South Carolina women's basketball point guard Madina Okot was selected by the Atlanta Dream with the 13th pick in the first round of the 2026 WNBA Draft on April 13 in New York.
Okot is a 6-foot-6 center who only spent one season with coach Dawn Staley after transferring from Mississippi State.
On April 8 the program announced that the NCAA denied Okot another year of eligibility, giving her no choice but to enter the WNBA draft after just two college seasons in the United States.
She started playing basketball six years ago and when she was 17. She played 3-on-3 basketball for Kenya's national team then went to Zetech University (also in Kenya) before moving to play for Mississippi State during the 2024-25 season. She transferred to South Carolina last offseason.
Madina Okot stats
Okot ended her college career averaging an SEC-best 10.6 rebounds along with 12.8 points per game for the Gamecocks.
She shot a team-high 57.5% from the floor this season. In the NCAA Tournament, she averaged 9.5 points and 8.8 rebounds. She finished third in the nation with 22 double-doubles this season.
She averaged 1.4 blocks and 1.3 steals a game, and including her time in Starkville, will enter the WNBA with a 60.6% career field goal percentage.
She shot 64.9% from the floor last year (all two-pointers) then developed into a legitimate 3-point threat at South Carolina, shooting 44.8% from behind the arc, making 13 this season.
Madina Okot's highlights, strengths, weaknesses at South Carolina
The Dream is getting a 6-6 center who can shoot from the 3-point line, and that's rare. Okot has a nice mid-range jumper and really good shooting form.
She is a high-level rebounder. Regardless if her own offense is working or not, she attacks the glass.
Okot can run the floor and dribble the ball, which isn't the case for every player of her height. At South Carolina, she displayed a consistent ability to grab rebounds and take it coast to coast, something that will separate her from other, potentially less mobile centers.
ESPN analyst Rebecca Lobo told reporters via Zoom on April 10 that Okot's inexperience could actually be an advantage, given how much she still has to grow.
"She 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," Lobo said. "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.”
Okot struggled in a big games toward the end of the season. She had just six points and three rebounds against 6-7 UCLA star Lauren Betts in the national championship, and only two points and five rebounds in the loss to Texas in the SEC Tournament championship.
South Carolina coach Dawn Staley took her out of the starting lineup midway through SEC play when she struggled and it seemed to help her. She won't have the same type of pressure in the WNBA as a rookie where she's a starter who really has to deliver, but the inconsistencies in big moments might be worrisome at a higher-level.
If Okot is given the chance to grow in the WNBA, she has a really high ceiling, but at the professional level the lights are still bright, even if the individual responsibility is different.
