Taylor_Mikesell
Taylor Mikesell
American basketball player
Taylor Ayn Mikesell (born September 30, 1999) is an American basketball player for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was drafted by the Indiana Fever in the 2023 WNBA Draft and played during the 2023 season for the Atlanta Dream. She played her college basketball at Ohio State Buckeyes of the Big Ten Conference. She previously played for the Maryland Terrapins and the Oregon Ducks.
.jpg) Mikesell with Ohio State in 2022 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 24 – Los Angeles Sparks | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Position | Guard | ||||||||||||||||||||
| League | WNBA | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1999-09-30) September 30, 1999 (age 24) Massillon, Ohio, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 150 lb (68 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||||
| High school | Jackson (Massillon, Ohio) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| College |
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| WNBA draft | 2023: 2nd round, 13th overall pick | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Selected by the Indiana Fever | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023 | Atlanta Dream | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024–present | Los Angeles Sparks | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Medals
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Mikesell played for Jackson High School in Massillon, Ohio. As a senior, she scored 60 points, shooting 14-of-17 from three-point range, against Austintown Fitch High School. During the game, Mikesell became the all-time leading scorer in Stark County, Ohio and set the state record for three-pointers in a game.[1] She averaged 30.7 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.7 steals per game, leading her team to the Division I state quarterfinals.[2] Mikesell was named Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association Division I Player of the Year.[3] Rated a five-star recruit by ESPN,[4] she committed to playing college basketball for Maryland over offers from Florida State and Stanford.[5]
As a freshman at Maryland, Mikesell averaged 13.4 points and 3.5 rebounds per game, and was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year.[6] She earned first-team All-Big Ten recognition from the media and was a second-team selection by the media. Mikesell broke the school single-season record for three-pointers by a women's or men's player.[7] As a sophomore, she averaged 11.2 points per game and earned All-Big Ten honorable mention, before transferring to Oregon,[8] where she averaged 9.3 points as a junior. For her senior season, Mikesell transferred to Ohio State.[9] On January 20, 2022, she scored a career-high 33 points and shot 11-of-13 from the field in a 95–89 win over Maryland.[10] Mikesell averaged 18.6 points per game as a senior, earning first-team All-Big Ten honors. She led the Big Ten and ranked second in the NCAA Division I in three-point percentage (47.5).[11] She opted to return for a fifth season of eligibility.[12]
Indiana Fever
Mikesell was selected in the second round, and 13th overall, in the 2023 WNBA Draft by the Indiana Fever.[13] Mikesell competed in training camp, but was ultimately waived by the Fever and did not make the roster.[14]
Atlanta Dream
Mikesell signed a contract with the Atlanta Dream on June 5, 2023.[15] She appeared in six games for the Dream, scoring 9 points against the Dallas Wings on June 20, 2023. She was waived on July 3, 2023.[16]
Los Angeles Sparks
On February 2, 2024 Mikesell was signed to a training camp contract with the Los Angeles Sparks.[17]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game | RPG | Rebounds per game |
| APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game | BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
| TO | Turnovers per game | FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| Bold | Career best | ° | League leader |
College
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018–19 | Maryland | 34 | 34 | 34.7 | 42.2 | 41.1 | 86.0 | 3.5 | 3.3 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 2.6 | 13.4 |
| 2019–20 | Maryland | 32 | 32 | 29.8 | 40.5 | 42.5 | 91.3 | 2.5 | 2.3 | 1.4 | 0.2 | 1.9 | 11.2 |
| 2020–21 | Oregon | 24 | 20 | 24.8 | 40.4 | 33.3 | 92.3 | 2.4 | 1.8 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 1.3 | 9.3 |
| 2021–22 | Ohio State | 32 | 32 | 34.5 | 48.2 | 47.5 | 90.2 | 3.5 | 2.0 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 1.6 | 18.6 |
| 2022–23 | Ohio State | 36 | 36 | 35.5 | 43.0 | 41.4 | 85.9 | 2.8 | 2.3 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 2.1 | 17.2 |
| Career | 158 | 154 | 32.3 | 43.4 | 42.0 | 88.3 | 3.0 | 2.4 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 1.9 | 14.3 | |
| Statistics retrieved from Sports-Reference.[18] | |||||||||||||
WNBA career statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game | RPG | Rebounds per game |
| APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game | BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
| TO | Turnovers per game | FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| Bold | Career best | ° | League leader |
WNBA regular season
Mikesell played for the United States at the 2016 FIBA Under-17 World Championship for Women in Spain. She averaged five points per game and helped her team win a bronze medal.[3] Mikesell was selected to represent the United States at the 2019 Pan American Games in Peru. She averaged five points per game as her team won the silver medal.[19]
- "High school roundup: Taylor Mikesell's record-setting 60-point game powers Jackson over Austintown Fitch in girls basketball". Akron Beacon Journal. February 10, 2018. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
- "2017-18 ALL-USA Ohio Girls Basketball Team". USA Today High School Sports. April 17, 2018. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
- "Taylor Mikesell". USA Basketball. Archived from the original on September 27, 2022. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
- "Taylor Mikesell 2018 High School Girls' Basketball Profile". ESPN. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
- Thomas, Jim (September 28, 2016). "Jackson's Mikesell verbally commits to Maryland". The Repository. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
- Hall, O'nalisa (January 11, 2021). "Taylor Mikesell carries childhood mentality into her college career". Daily Emerald. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
- Wallace, Ave (April 16, 2020). "Maryland women's basketball standout Taylor Mikesell to enter transfer portal". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
- "Two-time Big Ten conference champion, sharp-shooter Taylor Mikesell transfers to Oregon". NBC Sports. May 16, 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
- Popovich, Mike (April 29, 2021). "Jackson's Taylor Mikesell coming home to play basketball for Ohio State". The Repository. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
- "Mikesell scores career-high 33, Ohio St. women beat Maryland". USA Today. Associated Press. January 20, 2022. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
- Blake, Caleb (October 18, 2022). "Women's Basketball: Mikesell returning, ready to lead Buckeyes in second season with program". The Lantern. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
- Kaufman, Joey (March 28, 2022). "Taylor Mikesell to return to Ohio State women's basketball for extra season". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
- "Mikesell Selected 13th in 2023 WNBA draft by the Indiana Fever". ohiostatebuckeyes.com. Ohio State Athletics. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
- Frank, Evan. "Indiana Fever waive second round 2023 WNBA Draft pick Taylor Mikesell out of Ohio State". indystar.com. Indy Star. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
- "Atlanta Dream Add Taylor Mikesell". dream.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
- @AtlantaDream (July 3, 2023). "Thank you, @TMikesell23 ♥️" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- "Former Ohio State women's basketball star Taylor Mikesell signs WNBA contract with Sparks". Sports. The Repository. Canton, OH. February 2, 2024.
- "Taylor Mikesell College Stats". Sports-Reference. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
- Blocksu, Gary R. (August 2, 2019). "Maryland 3-Point Sensation Taylor Mikesell Headed to Pan American Games". USA Basketball. Archived from the original on August 2, 2019. Retrieved January 2, 2023.