By John Fanta
Creighton women’s basketball has its first player to get selected in the WNBA Draft, and it’s as fitting of a candidate as any program could have.
She overcame injuries. She took on the challenge of being the team’s leader as a senior. And now, Jaylyn Agnew is heading to The Association.
Rounding out the second round as the 24th overall pick in Friday night’s draft, Agnew’s destination is the reigning WNBA champion Washington Mystics.
The BIG EAST Player of the Year entered the 2019-20 campaign viewed as one of the best players in the conference. But even she and her head coach Jim Flanery admitted that the idea that she would get drafted to the WNBA was a pipe dream in the preseason. That said, the Creighton senior had never been the prime focal point in the Jays’ offense, as Audrey Faber led the team in scoring in 2018-19 while Agnew battled injuries. With an opportunity to be the sole leader, Agnew made more than the most of it.
“I didn’t know that I was capable of doing that (getting drafted),” said Agnew. “But as time went on, I saw how I progressed and how I was doing throughout the season, it clicked for me. I was more assertive on the offensive end. Coming into my freshman year, I redshirted. And I had more of an opportunity to be more assertive offensively as the years went on. And this year, having it on my shoulders to be the go-to person and learning the different things that come with that also, whether that’s all eyes on the defensive end being at me or different aspects like that, I think (being assertive) is where I grew.”
All Agnew did in her final campaign was average 20.8 points per game, ranking seventh in the nation, while totaling 6.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists per contest. Despite missing four games in the middle of BIG EAST play due to an injury, she persevered and got better as the season went on.
“Everyone has had their ups and downs,” said Agnew of the things she fought through in her career. “As much as I didn’t enjoy those things, going through them at the moment, I feel like I came out better on the other side by going through them.”
If a WNBA scout had any sort of doubt about Agnew’s abilities, she removed that fittingly in her final game in Omaha. Putting up a program record 43 points on her Senior Day, Agnew charged the Jays to their 19th win, a 95-78 victory over Georgetown.
In terms of where her game can still rise, it bears noting that Agnew didn’t start solely focusing on basketball until college, having been a star in high jump and volleyball at Andover High School in Kansas.
“I think her trajectory is still pretty steep,” said Flanery. “She doesn’t have to dribble to score, and her jab game has gotten to be really good. That she played multiple sports in high school, that she wasn’t strong enough when she got to college. I thought she probably had a higher ceiling based on the fact that she had probably played less basketball than a lot of people her age.”
While Agnew admitted her emotions are surreal at the moment, her initial reaction to joining the Mystics was clear.
“I think the first thing I texted one of my assistant coaches was, ‘I’m going to be in training camp with Elena Delle Donne and Tina Charles,” said Agnew. “They’re so good. They have so many great people. Just the chance to go against those players in training camp, and show them what I can do. Hopefully I can get on that roster and go for another championship.”
While it’s a life-changing night for Agnew, it’s also a program-changing one for Creighton.
“I actually got a few texts from people and coaches that said, ‘that’s really great for your program,” said Flanery. “What they mean, is that it’s potentially beneficial from a recruiting standpoint. It gives (Creighton) players who have that in their heads as a more realistic goal rather than a pipe dream. That’s a good thing, too, because I think it’s a little bit easier to work harder toward it if you think it’s more attainable.”
The humble Agnew, who is on her way to attaining a Masters in Organizational Leadership from Creighton, looked at past players who helped lay the groundwork at Creighton for the rise of the program to reach this point.
“Hopefully people now, in the Omaha community as well, can look at this and be like, ‘Hey, they’ve had great players,” said Agnew. “Not just me, but Marissa Janning, McKenzie Fujan, Bri Rollerson who’s playing overseas, those types of players who have come through and people might have missed them, to not miss out on that opportunity when players like that come through again.”
Agnew never missed out on an opportunity. Now, she’s get rewarded with the ultimate one.