For the first time in franchise history, the Sparks were fortunate to have two of the top four picks in the WNBA draft, and the team chose Stanford center Cameron Brink at No. 2, then University of Tennessee forward Rickea Jackson at No. 4 on Monday evening at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.
Brink was selected Pac-12 player of the year after leading the nation in blocked shots (3.74 per game) while averaging 17.4 points and 11.9 rebounds. The 6-foot-4 senior also won the Lisa Leslie Award as the country’s best center and was the Naismith Women’s Defensive Player of the Year.
Jackson, who averaged an SEC-leading 20.2 points while grabbing 8.2 rebounds a game, was an all-conference first team honoree and scored 33 points in her last game for the Volunteers.
The Sparks had one more pick in the third round, the 28th overall choice, and selected USC guard McKenzie Forbes, who averaged 12.1 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists.
UCLA guard Charisma Osborne, who averaged 14.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists, was taken by the Phoenix Mercury with the 25th pick overall, the first pick of the third round. The only other local player taken in the third round was USC forward Kaitlyn Davis, who went to the Liberty with the 35th pick overall. Davis averaged 10.5 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists. She shot 48.5% from the floor.
Caitlin Clark, who became the NCAA’s all-time scoring leader in March while leading Iowa to the national championship game, was selected No. 1 by the Indiana Fever, as expected. Indiana also had the top pick last year and chose Aliyah Boston from national title winner South Carolina.
The Chicago Sky had the third pick and chose South Carolina center Kamilla Cardoso, a 6-foot-7 senior who averaged 16.6 points and 10.2 rebounds per game while shooting 63.8 percent from the field during the Gamecocks’ run through the NCAA tournament.
With the fifth pick, the Dallas Wings selected Ohio State guard Jacy Sheldon. Three forwards were then taken: the Washington Mystics chose Connecticut’s Aaliyah Edwards, the Chicago Sky took Louisiana State’s Angel Reese and the Minnesota Lynx selected Utah’s Alissa Pili.
Foreign players were selected with three of the last four picks in the first round. Guard Carla Leite of France went No. 9 to the Dallas Wings, Guard Leila Lacan of France went No. 10 to the Connecticut Sun and forward-center Nyadiew Puoch of Australia went No. 12 to the Atlanta Dream. Mississippi guard Marquesha Davis was selected by the New York Liberty at No. 11.
