There are a few days in an athlete’s life that they will never forget. The day that they first picked up the sport that they eventually wound up playing, the day that they got recruited by the Colleges that they are enrolled in and finally Draft Day.
On a beautiful Monday evening in New York City in a day chocked full of emotions and great story telling the future stars of the WNBA got chosen by their respective teams.
With a buzz surrounding Spring Studios, everyone had wondered and projected who would be the first pick in the Draft.
The Indiana Fever, who were active throughout most of the night chose the consensus 2021-22 National Player of the Year and two-time Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Aliyah Boston.
That was a first for the Fever, as Boston became the team’s first ever No. 1 overall pick and it is one that is getting the fans excited, as the forward/center recorded 13 points and Nine Rebounds per game.
Aliyah is a huge part of the South Carolina’s run to their third consecutive Final Four, in addition to being instrumental in their winning the 2021-22 NCAA Women’s Basketball National Champion.
One of the things that probably intrigued Indiana is the resume of Boston, as she is the Lisa Leslie Award as the Nation’s Top Center for four straight years, a two-time SEC player of the Year in addition to a four-time SEC Defensive Player of the Year.
All of these are something that is going to be appealing to the Fever as they hope the defensive play of Boston will help to lead them during the course of the 2023 WNBA Season.
Here are some photos for fans to check out from the 2023 WNBA Draft. By: Stacy Podelski/1495Sports
Fans are encouraged to check out the video below to see some of the sights prior to the ladies being Drafted. Seen in the video are Jordan Horston (University of Tennessee) is seen with her Head Coach Kellie Harper. Aliyah Boston, Laeticia Amihere, Zia Cooke and Brea Beal (University of South Carolina) is seen with Head Coach Dawn Staley, and Diamond Miller from the University of Maryland
WNBA fans are encouraged to check out sights from the First Round of the WNBA Draft by checking out the video seen below:
Local area products Maddy Siegrist (Villanova) and Lou Lopez Sénéchal (University of Connecticut and Fairfield University).
There has been a high demand for Siegrist since her time with Villanova, especially with the style of play that she brings to the court. Maddy is one who plays the game the right way and the support for the future Wings star was overwhelming.
Fans of Maddy can see when she was selected by the Wings by checking out the video below:
Siegrist also has a great resume to go along with the love of the fans, as she was a finalist for the Naismith Women’s College Player of the Year along with the Wade Trophy. The Poughkeepsie-native led the nation in scoring with 29.2 points per game and named to the AP All-America First Team.
One of the more amazing achievements for Maddy was the first that she was able to win three BIG EAST scoring titles, as the conferences is normally known for their stellar defense, somehow or the other the forward has had success and she and many others is hoping that will translate to the WNBA.
In a name that maybe familiar as well to many on the East Coast is that of Lopez Senechal, as she has played at both the University of Connecticut and Fairfield University. The Guard/Forward was selected to the 2022-23 All-BIG EAST First Team when she was with the Huskies, in addition to winning the 2021-2022 Metro Athletic Atlantic Player of the Year.
Making a buzz on the internet thanks to her newly acquired videography skills Standford University, Haley Jones was selected in the Sixth Round of the Draft by the Atlanta Dream.
Coming from a basketball family Jones has this ability to create plays on the floor, and has a fast pace when it comes time for her style of play.
Jones shared these thoughts with 1495Sports prior to the moment that she got her name called by the Atlanta:
The local area teams were able to get some great prospects as the New York Liberty drafted 6-0 guard/forward Okako Adika from USC with the team’s No. Overall Pick.
With this pick Adika is the first USC draftee in the New York Liberty’s history.
Early on in the night the Washington Mystics made a huge move for their future in acquiring the 2024 second-round pick and the 2025 first-round draft pick from the Dallas Wings in exchange for Stephanie Soares, who was originally selected in the Fourth overall slot.
In addition, the Mystics chose guard Elena Tsineke from the University of South Florida with the 20th overall pick and with the 32nd overall pick they called the name of Txell Alacron from Spain.
Fans of the Washington Mystics can see what General Manager Mike Thibault and Head Coach Eric Thibault had to say about the draft by clicking on the video link seen below
Overall it was a night of fun, fashion and memories as today is going to be one that these amazing young women will remember for the rest of their life.
For more information on the WNBA fans are encouraged to click on the link seen here: