UCLA just finished off a dominating run to the NCAA title, but now the stars of the Bruins are about to take over the WNBA Draft.
As many as five UCLA players could be first-round selections and six total will be chosen when the three-round, 45-player draft is conducted Monday night in New York. That would be a WNBA record for a college team in a single draft if it happens.
Center Lauren Betts, the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four, is in the running to be the No. 1 overall choice by the Dallas Wings. The other players under consideration are TCU point guard Olivia Miles and UConn guard Azzi Fudd.
The 6-foot-7 Betts’ stock went soaring during the NCAA Tournament and she would give the Wings two young big-time building blocks. Dallas also had the No. 1 pick last season and selected star guard Paige Bueckers, who won Rookie of the Year honors.
If Dallas bypasses Betts for Miles, then the team has a loaded backcourt of Miles, Bueckers and four-time All-Star Arike Ogunbowale.
Another element that can’t be ignored – former UConn teammates Bueckers and Fudd are in a relationship.
The draft comes just eight days after UCLA demolished South Carolina 79-51 in the title game. Betts is having a hard time believing it is time to turn the page and start her professional career.
“It’s really unbelievable for me to even think about that,” Betts told reporters about playing in the WNBA. “That’s a dream come true that we’ve all had you know, growing up.
“This is something we’ve all wanted. I am so proud of all the girls. Everyone deserves everything that’s coming their way.”
Guards Gabriela Jaquez, Kiki Rice and Gianna Kneepkens all will go in the 15-pick first round, with possibly two or all three going among the first 10 picks. The fifth first-round possibility is forward Angela Dugalic.
The other UCLA player who will hear her name called later in the draft is guard Charlisse Leger-Walker.
Spain’s Awa Fam is a certain top-four pick due to her potential. She’s 6-foot-6 and 19 years old. Another international player who is among the 15 players invited to attend the draft is forward Nell Angloma of France.
The No. 2 selection belongs to the Minnesota Lynx (via trade from the Chicago Sky) and the Seattle Storm own the No. 3 pick (from the Los Angeles Sparks). The Washington Mystics choose fourth and the Sky select fifth (from the Connecticut Sun).
Expansion franchises Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire pick sixth and seventh, respectively.
The draft arrives after deep offseason turmoil and a hectic free-agency weekend due to the lateness of the league and players reaching a new collective bargaining agreement, mere days before the season would have had to be delayed.
The new deal was announced March 20 and runs through the 2032 season. It will provide a huge increase in player salaries.
The season begins May 8.
–Field Level Media
