorer and one of the most consistent, versatile and successful players in the history of her home state.
Now she's ready to take her game to the pro level. There will no doubt be opportunities for the 6-foot, Letcher native. But will she hear her name called at Monday's WNBA Draft? Nothing is certain, but there's definitely a chance it'll happen.
ESPN's mock draft predicts that Selland will go to the Washington Mystics in the third, and final, round of the draft at pick No. 32. Few other mock drafts made predictions past the first round, and Selland isn't going to be one of the first 12 choices (fifteen players were invited to New York to attend the draft in person).
But Selland's versatility, consistent production and clutch gene have surely caught the attention of WNBA teams.
She averaged 16.2 points and 7.6 rebounds in the postseason, and carried the Jacks to a first round NCAA tournament win over USC with a signature performance that saw her score 29 points, including 16 in a row at the end of regulation and into overtime.
Officially listed as a forward, Selland has played all five spots on the floor for SDSU over her career. She's twice been named the Summit League player of the year (including this year), was named to the All-Newcomer team as a freshman, averaged 12.5 points on the Jacks' Sweet 16 team as a sophomore in 2019, won the conference scoring title in 2021 (19.2 points per game), and finished her career with 2,167 points, 887 rebounds and 452 assists — all of which rank in the program's all-time top five. She also finished up with a career shooting line of .515/.386/.766, with 165 career 3-pointers and was MVP of the 2022 WNIT, which the Jackrabbits won.
Clutch postseason performances like that will surely work in Selland's favor, and so, too, will her play against top-level competition. The Jacks have filled their schedule with non-conference games against ranked and power conference opponents throughout Selland's career, giving her a chance to show how she measures up against the best competition in the country.
And she's more than held her own.
Just this year, Selland had 25 points against Louisville (ranked No. 10 at the time), 22 against Creighton, 20 against Kansas State (ranked No. 24 at the time), 18 against Mississippi State and 12 against No. 1 South Carolina. She notably improved as an outside shooter late in her career, as Selland went 48-for-103 (.466) from deep as a junior and 51-for-120 (.425) this year after having been a mediocre 3-point threat prior. She's long been one of the Summit's best passers (she was third in the league in assists in 2021) and set a career high this season with 51 steals.
If Selland is taken, she'd be the third Jackrabbit to receive the honor. Megan Vogel was taken with the 19th-overall pick in the second round in 2007, and Macy Miller went with the 36th, and final pick, of the 2019 draft. The same fate befell USD Coyote center Hannah Sjerven, who was taken in the third round by the Minnesota Lynx last year. After being released in the preseason, Sjerven was re-signed by the Lynx later and played in three games. Sjerven later went on to play for Sydney of the Australian WNBL.
The Indiana Fever have the No. 1 pick in the draft, followed by the Minnesota Lynx, and South Carolina post Aliyah Boston is widely presumed to be the top pick.
The WNBA Draft begins at 6 p.m. on Monday. It will be televised live on ESPN.
