The world’s top female basketball prospects will move to the professional ranks when they are chosen in the 2011 WNBA Draft, Monday, April 11, from ESPN in Bristol, Conn. ESPN will televise the first round beginning at 3 p.m. ET, with a simulcast on ESPN3.com. ESPNU and NBA TV will air the second and third rounds from 4-5:30 p.m.
The live telecast of the Draft will take place in the ESPN studio that is home to Mike & Mike in the Morning, Sunday NFL Countdown and a variety of other ESPN shows. Pam Ward will anchor the coverage alongside Rebecca Lobo and Carolyn Peck, while reporter Holly Rowe will be conducting interviews with drafted players.
Connecticut’s Maya Moore, the only three-time Wade Trophy winner, headlines the list of available players and will be in Bristol for the event. Other top prospects expected to attend include Australian National Team member Elizabeth Cambage, and several Women’s Final Four participants – Danielle Adams and Sydney Colson of Texas A&M and Kayla Pedersen and Jeanette Pohlen of Stanford.
The event marks the first professional sports league draft held at ESPN. With the draft telecast, ESPN and the WNBA enter their 15th year of partnership, which dates back to the league’s inaugural season in 1997.
Production Features & Storylines of 2011 WNBA Draft
- An all-access piece that follows Moore from the start of her day through the draft;
- In-studio interviews with Moore, Cambage and select other draft picks, along with Tulsa Shock head coach Nolan Richardson, who will be in Bristol;
- Reporter Randy Moss will be live in Minneapolis to cover the Lynx draft headquarters and the team’s draft party at the Target Center, along with conducting interviews with head coach Cheryl Reeve. The Lynx have four of the Draft’s top 14 picks and the No. 1 overall choice;
- Cambage’s tells of her travels from the land down under;
- Select college coaches will be in attendance including Geno Auriemma of Connecticut, recently crowned national champion Gary Blair of Texas A&M, Sherri Coale of Oklahoma and Joanne P. McCallie of Duke;
- The draft’s tease package, marking the 15th season of WNBA play, will be voiced by Good Morning America’s Robin Roberts and centers on the theme of girls who have grown up watching the league as a dream they can potentially achieve.
espnW
- Leading up to the 2011 WNBA Draft, espnW will preview what to watch and will feature stories on Moore, Cambage and Gonzaga’s Courtney Vandersloot;
- Contributor Michelle Smith will be live in Bristol interviewing players and their families as they go through one of the most exciting days of their careers;
- espnW’s Adena Andrews will have real-time, insider access into the Atlanta Dream’s draft “war room”, experiencing the process the team goes through in making their selections;
- espnW is hosting a live video Facebook chat with the drafted players directly following the first round. The chat will take place at www.facebook.com/espnW and player questions can be sent now to www.twitter.com/espnW.
ESPN.com
- New this year is the WNBA Draftcast, which will allow fans to scroll through each draft pick, photos and biographical information on players after she is selected;
- The WNBA Draft Live displays live player interviews moments after they are drafted, along with WNBA news, polls and fan comments. The WNBA Draft Live will also capture and show live social media feeds;
- ESPN.com’s Mechelle Voepel will introduce fans to Cambage, the 19-year old Australian basketball sensation who is likely to be one of the top picks;
- ESPN.com analysts will provide bios on all the top prospects, including strengths, weaknesses and statistics;
- An ESPN.com video team will follow a WNBA Draft prospect and chronicle one of the biggest and exciting days of her career;
- On SportsNation.com fans will be able to rank the best-ever WNBA players;
SportsCenter and ESPNEWS
- Moore will be live on the SportsCenter set both before and after the Draft;
- A WNBA Draft preview segment during the 2 p.m. edition of SportsCenter on ESPN;
- NCAA Championship Most Outstanding Player Adams will be live on SportsCenter after she is drafted;
- Select college coaches scheduled to join their former athletes for interviews
Invited Players Attending 2011 WNBA
Name, College/University, Position, Height
Danielle Adams, Texas A&M, Forward/Center, 6’1”
Jessica Breland, North Carolina, Forward, 6’3”
Elizabeth Cambage, Australia, Center, 6’8”
Sydney Colson, Texas A&M, Guard, 5’8”
Victoria Dunlap, Kentucky, Forward, 6’1”
Amber Harris, Xavier, Forward, 6’5”
Jantel Lavender, Ohio State, Center, 6’4”
Maya Moore, Connecticut, Forward, 6’0”
Kayla Pedersen, Stanford, Forward, 6’4”
Ta’Shia Phillips, Xavier, Center, 6’6”
Jeanette Pohlen, Stanford, Guard, 6’0”
Danielle Robinson, Oklahoma, Guard, 5’9”
Carolyn Swords, Boston College,Center, 6’6”
Jasmine Thomas, Duke, Guard, 5’9”
Courtney Vandersloot, Gonzaga, Guard, 5’8”
2011 WNBA Draft Order
First Round
1. Minnesota (13-21)
2. Tulsa (6-28)
3. Chicago (14-20)
4. Minnesota from Connecticut (17-17) (Kelsey Griffin, 4/8/10)
5. Los Angeles (13-21)
6. San Antonio (14-20)
7. Tulsa from Phoenix (15-19) (Kara Braxton/Nicole Ohlde 7/23/10)
8. Atlanta (19-15)
9. Indiana (21-13)
10. New York (22-12)
11. Washington (22-12)
12. Seattle (28-6)
Second Round
13. Minnesota from Tulsa (6-28) (Amber Holt, Chante Black 4/7/10) via Connecticut (Kelsey Griffin, 4/8/10)
14. Minnesota (13-21)
15. Chicago (14-20)
16. Connecticut (17-17)
17. Chicago from Los Angeles (13-21) (Kristi Toliver, 5/13/10)
18. Atlanta from San Antonio (14-20) (Michelle Snow/Dalma Ivanyi, 3/11/10)
19. Phoenix (15-19)
20. San Antonio from Atlanta (19-15) (Michelle Snow/Dalma Ivanyi, 3/11/10)
21. Tulsa from Indiana (21-13) (Shavonte Zellous, 5/27/10)
22. New York (22-12)
23. Washington (22-12)
24. Seattle (28-6)
Third Round
25. Tulsa (6-28)
26. Minnesota (13-21)
27. Chicago (14-20)
28. Connecticut (17-17)
29. Los Angeles (13-21)
30. San Antonio (14-20)
31. Phoenix (15-19)
32. Atlanta (19-15)
33. Indiana (21-13)
34. New York (22-12)
35. Washington (22-12)
36. Seattle (28-6)
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