The career Buckeye begins her professional journey
For five years, guard Jacy Sheldon wore one team’s jersey. Now, after suiting up for Ohio State women’s basketball for her entire NCAA career, Sheldon’s next team is in the professional ranks. Monday night, the Dallas Wings selected Sheldon in the first round of the WNBA Draft.
Sheldon came off the draft board at No. 5, joining the WNBA as Ohio State’s 17th overall draft pick in program history.
Now the work begins for Sheldon. The WNBA is notoriously difficult to break into, with only 12 teams and 12 roster spots per team. Sheldon moves onto the roster, but will need to earn a spot in training camp, with preseason games starting May 3.
Something that benefits Sheldon, in terms of making a squad, is her defensive ability. Sheldon’s shown over her five seasons in scarlet and gray that she’s a guard who makes life difficult for opposing players. The two-time All-Big Ten Defensive Team selection averaged 1.9 steals as a Buckeye, and has the speed and court awareness to keep up with a league full of all the former best players in the NCAA.
Offensively, Sheldon had an impressive season, averaging 17.8 points and 3.8 assists. Although it wasn’t her best. In the 21/22 season, Sheldon had career highs in points and assists in the Buckeyes’ first of two Big Ten regular season titles in the last three season. Sheldon averaged 19.7 points and 4.2 assists per game.
Sheldon’s hoping to be the first Ohio State player to make their drafted WNBA team since 2018. That’s when Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell went No. 2 in the draft, sharing the honor of the highest Buckeye college draft pick in league history, tied with forward Jessica Davenport in 2007.
Last season, the Indiana Fever selected another Buckeye, former Sheldon teammate Taylor Mikesell, with the first pick of the second round. However, Mikesell didn’t make the Fever out of training camp, instead getting signed by the Atlanta Dream off the waiver wire. Mikesell had six appearances for the Dream, averaging 4.8 minutes per appearance before being waived by Atlanta.
The Wings were a playoff team last season, ending the regular season in fourth place with a 22-8 record. In the playoffs, the Wings won its first round series over the Atlanta Dream, sweeping them in the best of three series.
Of the teams available to choose Sheldon, the Wings have one of the more difficult roads for Sheldon to make the league. Dallas returned its starting point guard Crystal Dangerfield and backup Veronica Burton.
However, three-point shooting hurt the Wings, last in the league in three-point shooting. Adding Sheldon helps that deep shooting.
There are still three Buckeyes available to select in the 2024 draft, but the most likely candidate to hear their name called is guard Celeste Taylor. Like Sheldon, Taylor was invited to the WNBA Draft live in New York, New York. Should Taylor get selected in one of the three rounds Monday night, it’ll be the third time in program history that two Ohio State players were selected in the same college draft.
The last time it happened, Mitchell and forward Stephanie Mavunga were taken off the board in the 2018 draft on the same night.
Sheldon is the second Big Ten player selected in the 2024 WNBA Draft. Drafted first overall, to the Indiana Fever, was Iowa Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark, who joins Mitchell and 2023 No. 1 pick Aliyah Boston in Indianapolis, Indiana.