CHICAGO, IL - AUGUST 08: Kelsey Mitchell 0 of the Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark 22 of the Indiana Fever during a game against the Chicago Sky on August 8, 2026 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. Photo by Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire WNBA, Basketball Damen, USA AUG 08 Indiana Fever at Chicago Sky EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon260808201
CHICAGO, IL - AUGUST 08: Kelsey Mitchell 0 of the Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark 22 of the Indiana Fever during a game against the Chicago Sky on August 8, 2026 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. Photo by Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire WNBA, Basketball Damen, USA AUG 08 Indiana Fever at Chicago Sky EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon260808201
Before heading to the court, Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell stays on her laptop, working on her PhD thesis. Her teammates, notably Caitlin Clark and Lexie Hull, are left in awe of her commitment.
While being a regular starter for the Fever, Mitchell has been pursuing a PhD in educational leadership at Liberty University.
"Sometimes it's pretty chaotic, but I think the discipline um, that I didn't know I needed while I'm also trying to achieve things on the basketball floor," Mitchell said. "So, I was like, well, why not? Let me just keep learning some more."
CHAMPAIGN, IL - FEBRUARY 13: Ohio State Buckeyes guard Kelsey Mitchell (3) shoots a free throw during the Big Ten Conference college basketball game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Illinois Fighting Illini on February 13, 2018, at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire) COLLEGE BASKETBALL: FEB 13 Women s - Ohio State at Illinois PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxHUNxRUSxSWExNORxDENxONLY Icon116180213032
CHAMPAIGN, IL - FEBRUARY 13: Ohio State Buckeyes guard Kelsey Mitchell (3) shoots a free throw during the Big Ten Conference college basketball game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Illinois Fighting Illini on February 13, 2018, at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire) COLLEGE BASKETBALL: FEB 13 Women s - Ohio State at Illinois PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxHUNxRUSxSWExNORxDENxONLY Icon116180213032
Mitchell's pragmatic approach to balancing both pursuits has become a model for her teammates.
It’s fair to say Mitchell has been balancing her endeavors on and off the court pretty well. This season, she has been averaging 25 points, and she also broke Vegas Aces star A'ja Wilson’s WNBA single-season scoring record of 1,021 points.
To finish her daily tasks and assignments, Mitchell stays on her laptop as late as an hour before a game. However, that has no detrimental effect on her performance.
“We'll be in there literally 90 minutes till tip and Kelsey's literally on her laptop," Clark said on Malika Andrews - ESPN's YouTube video. "She's doing school work and then goes and drops 30 on everybody. So, that's pretty incredible.”
Clark's observation underscores how Mitchell's mental discipline translates across both domains.
Discussion posts hold the same importance for Mitchell as a WNBA game. Lexie Hull finds it amusing as to how Mitchell can pull off both.
“It's funny, like pregame you actually see her on her computer," Hull said. "It's just insane that she's able to do that and then switch her mind and perform like she does on the court.”
Hull's admiration reflects the broader respect Mitchell commands in the locker room.
Mitchell’s hunger to learn transcends the court. Her discipline is second to none as she balances practice as well as her paper.
Her team has always supported her endeavor. Recently, they planned a surprise celebration for her.
Surprise celebration after record-breaking night
After breaking the WNBA single-season scoring record against Toronto, Mitchell had no idea that the postgame celebration was for her.
“Then, out of nowhere, everybody started coming my way, and I was like “Oh,” and I put two together that it was for me,” Mitchell said, as reported by Associated Press News' Ian Harrison.
Mitchell scored 33 points to break A'ja Wilson’s record. She now has 1076 points to her name this season.
The Fever have the highest offensive rating in the league of 116. Mitchell has played a huge role in that.
With the playoffs approaching, Mitchell will hope to keep her incredible run of form going.
Written by
Avishek Sarkar