McCarville, White, Irvin Take Top Three in 2005 WNBA Draft

April 16, 2005 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) News Release

SECAUCUS, N.J. â The Charlotte Sting selected center Janel

McCarville with the first overall pick in the 2005 WNBA Draft. McCarville,

a two-time AP All-America and three-time Big Ten First Team selection,

averaged 14.6 points and 9.7 rebounds and shot 58.0 percent from the field

in her four-year career at the University of Minnesota.

"It's definitely an honor being drafted number one." said McCarville.

"I've seen recent number one overall picks like Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird

come into the WNBA and have an immediate impact. Hopefully, I can do the

same for the Charlotte Sting. I am very much looking forward to playing

with the Sting and Dawn Staley. Dawn has done so much for women's

basketball as a coach and player and I can't wait to meet her."

The Indiana Fever selected Tan White of Mississippi State University.

White, an AP All-America in 2005, ranked first in the nation in scoring by

averaging 23.5 points per game and scoring in double figures in each of the

29 games she played this year. She also averaged 7.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists

and 2.9 steals.

Said White, "I'm excited that I'll be playing with Tamika Catchings

in Indiana. After playing with [2003 first overall pick] LaToya Thomas,

this is another opportunity for me to play with a great player. I played

against Tamika when she was at Tennessee and now, we'll have the

opportunity to be teammates."

Detroit had two picks in the first round, selecting Georgia forward

Kara Braxton with the seventh overall pick, and Oklahoma guard Dionnah

Jackson with their 13th pick.

Phoenix selected two-time AP All-America Sandora Irvin with the third

overall pick.

The other first round picks were Kansas State forward Kendra Wecker

(fourth, San Antonio); Houston center Sancho Lyttle (fifth, Houston);

Louisiana State guard Temeka Johnson (sixth, Washington); Liberty center

Katie Feenstra (eighth, Connecticut); Michigan State guard Kristin Haynie

(ninth, Sacramento); Tennessee guard Loree Moore (10th, New York); UC Santa

Barbara forward Kristen Mann (11th, Minnesota); Penn State guard Tanisha

Wright (12th, Seattle).

Immediately following the draft, the Connecticut Sun traded the

rights to Katie Feenstra (eighth pick overall) to San Antonio in exchange

for Margo Dydek.

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Women's National Basketball Association Stories from April 16, 2005

Comets Select Sancho Lyttle Fifth Overall in 2005 WNBA Draft - Houston Comets
Silver Stars Select Wecker, Ely, Kraayeveld in 2005 WNBA Draft - San Antonio Stars
Seattle Storm select guard Tanisha Wright - Seattle Storm
Mystics select point guard Temeka Johnson - Washington Mystics
Sting select Janel McCarville, Jessica Moore in 2005 WNBA draft - Charlotte Sting
Phoenix Mercury select forward Sandora Irvin as first pick (third pick overall) in the 2005 WNBA Dra - Phoenix Mercury
Monarchs select Kristin Haynie from Michigan State University - WNBA
McCarville, White, Irvin Take Top Three in 2005 WNBA Draft - WNBA
Charlotte Sting select forward/center Janel McCarville from University of Minnesota - Charlotte Sting

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