Last week, as the UConn women's team prepared for the Final Four, Minnesota Lynx general manager and coach Cheryl Reeve said on a conference call that her team would not be trading their No. 1 overall draft pick. Which means there's a very good chance Maya Moore will be playing for the Lynx next season.
While Reeve wouldn't come out and say they were targeting Moore ("We are on a league call and I think if I were to confirm that I would be in big, big trouble," she said), she admitted that, "The draft has a lot of good frontcourt players and that's very appealing to us." And removed all doubt when she added: "But I will tell you that the assumptions being made are not off-base. This franchise is extremely excited about the prospect of a very, very talented player out of the University of Connecticut [coming to Minnesota]."
Since Lorin Dixon isn't a frontcourt player, Moore appears to be the safe bet. Which means the three-time national champion and winner of just about every individual award at the college level will soon be playing for a team that went 13-21 last season and finished next to last in the Western Conference.
In case you need more evidence that Moore will be a high selection in the WNBA Draft (scheduled for Monday, April 11 at ESPN in Bristol, Conn): the league invited her and fourteen of the best players on the planet to attend the draft in person.
According to the WNBA press release, it's the first time that a professional sports league will conduct its draft at ESPN headquarters.
Some of the top prospects invited to the proceedings include: Connecticut forward Maya Moore, Australia National Team member and Bulleen Boomers (Australia's WNBL) center Elizabeth Cambage, Ohio State center Jantel Lavender, Gonzaga guard Courtney Vandersloot 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.
ESPN will cover the first round of the draft live on Monday, April 11 at 3PM. Coverage will also be available on ESPN3.com, and ESPNU and NBA TV will air Rounds 2 and 3.
