Friday, March 12th, 2010 at 3:13 pm  |  19 responses

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Analyzing the WNBA Draft with Stephanie White

The Sky assistant coach offers her expert analysis.

by Ben York / @bjyork

Hard to believe, but April 8 is just around the corner. Yes, my friends, the 2010 WNBA Draft is ever so close.

This is the time of year where we’ll see a plethora of mock drafts, analysis on dozens of websites, and perhaps even a trade or two where teams hope to move up. Sure, speculating is a lot of fun, but anyone can make a case for where they envision players being drafted and justify it admirably.

At SLAMonline, we’re doing something both unique and new to preview the draft. You simply won’t find this anywhere else.

Enter Stephanie White.

White is currently an assistant coach for the Chicago Sky. Already recognized as one of the top assistants in women’s basketball, White has been involved in virtually every aspect of the sport – recruiting, scouting, tutoring, and on-court coaching. She played college basketball at Purdue garnering National College Player of the Year honors in 1999, spent five years in the WNBA with the Charlotte Sting and Indiana Fever, and was an assistant coach for the University of Toledo, Kansas State, and Ball State before joining the Sky in 2007.

White was gracious enough to take an in-depth look at my 2010 WNBA Mock Draft below and offer her thoughts, opinions, and analysis. This is an absolute treat for WNBA and women’s basketball fans, as White gives us an inside look directly from a WNBA coach — and White certainly knows the game much better than I.

2010 WNBA MOCK DRAFT

1) Connecticut Sun
Tina Charles | 6-4 | Center | UConn
Charles is the obvious and clear No.1 pick. With so much versatility and experience, Charles will make a huge impact for the Sun in her rookie year.

Stephanie White’s Analysis: “The Sun traded away Lindsay Whalen to get Renee Montgomery and will draft Charles to keep the Connecticut connection together. Charles will be a great addition to the Sun and will compliment Asjha Jones well, yet she will bring a different presence than Sandrine Gruda.”

2) Minnesota Lynx
Jayne Appel | 6-4 | Center | Stanford
Not that she needs it, but with the amount of talent the Lynx has they will be able to ease her into the more physical WNBA game.

Stephanie White’s Analysis: “She will add size to an undersized front line. Appel is extremely skilled and adds a different dimension to a versatile front court in Minnesota.”

3. Minnesota Lynx
Epiphanny Prince | 5-9 | Guard | Botas Spor
With the sheer amount of talent and ability Prince has, she would be a great fit to learn the point under Whalen.

Stephanie White’s Analysis: “Prince is very good off the dribble and can swing over to run the point as well. If she goes to the Lynx she will be another dangerous perimeter player to compliment Seimone Augustus and Candice Wiggins.”

4. Chicago Sky
Alysha Clark | 5-10 | Forward | Middle Tennessee State
Stock rose from incredible showing at Sun Belt tournament and would be a nice addition to bolster the Sky’s offensive attack.

Stephanie White’s Analysis: “She is a superb talent who, at 5-10, will need to develop a perimeter game on both ends of the floor to be effective at the next level.”

5. San Antonio Silver Stars
Amber Harris | 6-5 | Forward | Xavier
What a perfect fit for the Silver Stars. Harris and Sophia Young at the forward positions would be incredibly difficult to guard for opposing teams.

Stephanie White’s Analysis: “She has great potential at the next level. Harris has the size of a post player, with the skills of a perimeter player.”

6. Washington Mystics
Kelsey Griffin | 6-2 | Forward | Nebraska
The Mystics could use another versatile post player, and Griffin has the ability both to score and dish out. Defenses would be forced to pay attention to her, leaving Alana Beard with more open looks along the perimeter quite often. Scary.

Stephanie White’s Analysis: “Griffin’s stock is continuing to rise as she dominates the Big 12 conference. She is a high IQ player with good size and skill. Griffin will be a great compliment to a dominant low block player with her ability to score, pass and rebound from the high post position.”

7. Tulsa Shock
Andrea Riley | 5-5 | Guard | Oklahoma State
The Shock desperately need guard help, and Riley is the perfect home-town fit. Along with Shavonte Zellous, the Shock would have a nice duo to build around.

Stephanie White’s Analysis: “Nolan Richardson wants to run and there is no better point guard to push tempo, score and defend than Riley. Not to mention if she goes here, Riley would stay in-state.”

8. Los Angeles Sparks
Monica Wright | 5-11 | Guard | Virginia
Both a solid scorer and tenacious defender, Wright should help on both ends of the floor; something Jennifer Gillom will love.

Stephanie White’s Analysis: “Wright is a versatile wing player who can get to the rim, she’s great from midrange, and is a tremendous defender. In L.A. Wright would add depth at the wing position and provide another scoring option.”

9. Atlanta Dream
Alexis Gray-Lawson | 5-8 | Guard | California
A high-character player whose desire to win is unmistakable, Gray-Lawson gives the Dream another scoring weapon.

Stephanie White’s Analysis: “She is a scorer. Gray-Lawson is very good off the dribble and would give Atlanta another scoring option on the perimeter.”

10. Seattle Storm
Danielle McCray | 5-11 | Guard/Forward | Kansas
McCray does a little bit of everything, something Brian Agler would love. She’s also a consistent threat from the outside.

Stephanie White’s Analysis: “McCray is a terrific shooter. She could add an outside presence for Seattle. She may be worth the wait if she recovers well from her knee injury and is healthy for next season.”

11. Indiana Fever
Allison Hightower | 5-10 | Guard | LSU
With January emerging as the Fever’s point guard of the future, Hightower would be a nice compliment to Dunn’s defensive philosophy.

Stephanie White’s Analysis: “Hightower is a scoring guard with the ability to break down the defense. She would also fit into Indiana’s full court defensive system.”

12. Los Angeles Sparks
Jacinta Monroe | 6-5 | Forward | Florida State
She can defend, rebound, and block. The Sparks will need that more than ever with Leslie retiring.

Stephanie White’s Analysis: “She would add length, athleticism and a shot blocking presence to the Sparks. Monroe would also have an opportunity to make an impact right away with the retirement of Lisa Leslie.

“I felt like overall it was right on as far as who will be chosen in the first round. I feel like the order of players picked might be a little different. Some may go earlier and some later not only based on individual talent and skill level, but how they might fit into the WNBA team’s roster.”

As always, we invite you to chime in with your comments and thoughts below. Where do you see these players ending up?