Erin Boley forgoes 2021 WNBA Draft, ends basketball career originally appeared on NBC Sports Northwest
After having three players go in the first round last WNBA Draft, no Oregon Ducks will hear their name called later this month during the 2021 event.
Why? Well, Oregon Ducks senior Erin Boley did not opt-in to the 2021 WNBA Draft pool and James Crepea of The Oregonian reports her playing career is over.
“During this season I really wanted to focus as much as I can on basketball and not make any hard set but most likely I’ll be moving on to a new path after graduation,” Boley said prior to the NCAA Tournament last month.
Rather than pursue basketball opportunities overseas, she will begin her professional career away from the court.
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Before enrolling in Eugene, Boley was the 2016 Gatorade National Player of the Year and three-time Kentucky Gatorade Player of the Year before signing with Notre Dame.
She played one season with the Fighting Irish before transferring to Oregon and sitting out the 2017-18 season due to NCAA transfer rules.
As a redshirt sophomore, Boley started all 38 games, hit a team-high 108 three-pointers, and helped lead Oregon to the first Final Four in program history.
The next season, she started all 33 games for the No. 2 Oregon Ducks who were favorites to win the National Championship before the tournament was cancelled due to the coronavirus.
As a senior, Boley was named to the Cheryl Miller Award Preseason Watch List (nation’s top small forward), started all but one game (which she missed due to an injury), and surpassed the 1,000 career points threshold (33rd to do so in program history).
Since finishing her playing career, Boley has returned to her hometown of Hodgenville, Kentucky.
