Megan McConnell
McConnell playing for the Duquesne Dukes in 2024 | |
| No. 4 – Bendigo Spirit | |
|---|---|
| Position | Guard |
| League | WNBL |
| Personal information | |
| Born | November 12, 2001 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Listed height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Chartiers Valley (Bridgeville, Pennsylvania) |
| College | Duquesne (2020–2025) |
| WNBA draft | 2025: undrafted |
| Playing career | 2025–present |
| Career history | |
| 2025 | Phoenix Mercury |
| 2025–present | Bendigo Spirit |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Stats at WNBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Megan McConnell (born November 12, 2001)[1] is an American professional basketball player for the Bendigo Spirit of the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL). She played college basketball for the Duquesne Dukes. McConnell was signed by the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as an undrafted free agent in 2025.
Early life
McConnell was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and attended Chartiers Valley High School in Bridgeville.[2] Playing on the school's basketball team, she was a second-team all-state selection as a freshman and sophomore, and a first-team all-state selection as a junior and senior. She led her team to a state championship in her junior year.[3][4] Despite her high school basketball success, she was not heavily recruited by major college programs due to her relatively small size.[5]
College career
McConnell played college basketball for the Duquesne Dukes. In the 2020–2021 season, her first with the team, she led Duquesne in minutes (28.7), assists (2.8), and steals (1.4) per game. The following season, she led the A-10 in steals per game (2.6) while leading her team in rebounds per game, with 6.4, and adding three double-doubles.[3]
McConnell started in every game of the 2022–2023 season, recording 12 double-doubles and two triple-doubles, one of only two NCAA Division I players with multiple triple-doubles. Her 303 rebounds set a new single-season school record. She averaged 11.2 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 2.3 steals per game; additionally, her 5.5 assists per game led the conference. She was named second-team All-A-10 at the end of the season.[3]
Again starting in every game of the 2023–2024 season, McConnell's 38.6 minutes per game were the highest among Division I players. Her 13.1 points, 8.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.9 steals per game all led her team, and her 294 total rebounds were the most in the A-10. She recorded ten double-doubles and was named first-team All-A-10.[3]
McConnell was the only player to start every game for Duquesne in the 2024–2025 season. She averaged 18.4 points, 5.0 assists, and 4.1 steals per game, all of which were the highest in the conference. She added seven double-doubles and two triple-doubles, one of three Division I players with multiple triple-doubles, and was named first-team All-A-10 for a second time. She was also named the A-10's defensive player of the year.[3]
McConnell holds Duquesne program records in all-time steals (370), assists (660), games played (144), games started (136), and triple-doubles (4). Her 1,795 points and 1,079 rebounds each rank second in program history.[3][6] In 2025, Duquesne head coach Dan Burt called McConnell "the best player [he has] ever coached".[5]
Professional career
WNBA
Phoenix Mercury (2025)
On April 14, 2025, McConnell received a training camp invitation from the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).[7] She was waived at the end of training camp, but the Mercury signed her to a contract in June.[8] In her WNBA debut, McConnell recorded three points, three assists, one rebound, and one steal in 13 minutes before leaving the game with a knee injury; the injury was later specified as a tibial plateau fracture.[9] She was waived by the Mercury on June 26.[10]
Overseas
In August 2025, McConnell signed with the Bendigo Spirit of the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) for the 2025–26 season.[11]
Career statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game | FG% | Field goal percentage |
| 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage | RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game |
| SPG | Steals per game | BPG | Blocks per game | TO | Turnovers per game | PPG | Points per game |
| Bold | Career high | * | Led Division I | ° | Led the league | ‡ | WNBA record |
WNBA
Stats current through game on June 3, 2025
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Phoenix | 1 | 0 | 13.0 | .250 | .500 | — | 1.0 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.0 |
| Career | 1 year, 1 team | 1 | 0 | 13.0 | .250 | .500 | — | 1.0 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.0 |
College
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020–21 | Duquesne | 16 | 9 | 28.7 | .359 | .322 | .794 | 3.2 | 2.8 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 1.3 | 7.5 |
| 2021–22 | Duquesne | 29 | 28 | 36.0 | .359 | .239 | .581 | 6.4 | 4.1 | 2.6 | 0.3 | 2.0 | 8.8 |
| 2022–23 | Duquesne | 31 | 31 | 36.6 | .496 | .400 | .557 | 9.8 | 5.5 | 2.3 | 0.6 | 2.2 | 11.2 |
| 2023–24 | Duquesne | 34 | 34 | 38.5* | .456 | .400 | .655 | 8.6 | 4.6 | 1.9 | 0.2 | 2.1 | 13.1 |
| 2024–25 | Duquesne | 34 | 34 | 36.8* | .469 | .330 | .625 | 7.2 | 5.0 | 4.1 | 0.3 | 2.6 | 18.4 |
| Career | 144 | 136 | 36.1 | .444 | .339 | .623 | 7.5 | 4.6 | 2.6 | 0.3 | 2.1 | 12.5 | |
Personal life
McConnell's brother, T. J. McConnell, plays professional basketball for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Another brother, Matty McConnell, played college basketball for the Robert Morris Colonials. Her father Tim McConnell coached both boys' and girls' basketball at Chartiers Valley High School, including the school's state championship season during McConnell's junior year.[7] Her aunt, Suzie McConnell-Serio, is a former basketball player and coach; she is an Olympic gold medalist, coached the Minnesota Lynx of the WNBA, and was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame.[13] Another aunt, Kathy McConnell-Miller, played college basketball for the Virginia Cavaliers and also coached the Tulsa Golden Hurricane and Colorado Buffaloes college teams. Her uncle, Tom McConnell, has coached both men's and women's college basketball.[3]
After McConnell signed with the Mercury, T. J. wore his sister's Mercury jersey to the Pacers' NBA Finals Game 1.[14][15] On the same night, McConnell wore her brother's Pacers jersey to her game with the Mercury.[16][17]
References
- ^ "Megan McConnell Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft Status and More". WNBA. Archived from the original on June 11, 2025. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
- ^ a b "Megan McConnell WNBA Stats". Basketball Reference. Archived from the original on October 29, 2025. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Megan McConnell". Duquesne University athletics. Archived from the original on June 9, 2025. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
- ^ Guay, Jessica (April 17, 2025). "Megan McConnell ready to "live out this dream" after training camp invite from WNBA's Phoenix Mercury". CBS Sports. Archived from the original on December 13, 2025. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
- ^ a b White, Mike (January 25, 2025). "Proving them wrong: Duquesne's Megan the latest McConnell to silence the doubters". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on January 10, 2026. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
- ^ Stockey, Andrew (April 15, 2025). "Duquesne's Megan McConnell earns invite to WNBA training camp in Phoenix". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Archived from the original on June 11, 2025. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
- ^ a b Darnay, Mike (April 15, 2025). "Megan McConnell gets training camp invite from WNBA's Phoenix Mercury". CBS News. Archived from the original on June 9, 2025. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
- ^ Sanchez, Josh (June 4, 2025). "Pacers star TJ McConnell's sister Megan McConnell celebrates career milestone". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on June 12, 2025. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
- ^ Purucker, Matthew (June 3, 2025). "Former Duquesne star Megan McConnell injured during debut with WNBA's Phoenix Mercury". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ Andres, Patrick (June 26, 2025). "Mercury Waive Megan McConnell, Sister of Indiana Pacers' T.J. McConnell". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on July 5, 2025. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
- ^ "Megan McConnell signs with Spirit as first import". www.basketball.com.au. Archived from the original on October 13, 2025. Retrieved October 20, 2025.
- ^ "Megan McConnell College Stats". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on August 20, 2025. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
- ^ Stockey, Andrew (January 21, 2025). "Megan McConnell dominates Atlantic 10 basketball as family legacy thrives in Pittsburgh". WTAE-TV. Archived from the original on June 9, 2025. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
- ^ Lyons, Dan (June 5, 2025). "Pacers' T.J. McConnell Showed Up to NBA Finals Game Wearing Sister's New WNBA Jersey". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on July 24, 2025. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
- ^ Cluff, Jeremy (June 6, 2025). "Why ex-Arizona star, Indiana Pacers G T.J. McConnell was wearing a Phoenix Mercury jersey". Arizona Republic. Archived from the original on June 11, 2025. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
- ^ Darnay, Mike (June 6, 2025). "T.J. and Megan McConnell sport each other's jerseys before Game 1 of NBA Finals". CBS News. Archived from the original on June 12, 2025. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
- ^ Silverman, Blake (June 5, 2025). "Megan McConnell Wears Brother T.J.'s Jersey Pregame in Adorable Sibling Moment". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on July 20, 2025. Retrieved June 8, 2025.