The former Buckeye moved into the professional ranks Monday night
Monday night in New York City, the next class of WNBA stars joined the premier professional league in the United States. Career Ohio State women’s basketball guard/forward Taylor Thierry joined the class when the Atlanta Dream added the Ohio native with the 11th pick of the third round.
Thierry is the fourth Buckeye drafted into the WNBA in the last three seasons, coming in after former teammates Taylor Mikesell in 2023 and Celeste Taylor and Jacy Sheldon in 2024.
Getting drafted into the league does not guarantee a spot on a team and now Thierry begins the hard work of making it onto a WNBA roster. In the last two seasons, only Sheldon made it a full season with one team when the Dallas Wings selected Sheldon with the fifth pick in the 2024 draft.
In the last three seasons, Thierry is the only Buckeye to start every game for Ohio State. That included the Scarlet and Gray’s 2023 run to the Elite Eight. In 101 starts, Thierry averaged 11.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.9 steals.
This season, Thierry averaged a career high 77 steals and led the Big Ten with 2.3 steals per game. Thierry did it with a combination of her ability to anticipate plays with athleticism that is tough to match.
That defensive strength gives Thierry a better chance of making it onto a game day roster with the Dream. The hurdle Thierry will have to overcome to earn a contract is on the offensive side of the ball. Thierry is more hesitant to go to the basket or take a three when Ohio State had possession.
On the Dream roster, center Brittney Griner and forward Brionna Jones joined the team in the offseason. For Thierry to make the team, the best opportunity will be at the small forward position.
Head coach Kevin McGuff, teammates and Thierry herself attributed it to needing more confidence with the ball in her hand. This season, Thierry started off the year trying her hand at deep shooting and took at least one shot from beyond the arc in the first 10 games of the season. In the last six games of the regular season, Thierry only attempted three-point shots in half. Thierry had double-digit scoring efforts in 22 games of the 22-23 and 23-24 seasons but only 16 in her senior campaign, a season that ended with Ohio State’s second consecutive Second Round home defeat in the NCAA Tournament.
Atlanta hired former Florida Gulf Coast head coach Karl Smesko to the same role with the Dream in the offseason. Smesko’s system focuses heavily on three-point shooting, and Thierry’s ability to shoot from deep will help as she competes for a roster spot. The Dream also selected guard Te-Hina Paopao in the second round of the 2025 draft to help in that department.
Thierry is the 18th Ohio State player selected in WNBA Draft history and Monday is the fourth time the program had players selected in the draft in three consecutive seasons. The forward is also the second in her immediate family to be drafted into professional sports, with Thierry’s dad John Thierry going No. 11 in the first round of the 1994 NFL Draft to the Chicago Bears. John Thierry played 18 seasons in the NFL, ending with the Atlanta Falcons in 2002.