The WNBA Draft is today! For Monica Wright, her family as well as a host of others, today is a special day. In a little less than an hour, everything Monica has known as a player changes. There will be pay checks, endorsements, appearances, media, pictures, travel. Exciting times! Congratulations to all, enjoy the moment and the day – it’s special. Follow the DRAFT HERE. See our 2010 WNBA MOCK DRAFT HERE.
From By DAVE UTNIK
On the rare occasions when she allowed herself to look beyond the goal directly before her, Monica Wright imagined what it might feel like to walk onto the court for the first time as a professional basketball player.
She’s never been one to assume anything. The University of Virginia’s all-time scoring leader has spent her entire career pursuing one small milestone after another.
Looking too far ahead isn’t her thing. Wright prepares for the moment and then moves on. It’s a personal rule that has worked out well because everywhere she goes, success ultimately follows.
But even Wright has day dreams.
Monica Wright's Draft Day
And her happily-ever-after visions have usually involved playing in the Women’s National Basketball Association.
Even as a high school sophomore, when she was just beginning to discover her potential as one of the nation’s elite women’s basketball players, it was assumed by everyone around her that Wright would play in the WNBA.
Her talent was that obvious.
Almost everything Wright has accomplished over the past decade—two high school state championships at Forest Park and first-team Associated Press All-America honors at Virginia—has led her to this afternoon’s draft in Secaucus, N.J., where the best player in Prince William County history is expected to be among the top five selections. She won’t get past the second pick.
“I can see myself around the perimeter playing maybe one through three. That’s where I have been playing throughout my whole career,” Wright said. “But I feel the most comfortable at shooting guard.
“As I have heard and learned, this draft is going to be guard heavy so it’s going to be exciting to see where everybody goes.”
Pre-draft buzz has Wright reaching the podium within 10 minutes, most likely as the No. 2 or No. 3 overall pick—shortly after the Connecticut Sun select UConn center Tina Charles with the first pick.
Here is a quick look at where Wright could be headed:
Connecticut Su
1st and 7th overall pick
After finishing sixth in the Eastern Conference last season at 16-18, the Sun had a busy offseason. They acquired 2009 first-round pick Renee Montgomery from Minnesota in exchange for the first overall pick. On Wednesday, they traded guard/forward Amber Holt and center Chante Black to the Tulsa Shock to get the No. 7 pick.
Connecticut, which desperately needs a center, is expected to select Charles. The last two No. 1 selections—Angel McCoughtry and Candice Parker—went on to win rookie of the year honors.
The Sun would certainly choose Wright at No. 7, but she probably won’t last that long.
Minnesota Lynx
2nd and 3rd overall pick
The Lynx seem to be a perfect fit for Wright, who led the Atlantic Coast Conference in scoring and was named the NCAA defensive player of the year.
First-year coach Cheryl Reeves wants defense to be a priority after Minnesota gave up the second-most points in the league a year ago. And that is Wright’s forte. ACC and National Defensive Player of the year, check.
The thing about Wright is that she also creates match-up problems with her speed and versatility. She’s started at point guard, shooting guard and small forward at one point or another in her career. The Lynx appear to be set in the backcourt after acquiring Lindsey Whalen from the Sun to play alongside Candice Wiggins.
Chicago Sky
4th overall pick
The Sky nearly made the playoffs for the first time since joining the league in 2005 and Wright is just the kind of athlete who could finally lead them there.
If the Lynx don’t select Wright with one of their two picks, then the Sky almost assuredly will despite five guards on the active roster, including point guard Kristi Toliver, from Maryland, and Jia Perkins.
The Sky bolstered their front court by getting center Courtney Paris from Sacramento in the dispersal draft and Shameka Christon is a trade with the Liberty.
What they need now is an impact scorer. With one pick in the first two rounds, Chicago will have to draft wisely.
San Antonio Silver Star
5th overall pick
The Stars are the first 2009 playoff team to make a pick in this year’s draft. After nearly upsetting eventually champion Phoenix in the Western Conference semifinals, there aren’t many weaknesses.
They addressed a need for rebounding by trading for center Michelle Snow, signing Tasha Humphrey and getting forward Laura Harper in the dispersal draft.
All-Star Becky Hammon and shooting guard Roneeka Hodges are the likely backcourt starters, but Wright has a way of blending in almost anywhere.
Washington Mystic
6th overall pick
It’s probably wishful thinking. As wonderful as it would be for Wright to play—and star—in her hometown, there is very little chance of her landing in D.C.
The Mystics are one of the league’s up-and-coming teams after a string of successful drafts and the recent signing of all-star guard Katie Smith, who should play along with Alana Beard and Lindsey Harding in a three-guard backcourt.
After reaching the Eastern Conference semifinals last season, the Mystics could still use another versatile small forward. Maybe they’ll be lucky enough to find Wright still on the draft board at No. 6. It’s not likely though.
Posted 4 months, 4 weeks ago. 1 comment
Those around the WNBA have known Kevin Cook a long, long time. The quiet, behind the scenes genius who was Van Chancellor’s right hand on the Comets run to all those WNBA Championships. Kevin is as good a person as you will meet. I’ve been fortunate to call him friend for many years. Please keep Kevin in your thoughts and prayers. This is an excellent article and story by Mike Wise of the Washington Post of a good and strong man.
When we think of hardship in college basketball, we think injury, graduation loss or must-win expectations. The banged-up Michigan State men, after all, somehow got to the Final Fouron subs and sutures. The Connecticut women, unbeaten in their last 75, have to win it all, or else they become the Greg Norman of their sport.
But what if hardship meant genuine hardship?
Kevin Cook
What if, after coaching some of the best players in the world, you got the short end of the stick during an ownership change and had no full-time job?
And after raising championship trophies with the Houston Comets, whom you coached as a WNBA assistant, the only chance anyone gave you to be a head coach in college was at the world’s only university that’s exclusive to deaf and hard-of-hearing students?
Oh, and you didn’t know a word of sign language when you pulled hard off Florida Avenue in Northeast Washington, through the gates of Gallaudet University?
What if you were Kevin Cook, and three seasons in, none of that ended up amounting to real hardship? What if the Division III women’s team you agreed to coach via e-mail, the team that had not won a conference game in the three years prior to your arrival — one that would lose a league game by 75 points that first year — would one day seem so trivial a problem?
Continue Reading…
I was forwarded an interesting email while in San Antonio. With the economy and every school’s ever-crunching budgets, I found this very interesting. The cost of success and the cost of running quality programs continues to skyrocket. Now deficit’s are mounting for many, many schools.
According to forms filed with the federal government, these schools reported the largest deficits for their women’s basketball programs in regard to the 2008-09 season:
School Deficit
1. Kansas $3,177,605
2. South Carolina $3,155,424
3. Arkansas $3,120,026
4. Texas A&M $2,996,821
5. Virginia $2,933,888
6. Auburn $2,874,009
7. Duke $2,836,386
8. Auburn $2,761,504
9. Oklahoma $2,677,885
10. Northwestern $2,652,529
11. Texas $2,639,111
12. Georgia Tech $2,479,525
The cost of Big 12 basketball
As this chart shows, one-third of the Big 12 schools lost money on basketball during the 2008-09 season, largely because of the massive deficits associated with their women’s teams. The revenues and expenses listed for each school were taken from forms filed with the federal government. The revenues listed for Baylor, a private school, may include subsidies from the university.
Texas
Women/Men/Total
Revenue: 1,918,013/ 14,770,278/ 16,688,291
Expenses: 4,557,124/ 7,891,661/ 12,448,785
Profit or loss -2,639,111/ 6,878,617/ 4,239,506
Texas A&M
Women/Men/Total
Revenue: 1,049,951/ 8,984,818/ 10,034,769
Expenses: 4,046,772/ 6,219,442/ 10,266,214
Profit or loss: -2,996,821/ 2,765,376/ -231,445
Texas Tech
Women/Men/Total
Revenue: 1,746,714/ 6,479,893/ 8,226,607
Expenses: 2,734,893/ 3,831,828/ 6,566,721
Profit or loss: -988,179/ 2,648,065/ 1,659,886
Baylor
Women/Men/Total
Revenue: 4,082,782/ 4,595,742/ 8,678,524
Expenses: 4,082,782/ 4,595,742/ 8,678,524
Profit or loss: 0/ 0/ 0
Oklahoma
Women/Men/Total
Revenue: 1,448,696/ 6,753,149/ 8,201,845
Expenses: 4,126,551/ 5,409,808/ 9,536,359
Profit or loss: -2,677,855/ 1,343,341/ -1,334,514
Oklahoma State
Women/Men/Total
Revenue: 427,816/ 11,052,293/ 11,480,109
Expenses: 2,118,334/ 5,166,055/ 7,284,389
Profit or loss: -1,690,518/ 5,886,238/ 4,195,720
Colorado
Women/Men/Total
Revenue: 389,436/ 3,993,889/ 4,383,325
Expenses: 2,710,495/ 3,951,423/ 6,661,918
Profit or loss: -2,321,059/ 42,466/ -2,278,593
Iowa State
Women/Men/Total
Revenue: 1,541,423/ 6,197,669/ 7,739,092
Expenses: 2,996,712/ 4,296,701/ 7,293,413
Profit or loss: -1,455,289/ 1,900,968/ 445,679
Kansas
Women/Men/Total
Revenue: 315,529/ 15,737,145/ 16,052,674
Expenses: 3,493,134/ 8,219,362/ 11,712,496
Profit or loss: -3,177,605/ 7,517,783/ 4,340,178
Kansas State
Women/Men/Total
Revenue: 765,006/ 5,656,041/ 6,421,047
Expenses: 2,513,866/ 4,608,889/ 7,122,755
Profit or loss: -1,748,860/ 1,047,152/ -701,708
Missouri
Women/Men/Total
Revenue: 354,849/8,857,828/9,212,677
Expenses: 2,028,463/4,528,720/6,557,183
Profit or loss: -1,673,614/4,329,108/2,655,494
Nebraska
Women/Men/Total
Revenue: 695,026/6,297,232/6,992,258
Expenses: 2,247,575/3,961,218/6,208,793
Profit or loss: -1,552,549/2,336,014/783,465
Posted 5 months ago. 4 comments
The 12 finalists for the 2010 Wade Trophy, the “Heisman” of women’s basketball, were announced today by the State Farm Wade Trophy Committee in conjunction with the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) and the National Association for Girls and Women in Sport (NAGWS).
“This is definitely a time of year that I look forward to annually as I get to announce the 12 finalists for The State Farm Wade Trophy,” said WBCA CEO Beth Bass. “The prestige of this award goes without saying, and I can only imagine how excited these 12 student-athletes are to be on this list. We wish them the best of luck in the remainder of their seasons.”
The short list includes last year’s winner, Maya Moore of Connecticut, as well as her teammate, Tina Charles. Ohio State (Jantel Lavender, Samantha Prahalis) and Stanford (Jayne Appel, Nnemkadi Ogwumike) also had two players apiece on the list of finalists.
The complete list of 12 finalists includes:
| 2010 State Farm Wade Trophy Finalists |
| Player |
School |
Position |
Class |
| Jayne Appel |
Stanford |
Center |
Senior |
| Tina Charles |
Connecticut |
Center |
Senior |
| Alysha Clark |
Middle Tennessee State |
Forward |
Senior |
| Kelsey Griffin |
Nebraska |
Guard |
Senior |
| Jantel Lavender |
Ohio State University |
Center |
Junior |
| Maya Moore |
Connecticut |
Forward |
Junior |
| Nnemkadi Ogwumike |
Stanford |
Forward |
Sophomore |
| Samantha Prahalis |
Ohio State University |
Guard |
Sophomore |
| Danielle Robinson |
Oklahoma |
Guard |
Junior |
| Jasmine Thomas |
Duke |
Guard |
Junior |
| Courtney Vandersloot |
Gonzaga |
Guard |
Junior |
| Monica Wright |
Virginia |
Guard |
Senior |
There are moments in coaching for all of us, many moments, when you feel just so damn proud. Like the look on Sheri Coale’s face last night when she was being interviewed after her team’s win over Kentucky. Same feeling. Those are the moments we coach for. People, media and the rest can say what they want about dollars, levels, wins and loses, ego garbage – but, in the end it’s these moments that are really what is good in intercollegiate athletics.
This is one of those moments… Thank You Monica.
Monica Wright
Virginia senior guard Monica Wright (Woodbridge, Va.) has been named to theAssociated Press All-America first team, the organization announced Tuesday (March 30). Wright becomes the first Cavalier to earn first-team honors.
Wright is joined on the 2010 squad by Tina Charles (Connecticut), Kelsey Griffin (Nebraska), Jantel Lavender (Ohio State) and Maya Moore (Connecticut).
“This is a tremendous honor and I can honestly breathe a sigh of satisfaction knowing that four years of hard work has paid off,” Wright said. “To be mentioned in the same breath as some of the all-time great players at Virginia is wonderful. I obviously would like to thank my coaches and teammates but also a big thanks goes out to my family for all their support throughout the years.”
Wright wrapped up her illustrious career at Virginia as the Cavaliers’ all-time leading scorer with 2,540 points, a total that ranks third on the ACC’s all-time scoring list. This past season, Wright set the UVa single-season scoring mark with 734 points, breaking her own school-record of 696 points set in 2008-09. She averaged 23.7 points per game, which led the ACC and ranked seventh in the nation, and she tallied eight 30-point games and 22 20-point games in 2009-10.
She was named the WBCA National Defensive Player of the Year on Monday (March 29), and averaged 3.6 steals and 6.5 rebounds per game this season. Wright tied the school-record with 10 steals in a game vs. Liberty on Dec. 29.
Wright was named the ACC Player of the Year, ACC Defensive Player of the Year and first team All-ACC as a senior. She was also named to the ACC All-Tournament second team and was tabbed the Richmond Times-Dispatch State Player of the Year.
Wright has started and played in every game during her four years with the Cavaliers. She was a State Farm Coaches’ All-America Team regional finalist as a junior and sophomore and was the ACC Rookie of the Year her freshman year. She is majoring in sociology.
Associated Press All-America First Team
Tina Charles, Connecticut
Kelsey Griffin, Nebraska
Jantel Lavender, Ohio State
Maya Moore, Connecticut
Monica Wright, Virginia
Second Team
Jayne Appel, Stanford
Alysha Clark, Middle Tennessee State
Brittney Griner, Baylor
Nnemka Ogwumike, Stanford
Andrea Riley, Oklahoma State
Third Team
Elena Delle Donne, Delaware
Victoria Dunlap, Kentucky
Amber Harris, Xavier
Danielle Robinson, Oklahoma
Jasmine Thomas, Duke
