Sparks’ first draft pick is Purdue’s Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton
Sparks Coach Michael Cooper addressed the crowd at the team’s WNBA draft party Thursday and answered the question on everyone’s mind.
“I know a lot of you were expecting us to draft a guard,” Cooper said. “But with Lisa retiring at the end of the year, we have to prepare for the future.”
The Sparks had just selected Purdue forward Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton as the 13th overall pick, despite having a loaded frontcourt with center Lisa Leslie and veteran forwards Tina Thompson and DeLisha Milton-Jones and last season’s most valuable player, forward Candace Parker, who is expecting a child and will miss part of the season.
Cooper added afterward, “It’s nice that we let our fans know where we’re heading.”
That direction remained unclear, however, after the Sparks also chose Oklahoma forward Ashley Paris with their second pick (22nd overall) and Texas A&M; guard Britney Jordan with their third pick (35th overall) in the second and third rounds.
It’s definitely forward thinking.
As Sparks General Manager Penny Toler said: “Our team on June 6 could look totally different” when the Sparks play host to the Detroit Shock in the 2009 season opener.
“I’m not saying this because of these particular players,” Toler said. “But at the end of the day, another reason you draft talent is if you don’t have something, you must have something to go get something.”
She said several teams contacted her this week, but she declined to say what offers she would consider. However, Toler confirmed that the Sparks are pursuing shooting guard Betty Lennox, who won a title with the Seattle Storm in 2004 but was waived by the Atlanta Dream during the off-season.
Toler also said she would be willing to trade “a combination of players minus all the Olympians,” referring to Leslie, Parker, Milton-Jones and Thompson.
The Atlanta Dream selected Louisville forward Angel McCoughtry with the No. 1 pick. The Washington Mystics followed suit with Maryland guard Marissa Coleman and the Chicago Sky took Coleman’s teammate, Kristi Toliver, with the No. 3 pick.
Wisdom-Hylton and Paris were preparing for the move to L.A. and not thinking about trades.
“I look up to these women so now to be playing with them is unbelievable,” said Wisdom-Hylton, who led the Boilermakers in scoring, rebounding, blocked shots and field-goal percentage.
“I’ll try to adjust as much as I can to be the best player for this team,” said Paris, a San Jose native who earned a Big-12 honorable mention.
Toler and Cooper praised the versatility of the players they drafted, but only Toler will determine if they’re trade bait.
“It’s going to be interesting,” she said. “Imagine the lineups.”
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WNBA draft
First-round picks in the 2009 WNBA draft at Secaucus, N.J.:
*--* No. Team Player, Position School 1. Atlanta Angel McCoughtry, F Louisville 2. Washington Marissa Coleman, F Maryland 3. Chicago Kristi Toliver, G Maryland 4. Minnesota Renee Montgomery, G Connecticut 5. Phoenix DeWanna Bonner, F Auburn 6. Indiana Briann January, G Arizona State 7. Sacramento Courtney Paris, C Oklahoma 8. New York Kia Vaughn, C Rutgers 9. Minnesota* Quanitra Hollingsworth, C Va. Commonwealth 10. Connecticut Chante Black, C Duke 11. Detroit Shavonte Zellous, G Pittsburgh 12. Seattle Ashley Walker, F California 13. Sparks** Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton, F Purdue *--*
* Trades: *from Los Angeles via Washington; **from San Antonio via Atlanta. Second- and third-round picks, C10