‘Generational Talent:’ Ole Miss forward Cotie McMahon is owning the moment
OXFORD, Miss – Last night brought a big-time win for Ole Miss women’s basketball over the Tennessee Volunteers. The Rebels dominated most of the matchup and came away with a 94-81 win, pushing their season record to 21-6. It was a total team effort, for sure, but after the game, much of the talk was deservedly focused on one player: Ole Miss’ Cotie McMahon.
McMahon went on an absolute tear last night, scoring 39 points (23 points in the second half), which is her single-game career high. Along with her elite scoring, the senior forward racked up ten rebounds, five assists, and two steals.
After the game, head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin talked about her star player’s performance.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever seen anything like that. Cotie’s a generational player.”
Ole Miss head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin on Cotie McMahon
McMahon is no stranger to being an elite player. Over the course of her career, she has been at the top of her game. Her overall career stats are off the charts. She has tallied 2,019 points, 680 rebounds, 326 assists, 160 steals, and 63 blocks. She has always been a shining star, but she is now proving she is among the very best in the nation.
At Ohio State
Before becoming a star in the SEC, McMahon, a Dayton, Ohio native, spent three seasons with the Ohio State Buckeyes. She immediately made a splash in her freshman season. She was dynamic on both offense and defense and helped push her team into the Elite Eight, where they lost to Virginia Tech. She recorded 543 points, 197 rebounds, 88 assists, 53 steals, and 26 blocks, and that led to her being named Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
McMahon continued to showcase the dynamic player she is over the next two years of her tenure with the Buckeyes, accumulating many awards during her three years there,
List of Honors at Ohio State
- AP All-American Honorable Mention (2024, 25)
- USBWA All-American Honorable Mention (2024)
- WBCA Coaches’ All-America regional finalist (2024, 2025), honorable mention in 2025
- 2024 Cheryl Miller Award Top Five Finalist
- 2025 Cheryl Miller Award Top 10 Finalist
- 2024-25 watch lists: Naismith Trophy (preseason, midseason), Wooden Award (preseason, midseason top 25, late midseason top 20), Ann Meyers Drysdale USBWA National Player of the Year (midseason)
- 2023-24 watch lists: Naismith Trophy (preseason, midseason), Wooden Award (preseason, midseason top 25), Ann Meyers Drysdale USBWA National Player of the Year
- AP Preseason All-American Honorable Mention (2024)
- 2023 Big Ten Freshman of the Year
- All-Big Ten First Team (2024, 2025 – coaches and media both years, unanimous by coaches in 2025)
- All-Big Ten Second Team (2023)
- All-Big Ten Freshman Team (2023)
- All-Big Ten Preseason Team (2024, 2025)
- Big Ten All-Tournament Team (2023)
- Naismith Trophy and AP National Player of the Week: Jan. 23, 2024
- Big Ten Player of the Week: Jan. 22, 2024
- USBWA National Weekly Starting Five: Dec. 5, 2023, Jan. 22, 2024
- Four-time Big Ten Weekly Honor Roll: Dec. 11, 2023, Feb. 5, 2024, Dec. 9, 2024, Feb. 17, 2025
- Six-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week: Dec. 12, Dec. 19, Dec. 27, Jan. 2, Feb. 13, Feb. 20
- Ohio State career rankings after the 2024-25 season: 11th in free throws attempted (524), tied 13th in free throws made (339), 18th in field goals attempted (1,147), 19th in points (1,484), 20th in field goals made (541), 24th in rebounds (535)
- Became the 38th player in program history to score 1,000 points – doing so in the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament against Duke (3/24/24)
This Season at Ole Miss
Coach Yo recruited Cotie McMahon through the transfer portal to join Team 51 because she knew what type of player Cotie is–and McMahon has not disappointed. She has been putting everyone on notice with her performance as a Rebel. Over the course of the season, McMahon has literally been putting on a clinic; she has scored 20+ points in 16 games this season. That ties her with Jennifer Gillom and Sheila Sullivan for the fifth-most in a single season by any Rebel ever and is the most since Bianca Thomas had 19 such games in 2009-10.
While her scoring is impressive, she has shown she is capable of doing it all on the court. She rebounds well, finds her teammates and plays defense. She has all the traits of an elite-level player and has showcased her abilities to the fullest extent. This season, she has recorded 535 points, 145 rebounds, 74 assists, 31 steals, and 13 blocks at Ole Miss.
Her performances this season have earned her some much-deserved honors.
List of Honors at Ole Miss (so far this season):
- 3x SEC Player of the Week (2nd Only SEC Player to do this during League Play)
- 2025-26 Women’s Wooden Award Late Midseason Top 20 Watch List
- Naismith Trophy College Player of the Year Late-Season Team
- USBWA National Weekly Starting Five
- Cheryl Miller Award Top 10 Finalists
Where Does Cotie Stand Among The Best?
McMahon continues to shine brightly this season, especially in the SEC. She is among the top-five best in the SEC, averaging 20 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.8 assists. She ranks within the Top 10 across the NCAA. Simply put, she is a standard in this league.
She is also a leader. McMahon spoke after the win over Tennessee — and referenced her performance against Kentucky in the team’s loss in their prior game.
“I feel like I owed it to my team. I didn’t really show up against Kentucky. We’ve just been preaching be where your feet are. Focus on the game that’s in front of us and when it’s in front of us we want to go 1-0. I think that was my focus. I know this team goes as I go, so I really wanted to set the tone and make sure they knew I had their back.”
Ole Miss senior forward Cotie McMahon
McMahon is one of the very best players, not just in the SEC, but in the nation. Following her performance last night, I believe it is time for Cotie to get the respect she deserves.
What’s Next?
Cotie McMahon and the Ole Miss Rebels take on the LSU Tigers in the SJB Pavilion on Thursday, February 19th. Tipoff is at 8 p.m. CT.
Parks Burcham
Parks Burcham is a sophomore at the University of Mississippi. He is majoring in Journalism, emphasis in Sports Media, with a minor in Sports Management. He is originally from Booneville, Mississippi and graduated high school from Jumpertown Attendance Center.His favorite sports are basketball and football. He chose this path because he has always been extremely interested in the sports world. Parks enjoys all aspects of the game and hopes to do great work in this field.
