Jewell Loyd to Storm: Twitter Reacts as Guard Is Selected in 2015 WNBA Draft

Notre Dame guard Jewell Loyd turned heads when she elected to leave school early to pursue a professional basketball career in the WNBA. She turned even more heads Thursday when the Seattle Storm selected her with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 WNBA draft.

Loyd averaged 19.8 points per game at Notre Dame last season, which was good enough for 27th in the country. She also helped lead the Fighting Irish to the national championship game, where they ultimately lost to the Connecticut Huskies for the second year in a row.

The Seattle Storm passed along the news on their official Twitter account:

Chris Masters of UND.com noted that Notre Dame made some history when Loyd heard her name called Thursday:

ESPN W shared a picture of Loyd getting to know one of her new bosses:

Former WNBA player and ESPN analyst Rebecca Lobo was not surprised that Loyd was the first pick, given her predictions before the draft started:

Loyd earned congratulations from those around the league, including Tamika Catchings of the Indiana Fever and former WNBA and Notre Dame player Ruth Riley:

While players declare for the NBA draft early every season on the men's side, thanks in part to the exorbitant salaries waiting for them, it rarely ever happens in the women's game. The salaries are not nearly as large in the WNBA, and even the best players in the country regularly finish their four years in college and earn their degrees before heading to the next level.

As a result, Loyd's decision to leave Notre Dame was met with criticism, including some from her coach at Notre Dame, Muffet McGraw.

Kate Fagan of ESPN.com had an answer for that:

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Sure, Loyd will probably make around $47,000 as a rookie in the WNBA. But when that season ends, she'll travel overseas for the winter, where she'll probably make upwards of $200,000 for the season. All told, when you also account for endorsements, Loyd will likely make somewhere in the neighborhood of $300,000 next year.

That number makes her decision look a little different now, doesn't it?

So let's look at that decision through a new lens: Loyd could make around $300,000 developing her pro skills a year early, challenging herself on the next level, or she could play for free for Notre Dame.

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It is hard to argue with those numbers, but money was not a chief concern of Loyd's, given her comments, per Doug Feinberg of The Associated Press:

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It's always been a dream of mine to play in the WNBA.

I talked to my family for a long time. It wasn't like I woke up in the morning and decided to do something new. I figured out what was best for me. After talking to my family and bringing up the pros and cons it was the right decision for me.

Finances had nothing to do with it. That would have not been a good reason to turn pro. I just felt it was my time to play at the next level and face the next challenge.

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Now Loyd has the opportunity to prove that this was the right decision as a member of the Storm. Mechelle Voepel of ESPNW noted that Loyd is in a favorable situation:

Loyd should fit nicely alongside Sue Bird because of Bird's ability to get out in transition and set up her teammates with crisp passes. Loyd slashes to the basket and has soft touch on her shot (and was compared to Dwyane Wade on the telecast), and those traits will help her score plenty of points at the next level when opposing defenses collapse on Bird.

Seattle also had the No. 3 pick in the draft and selected forward Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis from Connecticut. Seattle Storm co-owner Ginny Gilder gave fans a glimpse into the future after the two picks:

Mosqueda-Lewis is an ideal complement to Bird and Loyd because of her ability to score on the blocks and contribute in the rebounding department. Look for a number of pick-and-rolls between the two rookies as Seattle tries to establish itself as a playoff team next year and beyond.

Drafting an elite scorer such as Loyd with the first overall pick is a good place to start.