Blue and Gold Illustrated

May 2019

Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football

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58 MAY 2019 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED IRISH IN THE PROS BY LOU SOMOGYI T hroughout the 2018-19 women's college basketball season, oppos- ing coaches often commented that playing Notre Dame was akin to fac- ing a WNBA team. That proved prophetic April 10 when all five Fighting Irish starters un- der Naismith Hall of Fame head coach Muffet McGraw were selected among the first 19 picks in the three-round WNBA Draft (12 players per round). • Junior guard Jackie Young, who announced her intent to turn pro two days earlier, was chosen No. 1 overall by the Las Vegas Aces. That made her the second Fighting Irish player in the last five years to be the top pick, joining Jewell Loyd, who also left after her junior year in 2015. The Aces, who were 14-20 last sea- son, are coached by 1975-79 Notre Dame center Bill Laimbeer, who also played 14 years in the NBA and won two NBA titles with the Detroit Pis- tons. Later he coached the Detroit Shock to WNBA championships in 2003 and 2008, including with former Irish star Ruth Riley. Also on the Aces roster are Fight- ing Irish alumnae Kayla McBride (2010-14) and Lindsay Allen (2013- 17), who played with Young when she was a freshman at Notre Dame. "It was definitely a hard decision," Young told ESPN after the selection. "I just have to thank Coach McGraw and her staff for the three years that they gave me. It was the best three years of my life. I just thought this was the best move for my family and me." • Senior guard Arike Ogunbowale was picked No. 5 by the Dallas Wings. Notre Dame's all-time leading scorer (2,626 points) will join the indi- vidual she eclipsed in the Irish record books — Skylar Diggins-Smith, who announced her pregnancy in October with husband Daniel Smith, a former Notre Dame wide receiver. The Wings finished with a 15-19 mark in 2018. A second-team Associated Press All- American, Ogunbowale's 21.8 scoring average this past season eclipsed her previous school record of 20.8 set on last year's national champions. • Chosen No. 11 overall by the At- lanta Dream was fifth-year senior for- ward Brianna Turner, Notre Dame's all-time record holder in rebounds (1,048) and blocked shots (372), after surpassing Riley in both. She and Riley are the only two players who played their entire career with the Fighting Irish and scored more than 2,000 points (2,017) while also haul- ing in at least 1,000 rebounds. However, the Phoenix Mercury later traded for the rights to Turner, who will be heading out West in- stead. Among her teammates will be five-time WNBA All-Star Brittney Griner, another Baylor standout whose 40-0 Bears defeated Notre Dame in the 2012 national title show- down. Phoenix was 20-14 last season. • Taken No. 16 by the Minnesota Lynx was senior forward Jessica Shepard, whose 19 double-doubles this season tied the single-season school mark set by Natalie Achonwa in 2013-14. The third-team AP All- American Shepard averaged 16.7 points and 10.3 rebounds per game this season. The Lynx has had one of the top WNBA organizations, winning four of the last eight championships, but they were only 18-16 last year. • Finally, senior sharpshooting guard Marina Mabrey was selected No. 19 by the Los Angeles Sparks, who were 19- 15 a year ago. Her 272 three-pointers are the most in Notre Dame annals. Mabrey had a national semifinal-record 12 assists in the 81-76 win over UConn, and in the championship loss to Baylor (82-81) she drilled three three-pointers in a span of 2:05 to help the Irish take a temporary fourth-quarter lead. Overall, this quintet totaled 10,230 career points, the most ever by a starting group together in NCAA his- tory for either women or men. Previously the most Notre Dame players selected in the 23-year his- tory of the WNBA Draft was three in 2001, shortly after winning the school's first national title in the sport. Center Ruth Riley was the No. 5 pick, guard Niele Ivey (a cur- rent Irish assistant) was No. 19 in the second round and forward Kelly Siemon was the final player taken (No. 48) in the third round. The first-round choices this year also marked a new school record. Previously, Notre Dame had two in 2012 with Devereaux Peters (No. 3) and Natalie Novosel (No. 8), and also in 2014 with McBride (No. 3) and Achonwa (No. 9). The Irish have now had 19 players drafted by the league. Under the late Pat Summitt, Tennes- see was the only other school to have five players selected in the same sea- son. Per USA Today, that occurred in 2008 when Candace Parker was taken No. 1 overall, Alexis Hornbuckle No. 4, Shannon Bobbitt No. 15, Nicky Anosike No. 16 and Alberta Auguste No. 35. In 2016, Connecticut's Breanna Stewart, Moriah Jefferson and Mor- gan Tuck were taken with the first three picks. Most of the players supplement their WNBA income — reportedly median salaries are around $71,635 and starting salaries $50,000 — by playing overseas in Euro leagues, where salaries can start at $100,000 and even reach $1 million for the ul- tra-elite talents such as Diana Taurasi. The 12-team WNBA season with 34 games begins May 24, and training camps open May 5. 'Fantastic Five' Among Top 19 Picks In WNBA Draft After opting to bypass her final year of eligibility at Notre Dame, junior guard Jackie Young was selected No. 1 overall in the WNBA Draft by the Las Vegas Aces. PHOTO COURTESY FIGHTING IRISH MEDIA

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