
To the surprise of nobody Brittany Griner went first in the 2013 WNBA draft, despite real speculation about Griner possibly being the first female in the NBA, she is making her way to the Phoenix Mercury.
Locally, the only athlete out of the area to get the call was Kentucky’s A’dia Mathies, who was selected tenth overall to the Los Angeles Sparks.
Meanwhile, on the NBA side teams are prepping for their draft which is scheduled June 27 and will air live at 7 on ESPN. The biggest story in the tourney, at least locally is who is widely considered the number one prospect Nerlens Noel.
After an ACL injury and one season with Kentucky which was less than stellar, Noel is still riding on potential going into the NBA. Ironically Noel was touted as the next Anthony Davis and received a great deal of fan fare upon his initial donning of the blue and white. In contrast, Noel quietly announced his entering of the draft.
According to ESPN draft expert Chad Ford, there are a few other area athletes to be looking out for; Ford’s number six for instance is Indiana’s Victor Oladipo, Indiana teammate Cody Zeller is ranked eleventh, also in the mix for the Hoosiers is Will Sheeheey and Christian Watford.
Louisville’s highest ranking is seventeen, Gorgui Dieng, the Cards’ powerhouse center.
Other possible drafts include Kentucky’s Willie Cauley-Stein, Archie Goodwin, Ryan Harrow, Kyle Wiltjer, and Alex Poythress.
Meanwhile after the Card’s NCAA championship victory, there has been notable attention paid to Louisville including serious looks at Russ Smith, Peyton Siva, Wayne Blackshear, Luke Hancock, Chane Behanan, and Montrezl Harrell.
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