INDIANAPOLIS -- Lauren Cox, a standout forward with Baylor University the last four seasons, is joining the Indiana Fever.
Cox, who is from suburban Dallas-Ft. Worth, was the third overall pick Friday in the 2020 WNBA draft.
At Baylor, she helped lead the Bears to the 2019 NCAA championship. Over four seasons, Cox averaged 12 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists per-game.
With the Fever, Cox will play for new head coach Marianne Stanley. "I’m really excited. I’m getting to play with a coach that just came off winning a championship with the Mystics," said Cox. "Going to play for a former player who was also recently inducted into the Hall of Fame. I’m going to get to play with another big. I’m going to get to utilize my passing skills, so I’m really excited."
Cox will be part of a Fever rebuilding program after the team finished 13-21 last season and missed the playoffs three consecutive years.
Cox joins Teaira McCowan and the current vice president of basketball operations and general manager, Tamika Catchings, as the only players in franchise history taken with the No. 3 overall pick.
“We are extremely excited about having Lauren Cox join our organization,” Catchings said. “She does a little bit of everything, which will allow her to play in different positions with different players.”
The three-time All-American, two-time Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and 2020 Big 12 Player of the Year capped her senior season as one of four finalists for the Naismith National Player of the Year.
This past season, Cox became the second player in NCAA women’s basketball history since 1999 to compile at least 1,500 points, 975 rebounds, 300 blocks and 300 assists.
According to the Fever, Cox has used her Type 1 Diabetes diagnosis to inspire and care for youth also suffering from T1D. Last summer, Cox was a mentor in the JDRF Foundation Children's Congress in Washington, D.C., where children living with T1D meet with lawmakers to advocate for research and help them understand the disease.
Asked Friday what it was like to be picked number-three overall, Cox said, "I was really nervous, and finally hearing my name called kind of calmed all those nerves. Then my sisters threw all the confetti on me and we hugged it out. It was really run and we made the most of it."
When Cox will actually be able to play for the Fever is another matter. The WNBA season was supposed to start in the middle of May, but like all sports, the games are on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
