During the 2024 WNBA draft Monday night, Abbey Hsu made history. The 5-foot, 11-inch Columbia University guard was selected by the Connecticut Sun in the third round of the draft with the No. 34 overall pick, becoming the first WNBA draft pick in Columbia women’s basketball history.
Hsu is a native of Parkland, Fla., where she was a standout player at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and St. Thomas Aquinas. She played four years at Columbia and was named the 2023-24 Ivy League Player of the Year. Hsu also made the national radar as she was even named to the Midseason Watch List for Jersey Mike’s Naismith Women’s College Player of the Year Ward and was a finalist for the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award. She was also a participant in the 2024 Women’s College All-Star Game and an AP All-America Honorable Mention this past season.
As a senior, Hsu averaged a career-high 20.4 points along with 7.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game. She also became the all-time leading scorer in Columbia basketball history with 2,126 career points. Hsu played a huge role in the Lions’ success, as the team became back-to-back Ivy League regular season champions and made the program’s first NCAA tournament appearance this past season.
Sharp Shooting Skillset
One of Hsu’s strongest skills is her shooting ability, especially from three-point range. She ranks first all-time in the Ivy League with 375 career three-pointers made and also broke an Ivy League record with 112 three-pointers in a single season during her junior year.
“If I’m going to label myself as a shooter, I have to be as accurate and maximize whatever role that is,” Hsu said.
Columbia to Connecticut
The Connecticut Sun lost Rebecca Allen in the offseason to the Phoenix Mercury and Tiffany Hayes to retirement, both scorers with the potential to get hot from distance—and drafting Hsu addresses those holes due to her scoring ability and shot-making from three. She will be given a chance to show off her skills and fight for a roster spot during the team’s training camp in a few weeks.
Twice the Celebration
The night was also special for another reason as moments after Hsu was drafted, Kaitlyn Davis, who played for Columbia for four seasons before spending her graduate year playing at the University of Southern California, was taken by the New York Liberty with the No. 35 pick.
“I don’t even think I can put into words the fact of how happy I am for both myself and Kaitlyn (Davis),” Hsu said. “Me and KD (Kaitlyn Davis) made history that night but it wasn’t just us, it was the whole Columbia program, it was Coach G[riffith], it was her belief in us.”
The Connecticut Sun will tip off their preseason on May 9 against the New York Liberty. Hsu said she is looking forward to training camp and learning as much as possible from the veterans.
“It is going to be a great opportunity to better my game and surround myself with the best players in the world,” Hsu said.