Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
Indiana has Caitlin Clark fever
Top pick of WNBA draft certain; No. 2 is up in air
NEW YORK — Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Cameron Brink and others make this one of the most anticipated WNBA drafts in recent years. There are several impact players up for grabs, but their talent is nearly eclipsed by their popularity among basketball fans.
“Caitlin is kind of in a world of her own, but I don’t know that we have seen this kind of excitement across the board,” ESPN analyst Rebecca Lobo said. “You know, Angel Reese has a massive following. Cameron Brink has a large following of people, whether it’s following them on social media or following them throughout the course of their college career.
“We have women coming into the draft this year, who people are very much aware of and eager to see how their game is going to translate at this level.”
Clark has helped bring millions of new fans to the game with her signature logo shots and dazzling passing ability. The Iowa star was a big reason why a record 18.9 million viewers tuned in to the NCAA Tournament championship game where South Carolina beat the Hawkeyes.
The NCAA Division I alltime scoring leader will go first to the Indiana Fever on Monday night when the draft takes place at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in front of 1,000 fans.
“This is the first time we’re going to have fans at the draft, so I think that’s going to be special,” ESPN analyst Andraya Carter said. “For people watching at home to see and hear a crowd and fans and people there, I think it’ll be really exciting.”
While Clark is a lock to go first, Brink, Tennessee’s Rickea Jackson and South Carolina’s Kamilla Cardoso have all been in the discussion to be taken at No. 2 by Los Angeles. The Sparks also own the No. 4 pick with Chicago choosing third.
“They are foundational. They’re an incredible opportunity for our organization,” Sparks GM Raegan Pebley said. “We definitely want to see two players that not only have the skill set to make an impact early, but also a long runway ahead of them, opportunities to develop, opportunities to, not only be excellent in what they do, but how they impact the other pieces around them as we continue to build this team.”
Dallas is fifth and Washington sixth. Minnesota, Chicago, Dallas, Connecticut, New York and Atlanta close out the first round. In all, there are three rounds and 36 picks in total.
Here are two other tidbits for the draft :
Aces out of first round
The two-time defending champion Aces don’t have a first-round pick this year after dealing their pick to the Atlanta Dream, leaving them with three second-round picks and one third-round pick: round 2, pick No. 16; round 2, pick No. 18; round 2, pick No. 24; and round 3, pick No. 36, the last in the draft.