After leading Villanova to its first Sweet 16 since 2003, senior star Maddy Siegrist will enter the 2023 WNBA fraft, she announced Monday.
Villanova’s season ended in an upset loss to Miami Friday, a matchup that saw Siegrist help the team return from a 21-point deficit. After recording 31 points and 13 rebounds in the 70-65 loss, Siegrist finished the season with 1,081 points — the second most single season points in NCAA Division I women’s basketball his tory.
Her 2,896 career points consist of 37 consecutive 20-point games, the longest streak by any women’s or men’s Division I player in this century. Scoring 1,693 points across regular-season conference games, she also became the career leading scorer in Big East conference history for men and women this season.
Now she’s headed to the next level.
“After a lot of thought and prayer, I have decided to enter the WNBA draft,” she wrote in a statement. “This was not a decision I came to lightly.”
Just days before what would be her final game, Siegrist expressed uncertainty about her future plans. After four seasons with Villanova, Siegrist is the career leading scorer in the university’s basketball history for both men and women with 2,896 points.
Since the NCAA granted athletes affected by the COVID-19 pandemic an extra season of eligibility, the National Player of the Year candidate had the option to return for one more season.
“I wish it was an easy decision either way,” Siegrist said Sunday. “When the time comes to make that, hopefully it’s in a few weeks, a lot more games. I’ll have to sit down with my parents and really think about it. Either way, I’m so grateful for all the opportunities Villanova has given me in the past bunch of years.”
Players have 48 hours after their final game to make a decision about declaring for the WNBA. After the Sweet 16 elimination, Siegrist decided it was time to move on.
“I can’t thank Villanova enough for welcoming me into the greatest community on Earth,” Siegrist wrote. “From the first day I stepped on campus, I knew this would be my forever home. My college basketball career was everything that I dreamed of and more. However, when I look back on my career it is the people at Villanova and the relationships that I made that I am going to cherish forever.”
The WNBA draft is April 10.