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]
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]
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
