\u201cCoach Yo was just different. I could just tell immediately that she was going to pour everything she had into not only me, but all of her players,\u201d McMahon said<\/a> at SEC Media Day. \u201cShe cares, and she really voiced how she wants me to be successful, not only on the basketball court, but just in life.\u201d<\/p>\n McPhee-McCuin\u2019s approach has the Rebels on the rise\u2013they\u2019ve made four consecutive NCAA Tournaments for the first time since the early 1990s\u2013and they\u2019ve sent several players to the WNBA during that period, including Shakira Austin, Marquesha Davis and Madison Scott. McMahon, an athletic and powerful forward, figures to be next in line. While McMahon surely would have been a sought-after prospect no matter where she chose to finish her collegiate career, she\u2019s in a solid position to help her own case at Ole Miss.<\/p>\n Ranked as the No. 4 wing (and No. 23 player overall) in the recruiting class of 2022<\/a> by ESPN HoopGurlz, McMahon quickly established herself as one of the Big Ten\u2019s best players. In her first season at Ohio State, she posted averages of 15.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game, winning the Big Ten Freshman of the Year award and earning a spot on the All-Big Ten Second Team.<\/p>\n McMahon remained a focal point for the Buckeyes in the following seasons, averaging 14.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game as a sophomore and 16.4 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals as a junior. During this span, she was named to the All-Big Ten First Team twice and was selected as an Honorable Mention All-American by the Associated Press. McMahon also finished in the top 10 in voting for the Cheryl Miller Award, which is given annually to the country\u2019s best small forward.<\/p>\n Internationally, McMahon has played for USA Basketball<\/a> since 2022. She won gold medals with Team USA at the 2022 FIBA Women\u2019s U18 Americas Championship and 2023 FIBA U19 Women\u2019s World Cup, and she recently competed on the FIBA 3×3 circuit as well, winning gold at the 2024 FIBA 3×3 U23 World Cup.<\/p>\n McMahon\u2019s physical prowess sets her apart<\/p>\n McMahon\u2019s game can be summarized by one word: physicality.<\/p>\n At 6-foot-0 with an unusually powerful build, McMahon presents a challenge on the perimeter that most other players at her position are simply not equipped to handle. Her strength is, quite literally, her strength; McMahon was used mostly as a wing player in Ohio State\u2019s 4-out offense, but she spent more than her fair share of time mixing it up in the paint, and given how difficult it is to move her off her spot, they were battles that she frequently won.<\/p>\n What makes McMahon such a dangerous player is just how willing she is to leverage that physical strength. There\u2019s a certain recklessness to her game that works to her advantage more often than not, and while her constant attack-mode mentality can lead to occasional tunnel vision, McMahon\u2019s relentlessness driving to the hoop and fighting for rebounds is definitely something one would rather play alongside than against. According to Her Hoop Stats<\/a>, McMahon ranked in the 98th percentile or better in free throw attempts in each of her three seasons at Ohio State, totaling 516 trips to the line, and many of them came from and-one opportunities as she shrugged off contact.<\/p>\n McMahon attacks the basket with reckless abandon, putting constant pressure on opposing defenses. Getty Images<\/p>\n Will the coaches at McMahon\u2019s new program try to reign her in? According to McPhee-McCuin, that isn\u2019t likely, but she still wants her prized transfer to expand her game before she\u2019s drafted next spring.<\/p>\n \u201cCotie as a player is just fierce, just competitive, a lot of bravado to her game. Every day she comes into practice and works incredibly hard. We don\u2019t want her to lose some of the things that made her who she is today,\u201d McPhee-McCuin commented<\/a>. \u201cWe just want to enhance her toolbox so that when she goes to the W, she\u2019ll be prepared to perform at a high level.\u201d<\/p>\n As with any wing player whose greatest offensive strength is driving to the basket, McMahon is often given a little extra space by defenses when she gets the ball on the perimeter. To her credit, she\u2019s shown improvement from out there. After shooting 26.3 percent on 3-pointers as a freshman and 23.7 percent as a sophomore, McMahon knocked down 38.6 percent of her 3-point attempts as a junior, and she also raised her volume to 3.1 attempts per game.<\/p>\n Where McPhee-McCuin might want to see McMahon develop is inside the arc. Interestingly, as her 3-point shot has improved, her 2-point scoring has waned, decreasing from an efficient 55.2 percent as a sophomore to 45.1 percent as a junior. McMahon\u2019s assist\/turnover ratio was also below 1.0 in each of her three seasons at Ohio State\u2014not ideal, considering she was among the Buckeyes\u2019 leaders in usage rate.<\/p>\n Can McMahon make these key strides in her senior season? Expectations will be high for Ole Miss, considering how much attention the Rebels got after landing McMahon and fellow transfer Latasha Lattimore<\/a>, but if those expectations are met, there will be more than enough credit to go around. Should McMahon lead the Rebels to their best-ever season in the McPhee-McCuin era while proving herself to be a more patient and efficient scorer, WNBA scouts will have all the confidence they need that she\u2019ll make a good pro.<\/p>\n![\"McMahon](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/gettyimages-2192881719.jpg\"\/)
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