TCU’s Madison Conner, a Chandler native, was the only Arizona-bred player taken in the 2025 WNBA draft on Monday, April 14.
Conner, a 5-foot-11, fifth-year senior guard, was a third-round pick at No. 29 by the Seattle Storm. Conner played alongside Hailey Van Lith, TCU’s 2025 Associated Press All-America Third Team selection. She was the No. 11 pick overall by the Chicago Sky.
Conner earned The Arizona’s Republic’s 2020 All-Arizona honors during her high school junior season at Gilbert Perry. She transferred to Chandler AZ Compass Prep as a senior, then reclassified to begin her college career early at Arizona in January 2021. Conner left Arizona for TCU as a junior and just ended her fifth year as one of the NCAA’s top shooters.
“Amazing, so proud of her,” Perry girls basketball coach Andrew Curtis said in a text message to The Republic. “Hardest working player I have ever coached. All credit to her. Handled all the adversity from her early days at Arizona to finish strong at TCU. She never wavered.”
During her final two years at TCU, Conner averaged a stellar 16.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.0 steals. She was TCU’s record holder for 3-point percentage (41.9%) and had five career 30-point games.
This season, Conner was the team’s third-best scorer (14.4 ppg), the nation’s 10th-best in 3-point shooting percentage (44.9%), the nation’s No. 1 in 3s made and TCU’s all-time single-season high in 3s made (128), and earned All-Big 12 First Team honors.
AZ Compass graduate @madiconner2 is headed to the league!
With the 29th pick in the 2025 @WNBA Draft, the @seattlestorm select Madison Conner from @tcuwbb! pic.twitter.com/S9BS2iBpH5
— AZ Compass GBB (@AZCompassGBB) April 15, 2025
Conner and Van Lith helped lead TCU’s greatest season in school history and women’s college basketball’s biggest turnaround story.
Conner was one of TCU’s returnees after the team faced adversity last year with a heavily short-handed roster because of health issues. TCU even held mid-season tryouts to reload the roster and finished 21-12.
After Van Lith transferred from LSU to join Conner in TCU’s backcourt, the Horned Frogs finished at No. 6 in USA Today’s top 25 women’s basketball poll after beginning this season unranked. They won the program’s first Big 12 Conference regular-season and tournament titles in March, had a school-record 34 wins with just four losses.
They went on to their first NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 and Elite 8 appearances before losing as the second seed to No. 1 Texas in the Birmingham regional final.
“Last year, she had her best statistical year and broke a ton of records,” Conner’s former AZ Compass coach and current Hampton assistant coach Jamaal Rhodes told The Republic. “But I think this year she really showed what her value can be, not only to a high-level program like Mark (Campbell) has turned TCU in, but to a team in the W.
“She shot 45% from the 3-point line. Come on now. Ain’t that many people that can do that. … That was against some of the best competition in the country. It’s expected,” Rhodes continued.
Rhodes said Conner is currently back home in the Phoenix area preparing for training camp on April 27. He said Conner’s work ethic dates back to when she joined Rhodes’ and Jeremy Daniels, assistant coach of Rhodes’ former AZ Supreme girls’ basketball club, as an eighth grader.
He said Daniels and others in Phoenix still work with Conner when she comes back to the Valley.
“She’s able to come and still get work in and still be in a position to continue to grow herself, or as they say ‘stay ready so she don’t have to get ready.'”
Last Year We Put One Into The @NBA And This Year We Put One In The @WNBA..
Congratulations Madison Conner On Being Selected 29th To The @seattlestorm!!
Here is a look at her draft prep training..#move#producingpros#wnba#dawgpic.twitter.com/MxG75nOImi
— Move Human Performance & Physical Therapy (@MovePerformance) April 15, 2025
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Former Arizona HS star Madison Conner drafted by Seattle Storm
TCU’s Madison Conner, a Chandler native, was the only Arizona-bred player taken in the 2025 WNBA draft on Monday, April 14.
Conner, a 5-foot-11, fifth-year senior guard, was a third-round pick at No. 29 by the Seattle Storm. Conner played alongside Hailey Van Lith, TCU’s 2025 Associated Press All-America Third Team selection. She was the No. 11 pick overall by the Chicago Sky.
Conner earned The Arizona’s Republic’s 2020 All-Arizona honors during her high school junior season at Gilbert Perry. She transferred to Chandler AZ Compass Prep as a senior, then reclassified to begin her college career early at Arizona in January 2021. Conner left Arizona for TCU as a junior and just ended her fifth year as one of the NCAA’s top shooters.
“Amazing, so proud of her,” Perry girls basketball coach Andrew Curtis said in a text message to The Republic. “Hardest working player I have ever coached. All credit to her. Handled all the adversity from her early days at Arizona to finish strong at TCU. She never wavered.”
During her final two years at TCU, Conner averaged a stellar 16.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.0 steals. She was TCU’s record holder for 3-point percentage (41.9%) and had five career 30-point games.
This season, Conner was the team’s third-best scorer (14.4 ppg), the nation’s 10th-best in 3-point shooting percentage (44.9%), the nation’s No. 1 in 3s made and TCU’s all-time single-season high in 3s made (128), and earned All-Big 12 First Team honors.
AZ Compass graduate @madiconner2 is headed to the league!
With the 29th pick in the 2025 @WNBA Draft, the @seattlestorm select Madison Conner from @tcuwbb! pic.twitter.com/S9BS2iBpH5
— AZ Compass GBB (@AZCompassGBB) April 15, 2025
Conner and Van Lith helped lead TCU’s greatest season in school history and women’s college basketball’s biggest turnaround story.
Conner was one of TCU’s returnees after the team faced adversity last year with a heavily short-handed roster because of health issues. TCU even held mid-season tryouts to reload the roster and finished 21-12.
After Van Lith transferred from LSU to join Conner in TCU’s backcourt, the Horned Frogs finished at No. 6 in USA Today’s top 25 women’s basketball poll after beginning this season unranked. They won the program’s first Big 12 Conference regular-season and tournament titles in March, had a school-record 34 wins with just four losses.
They went on to their first NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 and Elite 8 appearances before losing as the second seed to No. 1 Texas in the Birmingham regional final.
“Last year, she had her best statistical year and broke a ton of records,” Conner’s former AZ Compass coach and current Hampton assistant coach Jamaal Rhodes told The Republic. “But I think this year she really showed what her value can be, not only to a high-level program like Mark (Campbell) has turned TCU in, but to a team in the W.
“She shot 45% from the 3-point line. Come on now. Ain’t that many people that can do that. … That was against some of the best competition in the country. It’s expected,” Rhodes continued.
Rhodes said Conner is currently back home in the Phoenix area preparing for training camp on April 27. He said Conner’s work ethic dates back to when she joined Rhodes’ and Jeremy Daniels, assistant coach of Rhodes’ former AZ Supreme girls’ basketball club, as an eighth grader.
He said Daniels and others in Phoenix still work with Conner when she comes back to the Valley.
“She’s able to come and still get work in and still be in a position to continue to grow herself, or as they say ‘stay ready so she don’t have to get ready.'”
Last Year We Put One Into The @NBA And This Year We Put One In The @WNBA..
Congratulations Madison Conner On Being Selected 29th To The @seattlestorm!!
Here is a look at her draft prep training..#move#producingpros#wnba#dawgpic.twitter.com/MxG75nOImi
— Move Human Performance & Physical Therapy (@MovePerformance) April 15, 2025
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Former Arizona HS star Madison Conner drafted by Seattle Storm
