Moore goes No. 1 in WNBA; Sky picks Gonzaga guard
Gonzaga has produced a Hall of Fame point guard before.
Time will tell if the tiny West Coast school goes 2-for-2.
Courtney Vandersloot, Gonzaga's star point guard of today, would love to follow in the footsteps of John Stockton, Gonzaga's star point guard of yesterday.
Oh, and by the way, the Chicago Sky wouldn't mind if that happened either.
On Monday, the Sky used the No. 3 pick in the 2011 WNBA draft to snap up the 5-foot-8 Vandersloot, a speedy, sharp-shooting, playmaking point guard who has spent time in the past working out with Stockton, who made plenty of plays himself over the course of his 19-year NBA career with the Utah Jazz.
Vandersloot, who was projected to be a top pick, was still a bit overwhelmed when she heard her name called.
“I'm so excited. But if someone would have told me a month ago that I would be the No. 3 pick in the WNBA draft, I probably would have laughed,” Vandersloot said. “I come from a really small school in Gonzaga. We're kind of in that (underdog) role. Plus, the Chicago Sky had to pass up some really great players to pick me.
“I'm very confident, and I think they made the right choice. But I'm still in a little bit of shock about it.”
Although many prognosticators figured the Sky would go for the size of someone like Xavier's 6-foot-5 Amber Harris to add depth around all-star center Sylvia Fowles, it's not a total eye-popper that Vandersloot got the call instead.
New head coach Pokey Chatman is a former point guard herself and loved what she saw in Vandersloot, who averaged 19.8 points and 10.2 assists per game this season in leading Gonzaga to an improbable march to the Elite Eight.
Vandersloot, who could form a dynamic backcourt for the Sky alongside second-year standout guard Epiphanny Prince, averaged 29 points over four NCAA Tournament games.
“At Gonzaga, they're not on ESPN all the time, so, yeah, Courtney probably was (flying under the radar nationally),” said Sky assistant coach Jeff House.
“But back when we first came on board in December and January and made a list of what our needs were, when we talked about point guard, we talked about Courtney Vandersloot,” House said. “You could take Courtney and put her at Stanford or at UConn or at Tennessee or at any of the premiere programs and we believe from watching her play that she would still do the same thing.”
In the second round, the Sky selected 6-6 center Carolyn Swords out of Boston College at No. 15, and Tennessee shooting guard Angie Bjorklund at No.17.
The Sky finished the draft in the third round by staying close to home, adding Northwestern center and former New Trier star Amy Jaeschke with 27th pick.