The transfer portal in women’s college basketball is a powerful thing. Just one or two key transfers can change the entire competitive landscape of any conference, and such transfers are becoming increasingly common with the introduction of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) rules. If a school wants to be in the running for a top recruit or transfer, it simply can’t afford to be stingy.
There’s still no substitute for the human factor, though, and Cotie McMahon’s case, that personal touch made her recent decision to transfer to Ole Miss an easy one. The former Ohio State Buckeye chose to enter the portal after her junior season, and Ole Miss head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin made an immediate and profound impact in her pitch. McMahon, one of the bigger names in the 2026 WNBA Draft class, cites McPhee-McCuin’s genuine approach often as she prepares for her senior campaign.
“Coach 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,” McMahon said at SEC Media Day. “She cares, and she really voiced how she wants me to be successful, not only on the basketball court, but just in life.”
McPhee-McCuin’s approach has the Rebels on the rise–they’ve made four consecutive NCAA Tournaments for the first time since the early 1990s–and they’ve 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’s in a solid position to help her own case at Ole Miss.
Ranked as the No. 4 wing (and No. 23 player overall) in the recruiting class of 2022 by ESPN HoopGurlz, McMahon quickly established herself as one of the Big Ten’s 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.
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’s best small forward.
Internationally, McMahon has played for USA Basketball since 2022. She won gold medals with Team USA at the 2022 FIBA Women’s U18 Americas Championship and 2023 FIBA U19 Women’s 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.
McMahon’s physical prowess sets her apart
McMahon’s game can be summarized by one word: physicality.
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’s 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.
What makes McMahon such a dangerous player is just how willing she is to leverage that physical strength. There’s 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’s relentlessness driving to the hoop and fighting for rebounds is definitely something one would rather play alongside than against. According to Her Hoop Stats, 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.
McMahon attacks the basket with reckless abandon, putting constant pressure on opposing defenses. Getty Images
Will the coaches at McMahon’s new program try to reign her in? According to McPhee-McCuin, that isn’t likely, but she still wants her prized transfer to expand her game before she’s drafted next spring.
“Cotie 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’t want her to lose some of the things that made her who she is today,” McPhee-McCuin commented. “We just want to enhance her toolbox so that when she goes to the W, she’ll be prepared to perform at a high level.”
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’s 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.
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’s assist/turnover ratio was also below 1.0 in each of her three seasons at Ohio State—not ideal, considering she was among the Buckeyes’ leaders in usage rate.
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, 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’ll make a good pro.
Ole Miss doesn’t have the toughest non-conference schedule (nor are many of those non-conference games televised) but the Rebels’ Dec. 4 matchup against the No. 15 Notre Dame Fighting Irish should not be missed. Part of the SEC/ACC Challenge, it will be aired nationally on ESPN2.
When SEC play begins, though, the Rebels will get their fair share of TV time. Ole Miss will play the No. 4 Texas Longhorns on Jan. 4, 2026, which, according to the program’s schedule, will be aired either on ESPN or ESPN2. Later, the Rebels will play the No. 8 Tennessee Lady Vols (Jan. 26; ESPNU), the No. 5 LSU Tigers (Feb. 19; ESPN) and the No. 2 South Carolina Gamecocks (Feb. 22; ESPN or ESPN2), all of which will be must-watch games because of how much future WNBA talent the teams will be fielding.