Top 3 WNBA Draft Prospects from Ole Miss ft. Marquesha Davis & More

Ole Miss had an eventful 2023-24 season, ranking third in the tough Southeastern Conference to make it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Yolett McPhee-McCuin-coached Rebels sustained their fine play against their conference foes, going 12-4, which included victories over Mississippi State, Florida and Tennessee.

They were seeded third in the SEC Tournament and had a double bye, meaning they were among the four qualified teams in the quarterfinals. They zoomed past Florida in the quarterfinals but fell to No. 2 seed LSU in the semifinals.

Despite the semifinal exit in the SEC Tournament, Ole Miss still received a berth in the NCAA Tournament for being picked as among the best at-large squads in the nation.

The Rebels, who were seeded seventh in the Albany Regional 1 sub-division, made it past the first round, beating Marquette, 67-55. Their journey, however, came to a screeching halt when they got beaten by No. 2 seed Notre Dame, 71-56, in the second round.

The loss to the Fighting Irish also signified the last games of Ole Miss players Marquesha Davis, Rita Igbokwe and Tyia Singleton, who all declared for the 2024 WNBA Draft, scheduled on Monday, April 15, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

On that note, let's take a look at the top three Ole Miss WNBA Draft prospects:

Top three Ole Miss WNBA Draft prospects

#3 Tyia Singleton

Ole Miss forward Tyia Singleton averaged 4.2 points and 5.4 rebounds in the 2023-24 season.

The 6-foot-2 Singleton was part of Ole Miss' main rotation, averaging 20.2 minutes per game. Her main role is to provide frontline defense and help Rita Igbokwe in crashing the boards.

In her senior year at Ole Miss, Singleton pulled down 5.4 rebounds per contest to go along with 4.2 points, 0.7 assists, 0.7 blocks and 0.6 steals per game. Singleton can score and grab rebounds, but her lack of height and size in the forward spot could be an issue if she gets a chance to play in the WNBA next season.

#2 Rita Igbokwe

Ole Miss center Rita Igbokwe grabs a rebound off LSU forward Angel Reese.

The six-foot-four center played for three years in Pittsburgh before transferring to Ole Miss. Her presence in the interior was key to the Rebels surge in the 2023-24 season as she was able to relocate incursions from the paint with her long arms. Igbokwe played 33 games for Ole Miss and started in 23 of them.

She played for around 20.3 minutes each contest and contributed 4.9 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 1.6 bpg, 0.8 spg and 0.4 spg. She can haul down rebounds, block shots and shoot high-percentage shots from the paint but she has to improve on her free throw shooting, making only 39.7% of her shots.

Her issues from the 15-foot line could be a weakness that rival WNBA teams will take advantage of if she gets picked and signs a contract to play in the prestigious basketball league for women.

#1 Marquesha Davis

Ole Miss' Marquesha Davis has a lethal midrange jumper that WNBA teams can utilize if they sign her up.

The six-foot Arkansas transfer was the top contributor for Ole Miss this season, averaging 14.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 1.2 assists and 0.7 blocks per contest. She was an efficient scorer for the Rebels and she has an excellent midrange game that can force defenders to extend a bit on defense.

Davis had eight games where she scored 20 or more points, including her career-high 33 points against Florida in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals. However, she was a non-factor in the NCAA Tournament, scoring only six and four points in the first and second rounds, respectively. She shot a combined 3-of-19 shooting from the field in about 27.5 minutes of action per game.

Davis needs to be consistent in the WNBA if she gets picked by a team as she is expected to be picked early in the second round.