Comets select four players in WNBA draft
April 5, 2006 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Houston Comets News Release
HOUSTON - The Houston Comets added four players in the 2006 WNBA Draft, including Michigan State forward Liz Shimek with the 18th pick overall, acquired in a trade along with the 21st pick from the Phoenix Mercury in exchange for the 15th pick. Rounding out Houston's selections were Duke forward Mistie Williams (21st overall) and Australian guard Renae Camino (24th overall) in the second round, and third-round pick, forward/center Tiffany Stansbury out of North Carolina State (29th overall).
Shimek (6-1, Michigan State '06) finished her collegiate career as Michigan State's all-time leading scorer (1,780 points) and rebounder (1,130 rebounds), while averaging 13.7 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.52 assists in 130 games. She earned AP All-America Honorable Mention, Kodak All-America Honorable Mention, WBCA All-American Honorable Mention and All-Big Ten Second Team in 2005. She also set single-season school records for points (597) and field goals (249), and is only one of five players in Big Ten history to have scored at least 1,700 points and grab 1,110 rebounds.
Head Coach and General Manager Van Chancellor believes Shimek is "a hard-nosed player who can play either the 3 or the 4 (positions). I believe she will be able to develop into a solid low-post presence."
Williams (6-3, Duke '06) averaged 9.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists in four seasons at Duke. She was All-ACC First Team in 2006, All-ACC Third Team in 2004 and 2005, and ACC All-Freshman Team in 2003. The daughter of music legend "Chubby Checker," Williams owned a team-best field goal percentage of .640 (144-225 FG) in 2006. She became just the 19th player in Blue Devil history to score 1,000 points on March 26, 2005, and was a 2005-06 John R. Wooden Award nominee.
"Mistie is a strong, physical player who can bring an assertive presence to either the 4 or 5 (positions). She's very tenacious and will be able to provide us with some extra help on the boards," said Chancellor.
Camino (5-11, Australia) played at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS), where she was recognized as the school's Junior Athlete of the Year. She was the leading point scorer (21.6 ppg) at the 2005 Under-20 World Basketball Championships, and shot a tournament-best 60.7 3-point field goal percentage. She was then named to the World Basketball Championship's "All-Star Five" squad. Camino was named the 2005 WNBL Rookie of the Year, where she averaged 17.2 points for AIS, which stands as Australian Institute of Sport's second highest average all-time to Lauren Jackson (22.7 ppg). She also ranks second in field goals made (6.8), third in field goal attempts (14.0), fourth in total rebounds (9.5), fourth in defensive rebounds (6.9) and eighth in free throw attempts (4.9).
"Renae gives us the opportunity to add a player who has tremendous upside," said Chancellor.
Stansbury (6-3, North Carolina State '06) finished her career at North Carolina State with averages of 11.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 59 games. She originally began playing at Gulf Coast Community College, where she averaged 12.8 points, 10.0 rebounds and 1.68 blocks in 58 games. Stansbury is a two-time All-ACC Selection (2005, 2006) who led the team in scoring, blocks and field-goal percentage in both seasons she played. She accumulated 37 double-figure scoring games, 12 double-figure rebounding games, 10 double-doubles and seven 20-point scoring games. She ranks seventh all-time for blocks (99), and is just one of seven players in North Carolina State history to record six or more blocks in a game. She is also just one of three players to accomplish that feat twice in her career.
"Stansbury is an athletic talent who can get up and down the court," said Chancellor.
This season will mark the 10th Anniversary for the Comets and the WNBA, making it the longest-running professional women's league in history. The 2006 season will tip off at Toyota Center on May 21 when the
Comets host the San Antonio Silver Stars. Individual game tickets for the preseason and regular season will go on sale April 30. To purchase season tickets, mini-plans or group tickets, call (713) 627-WNBA or go online at www.houstoncomets.com.
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Women's National Basketball Association Stories from April 5, 2006
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