Sun Add Two More First Round Draft Picks
April 8, 2010 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Connecticut Sun News Release
UNCASVILLE, Conn. (April 8, 2010) - The Connecticut Sun completed a busy first round of the 2010 WNBA Draft Thursday, taking Kansas guard Danielle McCray with the seventh overall pick before executing a trade with the Minnesota Lynx that resulted in the acquisition of Nebraska forward Kelsey Griffin.
The 6-foot-2 Griffin was taken third overall by the Lynx. Connecticut gave up two picks in 2011, its own first round selection, and the second round pick it secured from Tulsa in yesterday's trade with the Shock.
"Kelsey is a highly versatile forward who can play the three and four (positions),"Â coach Mike Thibault said. "She has a huge upside in our league because of her ability to play at both ends of the floor. She has a high basketball IQ. She's a kid whose toughness and leadership took an underdog team to a top seed in the NCAA Tournament. She'll fit in great with our system."Â
Griffin was the Big 12 Player of the Year, averaging 20.1 points and 10.4 rebounds per game while leading the Cornhuskers to their best season in program history. She finished her career ranked third in scoring (2,033 points) and second in rebounds (1,019). She is just the second Nebraska player ever to reach 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds for her career.
The 5-11 McCray was a preseason favorite to win the Big 12 Player of the Year award before her season ended on February 4th when she tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee during a practice. She scored 1,934 points in her career.
"Had she been healthy, Danielle would have been a top four pick in the draft,"Â coach Thibault said. "She can play the two or three positions. She's a terrific scorer and a tough kid who we are quite willing to wait a year for."
This was just the second time in league history a team has had three first-round picks, and the first time since 2000, when Minnesota had the fifth, sixth and 10th picks. According to Sun Vice President and General Manager Chris Sienko, this was the right year to collect first-round picks.
"With a deep draft, we felt it was important to be aggressive,"Â Sienko explained. "We don't plan on being in the lottery next year, so a first-round pick in 2011 did not hold much of an attraction."
Women's National Basketball Association Stories from April 8, 2010
- Katie Gearlds To Forego 2010 WNBA Season - Seattle Storm
- Sun Follow Charles With Four More Picks - Connecticut Sun
- Silver Stars Select Center Jayne Appel With The No. 5 Pick - San Antonio Stars
- Mercury Selects Tyra Grant And Nyeshia Stevenson In 2010 WNBA Draft - Phoenix Mercury
- Storm Selects Alison Lacey In First Round Of 2010 WNBA Draft - Seattle Storm
- Tina Charles, Monica Wright And Kelsey Griffin Selected As Top Picks In WNBA Draft - WNBA
- Liberty Selects Greene, Houts & Montgomery In 2010 WNBA Draft - New York Liberty
- San Diego State Guard Highlights Fever Draft - Indiana Fever
- Lynx Acquire Connecticut's First and Second Round Picks in 2011 WNBA Draft - Minnesota Lynx
- Mystics Select Jacinta Monroe - Washington Mystics
- Chicago Sky Select Epiphanny Prince Fourth in the 2010 WNBA Draft - Chicago Sky
- Atlanta Dream Draft Has Local, International Flavor - Atlanta Dream
- Sun Add Two More First Round Draft Picks - Connecticut Sun
- Indiana Selects Jene Morris Of San Diego State - Indiana Fever
- Sun Make Tina Charles First Pick In WNBA Draft - Connecticut Sun
- Minnesota Lynx Select Virginia's Monica Wright with Second Overall Selection of 2010 WNBA Draft - Minnesota Lynx
- Tulsa Shock To Host Draft Party At Osage Event - Tulsa Shock
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