NEW YORK – Childhood dreams came true on Monday night for Notre Dame forward Maya Dodson, who was chosen in the third round of the 2022 WNBA Draft. The Phoenix Mercury selected Dodson with the 26th overall pick. She becomes Notre Dame’s 20th WNBA Draft pick since the trio of Niele Ivey, Ruth Riley and Kelley Siemon kicked things off back in 2001.
In addition, Dodson will join two other Irish greats in Phoenix, for she’ll be playing alongside 2013 grad Skylar Diggins-Smith and 2019 grad Brianna Turner.
“I’m extremely excited for this opportunity for Maya. Playing professionally has always been a dream of hers,” Karen and Kevin Keyes Family head coach Niele Ivey said. “She’s an incredibly athletic and talented young individual with a high IQ who’s going to have an impactful pro career. I’m excited to continue to support Maya and I’m looking forward to the amazing intangibles she’s going to bring to Phoenix.”
Under Coach Ivey’s tutelage, Dodson had a breakout year in South Bend, while also returning the program back to national prominence. Dodson averaged an impressive 12.6 points and 7.3 rebounds, both career bests. Dodson also had zero 20+ point performances and zero double-doubles before this past year, then she went on to have seven of each in an Irish uniform.
Dodson was a Second Team All-ACC selection and ACC All-Defensive Team honoree. The Georgia native ranked eighth in the nation in blocks per game (2.8) while also leading all players in the ACC in offensive rebounding (3.5 per game). Furthermore, she shot 49.0 percent on the season, which ranked fourth in the ACC.
The Irish continue to dominate the current state of the WNBA, boasting the second most alums in the league in 2021 with 10. Skylar Diggins-Smith and Jewell Loyd earned First Team All-WNBA honors last year, while also earning gold medals in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with Team USA. Diggins-Smith also made history by becoming the fastest player in the WNBA to reach 3,000 points, 1,000 assists and 200 steals in a career.
Jackie Young also traveled to Tokyo and earned gold with the 3×3 USA team. Then there was Arike Ogunbowale, who was named the MVP of the 2021 WNBA All-Star Game while also achieving Second Team All-WNBA status. Ogunbowale ranked fifth in the league in points per game (18.7 ppg) after winning the scoring title in 2020.
— ND —