BRISTOL, CONN. (AP) - Maya Moore’s WNBA career will begin in Minnesota.
The UConn star was drafted first overall Monday by the Lynx. She helped UConn win a record 90 straight games over the past two seasons and led the school to two national championships.
“It feels really great to finally be able to have the moment of being drafted No. 1,” Moore said. “All the hype and excitement around it.”
The four-time All-American averaged 22.8 points this season and 19.6 during her career. She was the only collegian to play on the U.S. women’s national team that won the gold medal at the world championship last October.
Moore is the second straight UConn player to selected with the No. 1 pick. Tina Charles went to the Connecticut Sun last season and was the league’s rookie of the year.
Moore was followed in the draft by: Elizabeth Cambage of Australia (Tulsa), Courtney Vandersloot of Gonzaga (Chicago), Amber Harris of Xavier (Minnesota) and Jantel Lavender of Ohio State (Los Angeles).
Cambage, a 19-year-old center, is a 6-foot-8 phenom who made a splash internationally at the world championships. She was Australia’s leading scorer, averaging 13.6 points.
She’s one of the youngest players ever taken in the WNBA draft. She’s a few months younger than countrymate Lauren Jackson, who was just under 20 when she was drafted in 2001 by the Seattle Storm.
“I don’t really think it’s an issue” Cambage said. “I’ll have a great lot of people looking after me in Tulsa. A lot of people think I’m in my 20’s. I’m 19 a little baby, mature for my age.”
Cambage made the long trek from Australia to Bristol, Conn., for the draft, which was taking place at ESPN headquarters.
“This is the coolest moment right now,” she said.
The Shock (6-28) had the worst record in the league last year.
Vandersloot, a point guard, helped lead the Zags to a berth in the regional final before they lost to Stanford.
The Lynx (13-21) took Harris with the fourth selection. Minnesota had the rights to the first pick last season before trading it to Connecticut with Renee Montgomery for Lindsay Whalen and the Sun’s first pick this year. That turned out to be Harris, who led Xavier to the Atlantic 10 regular-season and conference tournament titles.
“A lot of us were in awe of her,” Moorse said. “She’s athletic, tall, knows how to take over games when she needs to. I’m excited to compete and get on the court with her.”
Danielle Robinson of Oklahoma went sixth to San Antonio and Tulsa took Kayla Pedersen of Stanford with the seventh pick. Xavier star Ta’Shia Phillips went eighth to Atlanta.
Rounding out the first round, it was: Stanford’s Jeanette Pohlen to Indianapolis at No. 9; Georgia Tech’s Alex Montgomery to New York at No. 10; Kentucky’s Victoria Dunlap to Washington at No. 11; and Duke’s Jasmine Thomas to Seattle at No. 12.
Training camps open May 15 and the WNBA’s 15th season begins June 3.
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