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Three more UConn women’s basketball players have officially made the jump into the professional realm.
Olivia Nelson-Ododa, Christyn Williams and Evina Westbrook were among the 36 women’s basketball players selected Monday night in the WNBA Draft.
Kentucky’s Rhyne Howard was selected by Atlanta with the No. 1 overall pick followed by Baylor’s NaLyssa Smith by Indiana and Ole Miss’ Shakira Austin by Washington to round out the top three picks.
This year’s draft marked the first time since 2017 that UConn did not have any players selected in the first round — with the exception that no Huskies declared for the draft in 2021.
Monday’s draftees will travel to their respective team’s home cities this week and begin training camp activities on April 17. Preseason games begin as early as April 22 with the league’s 26th season opening on May 6. Each team will go through preseason roster cuts before the May 6 league-wide opener.
The Sun begin the season facing New York in Brooklyn on Saturday, May 7 at 6 p.m. Connecticut’s first home game is scheduled for May 14 at Mohegan Sun Arena against Los Angeles at 7 p.m.
Here’s where UConn’s three seniors landed in Monday’s draft and who the Connecticut Sun selected with its three picks:
UCONN’S PICKS
Christyn Williams: selected No. 14 overall (second pick in the second round) by Washington Mystics
“It was a dream come true to hear my name being called,” Williams said. “I’m just super excited and grateful to be a part of the league and just to get to work when I get to Washington.”
Washington’s other 2022 draftee: Shakira Austin (Ole Miss)
Washington’s 2021 season: missed the playoffs with a 12-20 record
Williams is UConn’s first winner of the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award. She finished her collegiate career ranked No. 15 on the Huskies’ career scoring list with 1,850 points. Williams, from Little Rock, Arkansas, averaged 14.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.5 steals in a team-high 33.8 minutes per game this season.
“We just felt like we were drafting somebody who can play at both ends of the court,” Mystics’ head coach and general manager Mike Thibault said. “She’s able to create shots for herself, for others and she also knows how to play off the basketball. And then she’s gonna get tested right away guarding all three perimeter spots on our team with the players that we have. I think she fits the kind of player that we want, a winner, unselfish, knows how to score but knows when to score too.”
Olivia Nelson-Ododa: selected No. 19 overall by Los Angeles Sparks
LA’s other 2022 draftees: Rae Burrell (Tennessee), Kianna Smith (Louisville), Amy Atwell (Hawaii)
LA’s 2021 season: missed the playoffs with a 12-20 record
UConn connections: Nelson-Ododa joins former Husky Katie Lou Samuelson
Nelson-Ododa, the 6-foot-5 Winder, Georgia native, finished her collegiate career ranked No. 6 on UConn’s career blocks list with 262. Nelson-Ododa led the Huskies this season averaging 7.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.6 blocks. She scored an average of 9.2 points in 27.2 minutes per game.
“With Olivia, it’s the consistency that she’s shown throughout her career in terms of getting better each year,” Sparks’ head coach and general manager Derek Fisher said. “I think what stands out the most is her high character and the type of person she is. She’s all about winning and that’s what we want to continue to build here in LA. … We feel like Olivia ranked high and checked a lot of boxes and we’re really excited to have her join our team here over the next week or so and then get training camp started.”
Evina Westbrook: selected No. 21 overall by Seattle Storm
Seattle’s other 2022 draftees: Elissa Cunane (NC State), Jade Melbourne (Australia)
Seattle’s 2021 season: the Storm (21-11) were the No. 4 seed in the playoffs but fell in the second round to Phoenix
UConn connections: Westbrook joins former UConn standouts Sue Bird, Breanna Stewart and Gabby Williams
Westbrook, the Huskies’ fifth-year senior, averaged 9.0 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 27.4 minutes per game in her third and final year in Storrs this season. Westbrook, from Salem, Oregon, led the Huskies with an average of 1.4 steals while being one of two players to appear in all 36 games this season.
CT SUN PICKS
Pick No. 12: Nia Clouden / 5-8 / guard / Michigan State
Last season stats: 20.0 points, 4.2 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game
Hometown: Owings Mills, Maryland
“Nia is who we targeted from the beginning of draft preparations,” Sun’s general manager and head coach Curt Miller said. “We feel she brings us a dynamic scoring combo guard that can score at all three levels.”
Pick No. 24: Jordan Lewis / 5-7 / guard / Baylor
Last season stats: 11.8 points, 5.3 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game
Hometown: Windermere, Florida
“First and foremost, Jordan’s a winner,” Miller said. “She’s an outstanding point guard with a high basketball IQ. She is an excellent three-point shooter and a very physical defensive guard.”
Pick No. 36: Kiara “Kiki” Smith / 5-10 / guard/ Florida
Last season stats: 14.6 points, 4.6 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game
Hometown: District Heights, Maryland
“This is a huge pick for the future of the Connecticut Sun,” Miller said of Smith, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in the SEC Tournament. “We valued her as a potential first round selection before her devastating season-ending injury and have spoken about the opportunity to draft Kiki and support her through her knee surgery and rehabilitation, and we look forward to her being at our 2023 training camp.”
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