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Michel VoebelESPN.com
The Atlanta Dream staff, which traded final week for the perfect total choose within the 2023 WNBA draft, picked Kentucky guard Ryan Howard for pole place Monday night time in New York.
The Washington Mystics received the draft lottery in December, however traded the highest choose for Atlanta final week, with Dream climbing from third to make sure they received Howard.
The 6-foot-2, SEC Participant of the Yr as a sophomore and junior, Howard averaged 20.5 factors and seven.4 rebounds throughout her first season, main the Wildcats in factors, rebounds, and three-pointers. , theft and blocks. The one different SEC participant to take action over the previous 20 seasons was Mississippi State’s Tan White (2003-04 and 2004-05).
“I am shivering proper now, it is a dream come true,” Howard instructed ESPN’s Holly Rowe after he was named primary.
Baylor’s 6-foot-4 ahead Nalissa Smith, the twelfth Participant of the Yr previously two seasons, was the Indiana Pfeiffer’s second choose, which had 4 first-round picks.
“I am hungry,” Smith stated, and he may play both as a powerhouse ahead or as a junior striker within the WNBA. She is understood for her portray recording and believes that her assortment will proceed to develop.
Smith averaged 22.1 factors and 11.5 rebounds this previous season for the Bears, who received the Large 12 common season title for the twelfth consecutive yr. She was part of the 2019 Baylor Nationwide Championship staff as a freshman.
The highest three picks went as anticipated, with Mystics Ole Miss 6-foot-5 middle Shakira Austin choosing third place. Austin averaged 15.2 factors and 9.0 rebounds for the Rebels in 2023-22 and could possibly be a power on the house assault and protection of Washington .
Fever was anticipated to be massive on protection and positions with their picks within the early spherical, and a current choose within the lottery for fourth was match for each: Louisville 6-foot-1 striker Emily Engstler, who helped the Cardinal attain the ladies’s remaining. 4 in 2023. The identical description applies to Fever’s No. 10 choose, fellow Smith Baylor, 6-foot-3 center-back, Queen Egbo.
However Fever’s sixth-round choose got here as a shock: Stanford guard Lexi Hull, who many anticipated was a second-round choose. However Hull, who helped the Cardinal win the NCAA title in 2023 and return to the Ultimate 4 final season, impressed Indiana basic supervisor Lynn Dunn together with her fixed vocals and talent to hit three-pointers.
This was the primary time a WNBA staff had 4 picks within the first spherical. With Smith, Engstler, Hull and Egbo, Dunn hopes to have a younger Indiana basis to assist Fever return to the playoffs for the primary time since 2016. Franchise legend Tamika Catchings retired after that season.
“We’ll rebuild with the younger gamers,” Dunn stated of the Fever staff, which final scored a daily season file in 2015. “I see extremely expert gamers popping out of school, however the true key changes are health and recreation tempo. I want gamers who can adapt to that rapidly.”
The #5 choose introduced one other “sister motion” to the WNBA, as Oregon middle/strike ahead Niara Sabali heads to New York. Her older sister Sato Sabali of Oregon went to Dallas and took second place in 2020.
Sabali educated with Liberty level guard Sabrina Ionescu when the 2 had been in Oregon and is happy to get an opportunity to play together with her within the WNBA.
“Sap is an incredible goalkeeper,” Sabali stated. “I’ve seen her in follow every single day and am excited to share the courtroom together with her.”
In the meantime, the Wings completed seventh this yr and went with Northwest guard Veronica Burton, who was the Large Ten and WBCA defensive participant of the yr. The 5-foot-9 Burton is a first-class defensive participant for Dallas who may use a promotion there.
One other upset got here in eighth, led by Las Vegas of Colorado ahead Mia Hollingshead, who helped the Buffaloes win the NCAA championship final season for the primary time since 2013. Then the Aces beat Florida Gulf Coast Kirstan Bell at age 11.
Bell, who began her faculty profession at Ohio State and averaged 23.6 factors and 9.4 rebounds whereas within the FGCU, has received Becky Hammon Participant of the Yr for the previous two years and can now get an opportunity to play together with her.
Tennessee winger Ray Burrell, who helped Woman Falls within the Candy 16, was the Los Angeles Sparks’ ninth choose.
Connecticut State completed the primary spherical by choosing Nia Clawden, who averaged 20 factors this previous season for Michigan State.
Howard is the second participant chosen by the first-placed Dream Dream, after Louisville’s Angel McCrotry in 2009. McCutry led Dream to 3 WNBA Finals video games.
Howard’s 284 profession hat-tricks are a part of what makes her a multi-dimensional menace, as she’s additionally large enough to deploy towards most defenders. Howard may seize the chance to turn into a featured participant within the Dream Sequence, which ran 8-24 final season and missed the playoffs 4 of the previous 5 years.
Howard, who was the primary Kentucky participant to complete first within the draft, will likely be near residence, having grown up about 90 minutes from Atlanta.
Howard stated, “So that you can be so shut, it is an enormous factor. So many relations and shut mates can come and assist me.” Nonetheless shaking. Very thrilling and happy with myself and because of everybody who took half on this journey with me and helped me get right here. ”
Editors had been in a position to attend the occasion in individual for the primary time since 2019, because the distant draft needed to happen in 2020 and 2023 as a result of coronavirus pandemic.
The WNBA season begins Could 6, with coaching camps opening later this week.
The Related Press contributed to this report.
