GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – For the 26th consecutive year, the Atlantic Coast Conference had at least one student-athlete selected in the WNBA Draft, as the 2023 edition was held Monday evening and broadcast live on ESPN.
Virginia Tech guard Kayana Traylor was the first ACC player taken in the draft when she was selected by the Chicago Sky with the 11th pick in the second round. Traylor finished third on the team with 11.0 points per game and shot over 43 percent from the field, as she played an integral part in Virginia Tech’s first Final Four run in program history. Her season was capped off by a postseason-high 17 points against LSU in the national semifinal.
Miami forward Destiny Harden was selected with the third pick of the third round by the Phoenix Mercury. In the Hurricanes’ historic run to the Elite Eight, Harden shined on both ends of the court, as she ranked second on the team with 11.9 points per game and led Miami with 1.7 steals per contest. Harden’s season was headlined by an 18-point performance against top-seeded Indiana which included the game-winning jumper in the lane to send the Hurricanes to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1992.
Virginia Tech graduate student Taylor Soule was taken by the Minnesota Lynx with the fourth pick in the third round. Soule scored over 1,900 career points and averaged 10.8 points against conference opponents this season. In the Hokies’ memorable season, the West Lebanon, New Hampshire, native shot over 51 percent from the floor.
Five former ACC student-athletes became WNBA Champions last season, when the Las Vegas Aces defeated the Connecticut Sun to win the WNBA Finals. Chelsea Gray (Duke), Dearica Hamby (Wake Forest), Aisha Sheppard (Virginia Tech), Riquna Williams (Miami) and Jackie Young (Notre Dame) led the Aces to the first championship in team history. Former Duke standout Jasmine Thomas was a member of the Connecticut Sun.
| Round |
Pick |
Name |
Team |
School |
Position |
| 2 |
11 |
Kayana Traylor |
Chicago |
Virginia Tech |
G |
| 3 |
3 |
Destiny Harden |
Phoenix |
Miami |
F |
| 3 |
4 |
Taylor Soule |
Minnesota |
Virginia Tech |
F |