Notre Dame women's basketball's Cass Prosper drafted by WNBA's Washington Mystics

After a career-best season for Notre Dame women's basketball in 2025-26, Cassandre Prosper has been selected by the Washington Mystics with the 19th overall pick (second round) of the 2026 WNBA Draft. The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Most Improved Player was the youngest prospect in the draft at just 20 years old despite having played four seasons with the Irish.

Prosper's journey to achieve her dream was not an easy one.

More: Cassandre Prosper's growth is why Notre Dame women's basketball made Elite 8

A five-star recruit out of Cairine Wilson Secondary School in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Prosper was ranked as the 16th-best prospect in the Class of 2023, according to the SportsCenter NEXT 100. She came to South Bend in the winter of 2022 at just 17 years old, making her first start with Notre Dame almost immediately after reporting to the team.

However, over her first three seasons, Prosper played in just a combined 61 games and started just seven of them. She achieved success away from the Irish, even representing Team Canada in the 2024 Summer Olympics, but Prosper wanted to finally take the next step with Notre Dame after some disappointment and injuries during her freshman-junior years.

In her senior campaign, Prosper started all 36 games and helped the Irish reach their first NCAA Tournament Elite Eight since 2019. She became one of the best wings in the ACC, averaging 13.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 33.2 minutes per game on 49.2% shooting from the field.

Prosper dropped six double-doubles throughout the season. Her biggest moment came when she scored the final three points in a 67-64 win vs. Vanderbilt in the Sweet Sixteen.

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Now, she will join her former Notre Dame teammate and 2025 WNBA All-Star Sonia Citron on the Mystics. Standing at 6-3, Prosper's length and athleticism ― along with her improved confidence and skill-set ― should bode well in her professional career.

Her older brother, Olivier-Maxence Prosper, is currently on the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies. He was selected 24th overall in the 2023 NBA Draft by the Dallas Mavericks.

Who drafted Irish transfer Olivia Miles?

With the second overall pick of the 2026 WNBA Draft, Olivia Miles was selected by the Minnesota Lynx. Miles played 101 games, was a two-time Second Team All-American and a three-time First Team All-ACC honoree with Notre Dame before transferring to TCU for one season, where she was named the 2025-26 Big 12 Player of the Year. She’ll team up with Irish alumna Kayla McBride in Minnesota.

Kyle Smedley is a sports reporter at the South Bend Tribune. Contact him via email at ksmedley@usatodayco.com or follow him on X @KyleMSmedley.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Cassandre Prosper selected 19th in the WNBA Draft by Washington Mystics