Las Vegas nabs top WNBA selection

Bill Laimbeer and the Las Vegas franchise hit the jackpot, winning the WNBA draft lottery Monday.

“Having the first pick will help to grow a fan base and this will go a long way toward that,” Laimbeer said in a phone interview. “I’m excited that we’ll add a great piece to the puzzle.”

Las Vegas had the best odds (44 percent) to win the lottery after finishing with the combined worst record the past two seasons while the franchise was in San Antonio.

The team moved to Las Vegas last month and hired Laimbeer as its head coach and president. It’s the second consecutive year that the franchise has the top pick. The Stars took Kelsey Plum No. 1 last season. Skiing: French downhill skier David Poisson, a bronze medalist at the 2013 World Championships, died Monday following a training crash in Canada. He was 35.

The French Ski Federation said Poisson was training in the Canadian resort of Nakiska for World Cup races in North America. The federation did not elaborate. Golf: Marissa Mar of San Francisco won her opening-round match in the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship in Houston.

Mar, a Stanford alum who shared medalist honors in the stroke-play portion of the event, posted a 2-and-1 victory over Alyssa Roland.

Colleges: San Francisco native Stefan Gartrell (baseball, class of 2006) will be among those in the USF Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2018.

Other inductees include Hans Friessen ’72 (men’s soccer), Andrea Kagie ’97 (women’s basketball), Jessica Potter ’08 (women’s golf ) and Huey Thomas ’65 (men’s basketball).

The Rev. Joe Eagan will be inducted in the special service category.

The 2003 women’s volleyball team — the school’s first to reach the NCAA tournament — also will be honored.

The induction ceremonies are Feb. 23.