The Virginia Tech Hokies had one of the best lineups in this year’s March Madness. They entered the NCAA tournament as one of the favorites to last in the Portland 3 region. Unfortunately, their loss against the lower-seeded Baylor ended their campaign on a sour note. Still, there was one player who was able to dominate the box score and ended up being among the very best in the country. Senior Center Elizabeth Kitley grabbed quite a few eyeballs in the ACC with her exceptional exhibition.

The 22-year-old, who is projected to be picked up by the Washington Mystics with the 21st overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, began her journey in North Carolina as a high school MVP. Born in Summerfield, North Carolina, Kitley participated in basketball, softball, and volleyball. While her preference was always softball as a young kid, she switched to basketball just before she entered the land of the Vikings in Greensboro, North Carolina.

As a 6 feet 2 in hooper, Kitley brought the first-ever state title to Northwest Guilford. Repeating her efforts as a junior, she again brought the second state title championship trophy home for the Vikings. Consequently, she also received the MVP honors for her performances. However, before she could even try to wreak havoc on her opponents as a senior, she suffered a torn ACL during an AAU game. Hence, her high school basketball career came to an end. Nevertheless, she did play in the last two games with the Vikings to grab a 5-star rating from ESPN.

Following this, she chose Virginia Tech for her college basketball career under Kenny Brooks. She further grew to the height of 6 foot 5 in, which gave her the advantage to reign over the college basketball league. And she did just that.

Elizabeth Kitley put Virginia Tech on the map

She began her journey with Virginia Tech as a freshman who would start every game for the Hokies. She contributed 12.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in 30 games. Improving her numbers every season, this core athlete of Blacksburg doubled her participation on both ends of the floor. As a fifth-year senior, she registered 22.8 points and 11.2 rebounds per game. As a result, she was among the top 5 players in the country, both offensively and defensively.

Being one of the best mid-range shooters in her draft class, Kitley will add value to any team. She shot 55.6% from the field while making almost 10 shots per game. She also averaged 2.1 blocks per game in her final year. During Kitley’s 5-year stay in Virginia, the Hokies reached the NCAA tournament 4 times and even had the program’s best-ever post-season in 2023 with a Final Four appearance.

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She became Virginia Tech’s all-time leader in points, field goals, blocks, and double-doubles while winning the ACC Player of the Year award three years in a row. The 22-year-old became only the 5th player in history to earn the honor three times. Now, according to ESPN’s latest mock draft, Kitley has a chance to be an overall 21st pick in the upcoming 2024 WNBA draft.

After showcasing the immense talent at the college basketball level, Kitley now unravels a new chapter in her career by stepping into the WNBA. With her immense potential and ability, she is likely to get some decent floor time despite a rather loaded Mystics roster.