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Chicago Sky

Sky to Pick Second in 2013 WNBA Draft

September 26, 2012 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Chicago Sky News Release


CHICAGO, Sept. 26, 2012 - The Chicago Sky will select second in the 2013 WNBA Draft as determined by the WNBA Draft Lottery held tonight at ESPN's studios in Bristol, Conn.

The Phoenix Mercury drew the No. 1 pick, the Tulsa Shock drew the No. 3 pick and the Washington Mystics drew No. 4.

"Having one of the top picks in the upcoming WNBA Draft gives us an opportunity to immediately improve our team," said Pokey Chatman, head coach and general manager of the Chicago Sky. "We have a lot to assess after finishing the season, and we will use every resource we have to make the best possible decision for our franchise when the time comes."

Three of the top prospects in the draft include Elena Delle Donne, a 6-5 forward from Delaware who averaged 28.1 points and 10.3 rebounds per game as a junior and once scored 54 points in a game; Brittney Griner, a 6-8 center from Baylor University, who as the AP Player of the year led the Lady Bears to a perfect 40-0 season and won the NCAA Championship; and Skylar Diggins, a 5-9 point guard from Notre Dame University who led her team to two consecutive NCAA Championship games and averaged 16.8 points and 5.7 assists per game in her junior season.

This marks the third time in the team's history that the Sky have had the No. 2 overall pick in the WNBA Draft. The Sky drew the No. 2 pick in the 2012 WNBA Draft and opted to trade the pick to the Seattle Storm for 2012 Olympian Swin Cash and nine-year veteran forward Le'coe Willingham. The Sky also had the No. 2 overall draft pick in 2008, which the team used to select Sylvia Fowles, Chicago's all-time leader in points, rebounds and field-goal percentage, and the 2011 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year.

WNBA officials and a representative from the accounting firm of Ernst & Young conducted the Draft Lottery to establish the order of selection for the first four picks of the 2012 WNBA Draft. The order of selection for the remainder of the first round as well as the second and third round is determined by inverse order of the teams' respective regular-season records.

Washington, which posted a record of 5-29 this season, had the best opportunity (44.2 percent) to win the top pick in the Draft. The Phoenix Mercury, which finished this season 7-27, had the next best odds of winning the Draft Lottery (27.6 percent). The Tulsa Shock, which posted a 9-25 record, had a 17.8 percent chance, and the Chicago Sky (14-20) had a 10.4 percent chance.

The 2013 WNBA Draft will be conducted in the following order:

1. Phoenix 7-27

2. Chicago 14-20

3. Tulsa 9-25

4. Washington 5-29

5. New York 15-19

6. Seattle 16-18

7. Atlanta 19-15

8. San Antonio 21-13

9. Indiana 22-12

10. Los Angeles 24-10

11. Connecticut 25-9

12. Minnesota 27-7

Check out the Chicago Sky Statistics

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