La'Tangela Atkinson, forward, North Carolina
She has
been the key to top-ranked UNC's defensive presence. Atkinson is aggressive, active
and is called upon to shut down the opponent's top offensive player on a regular
basis. Offensively, she is a slasher, has quick first step and strong moves to
the basket and is excellent in transition. She is aggressive on the boards and
will match up well with top perimeter scorers in the WNBA from a defensive standpoint.
Seimone Augustus, guard, Louisiana State
Flat out, Augustus is the real
deal. She can do anything she wants to do, scores from anywhere on the court,
is a difference-maker, a future Olympian andwill make an immediate impact on whatever
team she goes to. She should start immediately, can score against double and triple
teams, extended her range to hit the 3-pointer consistently, and is an excellent
foul shooter. Don't send her to the line. She is smooth and fluid with plenty
of game, great handle at her height, tremendous knowledge and feel for the game
and makes others better. When surrounded by quality players, can take it to another
level, like Diana Taurasi.
Sherill Baker, guard, Georgia
Baker
is a guard with unlimited potential and who could be one of the steals in the
Draft. She is actually such a good defender that she broke Teresa Edwards' steal
record, which had been around for 20-something years. She is averaging like 4
to 5 steals per game. She is such a quick difference-maker on defensive end that
she can change the game. She just makes things look easy. Some of her great qualities
is that she is very coachable, competitive, has a great attitiude and just loves
what she's doing. Sherill, has become more aggressive offensively and is unstoppable
in transition because of her quickness with ball. She needs to extend her range
a little bit and become more aggressive from perimeter, not be afraid to shoot
and work on adding to her slight build.
Lindsay
Bowen, guard, Michigan State
Bowen is not a true point guard per se, but
after the departure of Kristin Haynie last season, she, has handled the duties
at the point very well. Lindsay takes good care of the ball and does not make
a lot of mistakes. She is an average ball handler, which she can improve upon
and must as she will have to play point at the next level due to her size. Somehow
she always hits big shots when needed and is a consistent scorer from the perimeter
with excellent shot selection.
Nikki Blue, guard, UCLA
She is
a big point guard, which teams like. She will be a better pro player because she
is creative at the point, can score, makes her teammates look good and is at her
best in transtition. Even though she didn't get a lot of attention being on from
the west coast and not playing in the NCAA Tournament, she has all the tools of
a point guard. She sees the floor, is excellent passer, rebounds well from 1 position,
can score off dribble, finishes in traffic and has 3-point range. She has had
some injuries and has not been completely healthy in all four season, but when
healthy, she could be a top point guard.
Monique Currie, guard, Duke
Monique is physically gifted, a big guard who
can play really the 1, the 2 or the 3 if needed. She can handle ball if necessary
and has great size for either of the swing positions. She really worked on her
3-point shot this year and has a fluid perimeter jumper. You can tell she is looking
to take more perimeter shots, yet still creates mismatches for smaller guards.
Defensively, she needs to be a bit more focused, but when she is really applying
herself, she can dominate and shut opponents down. She needs to be more consistent
and aggressive on the boards, but with her physique, competitiveness and athletic
ability, she can be a good rebounder from the guard position.
LaToya
Davis, forward, Texas Tech
Davis is a strong low-block player who is also
effective in the high post. She works hard to get position on the block and is
capable of scoring over defenders or going around bigger post players. She is
comfortable facing up to the basket and either hitting a high post jumper or making
a solid passing decisions. She also runs the floor well for a post player, is
active on the boards and is an effective defender.
Megan Duffy, guard, Notre Dame
Megan is true point guard in every sense
of the position, but has become more aggressive offensively and willing to look
for her own shot, which has been the key. She is an excellent leader on and off
the floor, understands the game and where teammates need to be and how to put
them in the right position, which is just what you want from a point guard. Duffy
has also improved her ability to score off the bounce, but is small and lacks
a lot of athleticism. Those will be her biggest challenges, but it is so difficult
to find true point guards at this level and could stick as a good backup point
guard in the WNBA.
Candice Dupree, forward, Temple
Dupree has
the unassuming type of personality that makes her a silent assassin. She has all
the tools and has improved her game in every season, which you like to see from
college kids (She did learn from the best in Dawn Staley). At her size, she is
shotblocker, can score facing up or in the low block, has great hands and footwork
and runs the floor well. Defensively, she changes shots and gets in passing lanes.
She has huge upside and a lot of coaches could be high on her. She should be nice
role player and have an impact in her rookie year depending on what team she joins.
Erin Grant, guard,
Texas Tech
Just the prototypical point guard. Erin is an excellent floor
leader and the extension of the coaching staff on the floor. She has lead Texas
Tech since she was a freshman. She really has an excellent feel for the game,
good size at the point, sees the entire floor and makes excellent decisions with
the ball. She is a poised leader who knows when she needs to look to be more aggressive
offensively. Her perimeter range is not a strength, and can even be a liability
when teams look to double off of her and force her to take 18-19-footers. But
Grant has developed a nice mid-range game, which helps to keep the defense honest.
That said, she is an excellent passer who distributes the ball to teammates and
put them in scoring position.
Scholanda Hoston, guard, Louisiana State
Hoston
is a tremendous athlete with potential to be a contributor in the WNBA. She is
a long, lean player in excellent physical condition and competes on every play,
both offensively and defensively. She is capable of hitting perimeter jumpers
(out to 3-point range) or attacking the basket and finishing in traffic. She is
also an effective rebounder, but could use her length and athleticism more effectively
on the offensive and defensive boards. Scholanda is an excellent defender who
anticipates well off the ball and is also an effective on ball defender. For the
future, she must work on her mid-range game and continue to develop her outside
shot.
Tamara
James, forward, Miami
Tamara is a scorer, one of the nation's leaders in
scoring during each of her four years. As an undersized post player, the transition
to the perimeter will be her biggest concern, but she knows how to score from
anywhere on floor. She is capable of putting ball on the floor and going around
bigger post player, runs the floor well, is active offensively and has a scorer's
mentality.
Cappie Pondexter, guard, Rutgers
Pondexter is just
a gamer. She has had a phenomenal senior season after only playing half of a season
last year. She came into the year in great shape, which also helped. She has a
quick first step, can blow by anyone, can score from anywhere on floor, creates
for herself off dribble and is also capable of setting up teammates. Cappie wants
to take over a game and wants to have the ball in her hands at the end of the
game and hits big shots. Rutgers is a defensive system, so she was taught everything
you need to know defensively, puts in a lot of effort and shuts folks down. Her
on-ball defense is strong and she anticipates well. This girl was born to play
and if her tattoo is any indication, she has wanted this since she first set foot
on the floor in college.
Liz Shimek, forward, Michigan State
One word to describe Liz is deceiving.
She has a thorough knowledge of the game, knows where she needs to be and how
to position herself, but she is not necessarily the quickest or in possession
of the best vertical leap. Yet, she is always in the right place at the right
time. She may be hindered by size and lack of athleticism, but makes up for it
with knowledge, great hands and good passing skills in the high post. She hits
the big shots and is the go-to player for Michigan State. She is an effective
scorer on the low block and creates opportunities for herself.
Khara
Smith, center, Depaul
Smith is one of the few big low-block players in
the Draft this year. She doesn't have the prototypical physique, but is a strong
presence, establishes position well and is hard to get around. She needs to work
on mobility, but it totally the type of player that can have 20 points and 15
rebounds and you didn't even realize it. She is a big, wide body and is always
effective against the top post players around country. Naturally, she is a strong,
aggressive rebounder as well.
Kim Smith, forward, Utah
Smith is a versatile post player who can score
on the low block or from the perimeter. She has had an outstanding career at Utah.
At 6-1, she will be an undersized post player who will have to continue to develop
her perimeter game to be effective at the next level.
Ann Strother,
forward, Connecticut
Having been in the national spotlight her entire career,
Strother still helped herself big time in the Tennessee game earlier this year.
Ann is active and aggressive offensively and has always had the tools. She is
a nice shooter, has good height at her position, has nice handle and was brought
up in a great program. Yes, she has been inconsistent over the past few seasons,
but as a product of the UConn system, she knows how to win and how to play the
game. She can pass, move without ball and has those intangibles that pro coaches
love and that are hard to teach at this level. She is capable of scoring and putting
up big numbers if need be, but still needs to work on her defense for this level.
Shona Thorburn,
guard, Utah
Thurburn is a big guard who can play either the 1 or the 2.
She handles the ball well at her size and makes excellent decisions with the ball.
She is also quite capable of putting up big numbers. She can score off the dribble
as well as from the perimeter, is very consistent and leads with poise on the
floor.
Barbara Turner, forward, Connecticut
A lot of WNBA teams
like her despite the fact that she undersized for her position. Also the product
of a great system, Barbara has worked extremely hard this offseason to lose weight
and get in great shape. She has also worked on her perimeter game, is a tremendous
competitor and wants the ball at the end of the game. She extended her range to
be able to hit the 17-18-foot shot consistently, is active both defensively and
on the boards, but will likely have to make the transition from playing 4 to 3.
She will be matching up with players like Sheryl Swoopes, so she will have to
continue to work on her perimeter game, her ball-handling and first step and range,
much like Swin Cash had to do.
Mistie Williams, center, Duke
A strong player with the ability to score
on the low block, Mistie is a vocal leader on the floor. She is an excellent passer.
She sees the floor well and has developed her passing ability as a result of playing
in the Duke system. She is active on the boards at both ends of the floor, yet
lacks quickness and pure jumping ability. However, she uses her strength to her
advantage in the post, truly understands the game and is a hard worker.
Lisa
Willis, guard, UCLA
Lisa has been one of the pleasant surprises of the
year. She was not exactly out of the blue, but people are taking notice to what
she can do. She really has been one of the better Pac 10 players over the past
few years. She is a scorer with a scorer's mentality, worked on handle, is able
to get her shot off in traffic being tightly guarded, has great size on the perimeter
and range beyond the 3-point line. She has like Becky Hammon range, not afraid
to shoot the ball from anywhere, but needs to be more aggressive defensively and
active on the boards. She has tremendous potential in the WNBA and will be a nice
addition to a WNBA team.
Sophia Young, forward, Baylor
Sophia is a champion and there is something
to be said about taking your team to that level. She is a leader and winner on
court, has a great attitude and plays hard on both ends of floor for 40 minutes.
She is an undersized post player, so she will have to play on the perimeter a
bit and develop those skills. With great hands, great footwork and being extremely
active offensively, she will also give bigger post players matchup problems. She
has a quick first step, is an excellent rebounder and has a nice face-up game
up to 15-feet.
Shanna Zolman, guard, Tennessee
Shanna is a phenomenal
shooter with range beyond the 3-point arc. You cannot leave her open and must
get a hand in her face as she has hit several big game-winning baskets over her
career. She has been forced to play some point guard with recent injuries, but
her true position is shooting guard. She can struggle to get her shot off against
bigger and quicker guards, but is money if you can get her curling off of screens
and/or off of guard penetration. She has spent time in the gym during the summers
and developed her game off the dribble.
