In a pleasant surprise, Arizona Wildcats forward Trinity Baptiste was selected in the second round of the 2021 WNBA Draft on Thursday. The Indiana Fever took her with the 24th overall pick.
Most mock drafts had Baptiste going undrafted in the three-round draft.
The senior averaged 8.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game in her lone season with the Wildcats, joining them as a graduate transfer from Virginia Tech. She started in all 27 games and shot 44 percent from the field and 34 percent from 3.
Her physicality was often a tone-setter for Arizona’s aggressive defense. She had 10 or more rebounds in two NCAA Tournament games.
Baptiste could have returned to Arizona for another season but decided to move on because she is earning a master’s degree in Entrepreneurship this spring.
Baptiste was the second Wildcat to be selected in the WNBA Draft, as Aari McDonald went No. 3 overall to the Atlanta Dream, the highest a Wildcat has ever been picked.
This is also the second time Arizona has ever had two players selected in the same WNBA Draft.LaKeisha Taylor and Elizabeth Pickney were both drafted in the fourth round in 2002.
Fun fact: Former UA forward Ify Ibekwe was also the No. 24 pick in 2011.
Asked Aari McDonald what it means to be the first Arizona player ever selected in the first round of the WNBA Draft: “I’m excited to be the first. I’m paving the way for all the future Wildcats out there.” pic.twitter.com/a4u8nGXWrs
— Ryan Kelapire (@RKelapire) April 16, 2021
Leave a Reply