4:02 pm | April 10, 2019 | Go to Source | Author:
NEW YORK — Notre Dame guard Jackie Young was selected No. 1 overall by the Las Vegas Aces in Wednesday’s WNBA draft.
The junior, who decided to skip her senior season, was able to declare early because she turns 22 in the same year as the draft. She’s the second Irish player to be drafted first after entering early joining Jewell Loyd, who had the honor in 2015.
Asia Durr went second to the New York Liberty. The Louisville guard, who was a two-time AP All-American, was the No. 2 scorer in school history.
The Indiana Fever then took Mississippi State center Teaira McCowan at No. 3. And the Chicago Sky selected UConn’s Katie Lou Samuelson, also a two-time AP All-American, at No. 4.
The Dallas Wings rounded out the top five by taking Arike Ogunbowale, making her the second of what is expected to be five Notre Dame players drafted Wednesday night. Tennessee is the only school to have that occur with college players, in 2008. Candace Parker was taken first. Alexis Hornbuckle was drafted fourth. Shannon Bobbitt and Nicky Anosike went back-to-back in the second round and Alberta Auguste was taken in the third round.
Napheesa Collier was the second player from UConn selected Wednesday when she went to the Minnesota Lynx at No. 6. And the Los Angeles Sparks at No. 7 took center Kalani Brown from NCAA champion Baylor, who defeated Notre Dame in Sunday’s title game.
This might have been the most wide-open draft in recent memory with no consensus pick at No. 1.
The 6-foot-0 Young averaged 14.7 points, 7.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game this season for Notre Dame. Her size, quickness and versatility at guard are qualities that should translate well for the Aces franchise, which was picking first for the third year in a row, including as San Antonio in 2017. That year, the franchise picked Washington’s Kelsey Plum first, and last year, Las Vegas picked South Carolina’s A’ja Wilson first.
ESPN’s Mechelle Voepel and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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