WNBA Draft 2015 Results: Complete Round-by-Round Selections and Twitter Reaction
The future of the WNBA arrived Thursday night. Jewell Loyd and Amanda Zahui B. led the 2015 class of draftees who heard their names called inside the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut.
As expected, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish point guard and Minnesota Golden Gophers center comprised the first two picks. Here's a look at how the night has unfolded so far:
| Round 1 | ||
| 1 | Seattle Storm | Jewell Loyd, G, Notre Dame |
| 2 | Tulsa Shock | Amanda Zahui B., C, Minnesota |
| 3 | Seattle Storm | Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, F, Connecticut |
| 4 | Connecticut Sun | Elizabeth Williams, C, Duke |
| 5 | Chicago Sky | Cheyenne Parker, F, Middle Tennessee State |
| 6 | San Antonio Stars | Dearica Hamby, F, Wake Forest |
| 7 | Los Angeles Sparks | Crystal Bradford, G, Central Michigan |
| 8 | Washington Mystics | Ally Mallot, F, Dayton |
| 9 | New York Liberty (from San Antonio Stars) | Brittany Boyd, G, California |
| 10 | Atlanta Dream | Samantha Logic, G, Iowa |
| 11 | New York Liberty (from Minnesota Lynx) | Kiah Stokes, C, Connecticut |
| 12 | Phoenix Mercury | Isabelle Harrison, C, Tennessee |
| Round 2 | ||
| 1(13) | Tulsa Shock | Brianna Kiesel, G, Pittsburgh |
| 2(14) | Los Angeles Sparks | Cierra Burdick, F, Tennessee |
| 3(15) | Washington Mystics | Natasha Cloud, G, St. Joseph's |
| 4(16) | Minnesota Lynx (from New York Liberty) | Reshanda Gray, F, California |
| 5(17) | Chicago Sky | Betnijah Laney, G/F, Rutgers |
| 6(18) | Phoenix Mercury | Alex Harden, G/F, Wichita State |
| 7(19) | Connecticut Sun | Brittany Hrynko, G, DePaul |
| 8(20) | Seattle Storm | Vicky McIntyre, C, Oral Roberts |
| 9(21) | Indiana Fever | Chelsea Gardner, F, Kansas |
| 10(22) | Chicago Sky | Aleighsa Welch, F, South Carolina |
| 11(23) | New York Liberty (from Minnesota Lynx) | Amber Orrange, G, Stanford |
| 12(24) | Phoenix Mercury | Zofia Hruscakova, F, Slovakia |
| Round 3 | ||
| 1(25) | Tulsa Shock | Mimi Mungedi, C, Nevada |
| 2(26) | Seattle Storm | Nneka Enemkpali, F, Texas |
| 3(27) | New York Liberty | Laurin Mincy, G, Maryland |
| 4(28) | New York Liberty (from Minnesota Lynx) | Michala Johnson, F/C, Wisconsin |
| 5(29) | Atlanta Dream | Ariel Massengale, G, Tennessee |
| 6(30) | San Antonio Stars | Dragana Stankovic, C, Serbia |
| 7(31) | Los Angeles Sparks | Andrea Hoover, G, Dayton |
| 8(32) | Washington Mystics | Marica Gajic, F, Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| 9(33) | San Antonio Stars | Nikki Moody, G, Iowa State |
| 10(34) | Atlanta Dream | Lauren Okafor, C, James Madison |
| 11(35) | Minnesota Lynx (from New York Liberty) | Shae Kelley, F, Minnesota |
| 12(36) | Phoenix Mercury | Promise Amukamara, G, Arizona State |
TOP NEWS
Caitlin Trolls AI Fever Post🫣
Clark 'Good' After Exiting with Injury
Angel Revenge Game in Preseason Opener
This year's draft was shaping up to be somewhat unremarkable before a week ago. This is not to say the draft pool was bereft of talent, but it looked to lack the kind of top-shelf talent who could become the biggest stars in the league.
The 2013 WNBA draft, which saw Brittney Griner, Elena Delle Donne and Skylar Diggins go first, second and third overall, is one of the gold standards in that regard.
The attitude toward the 2015 draft changed when Loyd and Zahui B. both declared early for the draft. They immediately became the two best players on the board and created a level of buzz around the event that was previously lacking.
The biggest question was which of the two would get selected first.
Ultimately, the Storm opted for Loyd. According to Adam Derengowski of WSBT in South Bend, Indiana, the junior guard is the first player from Notre Dame selected No. 1 overall at the WNBA draft:
Angelo Di Carlo of WNDU-TV in South Bend found another interesting stat regarding Fighting Irish players and the draft:
CSN Bay Area's Rosalyn Gold-Onwude feels Loyd will be in a great situation in Seattle, with Sue Bird helping her development:
Hall of Famer David Robinson was among many congratulating Loyd:
With Loyd off the board, the Shock wasted little time in selecting Zahui B. EspnW captured her reaction immediately after getting drafted:
Mechelle Voepel of espnW believes the Golden Gophers did a great job of grabbing the best player available and addressing a personnel need:
Zahui B.'s numbers from this past season are beyond impressive. She averaged 18.8 points, 12.9 rebounds and 4.1 blocks a game. ESPN Stats & Info also picked out a staggering stat from her 2014-15 campaign:
Connecticut Huskies forward Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis was the next player off the board, as the Storm added the accomplished shooter. Mosqueda-Lewis' 398 made three-pointers are the most all time, eclipsing the previous best of 392 set by Laurie Koehn from 2002 to 2005 and Heather Butler from 2010 to 2014.
Cindy Brunson of Pac-12 Network can already envision the rain-related puns for Mosqueda-Lewis in Seattle:
The Storm got pretty good value with the No. 3 pick, since the Huskies star was listed atop more than a few draft boards before Loyd's and Zahui B.'s arrivals.
Many eyes will be on Seattle ahead of the 2015 season. The Storm are coming off their worst season in over a decade, but they have a new head coach in Jenny Boucek and two new young stars in Loyd and Mosqueda-Lewis.
The Phoenix Mercury showed a team can go from the worst record one year to the playoffs in the very next season.
A turnaround won't come easy for the Storm, but after Thursday night, they're well on their way back.
.jpg?w=600 "Disappointing NBA Playoff Stars 😔")
