WNBA DRAFT

April 7, 2022

Rebecca Lobo

LaChina Robinson

Q. I'm curious from both of you, Aari McDonald was a player that last season impressed a lot of people in the tournament. I'm curious as to who you believe might be like her this season, that her tournament performance sort of put her on the map, and what player do you expect to make that type of splash potentially into the lottery like McDonald did?

LaCHINA ROBINSON: I can start. I definitely think Destanni Henderson of South Carolina. Her stock went way up. I think whenever you have a player that can show up on the big stage when their number is called or their team needs some momentum, that's exciting for WNBA coaches and GMs, someone that can perform at a high level under the bright lights.

We knew she was quick. You know about her leadership at the point guard spot and how fast she is. She changes the game on both ends, both defensively and offensively. But I think her ability to knock down the three-point shot is something that definitely catches the eye of GMs and coaches and the league and what she can do at the next level.

REBECCA LOBO: I completely agree with that, without question. She's a player who improved her stock. I'll add that every time there was a big game this season, she stepped up and played well and disrupted things on both ends of the floor.

The other player I would say is Emily Engstler. She had a great tournament. She had a great run. The steals that she averaged in the NCAA Tournament was ridiculous. She kind of showed everybody that she's the most disruptive defensive player in women's college basketball, and her ability to also do it in big moments was really impressive.

So I think those are the two players that the tournament helped the most.

Q. I just wanted to get a little bit of evaluation on Nyara Saably coming out of Oregon.

REBECCA LOBO: I don't mind taking that one first. Nyara is loaded with talent. The biggest question is her health. She has injury history. I think people are questioning how healthy she is. I think that's going to be a big factor in terms of where she's taken, but she's certainly skilled. She's got the size, she's got the skill, she can face up, head out to three, she's got the moves inside. Needs to finish a little bit better but can get there. Certainly loaded with talent.

I think the only thing that might hold her back a little bit is the question in terms of her injury.

LaCHINA ROBINSON: Rebecca pretty much summed it up there. Obviously with the injury and obviously mobility is important in the WNBA, and can she move and get out defensively and high hedge when needed. I think she's not quite yet back into prime game shape coming off of that injury, either. So loads of talent.

I remember being at Oregon and everyone was talking about Nyara, Nyara. Satou was still there at the time, and how she was just as good and could be better potentially than her sister as a pro. So very talented.

Q. Rebecca, obviously people focus on the tournament because the draft is so close to the tournament. But how much, as you guys have kind of evaluated over the years, do you almost have to try to block the tournament out and kind of look at the full scope of a player and try not to, I guess, have the recency bias of what we've seen, either good or bad, inform decision-making?

REBECCA LOBO: Well, I mean, certainly the teams have done their due diligence. There was a huge presence, whether it was GMs or coaches or whatever, when I was calling the games early in the season back at the Mohegan Sun when Baylor and Louisville and UConn and Michigan were there. It's not just their last year there, but certainly the WNBA scouts have been doing this evaluation.

In terms of the NCAA Tournament, I think people want to see what you do in the big moments and what you do in the big moments in the regular season, can you do those in the big moments in the tournament, as well.

But to your point, coaches, scouts, GMs, they're not just basing it on what they've seen in the tournament. They are watching not only the entire season but they're watching the entire careers of these young women. It's a big investment. It's a big investment, especially in the WNBA when there are so few roster spots.

LaCHINA ROBINSON: Yeah, I would agree. It definitely doesn't hurt you to perform well in the NCAA Tournament just because that is the biggest stage. I guess I will add to that that losing early I think does hurt you because then we don't get to watch you as long on that stage. Who didn't want to see like a Rhyne Howard in a Final Four situation? It gives you a chance to see how tough these players are, not only physically but mentally, when all the bright lights with on.

Q. You just brought up Rhyne Howard there, but I wanted to ask both of you guys about Rhyne and just as she gets ready to begin her career as a pro, where do you guys think her game is right now in terms of traits that are already at a WNBA level and where you think she could still stand to improve once she gets selected on Monday night?

LaCHINA ROBINSON: I can start with that one. Rhyne is a pro. She's a game changer. She's an elite talent. When you look at all the different things she can do on the basketball court, she can score it from three, she has a pull-up game, she can get to the rim. There really just isn't anything else from a scoring standpoint that you could ask for. She doesn't need a lot of space to get her shot off or a lot of time. That's important for a fast-paced league like the WNBA.

As far as improvement, I think just continuing to increase her sense of urgency on the court is something that I'm definitely looking forward to. Then at the next level when you're guarding the best players in the world, I think every rookie could stand to improve on the defensive end.

REBECCA LOBO: I'll just add quickly, it's so important to be able to run the pick-and-roll. Rhyne Howard showed that she is excellent in that throughout her college career. Whether it's looking for her own shot, she's a very good passer, her ability to find her open teammates. Because of her size, she can play multiple positions.

And yeah, same, in terms of area of improvement, can that motor go consistently and really hard every single night. But it's going to be exciting to see what she can do surrounded by WNBA-level talent. I think everyone is kind of eager to see what that's going to look like.

Q. With the 12 prospects who will be attending the WNBA Draft on Monday, which player do you feel is the most pro ready? And the second part of that is with Washington trading with the Atlanta Dream for that first pick, what is your order of one, two, three in the draft on Monday?

REBECCA LOBO: I can start with the second part of that question. I think one, two, three is going to look (Rhyne) Howard, (NaLyssa) Smith, Shakira Austin. It just feels like that's what it's going to be with the teams who are picking where they are.

Then in terms of the player who's most pro ready, I think both of the top two, if it goes in that way. I think Rhyne Howard, in particular offensively because of her experience playing a certain style of play, her game is very pro ready, and I think NaLyssa Smith because of what she can do. Rebounding translates. Getting out in transition and running and playing hard and having a relentless motor, those are all things that are going to translate.

There will be a little bit of a learning curve, of course, as there are for all players. But I think those two immediately will have minutes, especially if they go to those two teams, where they will have a lot of opportunity to play and will have a chance to feel their way through.

LaCHINA ROBINSON: I would agree on the order of one, two, three. As far as pro ready, I think numbers one, two, three are all around pro ready. But then you have some prospects that are more ready in certain aspects of the game, like Emily Engstler and Veronica Burton on the defensive end are pro ready. It just kind of depends on what the specialty may be of that player. Naz Hillmon is pro ready in terms of her effort and how hard she plays. Once you get past those top three, I think readiness just depends on role and specificity.

Q. You just mentioned Veronica Burton, and I'm curious where you guys see her as a WNBA player and kind of what she'll bring to the table.

LaCHINA ROBINSON: I can start on Veronica. Just impressed with her overall game. Extremely high basketball IQ. She's a consummate professional, floor general, leader, everything you would want from your point guard position. Game changer defensively. Like really special on that end of the floor and how she can disrupt. She can knock down the three. She's got good size at 5-9. I think she has impressed in particular on the USA Basketball level of things and gotten a chance to play internationally in front of a lot of different coaches. Nothing but great praise for Veronica. I definitely think that WNBA GMs and coaches see her as a really solid backup point guard option in this league.

REBECCA LOBO: Yeah, everything that LaChina said. Her ability to be disruptive and good on the defensive end of the floor is without question. As a result, you would expect her to be one of the top guards taken at least in terms of for teams who need that and looking, whether it's mid to late first round, early second round.

Q. With what we just discussed about the NCAA Tournament and how losing early could potentially hurt some prospects, I'm curious what you guys think about Queen Egbo and Jordan Lewis from Baylor who may be in Smith's shadow and where they might fall. And then on the flip side, from Texas, Joanne Allen-Taylor, who had a really phenomenal NCAA Tournament.

REBECCA LOBO: I don't think Baylor's early exit hurts either of those two players. Could it have helped them if they had stayed longer? Sure. But I think coaches kind of know what Queen Egbo and Jordan Lewis can give. I think what's really important is both of them had really strong second halves of the season. Jordan came along strong, Queen Egbo came along strong. People are intrigued by Egbo because of her size and athleticism and kind of her relentless nature she can have on the defensive end of the floor.

So those are two players, like specific to the NCAA Tournament, I don't think it necessarily hurt. I think the stronger body of what they did the second half of the season and the level with which they played the second half of the season is what has helped them.

LaCHINA ROBINSON: I'll just pop in on Joanne Allen-Taylor. Her relentlessness, and that's kind of obviously how Texas plays, but her relentlessness stands out right away in the way she just is tenacious on that end of the floor. She's got a mid-range game. She can penetrate to the rim.

Again, I keep going back to the defense. I think her shooting has to definitely be more consistent, especially from long range. But I don't think it hurt her at all, if that's what you were asking. She has some strengths that are very apparent to her game.

Q. You've mentioned Emily Engstler a few times, but I'm curious where you see her stock growing or kind of where you see her as a pro-ready player. And also Kianna Smith played behind Emily and even Hailey Van Lith, just where you might see her in terms of a pro player, as well.

LaCHINA ROBINSON: Yeah, I can start with Emily. She's so unique. First and foremost, there aren't a lot of 6-1 wings. She can play the wing, play the 4. But in this draft, for various reasons, several decide to go back, there's some of the wings with injury coming in or like a Rae Burrell. So Emily is different in her size, her wingspan. I think you heard Jeff Walz compare her defensively in terms of her instinct to Angel McCoughtry, which is high praise.

She just has a knack for the basketball. She's great at reading defenses, anticipating. What we haven't seen as much that I think we will see in the WNBA is she actually has some more offense to her game, as well. This was a kid who was a McDonald's All-American who put in the work to get her body in shape, so we know she has the work ethic. She just can come in and change the complexion of a game with her defensive reads and her high-level understanding of the game of basketball at a very high level. Not to mention she can play multiple positions.

And as far as Kianna Smith, we've seen her really hit some big shots. I think her jump shot ability is what stands out most, when she's knocking down shots. She's also a really good playmaker, sees the floor well, high-level understanding of the game, played some point guard, so I think that helps her in how she approaches just the overall team aspects. But if she's knocking down shots, she's a player that I think could be exciting, especially with her size, as well.

Q. Curious if you have your eye on anyone who might be a mid to late second-round or even third-round draft steal.

REBECCA LOBO: That's a really hard one because when you get to mid to late second-round teams, I don't know that they have space to keep players. We talk about this every year and how difficult it is to make a roster in the WNBA. We talk about the 144. Well, it's not 144. I think there are three teams at the start of the season who will be able to have 12 players on the roster. The rest are at 11.

It becomes harder and harder in the mid to late second rounds or even into third rounds to make a team simply because there might not be space. The appealing part, of course, for mid second round to late or third round is that your salary is a little bit more desirable. But in terms of specific players in those spots, I don't have a name for you.

LaCHINA ROBINSON: Yeah, I mean, I think what Rebecca said is right. It's just hard once you get later to make a WNBA roster, but I just think about players that are more versatile that can be plugged into various spots. I think that definitely helps.

I don't have a name for you, either, off the top of my head. I would just say that I think it gets incredibly hard as time goes on. But there are some players that you're not hearing about in the first round that I think could pop up as we see happen every year.

I'm looking at my list right now. I just think after one, two and three, we just don't really know exactly what could happen from there. Let me think of some. That's a good question. Let me go back to my list, and I'll have some before the end of the call. I promise I'll come back to it.

Q. I wanted your thoughts on Shakira Austin, what you like about her game, what you maybe think she needs to work on and how she kind of fits in the WNBA right now.

LaCHINA ROBINSON: I can start with that one. Really impressed with Shakira, first as a competitor, good size at 6-5, good mobility, balance, athleticism, all those things that are just important as you're making that jump to the next level.

She can create off of the bounce. She's got a pull-up from mid-range, rebounds out of position, good shot blocker. I think the thing with Shakira is she's made it clear that she does want a more perimeter-oriented position on the court, and I think she may have to be willing to play a little bit more inside to start her WNBA career and expand more outside as the game goes on.

When you think about the 4 position in particular in the WNBA, it's probably the toughest position in the league when you think about where our last few MVPs have been, whether it's a Breanna Stewart or an A'ja Wilson. That position is just incredibly tough.

She may have to play a little bit more inside as she hones her perimeter skills and works on her ball handling and consistency of outside shots. So that would be one thing I think she may have to do coming into the WNBA.

REBECCA LOBO: I'm just going to add quickly, watching players on film is very different from watching them in person. This year was the first time I covered Shakira in person and called a game, and just one game, but in that game there were multiple times where Ryan Ruocco and I were looking at each other and just saying, That was a pro move, That was a pro move. More than anybody else really, any other senior that we covered this year.

She just has the physical attributes, 6-5, has length and has athleticism. And when she catches the ball 15 feet and can either shoot it or drive on you, it looked like a pro player.

Little things, as well. She communicates a ton defensively. That's important. Not enough players talk enough on defense. Well, she does that.

She just has this incredible upside where you're thinking, all right, down the road could this kid be a perennial All-Star, and you think, yeah, with work and improvement and with the tools she's bringing in, she certainly could be that.

Q. I wanted to get your thoughts on Nia Clouden from Michigan State and how she really turned herself into a pro and what you see out of her at the next level.

REBECCA LOBO: Yeah, there's a lot of people talking about Nia Clouden. A lot of WNBA folks really like her and what she can bring to the game. Her ability to play the 1 or the 2, the ability to run the pick-and-roll and knock down shots, her three-point shooting getting better every year. And also her ability to get to the free throw line. That's something that can really translate.

You know, I think when you're talking about early in the draft some guards that could have impact and could get some minutes on a WNBA roster, she is certainly one that's being talked about a great deal.

Q. There's 108 players who decided to forgo college eligibility and enter a 36-player draft, and you alluded to how tough roster spots are to get in the WNBA. Is this a disturbing trend? What do you think about this trend? Is it fruitful for players to leave school and maybe just take their chances or go international? What are your thoughts on how many early entry candidates there are into this draft and the growing number?

LaCHINA ROBINSON: Yeah, I can start with that. Before I get to that question, I wanted to go back to the question because I did come up with a short list. I think she said possible second- or third-rounders. So I would say Aisha Sheppard, Olivia Nelson-Ododa, Mya Hollingshed, Vivian Gray, Maya Dodson. Those are some names for you. Sorry about that. I was over here trying to get my stuff together.

As far as players deciding to leave early, I'm not sure if the definition of what you're using it includes those who had eligibility on the table due to COVID. I totally understand players that felt like, hey, I've done my time in college, don't necessarily want the extra year. But yeah, I think everyone wants to see the WNBA expand and for there to be more teams.

There's definitely a lot of talent overall in the women's game. But I think before we even start having the conversation about expanding the league, or it seems like it's not something that's going to happen immediately, I think roster spots are a value. I think these rookies having an opportunity to make a roster and come in and being developed is the most important aspect of this because it's a huge jump from college to the WNBA.

I tell people all the time, they're two different games, in my opinion, because of the speed and the quickness. You're playing against women who have been playing in foreign countries, internationally, against different styles and have had to adapt and play multiple positions, and so their games are just grown.

So it's a big jump. And so while you look at that number and you're excited about the talent and young women saying, hey, I want to play at the next level, the most important aspect of that is making sure that they're ready and developed.

And something I often say is that the majority of college players can't spend enough time in college diversifying their games because when you get to the WNBA, it's just a whole 'nother level. So stay, work on those perimeter skills, if that's what it is, get stronger, do whatever you need to do because it's incredibly hard to make a roster in this league.

REBECCA LOBO: I'm going to quickly add on to that because I think LaChina is right. You have to define what it means to leave early. I don't know that we have that many early entrants in terms of players who only played three years and then are coming in. I completely understand players who were in college for four years and said, you know, now it's time for me to move on in life, whether that includes professional basketball or not.

And to add on to what LaChina was saying, we certainly would love to see the roster size expanded. As I said, only three teams are going to be at 12. The other nine will most likely be at 11. And we saw a game last year, I covered a game last year where Washington had six healthy players for a game on television. We showed the layup lines at the beginning of the game because it was just so striking how few players they had.

I think the next step for the league, whether it's -- I don't know how many it would be, but maybe you add two roster spots for practice players that you can dip into when you get to that situation when you have injury. You have those players who continue to develop.

Because the other piece of this conversation is overseas. As things get a little bit different overseas, will players be less willing to go play over there and therefore have less opportunity to refine their game in that way where they could really benefit if they had the time during the WNBA season to work on their games, even if they weren't a part of the active roster the entire season.

Q. I think LaChina mentioned Naz Hillmon earlier, and I was wondering your impressions of her impact at Michigan and how do you think she translates to this next level?

REBECCA LOBO: I can start with Naz. Naz is one of my favorite college players to watch. I love her motor. It's relentless. She works hard all of the time. It doesn't matter what the score is, if her team is up or her team is down. If she's on the court, she is always playing one way, and that's hard.

She does everything. Yes, we see the scoring. Yes, we see the rebounding. But the things that always got me is where she knows when to set the screen, to get her shooter open. She knows how to set that screen to get her shooter open. She knows what to do with her body to help other players be better. She makes everyone on her team better when she's on the floor.

The only problem with Naz is that she's 6-1. If she was doing all that she's doing in a 6-5 body, it would be an incredible. She would have an incredible ability to translate that from college to the pro game. The only question you hear about her is her size. Because she doesn't have a three-point shot, she is not all that willing to shoot from 15 feet out.

But an incredible college player who will continue to work. She's one who, if she can add some of those other things to her game, a face-up game or even extend out to three, she would have a long, healthy career in the WNBA. The question is this year and in the next couple of years what hindrance will her size be at her position.

Q. There was a question asked about Nia Clouden, but she is one of three Baltimore area players that could hear their name during the draft on Monday. The others are Mia Davis and Jasmine Dickey. I was wondering if you could assess Mia and Jasmine, and is there a common perception about players from Baltimore?

LaCHINA ROBINSON: I can definitely speak to the perception side of that. First of all, I think Rebecca and I have said multiple times on this call just the challenges of making a WNBA roster, and I think some of it comes with how robust the talent is in the league and the competitiveness and all those things. I think it's going to be tough for either one to make a roster. But when you think about Baltimore, I'm actually from Alexandria, Virginia, so I'm from what they consider the DMV. Baltimore is a little bit outside of that, but I think of Angel McCoughtry and just the toughness and the mentality of Angel, and she often talks about Baltimore and the background of her upbringing and kind of just her experience growing up in a place that she feels like prepared her for Louisville and prepared her for life.

No issues here when it comes to Baltimore, and I really am not someone who thinks that geography lends itself at all to feeling any sort of way about a player or thinking that it would have some impact, definitely not negatively, on their ability to play at the next level.

REBECCA LOBO: I'll just add quickly on Jasmine Dickey. She's a mid-major kid who should get drafted. I've been talking to people, a pro-level athlete who can clearly score, and the one question on her is can she score from the perimeter well enough. Good size, good length, great athlete. You would expect she would certainly be in a camp.

Q. Rebecca, I want to follow up on something you mentioned. You said seeing Shakira in person, it was more impressive than seeing her on TV. I was curious, being on the road this year, are there other players that when you saw them in person were more dominant, more dynamic, more impressive in person than their tape might have said?

REBECCA LOBO: I think one of those for me would be Destanni Henderson. It wasn't even just seeing her in person but kind of standing next to her. When you see her on the court, she isn't that tall. But when you're next to her, she is a strong, physical player. She is stronger and more physical than she even looks when she's just out there and you're watching tape.

Naz Hillmon would be another. Her strength, and when you see what she can do -- because a lot of times for me I'm assessing is their height accurate, are they actually what they are listed, and she's one where even though she's not all that tall, you're just impressed by what she's able to do on the floor.

NaLyssa Smith and her pursuit of rebounds. I think that translates pretty well when you're watching film. But when you see it in person and you see her go and attack as soon as the ball goes up, and her ability to see where it's coming off of the rim.

And Lorela Cubaj would be another one. I did the Georgia Tech-UConn game earlier this season. I did not realize until I saw her in person how big and strong she is physically.

Q. Following up a little bit on the tough odds of making a WNBA team, I'm curious to get your thoughts on how well you feel college players are prepped and just how tough those odds are as they're kind of thinking about their future and what it looks like. Also curious to get your thoughts on how being a WNBA draftee, even if you don't go on to play on a WNBA team, might help you secure a contract abroad.

LaCHINA ROBINSON: Yeah, I think it's tough to prepare players for the WNBA because you just don't even understand the speed, the quickness, the athleticism until you're in it. But I do think we have a ton of college coaches that have either been involved in the WNBA or USA Basketball or just have studied the sport and understand how to prepare their players mentally and physically for the next level.

I think in recent years, we've had coaches that have pitched that in recruiting, like we can help you be the next, say, Angel McCoughtry if you come to Louisville, because they have had players that have had success at the next level.

But I also feel that teaching more versatility on the college level helps, so even though said player may be a better 4 on your team, allowing them to expand their range at the 3 to the perimeter and really being intentional about that is something that we see more college coaches doing and taking into consideration what their players want to do next.

Does it help you overseas? Absolutely. Anytime you put WNBA on your resume as a draftee, it helps you overseas 100 percent. The league is very respected. The international game respects what happens here in the WNBA and vice versa. Being able to slap that on a piece of paper absolutely helps your stock internationally.

REBECCA LOBO: I'm going to attack that question a little bit differently in that I don't know how prepared or educated the players are on their ability to make a roster. You know, I can remember years ago when Tiffany Hayes was in the room and she fell, I think, to early in the second round to Atlanta. And I remember saying to her after the draft, because I knew she was disappointed to not go in the first round, saying, you went to a perfect fit for you. There's room on the roster for you, and you are perfect for their style of play.

Like if I'm a draftee in this first round, I'm hoping Indiana drafts me because there's room on their roster and there's an opportunity to play there, whereas there might be some other situations where first-rounders even or certainly early second-rounders might not make a roster.

And I don't know if the players understand that piece of it, that there are certain places you really -- you've got to hope that that team drafts you because they have room on their roster and there's an ability for you to play.

I don't know how aware the players are of that, but that goes hand in hand with what we've talked about multiple times in terms of just how few roster spots there are available.

Q. I heard you guys break down Shakira Austin, of course coming out of Ole Miss. There's another Mississippi prospect, Ameshya Williams-Holliday out of Jackson State. Y'all mentioned the difficulty of a second- or third-round pick. She's projected to go late third round, but a player of her accomplishments, what do you think that would mean from a kid from an HBCU to get the opportunity to make a team and kind of assessing what she could bring to a team and hopefully try to make one even though it's really competitive even being a late second- or third-rounder?

REBECCA LOBO: Well, that's the beauty of it. Say it's late second or early third round. Number one, you have a really appealing salary. But number two, once you get into camp, it's under your control at that point. We still have a situation where players, there are some overseas players returning late. If you're in a camp, you have an opportunity really to show what you can do. And hopefully, again, you get to a camp where a team either, one, needs your position and you have that chance, or number two, needs your position and your salary in order to make things work.

So for Ameshya or anyone who goes at that point of the draft, you get your foot in the door, now it's all up to you. Again, because of the salary cap, those positions, if you can really compete and make it hard in terms of how well you compete with some of those veterans, your salary is appealing, and that certainly works in your favor.

LaCHINA ROBINSON: Yeah, and as far as the HBCU aspect of that, I think we all remember Grambling and Shakyla Hill a couple years ago and how that just stirred up a conversation about women's basketball players that play at the HBCU level and where are they as far as being WNBA prospects.

I think when you look at Ameshya Williams-Holliday, she's SWAC Player of the Year, SWAC Defensive Player of the Year. I think her accolades speak for themselves. But even more broad than that is are we digging deep enough for talent. Just because these schools don't have as much showcase on the big stage doesn't mean that they don't have players that are capable of making a WNBA roster or shouldn't be in the conversation.

I think it just speaks to how Historically Black Colleges and Universities are continuing to grow their women's basketball programs and that they do need more spotlight before the NCAA Tournament as a 16 or 15 seed so we can start discussing their players that maybe should be on the front or the top of the minds of GMs and coaches when we're talking about the WNBA Draft.