Nine days after UConn became the first women’s team to win four championships in a row, the Huskies became the first program to have three of their players selected to start the WNBA Draft.
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Pick ’em the San Antonio Stars and Connecticut Sun did, selecting Jefferson and Tuck number two and three overall, respectively.
“I might have been more happy for Morgan than being the No. 1 overall”. She averaged 2.1 steals per game for the season.
Not only did Stewart close out her collegiate career with four national titles and a record of 151-5, but she captured four consecutive Most Outstanding Player awards at the NCAA tournament. The teams also traded a few picks in the second and third rounds of Thursday’s draft.
Other former Colonials selected in the WNBA Draft include Tajama Abraham Ngongba, who was chosen 31st overall by the Sacramento Monarchs in the inaugural WNBA Draft in 1997; Cathy Jones, who was picked 30th by the New York Liberty in 2004; and Kimberly Beck, who went 36th overall to the Seattle Storm in 2008. “I was like “you better remember this because it’s going to get pretty awkward on stage”. Tuck contributed 13.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists as the Huskies completed a 38-0 season.
The draft will be held Thursday on ESPN2 at 7 p.m. for the first round, then the second and third rounds will be shown on ESPNU at 8 p.m.
“I’m beyond excited to be here in Connecticut, ” Banham said.
The WNBA has had two of the first three players come from the same school on three separate occasions.
According to Elias Sports Bureau, this has never been done in the history of any professional sport in which the first three overall draft picks played for the same college.
Sun GM Chris Sienko said the plan to move up in the first round, with the hope of getting Jones, has been in the works for some time.
Rutgers’ Kahleah Copper was drafted seventh by Washington.
The first pick outside the lottery was made by the Dallas Wings, who acquired the pick from the Los Angeles Sparks.
“She’s a tremendous athlete, first and foremost”, Connecticut Sun coach Curt Miller said.
Boyette is the fourth first-round pick from UT, joining Edna Campbell (1999), Edwina Brown (2000) and former Lincoln and Duncanville standout Tiffany Jackson-Jones (2007). “Hopefully, in a better way”. I watched a lot of WNBA growing up…. “I woke up this morning and my thought (was similar to) when we won the national championship, ‘wow, I am getting drafted today.’ That is a childhood dream and it just came true”.
“To actually see it happen, to actually be drafted that’s a memory that you’ll remember forever”, she told ESPN’s Holly Rowe.
The league’s 20th anniversary season will tip off May 14. I’m just thinking about how awesome training camp is going to be.
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Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
