April 6, 2011
NEW YORK - Gonzaga University women's basketball senior Courtney Vandersloot is one of the top prospects invited to the 2011 WNBA Draft Presented by adidas Monday at ESPN in Bristol, Conn. ESPN will provide the coverage and analysis of the first round beginning at Noon PT (3 p.m. ET) in addition to ESPN3.com offering simulcast. ESPNU and NBA TV will broadcast the second and third rounds.
The WNBA Draft will mark the first time a professional sports league will conduct its draft at ESPN headquarters.
Vandersloot, the 2011 Nancy Lieberman Award winner as the top point guard in Division I and the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award winner, led the nation in assists per game (10.2) for the second year in a row and broke the NCAA single-season assist record with 367. She is also the first NCAA Division I player, male or female, to amass career totals of 2,000 points and 1,000 assists.
She was a consensus All-American, earning State Farm Coaches' All-America honors, John R. Wooden Award All-America and Associated Press All-America honorable mention.
Former Bulldog Vivian Frieson was the first-ever player drafted by the WNBA, getting selected 31st by the Tulsa Shock.
Also among the fifteen prospects invited to this year's WNBA Draft is University of Connecticut forward Maya Moore, Australian National Team member and Bulleen Boomers (Australia's WNBL) center Elizabeth Cambage, Ohio State center Jantel Lavendar and Texas A&M forward/center Danielle Adams and guard Sydney Colson. Nine of the fifteen players invited earned All-America honors from either the Associated Press or the State Farm Coaches' poll this season.
After winning the Draft Lottery for the second consecutive year, the Minnesota Lynx holds the top pick in the Draft for the third year in franchise history. The Lynx also has the fourth pick in the upcoming Draft by virtue of an additional trade with the Connecticut Sun. Rounding out the top five picks are the Tulsa Shock (second), Chicago Sun (Third) and the Los Angeles Sparks (fifth).
The players invited to attend the 2011 WNBA Draft at ESPN include:
2011 PLAYERS IN ATTENDANCE
Name College/University Position Height
Danielle Adams Texas A&M Forward/Center 6'1"
Jessica Breland North Carolina Forward 6'3"
Elizabeth Cambage Australia Center 6'8"
Sydney Colson Texas A&M Guard 5'8"
Victoria Dunlap Kentucky Forward 6'1"
Amber Harris Xavier Forward 6'5"
Jantel Lavender Ohio State Center 6'4"
Maya Moore Connecticut Forward 6'0"
Kayla Pedersen Stanford Forward 6'4"
Ta'Shia Phillips Xavier Center 6'6"
Jeanette Pohlen Stanford Guard 6'0"
Danielle Robinson Oklahoma Guard 5'9"
Carolyn Swords Boston College Center 6'6"
Jasmine Thomas Duke Guard 5'9"
Courtney Vandersloot Gonzaga Guard 5'8"
