DALLAS (AP) - Ohio State junior Kelsey Mitchell is returning for her senior season.
The school released a statement Wednesday saying Mitchell would not enter the WNBA draft early and will come back to the Buckeyes.
“Getting a degree from The Ohio State University was one of my top goals when coming to college and I look forward to completing my degree next spring. My teammates and I also have a number of goals we have yet to accomplish on the court,” she said in the statement. “One of those goals is to play in the Final Four, and we have a tremendous opportunity to do that next year here in Columbus.”
The two-time Big Ten Player of the Year was eligible for this year’s draft because she’ll turn 22 in 2017.
She is third on the school’s career scoring list and fifth in conference history with 2,553 points. Mitchell earned second-team AP All-America honors on Monday.
“I’m excited to have Kelsey coming back for her senior season,” Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff said in a text to The Associated Press. “She is an outstanding young woman who is a terrific representative of our program and university. Her leadership next year will be instrumental as we continue on our path towards national prominence.”
Mitchell isn’t the only Ohio State player who could have left early. Her teammates Stephanie Mavunga and Linnae Harper are both eligible to declare for the draft, but neither is expected to leave school early.
Ohio State was a five-seed in the NCAA Tournament and lost in the regional semifinals to Notre Dame after knocking off Kentucky on its home court in the second round.
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