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Message: [QUOTE="GoChips20, post: 4057259, member: 11308"] I think the order, regardless of lottery placement, goes: 1. Howard 2. Smith It gets interesting from there. To me, this is one of the stronger draft classes of recent years, and that’s without any early entrants so far. A few thoughts on top prospects: [LIST] [*][B]Ashley Joens, Iowa State[/B]: Highly skilled combo forward who excels in a system built around her. Rooting for her, but she relies heavily on interior angles and cuts that will be much harder to execute against the defensive interiors of the W. She’s a good perimeter shooter and will find a place on a team, but I don’t expect much outside a role player career, and I’d be surprised if she’s taken before pick 6 or [*][B]Elissa Cunane, NC State: [/B]Perhaps the most offensively-skilled post in the nation (great outside shooter, crafty inside, seems to have good all-around skills). Don’t always see the defensive impact you might want from your C. Not sure I see her as the type to take over many games and don’t project her as a W starter, but she realistically should go in the first half of the first round. She’s beyond solid for State and has exceeded all expectations in her college career. Side note: I think people are foolishly sleeping on NC State outside this year’s perceived Big 3 (UConn, SC, Stanford). I think NC ST will lose its season opener to S. Carolina but will be a national title threat all season long, in no small part due to its interior anchor. [*][B]Shakira Austin, Ole Miss: [/B]Has gone from good to great[B] [/B]between Maryland and Mississippi. Her upside is unbelievable —might be the highest in this draft or just behind Howard. [*][B]Naz Hillmon, Michigan: [/B]I’ll admit she has carved out an immensely impressive career given the lack of offensive diversity in her game. Michigan was super close to taking out Baylor this year in the tournament. She’s a double-double machine and rebounded exceptionally well in this summer’s FIBA tournament, but she simply cannot survive in the W without a serviceable jump shot. My take is that if Megan Gustafson can’t do it, no college PF/C without one can. [*][B]The UConn Trio: [/B]All will be drafted and all will stick in the league. I’m not sure any will be starts, but if it happens, I’d bet that it’s Williams. ONO’s defense and pedigree will help her hang for a bit but she’ll need to evolve her game and improve physically. I could see her finding success as a 4 (awesome passer from the pinch-post area), but she’d have to develop her handle first. I’m sure she can. Westbrook projects as a solid bench contributor and perhaps a starter if drafted to a team bad enough (IND, ATL. God help her if so!). [*][B]South Carolina Seniors: [/B]Saxton is a bit behind ONO in terms of professional readiness although I think she could survive in the league off her defense and reliability, especially if SC gets to or wins a national title this year — that would set her up nicely in the eyes of GMs and coaches. Henderson is the better PG prospect and has incredible speed. I think she will be a first-round pick. She’s not as great a game manager as former Gamecock Ty Harris, but has a smoother shot and improved offensive arsenal. [/LIST] Other thoughts: [LIST] [*]I’m not sure what anyone saw last year that made them think Nyara Sabally is pro-ready. [*]I think Rae Burrell (and former teammate Rennia Davis, who was injured in her rookie season but IMO would have been a ROY favorite) will both turn out to be really good pros. [*]This draft is just a notch below stacked at the top with a bit of a drop-off after that, but I see a lot of lesser-known players who could make an impact and stick on a roster (Mya Hollingshed, Queen Egbo, Lexie Hull, and others). [/LIST] [/QUOTE]

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