April 9, 2009

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Three ACC players were selected in the first round of the 2009 Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) Draft on Thursday, April 9. The NBA Entertainment studios in Secaucus, N.J., served as host for this year's WNBA Draft, where a trio of ACC student-athletes was tabbed in the first 10 picks. In all, nine ACC players were selected, matching the league's draftee totals of both 2006 and 2007.

Maryland seniors Marissa Coleman and Kristi Toliver were chosen as picks No. 2 and No. 3, respectively. Joining the pair of Terrapins in the first round was Duke's Chante Black, who was 10th overall.

Coleman, who put together arguably one of the greatest seasons in Maryland history in 2008-09, with 18.1 points, 8.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.9 steals and 0.8 blocks per game, was selected as the second pick of the 2009 Draft by the Washington Mystics. She joins former teammate Crystal Langhorne was picked by the same team just one year ago. Coleman became just the eighth player in ACC history to accumulate 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds and the first in league annals to amass over 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 400 assists, 200 steals and 100 blocks. Her 2,205 career points rank eighth in ACC history and her 1,139 rebounds rank 10th. The versatile guard/forward ranked in the Top 15 in nine of the ACC's 10 major statistical categories, posted 10 double-doubles for her senior campaign, and was named both a first-team ACC selection and 2009 ACC Tournament MVP.

Toliver, the 2009 ACC Player of the Year and just the second Terrapin in school history to be selected to the WBCA All-America Team multiple times, was picked third in the first round by the Chicago Sky. Toliver averaged 18.4 points and 4.9 assists per game, team-highs on a Terrapin squad that claimed their first ACC regular season and tournament titles in 20 years. The native of Harrisonburg, Va., led the ACC in assists and 3-pointers in 2008-09. She directed the nation's third-highest scoring offense (79 ppg) and her 85.7 free-throw percentage (16th in NCAA) and 41.6 3-point percentage (14th) ranked among the nation's leaders.

Rounding out the ACC's representation in the first round of this year's Draft was Black, who was selected 10th by the Connecticut Sun. The product of Winston-Salem, N.C., Black finished the year averaging 14.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.1 blocks, 1.5 assists and 1.4 steals. She grabbed 278 rebounds during her senior year, which ranks as the fourth-highest single-season total in school history. Black was named the 2009 ACC Defensive Player of the Year as she collected 10 double-doubles and became only the third player in ACC history to notch over 1,400 points, 900 rebounds and 250 blocked shots. The 6-5 center ranks 10th in the ACC in scoring, sixth in rebounding, ninth in field goal percentage (48.6), 15th in free throw percentage (72.5) and third in blocked shots.

Four additional ACC players werepicked in the second round of the 2009 WNBA Draft. Rashanda McCants, North Carolina's leading scorer, was selected No. 15 to the Minnesota Lynx, while Virginia's Lyndra Littles, FSU's Britney Miller, and Duke's Abby Waner were selected within the Top 21 picks.

McCants averaged 14.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per contest this season in leading the Tar Heels to the Elite Eight, while Littles, who was picked up by the Connecticut Sun at No. 17, would have led the ACC with a 20.5 scoring average; however, the Washington, D.C. product, missed nine games during the fall semester. The 6-1 senior also contributed 6.4 rebounds per game en route to first team All-ACC honors. Miller, who hasn't played at Florida State since early in the 2007-08 season, was selected at No. 18 by the Detroit Shock. After leaving FSU following her junior campaign, Miller starred for Valosun in the Czech Republic where she averaged a double-double in the post with 17.8 points and 10. 2 rebounds per game. The final ACC second-round selection of Waner came at the hands of the New York Liberty. Waner, who is a product of Highlands Ranch, Colo., concluded her collegiate career as one of the top 3-point shooters in ACC history. The 5-11 guard registered 222 career treys over four years to rank 12th on the ACC charts and first in the Blue Devil history books.

The third round saw two more ACC selections as the Detroit Shock and Seattle Storm took teammates Tanae Davis-Cain and Mara Freshour of Florida State as picks No. 37 and No. 38, respectively. Davis-Cain broke numerous records during her four seasons in Tallahassee. The Dawson, Ga., native finished her FSU career as the program's all-time career leader in three-pointers made and set the program standard with a school-record 77 triples made in her senior season. FSU's senior co-captain Freshour capped off an incredible run at FSU this season by setting the school record for most games played in a career with 131.

Last year, the WNBA, which tips off its 13th season of play this year, and ESPN announced an eight-year extension of their agreement to have ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 televise WNBA games through the 2016 season.

ACC Players in the 2009 WNBA Draft
overall pick-Player, School to WNBA team

First Round
2-Marissa Coleman, Maryland to Washington Mystics
3-Kristi Toliver, Maryland to Chicago Sky
10-Chante Black, Duke to Connecticut Sun

Second Round
15-Rashanda McCants, North Carolina to Minnesota Lynx
17-Lyndra Littles, Virginia to Connecticut Sun
18-Britney Miller, Florida State to Detroit Shock
21-Abby Waner, Duke to New York Liberty

Third Round
37-Tanae Davis-Cain, Florida State to Detroit Shock
38-Mara Freshour, Florida State to Seattle Storm