In lottery, Sun pick up No. 1 pick in 2014 WNBA draft

UNCASVILLE, Dec. 10 – The Connecticut Sun earned the No. 1 selection in the 2014 WNBA draft Tuesday, winning the lottery for the first time in franchise history. The Tulsa Shock finished with the No. 2 pick while the San Antonio Silver Stars were third and the New York Liberty were fourth. 

“The beautiful thing about this is that we can go in a number of different directions,” Sun head coach Anne Donovan said.

“We’re still in the process of looking at last year’s roster, and looking at the health issues that we’ve had, and just trying to determine what direction we’ll go in,” Donovan said. “That’s the beauty. We are in the driver’s seat to pick who we need. We could possibly go with a small forward to compliment Tina (Charles). There are great point guards in the draft as well, so there’s evaluation still to be done to see what direction we go.” 

As a result of finishing 10-24 during the 2013 season, Connecticut entered the lottery with the best odds to win – a 44.2 percent chance of earning the first pick in the WNBA draft. Among the other lottery-eligible teams, New York and Tulsa – both 11-23 last season – had a 22.7 percent chance at the top pick while San Antonio (12-22 last year) had a 10.4 percent chance. 

“It’s a good feeling, there’s no doubt about it,” Connecticut Sun vice president and general manager Chris Sienko said. “Going in, you can never be sure on what you are going to get, or not get, but fortunately it worked out in our favor. We’re excited. Being in this spot is good. I feel like we have a great opportunity ahead of us.” 

The only other time Connecticut participated in the WNBA Draft lottery was 2010, when it earned the third overall pick behind the Minnesota Lynx and Sacramento Monarchs. When Sacramento folded, Connecticut moved up to No. 2. It then traded Lindsay Whalen and that second pick to Minnesota for the No. 1 pick and Renee Montgomery. The Sun used that top pick to select Tina Charles, the league MVP following the 2012 campaign. 

2014 WNBA draft
First round
1. Connecticut (10-24), 2. Tulsa (11-23), 3. New York (11-23), 4. San Antonio (12-22), 5. Indiana (16-18), 6. Washington (17-17), 7. Seattle (17-17), 8. Atlanta (17-17), 9. Phoenix (19-15), 10. Chicago (24-10), 11. Los Angeles (24-10), 12. Minnesota (26-8).