Third-round draft picks rarely make it to the WNBA, despite the serious talent of the players selected.
This year, the most talented player in the final round might be Matilde Villa, the 5-foot-8 guard from the Italian club Reyer Venezia. After being selected 32nd overall by the Atlanta Dream, she gave a brief statement to her Italian team’s website:
For me it’s a dream come true, I’m very happy. I see it as recognition for all the work I’ve done so far. When my name came out I felt a very strong emotion. A few weeks ago they warned me that I could be included in the draft, I was also aware that they might not even call me, so the emotion was even greater. Now the focus is on the season finale with Reyer, who I thank for helping me grow in these two seasons, we are one step away from our goal which is first place.
Villa started her career in Costa Masnaga, a small municipality in Lombardy, Italy, inhabited by less than 5,000 people. She made her debut in Serie A, Italy’s top league, at 14 years old. As a 16-year-old, she scored 36 points in 34 minutes in a regular season game, which elevated her to future star status in the eyes of basketball fans and analysts.
Suddenly, her small town team became…
