'Dream Big': Ole Miss' Marquesha Davis selected as the 11th overall pick by New York in WNBA Draft
For the second time in the last three years the Ole Miss women’s basketball team has produced a first round WNBA Draft pick.
In 2022 it was Shakira Austin getting the Rebels back into the WNBA spotlight as the third overall pick and on Monday Marquesha Davis added another notch to the program’s history books. The New York Liberty selected Davis as the 11th overall pick in the first round.
Davis is the seventh Ole Miss player in program history to be selected in the WNBA Draft and the third player to go in the first round, joining Austin and Armintie Price-Herrington.
The McGehee, Arkansas native was emotional when talking to ESPN’s Holly Rowe about the journey to get to the WNBA and provided a message for those watching her back in her hometown.
“Dream big,” Davis said. “To actually make it it’s not always easy. So, I would just say to those young girls that dream big if they’re from a small town to always believe and just keep going.”
Davis worked her way to a first round draft selection after moving up the most recent mock draft board over the weekend and on Monday.
During the 2023-24 season Davis averaged 14.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game. She finished as Ole Miss’ leading scorer, recording double figures in 25 games and scoring at least 20 points in eight games. In SEC play, Davis averaged 15.7 points per game while shooting at a clip of 45.8 percent.
The former Ole Miss guard joins a 2024 WNBA Draft class headlined by Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, who was selected by the Indiana Fever as the No. 1 overall pick, Stanford’s Cameron Brink (No. 2 pick), South Carolina’s Kamilla Cardosa (No. 3) and LSU’s Angel Reese (No. 7).
The 2024 WNBA season will begin on May 14.
