![\"South](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/finalwbb-4515.jpg\" "\\"South")
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South Carolina’s Madina Okot (11) <\/p>\n
Tracy Glantz<\/p>\n
tglantz@thestate.com<\/p>\n
There\u2019s always been the thought that South Carolina forward Madina Okot could be headed to the WNBA Draft after one season with the Gamecocks.<\/p>\n
Now that her waiver for an extra year of eligibility was denied by the NCAA<\/a>, that thought is reality. Okot will be in attendance for the 2026 WNBA Draft on Monday in New York City. She\u2019ll be there alongside South Carolina teammates Raven Johnson and Ta\u2019Niya Latson.<\/a><\/p>\n ESPN analyst and basketball Hall of Famer Rebecca Lobo<\/a> described Okot as one of the more exciting prospects in the 2026 draft class.<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s been playing basketball for what, like five or six years?\u201d Lobo told reporters Friday. \u201cShe is relatively new to the game. And I think for a lot of people, they know that this young woman is not even close to touching what she can be as a professional player. So I think that excites people.\u201d<\/p>\n Okot began playing basketball in 2020<\/a> and started her college career at Zetech University in her native Kenya. She came to the States for her junior season (2024-25) and played for Mississippi State<\/a>. Okot averaged 11.3 points and 9.6 rebounds in her lone season with the Bulldogs.<\/p>\n Okot transferred to South Carolina for the 2025-26 season and put together strong results in her senior year with the Gamecocks. She was an All-SEC second-team<\/a> selection and was a finalist for the Lisa Leslie Center of the Year Award.<\/p>\n The 6-foot-6 forward averaged a double-double with 12.8 points and an SEC-leading 10.6 rebounds per game. Both stats were career-high marks.<\/p>\n Okot shot 57.5% from the floor this season and even added a 3-point shot to her repertoire. Okot had never attempted a 3-pointer in her NCAA career before transferring to South Carolina. This past season she made 13 of her 29 attempts (44.8%) from beyond the arc.<\/p>\n At her best, Okot was dominant on both sides of the ball in the post. She averaged 1.4 blocks and 1.3 steals and had a 6.5 defensive box plus\/minus this past season.<\/p>\n \u201cShe showed that she has range out to 3, and even though a low volume, can consistently hit it,\u201d Lobo said. \u201cShe\u2019s a rim protector, she can finish inside, certainly brings great size. So I think a lot of teams are really intrigued by her, especially because of her story and how new she is to the game, and what that means about her future potential.\u201d<\/p>\n Although Okot\u2019s candidacy for the draft is technically new, she\u2019s been a projected first-round pick for most of the last year. In fact, six separate outlets<\/a> all had Okot as a first-round pick in their respective mock drafts.<\/p>\n CBS Sports, USA Today, OnSI (Sports Illustrated) and Tankathon all have Okot being selected by the Atlanta Dream with the No. 13 overall pick. Meanwhile, ESPN and The Athletic both slotted Okot at the No. 15 overall pick to the Connecticut Sun.<\/p>\n