All-Americans Powell & Mazzante Drafted by Charlotte Sting
April 17, 2004 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Charlotte Sting News Release
The Charlotte Sting added versatility and depth to their roster today as they selected four players in the 2004 WNBA Draft. Stanford's Nicole Powell was selected with the third overall pick, while Penn State's Kelly Mazzante and Vanderbilt's Jenni Benningfield were selected in the second round with 18th and 22nd overall picks, respectively. The Sting completed their draft by selecting Jia Perkins of Texas Tech with the 35th pick.
"We really feel very good about today's draft," said Sting General Manager and Head Coach Trudi Lacey. "I think that we definitely helped ourselves in some of the areas we needed to improve, and we added two NCAA All-Americans to our roster."
Nicole Powell, a 6-2 forward/guard, averaged 17.3 points and 9.6 rebounds per game during her four-year career with the Cardinal. She finished her career as Stanford's all-time leading rebounder (1,143 career rebounds) and third all-time leading scorer (2,062 career points). In addition, Powell recorded six career triple doubles, becoming the only player in Pac-10 history to tally more than one career triple-double.
"We are extremely excited to add Nicole Powell to our roster," said Sting General Manager and Head Coach Trudi Lacey. "She has a very high basketball IQ, is a great rebounder and passer and is the most versatile player in this year's draft."
"I'm really excited to go to Charlotte, the people on the team are amazing," said Powell. "I'm just really looking forward to it and think I can bring a lot of different skills to the team. Whatever the team needs, I will do."
As a senior, Powell averaged 20.2 ppg and 11.2 rpg as she helped lead the Cardinal to the 2004 Pac-10 conference and tournament title. She also helped her team advance to the Elite Eight where she was named the Most Outstanding Player for the NCAA Tournament Midwest Region.
At the conclusion of the 2004 season, Powell was honored with a selection to the Associated Press All-America First Team and was nominated as a finalist for the State Farm Wade Trophy and the inaugural Wooden award. She also for the third consecutive season was nominated as a finalist for the Naismith Award and was named a Kodak First-Team All-American. With this Kodak First-Team All-American honor, Powell became the first player in Stanford history to be a three-time Kodak All-American.
A native of Phoenix, Arizona, Powell played her high school basketball at Mountain Pointe High where she was selected as a 2000 Parade First Team All-American and as the Arizona Player of the Century by the Arizona Republic. Powell has also had the opportunity to represent the United States in international play, as she was a member of the USA Basketball Team that captured the silver medal the 2003 Pan American games. She also won a bronze medal with Team USA at the 2001 FIBA Junior World Championships and a gold medal at the 2000 Women's Junior World Championship Qualifying Tournament in Argentina.
Selected by the Sting in the second round (18th pick overall), Kelly Mazzante, a 5-11 guard, averaged 21.9 points while shooting 43.7% from the floor during her college career. A two-time member of the Associated Press All-American First Team, Mazzante finished her career as the Big Ten and Penn State's all-time leading scorer. She is also ranked ninth all-time in career points in the NCAA with 2,919.
"Kelly Mazzante is a scorer. The bottom-line is she has great size and when's she's on the floor you have to pay attention to her, "said Sting General Manager and Head Coach Trudi Lacey.
A native of Montoursville, Pennsylvania, Mazzante is a three time Kodak All-American (2004, 2003, 2002) and was named the CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year in 2004.
With the 22nd overall pick, the Sting picked Vanderbilt's Jenni Benningfield. A 6-3 forward, Benningfield averaged 13.1 points and 5.9 rebounds per game as a senior. An AP All-American honorable mention in 2003, Benningfield helped lead the Commodores to the 2002 and 2004 SEC Tournament Championship. She was also named to the All-SEC team in 2003 and 2004.
"Jenni Benningfield is a basketball player," said Sting General Manager and Head Coach Trudi Lacey. "She has great footwork, she's a good passer and has good range. She's another very intelligent basketball player."
The Sting's final selection in the 2004 WNBA Draft was Jia Perkins of Texas Tech. A 5-8 guard, Perkins left the Lady Red Raiders team in January due to undisclosed medical reason and will not be available to the Sting this season. As a junior Perkins was named an honorable mention Kodak All-American and was a first team Big-12 selection.
The Phoenix Mercury began the 2004 WNBA draft by selecting Connecticut's Diana Taurasi. Washington followed, selecting Duke's Alana Beard with the second pick. After the Sting chose Nicole Powell with the third pick, the Connecticut Sun made Lindsay Whalen the fourth pick in the draft. Shameka Christon was selected by the New York Liberty with the fifth pick. Complete draft results can be found by visiting www.wnba.com.
The Charlotte Sting will open their eighth season of WNBA action on Friday, May 21st at the Charlotte Coliseum as they host the four-time WNBA champion Houston Comets. Season Ticket Plans begin at $102. If you can't make all 17 home games, check out our eight-game Weekend Plans that begin at $88 or ask about Flex Packages and Group Tickets. Fans interested in purchasing tickets should call 704-424-WNBA or log on to www.charlottesting.com for more information and a full season schedule.
Women's National Basketball Association Stories from April 17, 2004
- Connecticut Sun Pick Minnesota Star Lindsay Whalen With Fourth Selection in WNBA Draft - Connecticut Sun
- Mystics take Alana Beard - Washington Mystics
- Silver Stars Select Cindy Dallas and Toccara Williams in 2004 WNBA Draft - San Antonio Stars
- Phoenix selects Taurasi with top pick in WNBA draft - WNBA
- All-Americans Powell & Mazzante Drafted by Charlotte Sting - Charlotte Sting
- Pheonix selects Taurasi with top pick in 2004 WNBA draft - Phoenix Mercury
- New York Liberty Select Shameka Christon with 5th pick in 2004 WNBA Draft - New York Liberty
- Seattle Storm Select Catrina Frierson In 2004 WNBA Draft - Seattle Storm
- New York Liberty Conference Call - Time Change - 2:30 p.m. - New York Liberty
- Sting Select Nicole Powell With Third Pick In WNBA Draft - Charlotte Sting
- It's Official! Mercury Select Taurasi No. 1 - Phoenix Mercury
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
