WNBA Draft 2011: Maya Moore, Minnesota Lynx, Start Time, TV Schedule & More
By on April 11, 2011
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The 2011 WNBA Draft is set to take place today, with some of the top players from women's college basketball looking to extend their college careers into the realm of professional basketball.
The UConn Huskies' very own star, Maya Moore, will be headlining this year's class of draft prospects and may find herself wearing a Minnesota Lynx uniform before long.
While Moore is arguably the top prize of the draft, there are a number of strong draft prospects hoping to make their mark at the next level.
With only 12 WNBA teams in existence, there are three rounds—unlike the two rounds in the NBA—and 36 total prospects being selected, proof that the WNBA is truly an exclusive league populated by the very best in the world.
Read on to find out about all the latest developments and information regarding the 2011 WNBA Draft.
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WNBA Draft 2011: Jantel Lavender Selected by Los Angeles Sparks with No. 5 Pick
Jantel Lavender, a 6'4" center out of Ohio State, will be making her way to Los Angeles to play alongside Candace Parker.
Lavender had a strong senior campaign, averaging 22.7 points, 10.9 rebounds and 1.78 blocks.
Frank Della Femina of WNBA.com had her going to LA with the fifth pick and had this to say about her:
Part of me feels the fifth pick is where we might start seeing some guards, but Los Angeles already has six guards coming into training camp, including last year's assist-leader Ticha Penicheiro and two-guard Noelle Quinn. L.A. lacked in a presence down low last season, mainly due to the absence of Candace Parker. Not wanting to risk facing that void again, I see the Sparks going with Ohio State's Jantel Lavender with the No. 5 pick. And yes, I wish I could make Lavender and Phillips interchangeable at fourth and fifth.
The LA Sparks could use another big body down low, and Lavender should fit in nicely with the Sparks.
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Xavier University Athletics/Greg Rust
WNBA Draft 2011: Amber Harris Selected by Minnesota Lynx with No. 4 Overall Pick
Amber Harris, the 6'5" star forward out of Xavier, was chosen with the Minnesota Lynx's second lottery pick—courtesy of the Connecticut Sun—in the 2011 WNBA draft.
Harris will be joining Maya Moore—who was the first overall selection—in an attempt to turn the Minnesota Lynx around.
In her senior season with Xavier, Harris averaged 18.8 points on 51.6 percent shooting. She'll make for a formidable tandem with Moore.
Ben York of SLAM Online had this to say about Harris:
Harris would be an instant impact player under new head coach Pokey Chatman. For a player her size, her skill-set is phenomenal.
Harris was widely seen as the consensus No. 3 pick, but she fell to No. 4 after Chicago selected Courtney Vandersloot.
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WNBA Draft 2011: Courtney Vandersloot Selected No. 3 Overall by Chicago Sky
Courtney Vandersloot was a surprise pick by the Chicago Sky, being taken ahead of her projected draft position in the mid-first round.
Vandersloot has a number of accolades from her collegiate career, but really boosted her stock during the 2011 NCAA women's basketball tournament.
She's the only player—for both women and men—to record a 2,000 point, 1,000 assist season in NCAA history.
Vandersloot averaged 18.6 points and 10.2 assists in her senior season. A true playmaker, the Chicago Sky are lucky to have her as their floor general.
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WNBA Draft 2011: Elizabeth Cambage Selected by Tulsa Shock with No. 2 Pick
Elizabeth Cambage out of Australia has been drafted by the Tulsa Shock with the No. 2 overall pick.
Cambage was chosen as the 2011 WNBL MVP with the Bulleen Bloomers after leading the league in scoring, shot-blocking and field goal percentage.
A 6'8" center, Cambage can be a true difference maker for the Tulsa Shock on both ends of the court.
Nolan Richardson has made it clear that he was eying size in the draft, and he gets exactly that in Cambage. Tulsa will quickly rely on Cambage to anchor the team in the low post and to be a force on offense as well as defense.
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WNBA Draft 2011: Maya Moore Selected by Minnesota Lynx with No. 1 Overall Pick
Maya Moore—long considered to be a lock for the No. 1 pick—has officially been selected by the Minnesota Lynx with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 WNBA draft.
Moore has been the superstar of women's college basketball for years now, and she'll be taking her talents to Minnesota to try and turn the team around.
Moore only lost a total of four games during her college career and will bring her winning pedigree to the Lynx.
Moore can make an immediate impact in the WNBA and may have the same impact Candace Parker did when she first entered the league.
This is the second year in a row that a player out of UConn was selected with the No. 1 overall pick. Moore will follow in Tina Charles' footsteps.
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WNBA Draft 2011: Courtney Vandersloot, NCAA Tournament Star, Stock Rising
Courtney Vandersloot was the break out star of the women's NCAA tournament. She lead the 11th seeded Gonzaga on a memorable run to the quarterfinals. While Gonzaga ended up losing to Stanford, she ended her college career on a high note despite not winning the championship.
Now, Vandersloot is getting praise from all, and is widely considered to be one of the top prospects in the draft.
SLAM Online's Ben York has Vandersloot going to the Los Angeles Sparks in his mock draft:
5. Los Angeles Sparks: Courtney Vandersloot, PG, Gonzaga
Vandersloot’s stock certainly rose with a sensational NCAA tournament. If the Sky doesn’t take her at no. 3, I see this as an ideal pick for the Sparks. Not only would it give Los Angeles depth at the guard position, it would be a perfect location for Vandersloot to thrive in. She doesn’t have to start at point guard immediately with Ticha Penicheiro at the helm. Thus, she can learn from one of the best guards and leaders to ever play in the WNBA. What better way for a rookie point guard to get introduced to the league?
However, Frank Della Femina of WNBA.com has Vandersloot going to the San Antonio Silver Stars with the No. 6 pick:
Courtney Vandersloot is a ball mover and a shot maker - a perfect tool for Dan Hughes' low-post system that consists of Jayne Appel, Michelle Snow and Sophia Young. What's that you say? She's a guard? Yes, she is, and a good one at that. Imagine how her 2,000-plus points and 1,000-plus assists will translate to the WNBA. To add to that, imagine what the young Vandersloot could learn playing behind or alongside Becky Hammon. Scary stuff.
Do you think Vandersloot is worthy of all the praise and the potential high draft pick?
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WNBA Draft 2011: Maya Moore Talks About the Draft and Being Potential No. 1 Pick
Maya Moore—the star of the UConn Huskies women's college basketball program—spoke to Frank Della Femina of WNBA.com over the weekend regarding her basketball career and the WNBA draft.
When asked about being listed as the No. 1 overall pick in mock drafts, Moore had this to say:
Moore: I take it in stride. Every year that goes by more and more people are talking and giving opinions and predicting and this and that, but I think some of the things that UConn did was they just did a really good job of just trying to block out extra noise and just really focusing on getting better and having great practices, being with good people and so far it’s worked for me. All the other individual awards or honors have been icing on the cake. So it’s an honor to hear those things, but I think I’ve had a good couple of people around me and I’ve done a good job of just staying focused on getting better and making sure I’m the person and the basketball player that I need to be.
Della Femina directly asked if she thought she would be the No. 1 pick, but Moore was humble and skirted around the question a bit:
Moore: When that happens at 3:00 [Monday], I’ll be able to tell you more. I know what the plans are and what everybody’s predicting and I think it’s a situation that’s not really in my hands any more. I’ve done my work, I’ve shown the world what I can do and I’m excited. I’ll be really able to enjoy the moment when I have it.
While nothing is set in stone until the first name is announced later today, it would be shocking to see anyone but Moore taken with the No. 1 overall pick.
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WNBA Draft 2011: Tulsa Shock May Select Elizabeth Cambage with No. 2 Draft Pick
The Tulsa Shock will have the second pick in the draft after finishing with the worst record in the league last season.
Despite the Tulsa Shock compiling a 6-28 record with a 44.2 percent chance to get the No. 1 overall pick, the draft lottery favored the Minnesota Lynx to select first.
Elizabeth Cambage is widely seen as the next best prospect behind Maya Moore.
According to SLAM Online's Ben York, his WNBA mock draft has the Shock taking Cambage with the second pick:
2. Tulsa Shock: Elizabeth Cambage, C, Australia
Too much upside and too much talent to pass up. I also think her comments on not wanting to play in Tulsa were a bit overblown. She’d be a great fit in Richardson’s system.
York is not the only one.
Frank Della Femina of WNBA.com also has Cambage going second to Tulsa in his mock draft:
Shock general manager and coach Nolan Richardson has already stressed he has his eye on size in this year's draft. At 6-foot-8, Cambage is the definition of it. She's also the sort of two-way player who will bring a strong inside game to Tulsa on both ends of the court.
Cambage won't have much say in the matter if Tulsa ends up drafting her. It should be interesting to see if the Shock heed her comments or not.
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WNBA Draft 2011: Minnesota Lynx with No. 1 Overall Pick, Eyes Set on Maya Moore
Like the NBA, the WNBA has a draft lottery system in place.
The Minnesota Lynx managed to win the lottery even though they were tied for the league's second worst record last season.
According to SLAM Online's Ben York, his WNBA mock draft has the Lynx taking Maya Moore with the first pick:
1. Minnesota Lynx: Maya Moore, SF, Connecticut
Maya Moore is one of the most complete players ever to come out of college. She’ll have an immediate impact and a vital role for the Lynx. Remember what Diana Taurasi did for the Mercury in just a few short years? Angel McCoughtry for the Dream in two years? Moore has both the mindset and drive to do that and more.
Moore is widely seen as a can't-miss prospect and a superstar in the making after her dominant run with UConn in women's college basketball. Although her career at UConn didn't end exactly as she would have liked, she is widely seen as the no-brainer selection with the No. 1 overall pick.
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WNBA Draft 2011: Minnesota Lynx No. 1 Pick and Draft Order for All Three Rounds
The draft order is already set and the Minnesota Lynx will be the first to draft with the No. 1 overall pick.
Outside of the draft lottery—the first four picks—the rest of the draft order was determined based on team win-loss records from the previous season in reverse order.
The 2011 WNBA draft will have three rounds with each of the 12 teams selecting in the following order:
| 2011 WNBA DRAFT - ROUND 1 | ||
| Pick | Team | Record |
| 1 | Minnesota Lynx | 13-21 |
| 2 | Tulsa Shock | 6-28 |
| 3 | Chicago Sky | 14-20 |
| 4 | Minnesota Lynx from Connecticut Sun | 17-17 |
| 5 | Los Angeles Sparks | 13-21 |
| 6 | San Antonio Silver Stars | 14-20 |
| 7 | Tulsa Shock from Phoenix Mercury | 15-19 |
| 8 | Atlanta Dream | 19-15 |
| 9 | Indiana Fever | 21-13 |
| 10 | New York Liberty | 22-12 |
| 11 | Washington Mystics | 22-12 |
| 12 | Seattle Storm | 28-6 |
| 2011 WNBA DRAFT - ROUND 2 | ||
| Pick | Team | Record |
| 13 | Minnesota Lynx from Tulsa Shock | 6-28 |
| 14 | Minnesota Lynx | 13-21 |
| 15 | Chicago Sky | 14-20 |
| 16 | Connecticut Sun | 17-17 |
| 17 | Chicago Sky from Los Angeles Sparks | 13-21 |
| 18 | Atlanta Dream from San Antonio Silver Stars | 14-20 |
| 19 | Phoenix Mercury | 15-19 |
| 20 | San Antonio Silver Stars from Atlanta Dream | 19-15 |
| 21 | Tulsa Shock from Indiana Fever | 21-13 |
| 22 | New York Liberty | 22-12 |
| 23 | Washington Mystics | 22-12 |
| 24 | Seattle Storm | 28-6 |
| 2011 WNBA DRAFT - ROUND 3 | ||
| Pick | Team | Record |
| 25 | Tulsa Shock | 6-28 |
| 26 | Minnesota Lynx | 13-21 |
| 27 | Chicago Sky | 14-20 |
| 28 | Connecticut Sun | 17-17 |
| 29 | Los Angeles Sparks | 13-21 |
| 30 | San Antonio Silver Stars | 14-20 |
| 31 | Phoenix Mercury | 15-19 |
| 32 | Atlanta Dream | 19-15 |
| 33 | Indiana Fever | 21-13 |
| 34 | New York Liberty | 22-12 |
| 35 | Washington Mystics | 22-12 |
| 36 | Seattle Storm | 28-6 |
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WNBA Draft 2011: Start Time, TV Schedule and Information
Start time: Monday, April 11, 3 p.m. E.S.T.
Networks: ESPN, ESPN3 (Online)
The 2011 WNBA draft is set to take place at ESPN's very own studio in Bristol, Connecticut.
ESPN will be airing the first round of the draft on ESPN's flagship channel, but if you're unable to watch on TV, ESPN3.com will be streaming the entire draft live online.
The second and third rounds of the 2011 WNBA draft will air on NBA TV and ESPNU.
Despite being tied for the second worst record in the WNBA last season, the Minnesota Lynx managed to land the first pick in the draft. Minnesota couldn't have picked a better year to be selecting first as all eyes will be on the superstar of the women's college basketball, Maya Moore.
Moore will be in attendance along with a number of draft prospects as they patiently wait to hear their names announced.
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