Welcome to the “Casual Fan” section of The Show Notes! This is where I talk about sports. Certain aspects of what you read here, such as the depth of the analysis and amount of objectivity, will vary depending on a number of different factors. I promise to always be entertaining, though. If you like this, check out my show!
This is my first time covering a draft since becoming a dad! I was concerned about the degree of difficulty here since young Rocket’s mom also has to work tonight. As she was giving Rocket one last snack before leaving, we smelled something terrible. My brain initially said, “Rocket,” because he’s had some offensive diapers since starting real food. My apologies to him, though, because it was actually our oldest child, 4-legged Kobe, who decided this was a great time to roll in some sort of combination of death and shit. Even worse, he shook whatever it was onto the couch. Luckily, we have covers on the couch because of Kobe, but still. Pure chaos with an interrupted snack time, two dog baths, and laundry. With all of this in mind, please excuse any typos.
7:01 pm (ET) — Okay, time to lock in. One thing about ESPN is they’re going to roll out Ryan Rucco, Rebecca Lobo, and Holly Rowe. A nice little montage narrated by the player ever picked in the WNBA Draft, Tina Thompson. She was on those Comets’ teams I loved so much. I famously copied Comets’ star Cynthia Cooper’s (or Joel Anderson’s?) “Raise The Roof” celebration, in part because I could not have pulled off Tina’s equally iconic red lipstick.
7:05 pm (ET) — Andraya Carter is here, too! I’m very much going to enjoy saying Awa Fam Thiam’s name. This is the first draft without a consensus #1 pick in what feels like forever. It could be Thiam, Azzi Fudd, Olivia Miles, or Lauren Betts. I’m partial to bigs, so it’d be Thiam or Betts if I were in charge. Sources tell me I’m not.
7:11 pm (ET) — Some milk is warming up, and the Wings are on the clock! Technically, they’ve been on the clock since the lottery. 2nd year in a row that they’ve held the #1 pick, as they drafted Paige Bueckers last season. This is the 5th time a franchise has held the #1 pick in back-to-back years. 3 of those franchises have won a title as a result, and the Fever are looking to make it 4.
7:13 pm (ET) — Azzi Fudd is your #1 pick, joining former UConn teammate/currently girlfriend Paige Bueckers in Dallas. Again, I remind you, I’m not in charge. A fantastic shooter, very efficient offensive player. Better in the midrange than she gets credit for. Also, an underrated defender. The big question mark is going to be her injury history. I’m also curious to see if she can create her own shot at this level if her 3 isn’t falling. She would lose confidence and disappear at times when she wasn’t hitting in college.
7:16 pm (ET) — Holly Rowe trying to get some Paige talk out of Azzi. No luck! Good job, good effort!
7:19 pm (ET) — Olivia Miles #2 to the Lynx. Her afro is unreal. My goodness. Bet on herself and won by transferring to TCU instead of turning pro last season. Much improved 3-point shooter over the course of her career in both volume and accuracy. I’m like this because it should allow them to eventually move Courtney Williams back to her natural 2-guard spot.
7:23 pm (ET) — Commercial break! How much can I get done with an 8-month-old? On the to-do list: diaper change, multivitamin, put on Owlet, put on PJs, fix his bottle, and something else I’m probably forgetting. Let’s see!
7:31 pm (ET) — Way late on the #3 pick as tears were shed. Awa Fam Thiam to the Storm. They are hoarding lengthy bigs from overseas with Ezi Magbegor and Dom Malonga.
7:32 pm (ET) — Lauren Betts to the Mystics at #4. 1st UCLA lottery pick since Noelle Quinn! Little trivia from ESPN. Uses her size well, mobile for her size, and highly skilled. With bigs, size can be THE advantage or AN advantage. For Betts, it’s an advantage as she can have a positive impact in many ways. Should be a great defender if nothing else.
7:36 pm (ET) — Wow, Gabriela Jaquez goes to the Sky at #5! What a rise from her after an incredible NCAA Tournament run. Reminds me of Sonia Cintron in that they are both white women with ethnic names were elite role players in college who might be able to showcase a little bit more of their skillsets at this level. Like Sonia, Jaquez should be able to play early and often as a rookie.
7:39 pm (ET) — I’ve been typing this with one hand as I feed this tank of a baby 8 ounces of milk.
7:41 pm (ET) — Another commercial break to catch my breath and put the defiled sheets into the dryer.
7:44 pm (ET) — First-ever draft pick by the Toronto Tempo, and they take Kiki Rice #6. UCLA is cleaning up right now! Much-improved senior season for Kiki. She seems like more of a combo guard off the bench than a point guard to me, but that’s still a piece you need when you’re building a franchise.
7:46 pm (ET) — Bedtime for Rocket. Smelled something sinister again. It’s wild how all decorum goes out the window when you become a parent. I stuck a finger in his diaper to check. Luckily, nothing, but why would I do that with my own finger? Also, I miss him terribly when I put him to bed.
7:49 pm (ET) — The Portland Fire’s first pick in decades is Iyana Martin Carrion from Spain. I know nothing about her. Lefty PG who is just 20 years old. The ESPN panel is speaking highly of her as a PG, defender, and shooter, but they don’t know if she’s coming over this year.
7:49 pm (ET) — Big 4 is headed to the Bay! Golden State selects Flau’jae Johnson 8th overall. The Valkyries became the first expansion franchise to make the postseason last year, and they did that mostly on the defensive end. Well, Flau’jae was one of the best perimeter defenders in the country during her time at LSU. She has some offensive potential, but I’m leery of Mulkey-coached prospects because Kim isn’t much on player development. I do think the Golden State staff is well-equipped to help her reach her potential, though.
7:55 pm (ET) — Holly has called up one of Flau’jae’s little brothers to join the interview. A cute moment that has stopped me from mentioning the brother who stormed the court during the SEC Title game or any of the Flau’jae-related drama involving the Gamecocks.
8:00 pm (ET) — Angela Dugalic to the Mystics at #9! Joining Bruins teammate Lauren Betts in Washington. Ties 2002 UConn Huskies for most players selected in the first round. 6’4”, tough, can shoot the 3. Off the top of my head, she reminds me of a taller Emily Engstler, who Washington just lost in the expansion draft.
8:04 pm (ET) — The Indiana Fever select Raven Johnson #10. Obviously, the talk of this pick is going to be Raven being teammates with Caitlin Clark, who famously waved her off in the Final Four, only for Raven to turn around and lead South Carolina to a win over Caitlin and her Hawkeyes in the National Championship game the next season. Raven was a quality defender throughout her career, but started defending outside of her position more this season. The huge growth was on the offensive end, where she was a much more aggressive and efficient scorer as a senior.
8:08 pm (ET) — Cotie McMahon to the Mystics at #11. She may or may not be wearing Isotoners. Rebecca just compared her to Alyssa Thomas. Cotie does have a physical frame and ran some point this past season at Ole Miss, but I mean, Alyssa Thomas? Let’s wait and see. I will say her assist percentage (% of shots a player assisted on while on the court) this season nearly doubled, so she was in the ballpark of Thomas’ numbers at Maryland. Great motor, but undersized. Curious to see where she ends up position-wise and if she develops a jumper.
8:13 pm (ET) — Holly Rowe is interviewing Tina Thompson! Still wearing the lipstick!
8:15 pm (ET) — The Sun are coming up next to make their final pick before moving back to Houston to resurrect the Comets. Sucks for Connecticut, but 10-year-old me is excited. They pick Nell Angloma, a 5’11” wing from France. Rebecca and Andraya say she reminds them of Joyce Edwards. Nell is apparently the same age as Joyce, too. Holly is speaking French, so I’ll take this time to wonder if they’re ever going to let women’s college players turn pro early. They should eventually, but when you see the talent that gets cut every year, it’s a huge risk. We’ll see if these expansion teams ease that at all.
8:21 pm (ET) — Madina Okot is headed to the A at #13. 6’6” and hasn’t been playing basketball long. Interested to see what Karl Smesko does with her shooting ability. Again, she hasn’t been playing long, but needs to work on playing with confidence. When she does that, she’s rebounding, blocking shots, scoring with ease, everything you want out of a big.
8:21 pm (ET) — The Seattle Storm select PG Taina Mair out of Duke at 14. This one really confused me. A solid defender, but only slightly above average as a playmaker and not a particularly efficient scorer. Seattle’s bigs, especially with the addition of Stefanie Dolson, might be its best shooters.
8:27 pm (ET) — UCLA sets the record with 5 1st-round draft picks as Gianna Kneepkens is the final pick of the round by the Sun. Before we add an asterisk for the expanded first round, there were 16 first-round picks in that 2002 WNBA Draft, where the old record was set. A knockdown shooter from 3. She was effective as the #1 option at Utah before transferring to the Bruins.
8:33 pm (ET) — Seattle back at it to open the second round, and they select Marta Suarez from TCU. She took a big leap in her only season there. 6’3” and showed off a nice all-around skillset. Holly is, naturally, talking about her mom’s death. Curious to see if the shooting sticks, and who she defends at this level.
8:37 pm (ET) — Snack time for dad. Protein shake and an ice cream sandwich. Life is about balance.
8:38 pm (ET) — We have a trade! Flau’jae to the Storm for Marta Suarez and a 2nd-round pick. Then, Cathy just breezes by it and announces the Fire’s selection, Frieda Buhner from Germany. How are we supposed to focus after that? Let us breathe first, Cathy! Buhner played 4 games for Florida as a freshman in 2022-’23, and averaged 1.5 ppg.
8:41 pm (ET) — The Sun select PG Charlisse Leger-Walker from, you guessed it, UCLA. Good playmaker, rebounds well for her position, and can score from all 3 levels, but needs to be more efficient. First player from New Zealand to be drafted!
8:44 pm (ET) — They’re making these picks like they rented the room by the hour. Cassandre Prosper from Notre Dame selected by the Mystics. 6’3”, and can guard bigs and some wings. Kind of surprised she didn’t go back to school, but took a big leap this year and should make this roster. Much harder to type while eating an ice cream sandwich than it is holding a bottle.
8:48 pm (ET) — A much better-smelling Kobe Silvers has been released from his room to join me on the couch. He’s thrilled. This also gives me a chance to wash his blankets.
8:51 pm (ET) — Ta’Niya Latson to the Sparks. Really surprised me with how well she defended this year. I’m always concerned about players her size (5’8”), but she was an explosive scorer during her time at Florida State. I do think she’ll need a more consistent 3-point shot to get serious time.
8:54 pm (ET) — Cathy has apparently given up on making announcements, as Ryan just told us the Sky selected Latasha Lattimore out of Ole Miss. Tall (6’4”) and a solid defender. We’re moving with a speed that will no longer allow me to talk about each pick, which is fine.
8:56 pm (ET) — Kobe is snuggled up next to me in what I assume is some sort of canine apology. Little does he know that he can do no wrong in my eyes. He did smell awful, though.
9:01 pm (ET) — Every other sentence is a pick. I’m unfamiliar with the international players. I am familiar with the college ones, but confused by the selections. Again, I’m not in charge.
9:07 pm (ET) — The Mystics take Darianna Littlepage-Buggs with the final pick of the 2nd round. They LOVE undersized post players.
9:13 pm (ET) — Only the Mystics are making picks, I’m pretty sure. They take Rori Harmon. Great career at Texas, but she will have her work cut out for her in the W. Just 5’6” is the biggest issue. Jordin Canada, Aari McDonald, and Dana Evans are the only 3 that size who come to mind. Canada is the only true PG of that group, and Rori would be well-served to use her as a guide. While Jordin was a much more effective scorer collegiately than Harmon, it took her a bit to showcase that particular skill set in the league. Instead, she made her mark with her playmaking and defense, both tools Rori has at her disposal. Rori’s offense does have to come along eventually, but whether or not she makes the roster and gets playing time will depend on her ability to run the offense and disrupt opposing point guards.
9:28 pm (ET) — Okay, the final pick is in. Lani White of Utah. Holly Rowe is legitimately crying because she’s so happy that these players are getting paid thanks to the new CBA. You know, Holly does some silly stuff with the tragedy talk, but she does seem to genuinely care about the WNBA, and Lord knows she works her ass off. They send this lady everywhere!
Alright, that was fun! I’m going to let this marinate, then get you an episode with my thoughts on everything that happened. Also, make sure you’re tapped in because I go all in on WNBA coverage. Thank you for reading!
