With Naperville's Parker, suburbs make history again

According to the Tennessee women's basketball media guide, Candace Parker is majoring in sports management with a minor in psychology.

I wonder if she also likes history.

You would think that, by default, she would be a big fan of it. After all, in her 21 years on this planet, the former Naperville Central hoops star turned women's basketball icon has certainly made a lot of history herself.

And she's about to make more -- right here in the suburbs.

Actually, Parker first made history here in the suburbs when she was a sophomore in high school. She dunked in a game, becoming the first Illinois girl to pull off such a feat.

There would be many more impressive firsts to follow.

At the McDonald's High School All-American Game festivities in 2004, she beat the boys to become the first woman to ever win a slam-dunk contest.

When she announced that she would be continuing her career at Tennessee, Parker did so via ESPNEWS. It marked the first time the oral college commitment of a female basketball player was televised nationally.

One she got to Tennessee, Parker kept blazing a trail.

As a sophomore, she became the first female basketball player -- collegiate or professional -- to dunk twice in one game. And last season, she became the youngest female to win the John R. Wooden Player of the Year award.

Parker's next entry in the history books?

She's going to make the Chicago suburbs No. 1 again.

Parker announced Thursday that she will forgo her fifth year of eligibility at Tennessee and enter April's WNBA draft.

Just like her announcement, which was a mere formality given that she will be graduating in May and had hinted at this idea for weeks, it's a foregone conclusion that Miss "First-To-Do-Everything" will be the first pick in the WNBA draft.

When that happens, Parker will be the first amateur athlete from the Chicago suburbs to be taken with the No. 1 pick in a major professional draft in nearly 38 years. And, from what I was able to dig up, that includes the NBA, NFL, NHL and Major League Baseball.

(For the record, though, former Mount Prospect baseball slugger Dave Kingman rejected two lower draft offers in 1967 and 1968 before he signed in 1970 when the San Francisco Giants selected him No. 1 overall in the Secondary Phase Draft that June. And Buffalo Grove soccer star Brian McBride spent a year as a pro with a German team before he was taken No. 1 in the first MLS Draft in 1996.)

Upon hearing that Parker had finally made her decision about leaving Tennessee official, Anne Donovan, the coach of the U.S. women's Olympic basketball team, said: "I know L.A. is dancing in the streets right now."

Why?

Well, the Los Angeles Sparks have the No. 1 pick in the 2008 WNBA draft -- literally a lottery pick, if you will. And they know that the 6-foot-4 Parker is far from a dunking novelty act.

She can do it all -- and has. She can shoot from outside, handle the ball like a guard and bang in the paint.

And with her name, history of dunking, and People Magazine-endorsed good looks (she was named one of the magazine's most beautiful people last year), she's a marketing department's dream.

Imagine what she could do for the fledging Chicago Sky if she returned home to play here.

Getting Parker could mean no more sub-.500 records, and no more sparse crowds at the UIC Pavilion for home games.

But Chicago is the bridesmaid and will pick No. 2. Realistically, Sky officials can only dream.

Unless they somehow put together the mother of all deals.

I talked with head coach Bo Overton and team president Margaret Stender back in October when they landed the No. 2 pick, and both said that they would love to do everything in their power to get Parker in Chicago.

"I have to be a little diplomatic with this one because I really like my players. I like my team," Overton said at the time. "But we're going to do a lot of things to get in line to get that (No. 1) pick. We want to do what's best for this franchise and this city.

"(Parker) is that good of a player."

Don't worry: Sky fans, take heart. Even if the Sky isn't able to finagle a deal to pry Candace Parker away from the Los Angeles Sparks, the team will be just fine.

With the No. 2 pick, they'll choose 6-foot-6 LSU center Sylvia Fowles, who can also dunk the basketball and is averaging 17.1 points and 9.8 rebounds per game.

Certainly, it would be great to get Parker. But adding an equally athletic Fowles to a team that already has all-star Candice Dupree and WNBA rookie-of-the-year Armintie Price in the fold, the Sky should be a lock for the playoffs this summer and will have a good nucleus for many years to come.

WNBA draft history

Naperville native Candace Parker officially made herself eligible for the WNBA draft on Thursday. She will likely be the No. 1 pick. Here are the other No. 1 picks in WNBA history.

1997: Tina Thompson, Houston

After all these years, and four straight WNBA titles, she's still going strong.

1998: Margo Dydek, Utah

At 7-foot-2, Dydek is the tallest player in WNBA history and a force for the Connecticut Sun.

1999: Chamique Holdsclaw, Washington

Before Parker, there was Holdsclaw, the first woman to be billed the Michael Jordan of the women's game. She abruptly retired last summer.

2000: Ann Wauters, Cleveland

She played only two seasons in the WNBA and has played in Europe since. She might return to the league this summer.

2001: Lauren Jackson, Seattle

She's the best right now. A five-time all-WNBA first teamer, she was named the most valuable player in the league last summer.

2002: Sue Bird, Seattle

This high-energy point guard is one of the league's most popular players and one of the best floor generals in the women's game.

2003: LaToya Thomas, Cleveland

Probably the least accomplished of all the No. 1 picks, Thomas has still had a solid WNBA career, averaging 10.3 points over four seasons.

2004: Diana Taurasi, Phoenix

Taurasi is a scoring machine with great range. She has averaged more than 19 points over her WNBA career.

2005: Janel McCarville, Charlotte

She started off slow, but has been driving in the fast lane ever since she was picked up by the New York Liberty. League's most improved player last season.

2006: Seimone Augustus, Minnesota

With size and quickness, she can put up the points. Named the league's top rookie in 2006.

2007: Lindsey Harding, Phoenix (traded to Minnesota)

She's savvy and smart but didn't quite have a dream season last summer. She tore up her knee in July and sat the rest of the way.

-- Patricia Babcock McGraw

Top-notch trades

How likely is it that the Los Angeles Sparks will trade away the No. 1 pick in April's WNBA draft -- and a shot to land Tennessee's Candace Parker?

Well, not very. Trading away No. 1 picks isn't a very popular practice in sports. Consider the NBA, where a No. 1 pick has been traded away only three times since 1980.

1980: Boston trades No. 1 pick (Joe Barry Carroll) to Golden State for No. 3 pick (Kevin McHale) and Robert Parish.

1986: Philadelphia trades No. 1 pick (Brad Daugherty) to Cleveland for Roy Hinson and others.

1993: Orlando trades No. 1 pick (Chris Webber) to Golden State for No. 3 pick (Penny Hardaway) and three first round picks.

No. 1 trivia test

Q. Who was the last Chicagoan to be selected No. 1 in a professional basketball draft?

A. DePaul's Mark Aguirre, who starred at Westinghouse High School in Chicago. He was selected No. 1 in the 1981 NBA draft by the Dallas Mavericks.