WNBA Draft 2011: Seattle Storm Select Duke's Jasmine Thomas In First Round

Way back in the late 90's, I had the opportunity to see Ticha Penicheiro play at Old Dominion University.

In fact, Penicheiro was probably one of the people who first got me intrigued by women's basketball - she literally controlled the entire floor and, more impressively, did so without being a real scoring threat. Using a combination of ball fakes, changes of pace, and look-aways, Penicheiro had a level of game awareness that we can attribute to few point guards - male or female - in this generation. 

So I fully understand why people are resistant to saying Gonzaga's Courtney Vandersloot has the best court vision ever and why there's an impulse to temper claims about her - plenty of great point guards have come through the women's college basketball ranks and Seattle fans have among the best ever.

However, what makes Vandersloot unique is a combination of passing and scoring efficiency that is simply unheard of. As the only college point guard ever to cross the 2000 points, 1000 assists threshold, at the very least we can say that her place in college basketball history might be as the player who exhibits the best balance of scoring and playmaking.

And in a Chicago Sun-Times article written by Tina Akouris, Chicago Sky coach and general manager Pokey Chatman had no absolutely reservations in making more lofty claims about the 5'8" point guard whose draft prospects nearly everyone doubted prior to the season.

Sky’s Pokey Chatman elated to snag Courtney Vandersloot - Chicago Sun-Times
Vandersloot was too enticing to Sky first-year coach/general manager Pokey Chatman.

"She’s the total package at the premier position," Chatman said. "Many play the point. Courtney owns it. Her ability is not only being able to finish the break, but how she initiates it. She can be a deep, moving outlet, peek at the rim and still be in total control."

Of course, coaches are bound to be as hyperbolic on draft day as a kid is on Christmas morning when it seems like that freshly unwrapped toy is the best in the universe. But the thing about Vandersloot is that none of the praise is really that exaggerated - there are few point guards anywhere about which we can describe in the way Chatman described Vandersloot.

The only downside of Vandersloot going as high as she did is that she will only return to Washington to play once a year when the Eastern Conference Sky make their trip to KeyArena. But if you missed her in KeyArena in December when Gonzaga played NCAA runner-up Notre Dame, in Hec Ed during the 2010 NCAA tournament, or over in Spokane, it's worth catching a glimpse of her when she comes to play the Seattle Storm on September 11 this summer.

As with any player drafted to play professional basketball, Seattle Storm first round pick Jasmine Thomas is excited about the possibility of playing for the WNBA champs and learning from Sue Bird.

"Being selected by the Storm is a dream come true," said Jasmine Thomas in a Storm release. "Sharing this experience with my family and coaches has been amazing and I am ready to do whatever it takes to make the team. I also look forward to learning from Seattle’s great players, including Sue Bird, Lauren Jackson and Swin Cash."

However, even though the Storm were pleasantly surprised to find Thomas at that spot, making the team will be a tall order when considering all those great players they already have. And that might be even more difficult for second round pick Ify Ibekwe, who was listed on Swish Appeal's mock draft as a first round pick possibility for the Storm.

STORM: Storm Happy to Add Thomas, Two Others
"We talked about Ify being a possibility even at No. 12, so it was nice to get somebody we considered at that spot later on in the draft," Agler said. "Krystal gives us some size in training camp. It will be interesting to see her come in and compete for a spot."

Ibekwe had an accomplished career at Arizona, including a Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year award, as described in a Storm release.

She was twice named the Pac-10 Player of the Week during the regular season. For postseason awards, she was named the Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year, All-Pac-10 and a member of the Pac-10 All-Defensive team. In the awards given out by the Pac-10 media, Ibekwe was named All-Pac-10 and a member of the All-Pac-10 Defensive Team.

Ibekwe ended her collegiate career as the only player in Arizona history to record 1,000-plus points and 1,000-plus rebounds and the only player to average a career double-double (14.3 points, 10.3 rebounds). She is Arizona's career leader in rebounds with 1,194 and career leader in double-doubles with 55.

With their second and third picks, the Seattle Storm chose to go big selecting Arizona's 6-foot-2 forward Ify Ibekwe 24th overall to close the second round and 6'5" center Krystal Thomas 36th overall as the last pick in the third round and the draft.

Seattle basketball fans might be familiar with Ibekwe from her most days of lighting up the Washington Huskies in Hec Ed, both with her rebounding and scoring. For the Storm, her ability to step out and hit the 3-point shot (42.4%) will be essential to show the versatility to challenge for a roster spot on a veteran-laden championship team. Ibekwe nearly averaged a double-double with 16.1 points per game and 9.8 rebounds per game.

Thomas was an excellent defender at Duke, but the question will be whether she is able to do enough offensively to truly have a shot at making the team.

With the drafting of Jasmine and Krystal Thomas in addition to the signing of Bridgette Mitchell as a free agent recently, the Storm will have a trio of Duke players in camp this year.

Mitchell Signs Training Camp Contract With Seattle - Duke University Blue Devils | Official Athletics Site - GoDuke.com
A 6-1 wing, Mitchell graduated from Duke in 2010. She averaged 8.4 points and 4.6 rebounds as a senior. Mitchell started 43 of 131 games played over her career and was one of Duke's all-time best offensive rebounders as she pulled down 276 over her four-year career.

It's difficult to find a better shooter than Tennessee Lady Vols wing Angie Bjorklund at 45% this past season.

And as she joins Courtney Vandersloot with the Chicago Sky this season, she has a chance to make the roster as someone to help spread the court as a target for guards off drives and viable kick out options for their post players, including 15th pick Carolyn Swords.

The issue for Bjorklund is what else she can do for a team.

2011 WNBA Draft: How Should We Evaluate The Draft Stock Of "Glue Players" Like Melissa Jones? - Swish Appeal
...she quite clearly projects as a long-range specialist with a 45.3% three point percentage in 27 games this year (although the numbers in the table above are only from her 21 starts before her injury). She has a great sense of spacing and can get her shot off relatively well. Defensively, she is the type of player who will make good decisions within a team concept. Her scoring is down this year, but yours would be too if you were playing with a player like freshman gunner Meighan Simmons who used up a team-high 30% of the possessions during Bjorklund's 21 starts.

However, outside of that, her numbers speak to that of a jump shooter - although she shoots nearly 80% from the free throw line, she doesn't get to the line often and is almost as strong a three point shooter as two point shooter meaning that ultimately, she's primarily a spot up or jump shooting player. Although it's been noted that she's not a mistake-prone ball handler, she's not exactly an efficient playmaker statistically from the wing either.

But overall, to have three Washington natives selected in the top 17 picks is a testament to how much talent exist in the area, albeit rather surprising.

There was really no way to predict who the Seattle Storm might select with their first round pick, but many fans were concerned about the point guard situation with Svetlana Abrosimova leaving and that's the direction Brian Agler went.

The Storm selected Duke Blue Devils point guard Jasmine Thomas with the first round draft pick and she was definitely considered one of the most talented guards in the draft.

WNBA Draft 2011 Prospect Capsule: Jasmine Thomas – "She Means What She Says & She Leads By Example" - Swish Appeal
A combo guard with good size and strength, Jasmine Thomas really carried a heavy load for Duke this season. As a senior captain, Thomas not only helped bring along a talented group of freshmen, but she was also the leader in scoring, assists, and minutes played. While she is only 5'9, she is physically strong, and has no problem shedding defenders while driving the lane. Duke's post players have struggled offensively, so it's a bit of an unknown how her ability to penetrate and lay the ball off will develop in the pros.

The question is where she fits in the Storm's rotation or if she fits. For all the concern about their backcourt, Sue Bird can play extensive minutes and Agler is not afraid to play Tanisha Wright at point and seems comfortable with Erin Phillips there as well.

The first round of the WNBA Draft has been very kind to prospects from Washington state, with Courtney Vandersloot a lottery pick and now Tacoma native Alex Montgomery surprisingly being selected 10th by the New York Liberty.

Swish Appeal writers figured her as a second round pick and she was never really considered among the top prospects, but what she offers a New York team led by new coach John Whisenant is defense on the wing for his "White Line Defense".

Time to Dance: Georgia Tech - Swish Appeal
Never has a team been more suited to its name than the frenetic, pesky, and occasionally painful Yellow Jackets. They cause a lot of turnovers and they commit a lot of turnovers. High-scoring senior forward Alex Montgomery is the star of the show, putting up 14 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.

The question mark about Montgomery has to begin with her relatively low shooting percentages at the college level, which make her immediate impact as definitely on the defensive end.

Gonzaga's Courtney Vandersloot didn't have to wait long to figure out where she'll be playing professionally.

After the Tulsa Shock selected Australian Liz Cambage second, the Sky wasted no time in selecting the best point guard on the board.

With Chicago having a number of other guards as well, now you also have to wonder about how Chicago balances those their guard rotation.

More notes on Vandersloot from Swish Appeal:

WNBA Draft 2011 Prospects: How Much Better Is Courtney Vandersloot Than Other Point Guards? - Swish Appeal
Against Stanford, Vandersloot used 28.30% of her team's possessions which is just above her 26.79% rate for the season. She had a strong true shooting of 60.56% - including 3-for-5 shooting from 3-point land - and a free throw rate of 33.33%, both of which were close to her scoring efficiency levels for the season (her pre-tournament true shooting percentage was 56.80%, while her free throw rate was 32.02%). But naturally, with her assuming responsibility for 70% of the team's statistical production (45% above normal), her assist ratio was 5% lower than the norm at 29.37%. No problem: committing only one turnover in 38 minutes of play against Stanford's suffocating zone defense was good for a pure point rating of 12.82. As astounding as that number is, it was only marginally above her season pure point rating of 11.63.

In short, most video game player creators wouldn't even allow you to make a player that efficient - to lead a team in scoring and assists for a night is one thing. To do both extremely efficiently is another. To do it for an entire season at about that same level is almost mind boggling.

In a move that's been expected for quite some time, the Minnesota Lynx selected UConn's Maya Moore with the No. 1 pick in the 2011 WNBA Draft on Monday. Moore has been the most dominant player in college basketball throughout her career in Storrs, and was a no-brainer No. 1 pick in the draft. It's a game-changing pick for Minnesota, who have a franchise player to build around and someone who can step in and immediately command attention at the professional level in Moore.

Moore has won at every level, leading her high school team to three state championships before moving on to play for Geno Auriemma at Connecticut. All she did at UConn was lead her team to two consecutive NCAA Championships while racking up accolades along the way. Oh, and there was that record winning-streak, which measured 90 games before Stanford finally ended it in Palo Alto this past season.

In 2011, Moore won her second Wooden Award -- her first came in 2009 -- as college basketball's most outstanding player, capping her career at Connecticut with a plethora of awards and honors. She did not, however, finish her career with a win after UConn was upset by Notre Dame in the Final Four, denying Moore and the Huskies a chance for a third-straight NCAA title.

Stay tuned to our WNBA Draft storystream for updates on the Storm's pick and Swish Appeal for running analysis of the entire draft.

The WNBA Draft takes place on Monday afternoon, live from the ESPN campus in Bristol, Connecticut. With the draft approaching, it’s time for one last look at the draft order as it stands now. Keep in mind, the order is subject to change and will be fluid throughout the draft as teams wheel and deal. The Seattle Storm pick 12th in the first round by virtue of their 2011 WNBA Championship.

Here are the first two rounds of the draft. The Minnesota Lynx select first, and it’s no secret who they’ll be picking. Expect to hear Maya Moore’s name called almost immediately after the draft begins.

First round
1. Minnesota Lynx
2. Tulsa Shock
3. Chicago Sky
4. Minnesota Lynx (trade from Connecticut)
5. Los Angeles Sparks
6. San Antonio Silver Stars
7. Tulsa Shock (trade from Phoenix)
8. Atlanta Dream
9. Indiana Fever
10. New York Liberty
11. Washington Mystics
12. Seattle Storm

Second round
13. Minnesota Lynx (trade from Tulsa via Connecticut)
14. Minnesota Lynx
15. Chicago Sky
16. Connecticut Sun
17. Chicago Sky (trade from Los Angeles)
18. Atlanta Dream (trade from San Anotonio)
19. Phoenix Mercury
20. San Antonio Silver Stars (trade from Atlanta)
21. Tulsa Shock (trade from Indiana)
22. New York Liberty
23. Washington Mystics
24. Seattle Storm

A full draft order can be found over at ESPN. For more on the 2011 WNBA Draft in its entirety, check out Swish Appeal’s WNBA Draft 2011 section complete with profiles of all of the top picks as well as some of the top prospects by position. Click here for a full mock draft and how Courtney Vandersloot’s selection may impact other teams

Not only did the Seattle Storm dominate the league in historic fashion on their way to their second WNBA championship, but they didn't exactly lose a whole lot either.

So while that means they have no chance at the top prospects in today's WNBA Draft, it also means that the Storm have the luxury of simply taking the best available player to them. As Seattle Times reporter Jayda Evans reports, it's also a luxury that means coach Brian Agler might not even decide to keep the pick.

Storm | Storm hopes WNBA draft talent pool runs deep | Seattle Times Newspaper
In three seasons with Seattle, Agler hasn't given rookies significant minutes nor retained them past their first season. He selected guard Alison Lacey (Iowa State) last year, but she chose to remain in her native Australia to try out for her national team this summer.

Agler would like to draft length on Monday. Potential additions include Tacoma native Alex Montgomery (6-1, Georgia Tech), Jessica Breland (6-3, North Carolina) or Jeanette Pohlen (6-0, Stanford).

Swish Appeal's latest mock draft has the Storm selecting Stanford Cardinal point guard Jeanette Pohlen, but it's extremely difficult to know who they're going to pick and to some extent their pick is merely ceremonial - Lacey was generally regarded as the best point guard (in a weak draft) last year and hardly played.

But there could be countless options from Boston College center Carolyn Swords to any number of other guards to someone who makes a surprise fall to number 12.

Stay tuned to this storystream for updates on the Storm's pick and Swish Appeal for running analysis of the entire draft.

While Gonzaga point guard Courtney Vandersloot has drawn the majority of draft attention, two other players with local ties could have a shot at having their name called in the WNBA Draft.

Spokane native (University High School) Angie Bjorklund, who completed a decorated career with Pat Summitt and the Tennessee Lady Vols, has probably been a more closely watched prospect than Vandersloot over the course of her career and will very likely be drafted, perhaps somewhere in the mid-second to third round.

Contributors at SBN's Swish Appeal pegged Bjorklund as the fourth-best shooting guard prospect, although there was neither any agreement nor who's the top shooter prospect nor how many of them would even be drafted.

WNBA Draft 2011 Shooting Guard Prospect Rankings - Swish Appeal
We had her everywhere from the best shooting guard of this group to a non-prospect and pretty much nothing in between.

At 6'0", she has WNBA wing size and the skills to be an effective role player as a spot up shooter with a 45.10% 3-point percentage. Yet perhaps the reason for concern about Bjorklund lies with her inefficiency in creating her own shot at the college level: her usage percentage of 17.36% was the third-lowest among this group and both her free throw rate (9.50%) and 2-point percentage (41.00%) are the lowest, which indicate that she was very inefficient when trying to get things done inside the arc and that's not to mention her 3.20% offensive rebounding percentage.

Working in Bjorklund's favor are two things: first, she has a solid reputation having played at Tennessee and second she's the best spot up shooter in this draft. Last season, Mississippi's Bianca Thomas snuck into the first round (before being cut without playing a game) because the Los Angeles Sparks were in desperate need of perimeter scoring. It's not inconceivable that something similar could happen with Bjorklund with a team looking for shooting reaching for a name women's basketball fans know.

Also in the mix among shooting guard prospects is Gonzaga's Janelle Bekkering, who Swish Appeal contributors ranked sixth.

WNBA Draft 2011 Shooting Guard Prospect Rankings: Where Jeanette Pohlen Might Fit Best As A Pro - Swish Appeal
Bekkering is an intriguing prospect in that it seems that she could have more room for growth in the right situation and as she also gets more international experience with the Canadian National Team.

She might be among the better defenders of this group and among the more athletic, which bode well for her possibly making a training camp roster and impressing a coach. Perhaps most surprising is her 2-point percentage of 60.13%, second-highest among this group, which helped her to the third-highest true shooting percentage in this group at 59.88%.

Tacoma native Alex Montgomery is also in the draft mix after a solid career at Georgia Tech and her rebounding and athleticism have led Swish Appeal contributors to consider her a second round prospect.

2011 WNBA Draft Prospects: Major, Mid-Major, Independent & NAIA Players To Watch - Swish Appeal
While many of her numbers point to a somewhat fringe draft prospect on the wing, Montgomery is certainly not lacking for athleticism and her rebounding - she leads a solid Georgia Tech team with 8.5 per game - makes her someone that is certainly worth a look.

As a wing who might need to improve her outside shot to stick on a WNBA roster (she shot 40% from the field this season), there's a strong likelihood that she'll be drafted by the Atlanta Dream, who have established a strong relationship with Georgia Tech and might find a local draw appealing.

Another lesser-known prospect is Seattle University's Breanna Salley who hasn't played since the Redhawks moved up to Division I, but was at the 14th Annual Women's Pro-Am Invitational Free Agent Basketball Camp during Final Four weekend. Although it was a limited sample and one of those free-wheeling guard dominated affairs, Salley's length enabled her to get a few fast break-triggering steals and defensive stops. Offensively, she showed the ability to get her own shot and has legitimate 3-point range and the size to shoot it over defenders. Salley will be more of an unknown quantity because of her lack of Division I experience, but she has the physical tools and skills to get into a training camp and challenge for a roster spot.

We'll have updates on all of these players if/when they are drafted in this storystream, but stay tuned to Swish Appeal for running updates of the entire draft as it unfolds.

At the beginning of this season, there was almost no way anyone would have considered Gonzaga Bulldogs pointg guard Courtney Vandersloot a lottery pick.

But after an outstanding tournament performance and enough accolades for two or three people, it seems as though she could go as high as third to the Chicago Sky and as low as sixth to the San Antonio Silver Stars. Any lower than that would be mild surprise, but there are plenty of options as described in Swish Appeal's final first round mock draft.

And ultimately, the Sky's decision could send a small and perhaps anticipated ripple effect through the first round.

WNBA Draft 2011: Swish Appeal's Final First Round Mock Draft & Pivotal Picks - Swish Appeal
Who will the Chicago Sky pick at #3? We have learned that the Sky are leaning toward point guard Courtney Vandersloot, but could select Amber Harris, who former coach Steven Key was intrigued by last season (when Harris decided to stay in school). If they go with Vandersloot, things could turn out the way we have them here. If they go with Harris, Minnesota will have a few options and Vandersloot could fall to - but likely no lower than - the San Antonio Silver Stars.

At first glance, the Sky is a curious fit for a point guard: they have drafted point guards in the past two seasons after drafting 6'6" center Sylvia Fowles in 2008 and would have a rather crowded backcourt with players who can't really "play up" as a small forward. However, what Vandersloot offers is a true pass-first distributor that their current players simply aren't. That could mean a trade is imminent, but as of right now, each of those players offers something very different.

For a full breakdown of what Vandersloot offers with interviews from Gonzaga coach Kelly Graves and ESPN analyst Kara Lawson, check out Swish Appeal's draft capsule.

WNBA Draft 2011 Prospect Capsule: Courtney Vandersloot - "She’s mesmerizing." - Swish Appeal
Courtney Vandersloot proved herself to be, in the words of ESPN's Kara Lawson, "the best point guard in the country, and it's not even close." The numbers are only partially inflated by the high speed, run and run some more offense Gonzaga uses, but there is no denying that Courtney handles the ball exceedingly well. Her size and strength will be a factor, as even Gonzaga coach Kelly Graves admits that she was bigger and stronger at the start of the season than the end.

For more on the 2011 WNBA Draft in its entirety, check out Swish Appeal's WNBA Draft 2011 section complete with profiles of all of the top picks as well as some of the top prospects by position. Click here for a full mock draft and how Vandersloot's selection may impact other teams.

On Monday, women's college basketball's brightest stars will hear their names called and find out where they'll be playing professionally at the 2011 WNBA Draft. From no-brainer No. 1 pick Maya Moore to Gonzaga's Courtney Vandersloot, the 2011 WNBA Draft class is loaded with talent, as teams rebuild and reload through the process. Draft days are always a time of excitement for fans, and with plenty of recognizable faces and a talent-laden group, Monday will be no exception.

Here's a look at the vital information for Monday's WNBA Draft.

Location: The WNBA Draft is set to take place at the studios of ESPN, live in Bristol, Connecticut. It's a fitting location, in some ways, as Maya Moore, from Storrs, Connecticut, will come off the board first during Monday's draft.

Start time: It's a midday start for the WNBA Draft as coverage begins at noon here on the West Coast.

TV information: Since ESPN is hosting the draft, it'd make sense the networks flagship station would broadcast the proceedings. ESPN will have the coverage beginning at noon for fans tracking the action at home. If you're unable to get to a TV, the draft will also be broadcast online on ESPN3.

Prospects in attendance: Not surprisingly, Moore will be in attendance for the 2011 WNBA Draft. Vandersloot will also be joining her, along with Australia's Elizabeth Cambage, Ohio State's Jantel Lavender and Texas A&M's Danielle Adams, fresh off her 2011 national championship.

We'll be back with coverage throughout the day in our 2011 WNBA Draft StoryStream. Be sure to check back early and often for the latest news and picks as they happen. Head over the SB Nation's Swish Appeal for even more coverage of the draft from Bristol.