Michigan senior gets drafted into WNBA

At the start of her senior season, Jordan Hobbs was preparing for what she thought would be her last year of competitive basketball.

She may need to rethink her plans.

Hobbs was drafted into the WNBA on Monday night, the ninth Michigan woman to earn that honor. The Seattle Storm took her late in the third (and final) round, 34th overall.

Hobbs averaged 13.6 points per game last season, shooting 43 percent from the field and 34 percent from 3. At 6-foot-3, she’s got good size for a guard.

Seattle went 25-15 last season, good for fifth place, and lost to Las Vegas in the first round of the playoffs. The Storm made four picks on Monday, taking French center Dominique Malonga with the second overall pick, and guards Serena Sundell (Kansas State) and Madison Conner (TCU) early in the third round.

There are only 12 teams in the WNBA and 144 roster spots, making it difficult for third-round picks to make a team as rookies.

Earlier on Monday night, Hobbs was at a campus restaurant for Michigan’s postseason banquet that doubled as an NIL fundraiser. Hobbs, as a departing senior, spoke to the audience of more than 100 people about her four years at Michigan.

A person inside the program said Hobbs, over the last few months, had changed her mind about playing professionally. While Hobbs is still interested in putting her business administration major to use, that may not come until she’s explored her options in the WNBA or overseas.

The last Wolverine to get drafted was Leigha Brown, a second-round pick in 2023.