Mississippi State’s Jessika Carter selected by New York Liberty in 2024 WNBA Draft

Mississippi State women’s basketball forward Jessika Carter was selected with the 23rd pick by the New York Liberty in the 2024 WNBA Draft on Monday. She is the ninth player in program history to be drafted and the first since Teaira McCowan and Anriel Howard in 2019.

Carter’s six-year career at Mississippi State came to an end in March when the Bulldogs were eliminated in the WBIT quarterfinals.

She joined MSU in 2018 as a product of Waverly Hall, Georgia. Playing behind Howard and McCowan, Carter appeared in 36 games as a freshman without any starts. However, she jumped into a starting role the following season under coach Vic Schaefer.

As a sophomore, Carter averaged 13 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. Her scoring average jumped to 14.3 points the following season after Schaefer departed for Texas and the late Nikki McCray-Penson took over.

Carter didn’t play during the 2021-22 campaign due to personal reasons and opened up via social media about her mental health battles. Her absence from the court came as Doug Novak served as the program’s interim head coach following McCray-Penson’s sudden departure before the season.

She returned to action the following season after coach Sam Purcell was hired. She started 30 of her 31 games, helping lead Mississippi State back to the NCAA Tournament. Carter earned All-SEC honors after averaging 14.8 points and 7.7 rebounds per game.

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She again earned All-SEC honors in the 2023-24 season after averaging 15.2 points and 9.7 rebounds. Carter finished her MSU career with 1,125 rebounds, ranking second in program history.

Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat writer for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or follow him on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, @skrajisnik3.