NEW YORK (AP) — A look at the first-round picks in the WNBA draft, in order of selection:
1 — Dallas Wings: Paige Bueckers, UConn
The 5-foot-11 guard from Hopkins, Minnesota, is considered a generational player. Bueckers averaged 19.9 points and shot 41.9% from behind the 3-point line this season. Bueckers was one of the most efficient players in college basketball, playing 38 games this season for the national champion Huskies and 123 in her career. She will pair with Arike Ogunbowale in the Wings’ backcourt. Bueckers was the 2021 AP player of the year and a three-time AP All-American.
2 — Seattle Storm: Dominique Malonga, France
The 6-foot-6 center played for the French Olympic team last year and has a bright future in the WNBA. She averaged 15.0 points and 10.3 rebounds so far this season while playing for Lyon. She is 19 and won’t turn 20 until November. But Malonga gave a glimpse of her dazzling athleticism last fall, dunking for Lyon.
3 — Washington Mystics: Sonia Citron, Notre Dame
Citron is a 6-foot-1 guard. She averaged 14.1 points and 5.4 rebounds during her career at Notre Dame, where she worked hard enough on her defense to become one of the top defenders on the team. She also shot over 90% from the free throw line the past two seasons, one of the best percentages in the country. Citron started 107 of 124 games played over four seasons at Notre Dame.
4 — Washington Mystics: Kiki Iriafen, Southern California
The 6-foot-3 forward was a star at Stanford before spending her last season at USC. She averaged 18.0 points and 8.4 rebounds with the Trojans. Iriafen then raised her game when JuJu Watkins went down with an ACL tear, helping USC get to the Elite Eight.
5 — Golden State Valkyries: Juste Jocyte, Lithuania
The 6-foot Jocyte showcased her scoring skills with a 22-point effort against Belgium in the EuroBasket qualifiers. She’s a versatile player who can play any guard position. She is really effective on the pick-and-roll with a toughness and fundamental skills that are impressive for someone who turns 20 on Nov. 19.
6 — Washington Mystics: Georgia Amoore, Kentucky
Amoore is a 5-foot-6 guard with lots of experience, starting 155 of 157 games over five college seasons. Amoore averaged 19.6 points and 6.9 assists for Kentucky this season after transferring from Virginia Tech, where she spent her first four seasons. She is from Ballarat, Victoria, in Australia.
7 — Connecticut Sun: Aneesah Morrow, LSU
The 6-foot-1 forward led the nation in double-doubles as she averaged 18.7 points and 13.5 rebounds a game. She is second in that category for a career, behind only Oklahoma great Courtney Paris, having more than 100 in her career with her last two seasons at LSU after playing her first two at DePaul. The native of Chicago has a toughness and nose for the basketball.
8 — Connecticut Sun: Saniya Rivers, N.C. State
The 6-foot-1 forward is coming off a season where she was All-ACC first team and also Atlantic Coast Conference All-Defensive Team for a second straight year. She helped lead the Wolfpack to the Final Four last season. Rivers helped South Carolina win the 2022 national championship her freshman year before transferring. Rivers averaged 11.9 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists this past season, starting all 35 games. She also is a good defender averaging, 1.3 blocks and 1.6 steals.
9 — Los Angeles Sparks: Sarah Ashlee Barker, Alabama
Finished her college career by scoring a school-record 45 points in Alabama’s 111-108 double-overtime loss to Maryland in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Was first-team All-SEC selection in the last two of her three seasons with the Crimson Tide. Spent her first two seasons at Georgia. The 6-foot guard, a native of Birmingham, is the daughter of Jay Barker, who quarterbacked Alabama to the 1992 college football championship.
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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
The Associated Press
