No Parker? No problem -- Fowles will amaze Sky faithful

Long before Wednesday's WNBA draft, Naperville native and Tennessee star Candace Parker was the No. 1 choice.

When the Chicago Sky ended up with the No. 2 pick, many fans lamented that the popular hometown girl wouldn't be able to help market the hometown team.

Maybe it won't matter.

LSU center Sylvia Fowles, who was chosen by the Sky after the Los Angeles Sparks made Parker the top pick, has shown a dynamic personality and electric smile that might be just as infectious with fans.

The pin-striped, mini top hat she wore Wednesday was a hint of her "silly, goofy" side. She loves to joke around and laughs when she admits, of all things, she loves to sew. A grandmother-type, however, she is not.

She can't wait to experience the fun of a Chicago summer and told me that when her mother suggested leaving Miami to move to Chicago with her, she had to put her foot down, even though she is so tight with her mother she calls her three times a day.

"Then she's going to be thinking she can tell me what to do in my house," Fowles laughed. "That's not going to work now."

Fowles also takes charge on the court. At 6-feet-6, she's one of the most dominant inside forces ever in women's college basketball. With a soft touch and nice hands, she can shoot the jumper, runs the floor well and is a determined rebounder and scary shot blocker.

Did I mention she dunks in games just like Parker does?

Fowles was asked at the Final Four -- where her LSU Tigers lost to Parker and Tennessee in the semifinals -- who was the best player in women's college basketball and she said, "Well, me."

I like that confidence. I like that Fowles doesn't want to take a back seat to Parker.

And why should she? Fowles has far too many All-American awards to count and was the Southeastern Conference player of the year this season -- ahead of Parker. She would have been the No. 1 pick in this draft if not for the long-evolving Parker mystique.

Whether Fowles puts fans in the stands at the UIC Pavilion like Parker probably would have remains to be seen. But I think that top hat she wore Wednesday was a symbolic choice.

The potential for magic is there.