Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis leaves UConn as a three-time national champion and the NCAA leader in 3-pointers made. She's now setting her sights on the WNBA, where the only question is how high will she be selected.
The Seattle Storm have the No. 1 pick and coach Jenny Boucek said offered this glimpse into their draft plans.
"I think there's a 100 percent chance that we'll take one of them [Jewell Loyd, Amanda Zahui B. or Mosqueda-Lewis] at 1," she said, via the Hartford Courant's John Altavilla. "And at 3, we're really exploring a lot of options with that pick. We are not restricting ourselves to a position. We're going to try to take who we think are the best players in those spots and really try to add two pieces for the future."
The Connecticut Suns select fourth, and while they're very familiar with Mosqueda-Lewis' game, they not tipping their hand ahead of the draft.
"It is going to be interesting," Sun coach Anne Donovan said. "Every player in this draft has some liability, if you will, with the possible exception of Amanda Zahui B. [the 6-foot-5 center from Minnesota], which makes her very hard to pass up.
"Still, there is no one coming out in the draft who I would classify as a sure thing. I don't know if I see a starter in the draft. I see a lot of players with the capacity right now to make a bench stronger who in a couple of years could be an impact player. There is something about everyone that will require you to funnel them into the equation and see what you come out with. ...
"We've had a lot of offers [for the fourth pick], but there has been nothing so far that's been even remotely tempting," Donovan continued. "We got the most we could from the three pick. Getting another younger player [at the 4] to develop would be a good thing. But I would say right now, the odds are good that we would hang onto the four.
"As for the pick, we can go either way. We can afford to get our depth stronger at any position. And Zahui B. likely pushes a player down to us that I didn't think we might have a chance at."
Like, say, Mosqueda-Lewis.
