Tennessee forward Candace Parker was selected as the top pick in the 2008 WNBA Draft Wednesday, going to the Los Angeles Sparks.
Parker was taken with the No. 1 pick just one day after winning her second consecutive NCAA championship with the Lady Vols. Parker averaged 19.5 points and 8.9 rebounds in three seasons for the Lady Vols, going for 20.8 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.3 steals and 2.2 blocks per game this season alone.
Parker became the first woman to ever leave school early for the draft. The WNBA rule states that a woman can only join the league four years after she graduates from high school.
Parker, who was the nation's top high school player in 2004, redshirted her freshman year due to injury. The redshirt allowed for her to have a fifth-year of eligibility, which she gave up in order to join the WNBA. Parker is expected to graduate from the University of Tennessee in May.
LSU center Sylvia Fowles was taken with the second pick to the Chicago Sky, followed by Stanford guard Candice Wiggins to the Minnesota Lynx.
Fowles, the two-time All-SEC First Team recipient, averaged 17.3 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game for the Lady Tigers this season. Wiggins averaged 19.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game this season for the Cardinal.
Parker, Fowles and Wiggins were all named to the Kodak/WBCA All-American first team this season.
re-printed from transworldnews.com 4/09/08
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