Jalyn Brown (23), senior guard for Michigan State University, goes up for a shot against Ohio State University during a women's basketball game at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan, on Sunday, March 1, 2026.
After a successful 23-9 season that included the best start in school history at 17-1, two members from Michigan State's women's basketball squad are hoping to hear their names called in the WNBA Draft.
Senior forward Grace VanSlooten and senior guard Jalyn Brown have both entered their names into the draft, taking their shot at the next level after their college careers concluded in the Round of 32 of the NCAA Tournament against Oklahoma.
VanSlooten has been a known name in women's basketball since entering college as a five-star prospect by ESPN and a McDonald's All-American out of high school. Now as a senior, she leaves college with plenty of experience — starting in 116 games and scoring 1,849 points throughout her career, 962 of them at MSU.
After transferring from Oregon after her sophomore year, she arrived in East Lansing for her final two seasons, where she averaged 15.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.1 blocks per game, earning All-Big Ten second-team honors in both seasons. The senior forward was also named one of two captains for this past season.
Just like VanSlooten, Brown also transferred to MSU but made her impact felt nonetheless.
After spending two seasons at Arizona State, she entered the portal as a junior who had averaged 18 points per game but found herself on the Spartans' bench to start the season.
A surplus of guards on the roster forced Brown into a sixth-man role, but early in the season she proved she can score in bunches regardless of her role, reaching double figures in her first three games.
The senior guard continued in this role until senior guard Theryn Hallock suffered a season-ending injury and Brown was thrust into the starting lineup for the rest of the season. She finished averaging 11.1 points while shooting an efficient 52% from the field and 41% from 3-point range, starting in 19 of 32 games.
All the two Spartans can do now is wait and see if their names are called tonight during the 45-pick WNBA Draft. The event begins at 7 p.m. and will air on ESPN.
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