Four players have opted out of WNBA draft consideration, the league announced Friday.
Players who have declared for the Thursday draft have until midnight Saturday to change their minds.
Georgia center Jenna Staiti and guard Que Morrison, Rice center Nancy Mulkey and Ohio guard Cece Hooks have all opted out. All were seniors this past season, but they can return to college for one more year because of the NCAA's blanket waiver on eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Staiti, Mulkey and Hooks were in ESPN's most recent mock draft on Wednesday as second- or third-round selections. With just 12 WNBA teams, it's generally more difficult for players past the first round to make rosters.
Staiti and Morrison have announced they are staying at Georgia, which advanced to the SEC tournament title game this past season for the first time since 2004. Georgia made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament, where the No. 3 seed Bulldogs fell to No. 6 seed Oregon.
Rice won the WNIT title, and the 6-foot-9 Mulkey was the tournament's MVP. A spokesman for Rice said Mulkey has not decided whether she will remain at Rice or possibly transfer and is weighing her options.
Mulkey played her freshman season at Oklahoma before transferring to Rice. But her coach with the Owls, Tina Langley, recently took over at Washington.
An Ohio spokesman said Hooks has not announced her plans yet, either. Ohio also played in the WNIT, falling in the consolation final to UMass.
