Hi 79 / Lo 63
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Hi 79 / Lo 63 |
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Volume 69, Issue 130,
Friday, April 16, 2004
Sports
Jones ready for WNBA by Christian Schmidt
Saturday's WNBA Draft will go a long way toward determining Chandi Jones' future. The senior guard will probably be one of the first five or six picks, when she will find out where she will begin her professional career. One thing is almost certain; Jones won't be in Houston anymore. Barring unlikely events, Jones, who starred at Bay City High School before taking the short drive up to the University of Houston, will be making her professional home elsewhere. 
Pin Lim/The Daily Cougar That's because Jones won't be around by the time her hometown team makes its first pick. The Houston Comets, who traded away their first round selection this year, don't pick until the 26th overall pick. So unless Comets head coach Van Chancellor, a big fan of Jones, makes another trade to secure a higher pick, Jones will be packing her bags for the road. "I've grown up in the state of Texas, but I'm excited about seeing somewhere else and living by myself," Jones said. Jones, a slashing two-guard who improved her shooting immensely over her collegiate career, might be the best pure scorer in the draft. That having been said, she's still not well known nationally because Houston made the NCAA Tournament only once during her career. Indeed, in any other year, she might be the top prospect coming out of the college game. But this isn't any other year -- this year may have more talent coming into the draft than any in history. Connecticut guard/forward Diana Taurasi, perhaps the most successful college player in history, is expected to be the No. 1 pick to the Phoenix Mercury. Duke forward Alana Beard, a more versatile player than Taurasi but not as accomplished an offensive player or leader, will probably be the No. 2 pick to the Washington Mystics. After that, things get interesting. Jones is among a group of several players who will likely be taken in the next several picks. Stanford's Nicole Powell, an extremely versatile player who could play either power or small forward in the WNBA; Minnesota's Lindsay Whalen, a guard with explosive scoring ability and a great shooting touch; and Nicole Ohlde, the best center prospect in this year's draft, are three players who will be fighting it out for the third spot. "It's really a toss-up," Jones said. "All the coaches are keeping everything to themselves. I think it's going to be really interesting Saturday to see what happens." That third spot might be interesting. The Charlotte Sting traded up to get the third pick, which might indicate they have someone they're intent on getting. After that, it's anyone's guess. But Chandi Jones shouldn't have to wait too long to know where she's going. Send comments to dcsports@mail.uh.edu |
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