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Villanova's Maddy Siegrist declares for WNBA draft

03/27/2023, 2:15pm EDT
By Josh Verlin

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)

Maddy Siegrist’s incredible Villanova career is over.

The Wildcats’ All-American senior is off to the WNBA, forgoing her final year of collegiate eligibility to turn pro, she announced in a post on social media released simultaneously with an announcement from the school.

Siegrist, a 6-foot-1 wing forward out of Poughkeepsie (N.Y.), finished her career with 2,896 points, most in Villanova history by a man or a woman. The country’s leading scorer in 2022-23, she scored more than 1,000 points this season alone, becoming just the fifth woman in Division I history to do so. The two-time Big East Player of the Year and a first-team All-American from multiple outlets, she scored more than 21 points in every game this season, becoming the first woman ever to score 20+ for 37 games to start a year.

Her best game came against Seton Hall, when she scored 50 points on 20-of-26 shooting, though she also had 16 other games with 30 or more.


Maddie Siegrist (above) declared for the WNBA draft on Monday afternoon. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

“The statistical numbers that she recorded are going to be there forever which is so special when you see what Maddy accomplished throughout her amazing career,” Villanova head coach Denise Dillon said in a statement released by the school. “With that said, when you leave your mark on people as Maddy has there is nothing greater. I think that is by far the greatest accomplishment as a student-athlete where you can be recognized as being an authentic person as opposed to just a great athlete. Maddy will continue to impact the world in whatever she does.”

Siegrist, who was recruited to Villanova by former coach Harry Perretta but played under Dillon the last three years, averaged 18.8 ppg and 8.9 rpg as a freshman and only got better from there, averaging 22.8 ppg as a sophomore and 25.3 ppg as a junior before topping off at 29.2 ppg this year.

While Siegrist could have returned for a fifth year due to the COVID year of eligibility, there’s no denying her profile is at an all-time high after her record-setting season, Villanova (30-7) making it within a few points of an Elite 8 appearance, in the Sweet 16 for the first time in 20 years. 

After proving all she could at the collegiate level, and considered a top-five draft prospect in the 2023 WNBA Draft — which takes place on April 10 — there wasn’t much of a decision to make. 

With Siegrist gone, the Wildcats will be led next year by a pair of rising juniors, Lucy Olsen (12.4 ppg) and Christina Dalce (7.1 ppg, 7.9 rpg), plus senior wing Maddie Burke (7.2 ppg, .371 3PT%). 

CoBL will have more on this story as it becomes available


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