McCarville Is at the Top of the List

The 2005 WNBA draft did not have the star power of last year’s draft. But that did not stop teams from shopping around this year’s group of college seniors and free agents.

Minnesota center Janel McCarville, sitting with 14 other draft hopefuls Saturday morning in the NBA Entertainment Studios in Secaucus, N.J., was the first player selected, by the Charlotte Sting. The 6-foot-2 McCarville averaged 14.6 points and 9.7 rebounds during her Gopher career. In 2004, McCarville helped Minnesota reach the Final Four.

“She is a physical post player who possesses tremendous court vision combined with outstanding scoring and rebounding abilities,” Charlotte Coach Trudi Lacey said of McCarville. “She will be great fit to our team.”

Indiana, choosing second, picked NCAA scoring champion Tan White from Mississippi State. Rounding out the top five were Texas Christian forward Sandora Irvin, picked third by Phoenix; Kansas State guard Kendra Wecker, taken fourth by San Antonio; and Houston center Sancho Little, taken by the Houston Comets.

There were a couple of local names on the first-round board. Loree Moore, who played basketball at Harbor City Narbonne High before going on to Tennessee, was taken by the New York Liberty with the 10th pick. Minnesota, with the 11th pick, chose Kristen Mann from UC Santa Barbara and Santa Ana Foothill High.

“That’s about where I thought she might go,” Santa Barbara Coach Mark French said of Mann. “She played well at the combine, and a couple of WNBA coaches told me she had improved her stock.

“I think very highly of Kristen, so Minnesota must share the same thought that she will help their franchise.”

And there was a big trade. San Antonio sent 7-2 center Margo Dydek to Connecticut for the rights to Liberty University center Katie Feenstra (eighth pick overall) and the Sun’s first-round pick in the 2006 draft.

“I’m thrilled,” said Connecticut Coach Mike Thibault, whose team also drafted Australian guard Erin Phillips and Kansas State forward Megan Mahoney. “You see Feenstra sitting on the board there, and we weren’t even sure she’d get to the eighth pick. We had made the decision that, if we could make the trade with San Antonio, we would.... With our team the way it is, being close to a championship last year, we tried to picture that playoff series [against eventual champion Seattle] with Margo on the court.”

The Sparks had traded their first-round pick to Washington, along with veteran forward and fan favorite DeLisha Milton-Jones, for All-Star forward Chamique Holdsclaw. And because Los Angeles finished with the best record last season, the Sparks picked last in the second and third rounds.

Nonetheless, team officials sounded excited about drafting Arizona guard DeeDee Wheeler with the 26th pick and Texas forward Heather Schreiber with the 39th and final selection.

Wheeler, 5-6, is a three-time All Pacific 10 first-team selection who averaged 17.6 points and 4.4 assists her senior year. Schreiber, 6-2, was a two-time All-Big 12 first-team selection who had college career lows in scoring (10.2) and rebounding (5.6) in her final season for the Longhorns.

“There were certain needs we looked at filling,” said Henry Bibby, the Sparks’ new coach who was participating in his first WNBA draft. “You’re trying to get the best available people in the draft at any time. We’re looking for a backup point guard and I think we filled that [with Wheeler]. And we got a third-round pick [in Schreiber] I think can play for us as well.

“But I also think we got the ‘first-round pick’ of anybody when we got Holdsclaw.”

Spark General Manager Penny Toler said Wheeler could be the kind of active point guard who can not only support incumbent starter Nikki Teasley, but also challenge her in practice.

“DeeDee is quick and athletic,” Toler said. “Nikki may have to put on two pairs of shoes to keep up with her.

“But the opportunity is there for both [Wheeler and Schreiber] to make the team.”

Joan Bonvicini, Wheeler’s coach in Arizona, called this a great opportunity for Wheeler.

“Penny Toler has watched her play from a freshman to a senior,” she said. “I though she might go a little sooner [in the draft]. But I think she has a real shot here.”

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Associated Press contributed to this report.