It's a measure of how thin the ABL draft was that 11 of the 50 choices were not made -- and that people in San Jose were buzzing over the departure of 38-year-old Laure Byrd.
At least the fans gathered in the San Jose Arena knew who Byrd was -- which was more than you could say for a lot of the first-round picks. Jacque Nero? She was the fourth pick of the draft by Nashville. Sharon Thompson? She went sixth, to San Jose.
These players may indeed turn out to be good, or even great, but in terms of publicity impact, they arrived with all the force of a deflated basketball. Byrd, who had a devoted fan club in San Jose despite her status as last off the bench, was at least known as the oldest female professional player in America, and she'll now take her game to New England. (ABL teams were allowed to keep seven players under contract -- all others returned to the draft-eligible pool and could be picked by anyone. Byrd was not retained by San Jose and went to New England in the third round.)
Danielle McCulley went first (to Portland), and she's not exactly Natalie Williams. Williams demanded a trade to Long Beach, Yolanda Griffith had enough juice to name Chicago as her destination, which left Lin Dunn and the Power holding the first choice in the draft. That, of course, would have meant quite a bit had people like Kristin Folkl, Nykesha Sales or Ticha Penicheiro signed with the ABL, but since they didn't, Portland was left with a less than stellar buffet to choose from.
McCulley, a 6-1 forward from Western Kentucky, looked OK at the ABL Combine, but she didn't look like anything close to an ABL star. And though the Power also picked up Averill Roberts (a '94 Ohio State grad) and Debra Willams (in a trade for Lisa Harrison), they are nowhere near as good as they were with Natalie Williams, the league's MVP, in the lineup.
But 11 times teams decided not to pick anyone at all, figuring that what they had already was better than what was out there. Some ABL vets -- like Linda Godby, Abby Conklin, Karen Deden, Ingrid Dixson, Christy Hedgpeth, Missy Masley, Kira Orr, Jenni Ruff, Marta de Souza Sobral and Charmin Smith -- didn't get their name called, despite those 11 opportunities, nor did Australian Tully Bevilaqua, who played pretty well at the Combine.
Here's a look at the draft team-by-team:
Chicago The choice of Mills was an odd one, given Chicago's already impressive front line of Yolanda Griffith, Katrina McClain and Adrienne Goodson. The backcourt needed more help, and maybe the husband-and-wife Hodge family feels Ashley Berggren can step in (she was the regional selection in the second round). We don't think so, and by the time Chicago picked again in the fourth round, the best the Hodges could do was Rynaldi Becenti, a Phoenix Mercury reject, and Barb Franke of Wisonsin, who did not impress at the ABL Combine.
Colorado The Xplosion needed a four, and a motivated Alisa Burras will definitely fill that need. Keeping her motivated, though, might be the problem. Veteran Darla Simpson, the second round choice, also supplies depth at the post, but Tiffany Gooden doesn't help. Still, if Burras comes through, Colorado got exactly what it needed -- which explains why the Xplosion passed on their last three picks.
Columbus: Brian Agler made it clear what he thought of the new talent coming into the league -- by not drafting any of them. He traded his first round pick for Portland forward Lisa Harrison, and then added ABL veteran Stacey Ford and his own Shanelle Stires before shutting up shop and passing on his last two picks. Agler needed size, but there wasn't much around, so once again he'll play a hand that doesn't seem to be a winner. Of course, we've heard that song before too ...
Long Beach: Not only did the StingRays get Natalie Williams (of course they lost Yolanda Griffith), they also picked up Katrina Price -- who fell all the way out of the WNBA draft. Price will most likely serve as Beverly Williams' backup next year, but she also could blossom into something special. Pam Hudson, the fourth round pick, will fill out the roster.
Nashville: Now this is a confident expansion team. After picking Falisha Wright to be its point guard in the third round, Nashville closed the doors and went home. Jacque Nero and Na'Sheema Hillmon (the regional pick, in the second round) will battle Vicki Hall, Joy Holmes and Carla McGhee for time alongside Venus Lacy in the frontcourt, while Saudia Roundtree and Michelle Marciniak fill out the backcourt. This may be a confident expansion team, but it doesn't look like a very good one.
New England: There may be lots of talk about Byrd and Carla Berube, a fourth round pick last year who was released and chosen in the third round as a regional selection this season, but the big news was the selection of Barbara Farris from Tulane. Farris has been an inside player almost exclusively, and like most young posts, she will be tested on the block in the pros. She conceded that even the players in the Combine were stronger than she thought, so it may be a tough adjustment for her. It will also be tough for her to find room down low with Kara Wolters already there, but Farris was one of the most impressive players at the Combine. Trisha Stafford, instant offense and only a pinch of defense, was also picked up, but the Blizzard will continue to rely on Jennifer Rizzotti, Carolyn Jones and Shanda Berry for most of their offense. The key to this team may well be the development of Jannon Roland, who came over from Columbus in a late-season trade.
Philadelphia: Adding Chasity Melvin is nice, but more important will be keeping Dawn Staley when her contract expires Aug. 31. The Rage will be tough up front with both Melvin and Taj McWilliams, and Teresa Edwards will be a rock in the backcourt. Apparently Philadelphia is counting on number two pick Shantel Hardison (Louisiana Tech '92) to be the shooting guard if Staley leaves, but third pick Liliana Cabezas, a 6-4 native of Colombia, has a long way to go to be a major contributor. Traci Thirdgill, the final choice, has bounced around the ABL for two years and should make the team as a defensive specialist.
Portland: Oh, what might have been ... But without Natalie Williams to build around, the Power falls back into the ABL pack, despite those three first round picks. Portland will still struggle to find a point guard, though Sonja Henning and Shelley Sheetz are both competent. Elaine Powell will be fine at the two, McCulley must shake her reputation for inconsistent play to make a difference at the three, DeLisha Milton, fresh off the world championships, is set at the four, and Tracy Henderson will be the five. That's an OK team, but not a great one, though Debra Williams, the last first round pick, could surprise if she harnesses her obvious talent. Heather Owen will add depth up front, but we're still wondering why Portland picked a two guard in Averrill Roberts with Powell already in place.
San Jose: Who? Sharon Thompson had to be the most unknown all-SEC player around, and the 6-0 power forward will have some adjustments to make in the ABL. She's very quick, though, and should upgrade the defense, but an outside game -- which she's never shown but claims to have -- will be the key to her future. Coach Angela Beck then added two guards who played for her at Nebraska, Anna DeForge and LaToya Doage, and then picked up local favorite and Stanford grad Molly Goodenbour in the fifth round. In addition, Tennessee center Tiffani Johnson could turn out to be a good one. Johnson was woefully out of shape at the Combine, and got kicked off the Tennessee team, but there's definitely some talent there. Once again, it appears that the Lasers came out of draft day in good shape, though until the jury returns on Thompson, nothing can be said for sure.
Seattle: If Naomi Mulitauaopele can step in at power forward, then this is a good draft for Seattle. If not, that gaping hole remains, and neither of the other two picks -- Nadine Malcolm from Providence or Nicki McCrimmon, last seen in Atlanta -- are going to fill it. Astou Ndiaye is a possibility, but the Reign's biggest addition was Niesa Johnson from Long Beach. (Interestingly, Johnson and McCrimmon were traded for each other during this past season, and now Seattle has them both). Seattle needs Johnson and Mulitauaopele to come through if the Reign hopes to reach the playoffs. .
5/5/98
