ESPN Tips Off 10th Season of WNBA Coverage With 2006 WNBA Draft
March 29, 2006 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) News Release
ESPN2 and ESPNU will combine to present live coverage of the 2006 WNBA Draft from the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, a new site for the event, on Wednesday, April 5. The Draft concludes a week-long celebration of women's basketball emanating from Boston, which includes the Women's NCAA Division I Final Four, the WNBA's Pre-Draft Camp and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association convention.
Exclusive coverage will air on ESPN2 from 1-2 p.m. ET. and switch to ESPNU and NBA TV from 2-3:30 p.m ET. This year will mark the fifth time an ESPN network has televised the event since the league's 1997 inception. Additional WNBA Draft information will be available on ESPNEWS, ESPN.COM and WNBA.com throughout the day.
SportsCenter's Linda Cohn will host the ESPN2 coverage for the first time, with analysts Doris Burke, Ann Meyers and Nancy Lieberman and reporter Rebecca Lobo.
The Draft will highlight a new and exciting talent pool set to enter the best women's basketball league in the world. The one-hour ESPN2 telecast will feature live interviews with key coaches and players, including a presence at the draft headquarters of the Chicago Sky and the Sacramento Monarchs. The expansion Sky will be making their first-ever selection in the annual draft while the defending champion Monarchs have the final two picks of the first round.
The ESPNU and NBA TV simulcast will feature a special behind the scenes look at one player's experience at the Pre-Draft Camp as well as interviews with special guests, several of the top draft choices and WNBA head coaches from around the country.
The Minnesota Lynx will have the first pick in the 2006 WNBA Draft, followed by the Phoenix Mercury, Charlotte Sting, San Antonio Silver Stars, Los Angeles Sparks and Chicago Sky.
Information about the top 2006 WNBA Draft prospects, including Seimone Augustus (LSU), Monique Currie (Duke) and Ann Strother (Connecticut) -- all of whom are currently playing in the "Final Four" of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament - are available on WNBA.com.
The WNBA's 10th anniversary season tips off on Saturday, May 20 and will include ABC's national telecast from Sacramento where the defending WNBA Champion Monarchs will commemorate their 2005 WNBA title by raising their championship banner. The Monarchs will then square off against All-Star guard Diana Taurasi and the Phoenix Mercury at ARCO Arena beginning at 4 p.m. Opening day also includes the inaugural game of the league's 14th franchise, the Chicago Sky, as it visits the Charlotte Sting.
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