WVU Women's Basketball Star Meme Wheeler Declares For WNBA Draft

West Virginia women’s basketball is officially in the offseason after falling short against the Kentucky Wildcats in the round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament at Hope Coliseum just over a week ago.

The Mountaineers had a lot of their production come from seniors, and now the team begins the process of moving forward without them. One of the team's biggest stars from this past season is headed to the pros.

Kierra "Meme" Wheeler announced on Tuesday that she is declaring for the WNBA Draft. Wheeler announced her decision on her Instagram with the following message.

“Thank you to my family and friends for always supporting me, believing in me, and standing by me through every high and low of this journey. I'm beyond grateful for everything you've poured into me.”

“Thank you to Daytona State, Norfolk State, and West Virginia University for shaping me into the player -and the woman- I am today. It has meant everything to represent each of these programs and the communities behind them.”

“Most importantly, I thank God for guiding me every step of the way, Luke 1:45 says, “Blessed is she who was believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her.” I truly believe this moment is part of that promise.”

“With that being said... I'm proud to announce that I am declaring for the WNBA draft.”

The forward was a key piece in one of the most successful seasons in program history. She played a role down in the post that gave the Mountaineers a player they could depend on to score under the hoop with a consistency that we have not seen since Mark Kellogg took over as head coach. She averaged the second-most points on the team with 13.4 per contest and led the team in rebounds per game with 7.5.

The Mountaineers will look a lot different next season

With Wheeler declaring for the draft, while Jordan Harrison, Sydney Shaw, Cece Rivière, and Sydney Woodley all set to graduate, coach Kellogg will have a tall task ahead of him next season.

Wheeler’s presumptive replacement would be rising junior Jordan Thomas, but Thomas announced her intentions to enter the transfer portal just a few days ago.

Star guard Gia Cooke, who led the team in scoring this past season, is set to return, which should give WVU another quality guard who can defend well to rely on.

Wheeler may not be the only Mountaineer to declare for the WNBA Draft. Make sure to bookmark West Virginia on SI to stay up to date with who else could join Wheeler at the professional level.