April 14, 2016

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina senior Tiffany Mitchell was the ninth pick in the first round of the 2016 WNBA Draft presented by State Farm tonight, the sixth Gamecock all-time to be selected. She becomes the program’s third first-round selection and the first under head coach Dawn Staley.

Mitchell’s Gamecock career closed with the school record for career starts (139), leading her senior class to the best four-year win total in program history (121). She is fifth in the Gamecock record books in points (1,885) and second in both 3-point shooting percentage (.399) and free throw percentage (.773). The three-time All-American was twice the SEC Player of the Year (2014, 2015) becoming just the second sophomore to ever earn the honor from the league’s coaches. Mitchell has a complete game and affects the outcome on both sides of the ball, annually ranking among the SEC’s top 12 in scoring, assists and steals in league play.

In 2015, Aleighsa Welch became Staley’s first Gamecock selected in the WNBA draft, taken in the second round. The program’s other two first-round selections were Jocelyn Penn (2003) and Shaunzinski Gortman (2002), both also selected ninth overall. Two other Gamecocks have heard their name called at the WNBA draft — Petra Ujheyli (2nd round, 2003) and Teresa Geter (3rd round, 2002).