WNBA Chicago Sky

Chicago Sky Selects Courtney Vandersloot Third Overall in 2011 WNBA Draft

Published on April 11, 2011 under Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Chicago Sky News Release


CHICAGO, April 11, 2011 - The Chicago Sky selected Courtney Vandersloot from Gonzaga with the third overall pick in the 2011 WNBA Draft. In the second round, the Sky selected Carolyn Swords from Boston College with the 15th overall selection and Angie Bjorklund from the University of Tennessee with the 17th overall pick. Amy Jaeschke from Northwestern University was selected in the third round with the 27th overall pick. The WNBA Draft was held today at ESPN Headquarters in Bristol, Conn.

Vandersloot, a dynamic 5-8 point guard from Gonzaga, was the first ever Division I player man or woman to notch more than 2000 points and 1000 assists in a career. She was named All-West Coast Conference three times, West Coast Conference Player of the Year twice, and West Coast Conference Tournament Most Valuable Player two times.

"She's the total package at the premiere position. Many play the point. Courtney owns it. Her ability is not only being able to finish the break, but how she initiates it. She can be a deep, moving outlet, peek at the rim and still be in total control," said Chicago Sky Head Coach and General Manager Chatman Pokey Chatman.

In 2011, Vandersloot's extraordinary shooting and remarkable court sense guided Gonzaga to a 31-4 record. She also led her team to the Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament as an 11 seed, the lowest-seeded team to make it that far in NCAA history. In the postseason, Vandersloot averaged a tournament-high 30.7 points per game.

Continued Chatman, "Obviously her leadership was on display for the woman's college basketball world to witness this past year, but when your coach runs out of adjectives to describe your impact, you're a special player. With her work ethic, she will continue to improve."

Swords, 6-6, leaves Boston College with school records for the most blocks with 178, double-doubles with 46, and rebounds with 1,159. Her 2,029 total points is the second highest career point total in school history. She led the nation in field goal percentage during her sophomore, junior and senior seasons and averaged 17.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game over her collegiate career.

Bjorklund, 6-0, played both guard and forward for the University of Tennessee, and is arguably the best three-point shooter in the history of the Lady Volunteer's storied program. Bjorklund earned the top spot in the prestigious team's record books when she finished her career with 300 three-pointers. She was also a key component in the Lady Vols single-season record for three-pointers, 242, which was set this season.

Jaeschke, 6-5, the first Northwestern Wildcat women's basketball player ever to be drafted to the WNBA is a native of Wilmette, Illinois and a New Trier High School alum. She was recognized for her superb 2010-2011 season as a First Team All-Big Ten selection by the coaches and media, her fourth year in a row as an All-Big Ten selection. She was also named to the Big Ten All-Defensive Team. Jaeschke finished her senior year at Northwestern ranked No. 1 on the Wildcats' career blocks list with 352 and is the fourth leading career blocker in the Big Ten. She also ranks second in Wildcat history in both scoring with 1,941 and rebounding with 915.

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