Stars Select Dearica Hamby with the No. 6 Pick in the 2015 WNBA Draft

Published on April 16, 2015 under Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
San Antonio Stars News Release


SAN ANTONIO (April 16, 2015) - With the sixth overall pick in the 2015 WNBA Draft presented by State Farm, the San Antonio Stars selected forward Dearica Hamby from Wake Forest University. The Stars also acquired Alex Montgomery from the New York Liberty in exchange for the ninth overall pick. Additionally the Stars selected Dragana Stankovic with the 30th overall pick, and Nikki Moody with the 33rd overall selection.

A 6-3 forward, Hamby is the all-time leader in points scored for Wake Forest. In her senior season, she averaged 20.3 points and 10.7 rebounds in 35.8 minutes on the way to earning All-ACC First-Team honors. She was the first Demon Deacon to lead the ACC in both rebounds and points per game in 2014-15. Overall in her collegiate career, Hamby played in 129 games, averaging 14.0 points and 7.9 rebounds in 28.8 minutes.

"When we made the trade to get the sixth pick, this is a player we were hopeful would be available," said Head Coach and General Manager Dan Hughes. "This is obviously very exciting to us. She is a combination of a lot of things. First of all she is very hard-working, has a high degree of athleticism and has scored at some incredible rates. She is an incredibly good fit for us so we feel very fortunate she was there."

"I'm so excited," said Hamby. "I am ready to learn, ready to work and ready to play for the Stars. I am going to bring everything I have to the team."

Montgomery, a 6-1 guard/forward, was originally selected 10th overall by the New York Liberty in the 2011 WNBA Draft. In 2014, Montgomery played in 34 games, averaging 5.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 21.9 minutes. Overall in her WNBA career, Montgomery has played in 124 games, averaging 4.2 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.0 assist in 16.2 minutes. Montgomery has shot 38.3 percent from the three-point line in her career.

"With two first-round picks we had a chance to add a veteran player," said Hughes. "Alex has a chance to be a very good defender and she has incredible ability to stretch the floor and take three-pointers. We will work with her and give her an opportunity to grow in other areas. She's been in the league for four years and I think that experience also fits in nicely with our team."

A 6-5 center from Serbia, Stankovic currently plays in Hungary with UE Sopron and averages 9.8 points and 5.1 rebounds in 16.0 minutes. While with Sopron, Stankovic teamed up with Stars guard/forward Kayla McBride during this past WNBA offseason.

"We are very high on Stankovic," Hughes said. "She played with McBride in the offseason and we had a chance to know quite a bit about her. She's a young player, but one that has a lot of potential."

Moody started 30 of 31 games for Iowa State last season, averaging a career-best 14.1 points, 6.8 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game. The 5-8 guard was a WBCA Honorable Mention All-American and a WBCA All-Region Nominee in 2015. Over her collegiate career, Moody averaged 11.3 points, 6.0 assists and 3.8 rebounds in 32.7 minutes over 125 games.

"We wanted to add another point guard to this training camp and I've watched Nikki play for years," said Hughes. "She's played for a great coach and she has been a very consistent performer at the point position. We are excited to see her compete with the group we have in training camp."

The Stars tip off the 2015 season, presented by CHRISTUS Santa Rosa and H-E-B, in Phoenix against the defending champion Mercury on June 5. The Stars 2015 home opener takes place on June 14 at the Freeman Coliseum against the Tulsa Shock at 3:30 p.m. Ticket plans for the upcoming season are now available. Visit SAStars.com or contact a Stars representative at 210-444-5090 for more information.

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