Phoenix nabs Taurasi with top pick in WNBA draft

SECAUCUS, N.J. (AP) -- Diana Taurasi is heading a long way from Connecticut.
Less than two weeks after leading the Huskies to their third straight NCAA title, Taurasi became just the second guard to be the top pick in the WNBA draft when she was selected first overall by the Phoenix Mercury on Saturday.
"It's a lot closer to home than Connecticut is," the Chino, Calif., native said. "My parents will get a better opportunity to go out there. It's a new city with new teammates, new surroundings."
Taurasi scored 19.8 points a game on the way to earning Final Four most outstanding player honors for the second straight year. The point guard averaged 15.0 points, 4.5 assists and 4.3 rebounds for her college career.
Former Connecticut teammate Sue Bird, 2002's top pick, is the only other guard to be selected first.
Other picks
The Washington Mystics selected Alana Beard from Duke with the second pick, and the Charlotte Sting followed by taking Stanford's Nicole Powell. The Connecticut Sun picked Minnesota's Lindsay Whalen at No. 4, and Arkansas' Shameka Christon went to the New York Liberty with the fifth pick.
The Minnesota Lynx had the next two picks, and had hoped to get local favorite Whalen, but instead selected Kansas State's Nicole Ohlde and Florida's Vanessa Hayden.
Rounding out the first round, it was: Houston's Chandi Jones to Phoenix at No. 8; Ebony Hoffman from Southern Cal to the Indiana Fever with the ninth pick; Georgetown's Rebekkah Brunson to the Sacramento Monarchs at No. 10; Duke's Iciss Tillis to the defending champion Shock next; Georgia's Christi Thomas to the Los Angeles Sparks with the 12th pick, and Purdue's Shereka Wright to Detroit with the 13th and final pick of the first round.
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