Sky happy with draft picks

The Chicago Sky selected forward Cheyenne Parker from Middle Tennessee State with the fifth overall pick Thursday in the WNBA draft.

Head coach and general manager Pokey Chatman rounded out the Sky draft by picking Betnijah Laney from Rutgers (17th overall) and Aleighsa Welch from South Carolina (22nd overall) in the second round.

"We can't be more excited about the three that we chose, especially with that last pick with Aleighsa Welch," Chatman said. "We think she is an incredible player.

"Laney is extremely versatile. She's the type of player that can step out and guard a two, three or some of the smaller fours. And Parker, at 6-feet-4, is a nice body with good hands who can face up, pound it in the paint and will be a true complement to what we already have."

The 6-4 Parker will add depth and athleticism to the Sky frontcourt. During the 2014-15 season, Parker recorded ten 20-plus point games and 13 double-doubles. The versatile forward also set MTSU's season blocks mark and notched the first triple-double in school history with 18 points, 17 rebounds and 11 blocks against UTEP in January.

For the season she ranked among the top 20 players in Division I for offensive boards (first), triple-doubles (second), blocks (sixth), field-goal percentage (seventh), rebounds (16th), and double-doubles (20th). Parker also led Conference USA in blocked shots and was second in field-goal percentage at 58.8 percent.

Laney, a 6-foot guard/forward finished a successful career at Rutgers by being named AP all-American honorable mention and first-team All-Big Ten. Laney averaged 15.9 ppg and 10.7 rpg last season, including 20 double-doubles. With a 24-rebound performance against North Carolina, Laney set a Rutgers Athletic Center record as she surpassed women's Hall of Famer and former WNBA all-star Sue Wicks (21).

Welch was a 2015 All-SEC First Team selection and SEC tournament MVP who led Dawn Staley's South Carolina to the Final Four. The 6-foot forward earned AP all-American honorable mention in her junior and senior seasons.

In 2015, Welch was named SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year. She averaged 9.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists and recorded five double-doubles.

Parker, Laney and Welch will join the Chicago Sky when training camp opens May 17.