TOWSON, Md. – On Thursday night, Kionna Jeter made history as the first player in Towson women's basketball history to get selected in the WNBA Draft. Jeter was picked by the Las Vegas Aces with the 36th pick in the third round.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the 25th WNBA Draft was held virtually as Commissioner Cathy Engelbert made selections from New York while ESPN set up remote kits for top-prospects to interact with the broadcast.
"Kionna Jeter is an exceptional athlete," Tigers' head coach Diane Richardson said. "She came to Towson with serious focus. She wanted to help her team win and we did that. In the meantime, she set the record book on fire in just three short years. Our relationship is special and I'll follow her until she's old and gray. Go out and be great 'Melo' Jeter!"
The Spartanburg, S.C. native becomes the second consecutive player out of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) to hear their name called on draft night as Kamiah Smalls of James Madison was selected 28th overall in the 2020 WNBA Draft by the Indiana Fever.
The 2020-21 CAA Preseason Player of the Year, Jeter had an impressive three-season career at Towson. She is the first Tiger to earn three consecutive All-CAA First Team selections as well as back-to-back CAA All-Defensive Team honors. During the 2018-19 season, her first year in the black and gold, Jeter was the John Randolph Inspiration Award recipient. She also scored the game-winning jump shot to seal the first-ever CAA Championship title in program history and was named to the conference Championship Team.
During her redshirt senior season, Jeter consistently stayed amongst the nation's top-10 scorers, reaching as high as third in the country with 26.0 points per game. She finished the season 10th in the nation and first in the CAA with 23.0 points per game. She is the first CAA player to score +30 points in three consecutive contests since two-time WNBA MVP Elena Delle Donne did it in the 2012-13 season while at Delaware as well as the first player to do it at Towson since joining the conference in 2001-02. Jeter reached double digit scoring in 75 of 83 career games.
Jeter leaves Towson as the fastest player to reach the 1,000-point mark. She recorded 1,582 points to rank third overall on the Towson University women's basketball all-time scoring list. She also ranks second all-time in field goals (1,421), third in 3-pointers (186) and fourth in steals (237).
The 32 game 2021 WNBA season is set to tip-off May 14 with the New York Liberty set to take on the Indiana Fever.
The Aces will play their first contest against the Seattle Storm on May 15.
