There’s been much talk around the Atlanta Dream about their draft picks and offseason moves but Mikayla Pivec has flown under the radar.
Relatively speaking, you wouldn’t expect the No. 25 pick in the 2020 WNBA draft to have a silent presence. However, coming out of Oregon State, Mikayla Pivec is that silent presence and she boasts a solid resume coming into the WNBA.
In four years at OSU, Pivec did accomplish a lot. A four-year starter, 1,000-point scorer, two-time Elite Eight placer with the team, Pac-12 All-Freshman Team, All-Pac-12 her junior and senior year, Pac-12 All-Defense as a senior as well. Can’t forget Pivec also set Oregon State’s career record for rebounds.
With a semblance of life slowly returning to America following the Coronavirus pandemic, the WNBA draft this year was done via social distancing, and Pivec was able to recall the draft day vividly.
Where many players had family present during the draft day, Pivec had a small group consisting of family friends around on that day. Her sister was, physically there and her parents were on a Zoom call.
The scroll of names on ESPN that day showed her mom first and Pivec says that her mom was near tears and that’s when she saw her name come up.
“Yeah, it was it was relief initially knowing that a team wanted me, and I was excited about me going there,” Pivec recalled. “I’m not with my parents certainly because they’re home in Washington, I’m in Idaho with my sister and family friends. So, we were on the couch with my sister by my side. We were watching TV on the big board and my parents were on my left.
On a computer screen on Zoom and my mom looks like she was starting to cry. I was like, ‘Mom, what’s up?’ And then I see that I was the next person drafted on the TV. So, we were a little bit delayed, but it was cool to see that her reaction first and then realized what she’d been reacting to. So then, I put the Dream hat on and just started thinking about that opportunity and trying to work to get ready for that.”
Pivec’s Chip
But be wary, there’s a fire brewing in Pivec that appeared when she was Nationally ranked at No. 24 coming out of high school.
“I’ve always had a bit of a chip on my shoulder,” Pivec said. “I was ranked fairly high coming out of high school. I didn’t go to UConn or teams that had won national championships because I was hoping to build something at Oregon State and to continue to do good things there. I’ve always had that chip on my shoulder, and I think it’s a part of who I am and kinda where I’ve gotten to this day.”
How can a rookie fare in a time like 2020 where a pandemic has taken away valuable gym time? An easy solution would be to get with the teams’ strength and conditioning coach and nutritionist and begin the work from there. That’s what Pivec has done and it’s especially easy when there’s a gym near her that she can use as well.
“It’s a new chapter for me and I’m excited about trying to prepare myself the best I can, thankfully in Idaho, I do have access to a gym,” Pivec disclosed. “So, it’s closed the public, but he lets me, and a friend use it. I’ve been going for five to six days a week in the morning and shoot work on our skill. So, we’re staying ready. I know that I have lots improve on and I want to be the best I can be when training camp comes whenever that time may be.”
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