Inside The W with Michelle Smith: Post-Draft Rankings - WNBA com - Official Site of the WNBA wnba.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from wnba.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The WNBA draft on Thursday didn t turn out as expected for projected first-round picks Arella Guirantes of Rutgers and Dana Evans of Louisville. But both guards said Friday they hoped their drop to the second round would motivate them.
Evans, projected at No. 6 by ESPN s final mock draft, went with the first pick of the second round to Dallas at No. 13. Guirantes, projected to go third, was chosen by Los Angeles at No. 22. I think they poked the bear, Guirantes said of the teams that passed on her, which actually included the Sparks with their two first-round picks. I m excited. I ve never ran away from a challenge. I think it just adds more to the story. So whoever has the pen, just keep writing.
The Los Angeles Sparks don’t have any true small forwards under contract and the big-name small forward in this year’s draft is UCLA’s own Michaela Onyenwere. However, Jasmine Walker of Alabama may be the better offensive weapon.
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Top-seeded Stanford will face upstart No. 3 seed Arizona, led by coach Adia Barnes and senior guard Aari McDonald. Arizona knocked off powerhouse Connecticut with a decisive victory Friday night.
A final Goliath stands in their way of pulling off one of the more remarkable turnarounds in women’s basketball history (the Wildcats went 6-24 in 2017-18).
Of course, Stanford is coached by the legendary Tara VanDerveer, who became the sport s all-time winningest coach in December. Sophomore forward Haley Jones, the unicorn, is a force on both ends of the court. The Cardinal escaped fellow No. 1 seed South Carolina in the semifinals and are trying to end a championship drought that extends back to 1992. Arizona has never played for the women’s championship, and the program snapped a 16-year tournament drought in 2021.
In AP survey, ADs raise worries about women s college sports ctpost.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from ctpost.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.