The lottery picks went as expected. Then came a few curveballs. After letting Monday’s WNBA draft sink in, what continues to stand out?
Five overseas players who didn’t compete in college in the United States were selected, including three in the first round. That trio — the Seattle Storm‘s Dominique Malonga (France) at No. 2, Golden State Valkyries‘ Justė Jocytė (Lithuania) at No. 5 and Chicago Sky‘s Ajša Sivka (Slovenia) at No. 10 — all were born in November 2005 and will be 19 during this WNBA season. They are the equivalent of college freshmen or sophomores in age, but their professional experience appealed to these WNBA teams.
The SEC led all conferences with 10 players drafted. The Big Ten had seven, the ACC six and the Big 12 five. But center Sedona Prince of Big 12 champion TCU wasn’t selected.
Being drafted — even in the first round — is no guarantee of making a team, even with more jobs available now as expansion team Golden State prepares for its inaugural season. That’s especially the case for teams that had the most picks: the Dallas Wings and Washington Mystics with five each. It might benefit some draftees to be cut sooner than later, so they get a chance with another team. Rookies have to make an impression in camp to secure a spot…
