BLOOMINGTON — Indiana women's basketball has never had two players selected in the same year in the WNBA Draft.
That could change by Monday night.
Indiana forward Mackenzie Holmes and guard Sarah Scalia are among the prospects expected to be taken late in this year's draft. The draft will be held at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York and will be broadcast on ESPN starting at 7:30 p.m.
Last year, the Indiana Fever selected Grace Berger with the seventh overall pick.
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She was the highest-paid pick in program history and the fifth female player taken in the WNBA Draft. The Hoosiers are also looking to land a player drafted in three consecutive years for the first time since Berger (2023) and Ali Patberg (2022) had back-to-back seasons.
Mackenzie Holmes
ESPN: Round 2, 19th place.san, connecticut
Yahoo Sports: 3rd round, 33rd place.dallas wings
NBC Sports: Round 2, 19th place: Connecticut Sun.
Holmes' injury status could affect where he goes Monday. The talented forward announced plans to undergo knee surgery to correct a long-standing issue that sidelined him numerous times during his IU career.
This procedure will keep her sidelined for the entire 2024 season.
“Despite the entire medical staff at IU working hard to rehabilitate and prevent the injury and get me back on the court safely, I did nothing to correct the problem and the damage it caused. '' said Holmes. Social media posts.
“However, at the moment, in order to ensure that my body is healthy and that my playing career is as long and successful as possible, I have made the necessary steps in May to prevent further problems and to alleviate the plans that it has caused.” I decided to have surgery.”
When healthy, Holmes is an elite post presence. She averaged 17.2 points, shot 63.9 percent from the field and had 26 double-doubles during her career, setting the program's all-time scoring record. She was the first first-team All-American in Hoosiers history, a four-time All-Big Ten selection (three first-team selections), and was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year for the 2022-23 season. .
She appeared in 147 games (116 starts) over five seasons.
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Sarah Scalia
- ESPN: 3rd round, 34th place.san, connecticut
- Yahoo Sports: 3rd round, 26th place.storm in seattle
Scalia is a sharpshooter who would fit on any WNBA roster. She made 370 career 3-pointers in five seasons, finishing her final two seasons in Bloomington. She shot 38.7% from 3-point range during her career, setting her IU career 3-point percentage (39.5%) record.
She also set the program's single-season record for 3-pointers made with 103 in 2023-24, a career-high 42.7%. She made multiple 3-pointers in 26 of the 32 games the team played.
“I believe any time she makes a shot, she's going to get in,” Indiana University coach Terry Moren said after his team's win over Fairfield in the NCAA Tournament opener. “That’s how much confidence we have in her.
Moren also praised Scalia for improving his all-around game, especially defensively, throughout the season.
Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for the Bloomington Herald Times. You can follow him at X @michaelniziolek Click here to read all of his articles.