Ole Miss is in the thick of a tough conference schedule as the NCAA hurtles toward March Madness in mere weeks, and it's quite possible no one is feeling the pressure like senior Cotie McMahon. But if things are getting to her, she's not showing it — McMahon has beautifully risen to coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin's plan to convert her into a point guard, and has stepped up for the team exactly when they need her to.
The timing couldn't be more pristine. As many longtime fans of college basketball know, the success of a team in March Madness can depend on when they peak; timing is everything, and it's important to head into the tournament strong and with a little room to keep growing. To a degree, the same thing can be said of the WNBA Draft: sure, a player's draft stock is largely determined by a season (and career) long performance, but grabbing a lot of headlines in the weeks before can't hurt.
Cotie McMahon made the right decision
McMahon entered the draft portal at the conclusion of last season and departed the Ohio Buckeyes for Mississippi. The decision was absolutely the correct one, and McMahon has deftly taken advantage of the opportunity to become the program's go-to player.
The team, who have four back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances under their collective belt for the first time since the 1990s, have refused to fall out of the top 20 all season. Their recent games have been battles that have been a little all over the place: a 74-57 loss to Kentucky was followed by a 94-81 win over Tennessee; Ole Miss plays the South Carolina Gamecocks Sunday before heading to Florida, and will round out the regular season during a March 1 game against Texas A&M.
Through it all, McMahon has held steady and is likely to continue to do so. The program has also sent plenty of athletes to the WNBA, including Shakira Austin and Madison Scott, and McMahon is on track to join them.
Of course, a lot of what happens next with McMahon's career is out of her hands. The WNBA appears no closer to negotiating terms of a new CBA with the WNBPA, which has put the 2026 season — and everything that typically precedes it — in jeopardy. Once a CBA is signed, the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire will need to hold expansion drafts, the league will need to carry out free agency, and then attention can be turned to incoming rookies.