WNBA Seattle Storm

Storm Selects Thomas in First Round of 2011 WNBA Draft

April 11, 2011 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Seattle Storm News Release


SEATTLE, Monday, April 11, 2011 - The Seattle Storm selected Jasmine Thomas from Duke University with the 12th pick, Ify Ibekwe from the University of Arizona with the 24th pick and Krystal Thomas, also from Duke, with the 36th pick in the 2011 WNBA Draft presented by adidas. The WNBA Draft was held today at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Conn.

Thomas, a native of Fairfax, Va., led sixth-ranked Duke to a 32-4 overall record and 12-2 mark in Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) action in 2010-11. She was named ACC Tournament MVP for the second straight year after guiding Duke to its second consecutive ACC Tournament crown.

The 5-9 guard averaged 15.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.4 steals and 0.6 blocks on the season. Thomas was a finalist for the John R. Wooden and Naismith National Player of the Year awards, while being named to the All-ACC Defensive Team and ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

Against ranked opponents, Thomas stepped up her game to another level. She averaged 17.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.3 steals and 3.3 assists in 14 such contests this season. In 51 career games against ranked opponents, Thomas posted double-figure scoring in 39 of those, including 27 out of the last 28. Thomas notched 10 20-plus point games as well over her career versus ranked foes.

"Jasmine's an exceptional player, and I was fortunate enough to watch her play multiple times this past season, "said Agler. "Jasmine is a very energetic player who plays both the point guard spot and the two-guard and was the leader of that team at Duke University for the past few years. We're always looking to add depth to our perimeter, and we're excited about her being in Seattle for the 2001 season."

"Being selected by the Storm is a dream come true," said Jasmine Thomas. "Sharing this experience with my family and coaches has been amazing and I am ready to do whatever it takes to make the team. I also look forward to learning from Seattle's great players, including Sue Bird, Lauren Jackson and Swin Cash."

Ify Ibekwe paced Arizona women's basketball to a 21-12 record in 2010-11 and the program's first postseason appearance since the 2004-05 season. Ibekwe led the Cats in scoring with 16.1 points per game and at the glass with 9.8 rebounds per game. She had 14 double-doubles, 25 games in double-digit scoring and 15 games in double-digit rebounding.

She was twice named the Pac-10 Player of the Week during the regular season. For postseason awards, she was named the Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year, All-Pac-10 and a member of the Pac-10 All-Defensive team. In the awards given out by the Pac-10 media, Ibekwe was named All-Pac-10 and a member of the All-Pac-10 Defensive Team.

Ibekwe ended her collegiate career as the only player in Arizona history to record 1,000-plus points and 1,000-plus rebounds and the only player to average a career double-double (14.3 points, 10.3 rebounds). She is Arizona's career leader in rebounds with 1,194 and career leader in double-doubles with 55.

Krystal Thomas, a 6-4 center, averaged 5.4 points and 4.8 rebounds per game during her collegiate career at Duke. During her time as a Blue Devil, she netted 13 career double-doubles, led Duke in rebounding and blocked shots as a junior and senior, and her 196 blocked shots ranked third all-time at Duke and 14th in the ACC.

In the Duke record books, Thomas ranks sixth in career rebounds with 776, second in career blocks with 196, third in season rebounds with 300 - becoming one of only two players to reach the 300-rebound mark in a single season. She also ranks fifth and eighth for season blocks with 70 in the 2009-10 season and 59 in the 2010-11 season.

The Storm will open its 12th WNBA season in a nationally televised game on ABC on Saturday, June 4 in a 12-noon matchup against the Phoenix Mercury at KeyArena. Fans are encouraged to purchase their tickets now, as they won't want to miss the Storm's historical Celebration of Champions, including the team's pregame championship ring ceremony and banner being raised to the KeyArena rafters.

2011 Storm single-game tickets, full and half-season ticket packages and group ticket packages are available online at StormBasketball.com or by calling 206-217-WNBA. For additional information about the Seattle Storm and this season's promotional items and theme night calendar, please visit StormBasketball.com.

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