WNBA Draft Day, coaches join players during live coverage

• Update: Complete Draft Selection List

Live coverage of the 2010 WNBA Draft kicks off at 3 p.m. ET today from NBA Entertainment studios in northern New Jersey on ESPN2 and ESPN3.com. After the first round, the broadcast continues on NBA TV and ESPNU.

As it has done in years past, the league invited several prospects to attend the draft and sit in the studio during the announcements. The invited players are:

• Jayne Appel, Stanford
• Tina Charles, Connecticut
• Alysha Clark, Middle Tennessee State
• Kalana Greene, Connecticut
• Kelsey Griffin, Nebraska
• Allison Hightower, Louisiana State
• Alison Lacey, Iowa State
• Danielle McCray, Kansas
• Chanel Mokango, Mississippi State
• Jacinta Monroe, Florida State
• Jene Morris, San Diego State Guard
• Andrea Riley, Oklahoma State Guard
• Amanda Thompson, Oklahoma
• Monica Wright, Virginia Guard

Coaches expected to attend the draft include:

• Geno Auriemma, Connecticut
• Kurt Budke, Oklahoma State
• Beth Burns, San Diego State
• Sherri Coale, Oklahoma
• Bill Fennelly, Iowa State
• Greg Franklin (Assistant), Mississippi State
• Bonnie Henrickson, Kansas
• Rick Insell, Middle Tennessee State
• Debbie Ryan, Virginia
• Sue Semrau, Florida State
• Bob Starkey (Assistant), Louisiana State University
• Amy Tucker (Assistant), Stanford
• Connie Yori, Nebraska

With a field widely considered to be weak in depth, the University of Connecticut’s Tina Charles is expected to be the No. 1 pick and become a member of the Connecticut Sun.

Charles is a graduate of Christ the King High School in New York. Previous No. 1 picks from the school include Chamique Holdsclaw (1999) and Sue Bird (2002). Carrem Gay and Shay Doron, two other alumni from the girl’s prep basketball powerhouse, have also played in the WNBA.

Charles has a chance to become the fourth player in WNBA history to win the NCAA championship and be selected as the No. 1 pick in the draft. The first three to complete that feat: Sue Bird (2002), Diana Taurasi (2004) and Candace Parker (2008).

The first round draft order:

• Connecticut Sun (from New York, via Minnesota)
• Minnesota Lynx (from Connecticut)
• Minnesota Lynx
• Chicago Sky
• San Antonio Silver Stars
• Washington Mystics Connecticut Sun (from Tulsa)
• Los Angeles Sparks
• Atlanta Dream
• Seattle Storm
• Indiana Fever
• Los Angeles Sparks (from Phoenix)

[Complete Draft order with second and third rounds]

The league planned several activities surrounding the draft for fans. Sponsors of the activities include T-Mobile and HP.

• Live blogging using Cover It Live aggregating league, team, player and media Twitter feeds.
• The league will host a fan conference call with the No. 1 overall pick where WNBA fans will have the opportunity to speak directly with the draftee.
• T-Mobile will capture draftees’ special moments through the T-Mobile Stick Together Lounge on WNBA.com where drafted players will call their friends and family using T-Mobile phones to share their news and experiences from the event. Each player will record a voicemail which will be sent out to fans via WNBA’s pages on Twitter and Facebook.

The league’s 14th season begins on Saturday, May 15 as the defending champion Phoenix Mercury host the Los Angeles Sparks at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

Complete Draft Board

2010 WNBA DRAFT – ROUND 1
Pick	Team	Record
1	Connecticut Sun | Tina Charles | Connecticut	16-18
2	Minnesota Lynx | Monica Wright | Virginia	14-20
3	Minnesota Lynx | Kelsey Griffin | Nebraska (traded to Connecticut)	14-20
4	Chicago Sky | Epiphanny Prince | Botas/Rutgers	16-18
5	San Antonio Silver Stars | Jayne Appel | Stanford	15-19
6	Washington Mystics | Jacinta Monroe | Florida State	16-18
7	Connecticut Sun | Danielle McCray | Kansas	16-18
8	Los Angeles Sparks | Andrea Riley | Oklahoma State	18-16
9	Atlanta Dream | Chanel Mokango | Mississippi State	18-16
10	Seattle Storm | Alison Lacey | Iowa State	20-14
11	Indiana Fever | Jene Morris | San Diego State	22-12
12	Los Angeles Sparks | Bianca Thomas | Mississippi	18-16

2010 WNBA DRAFT – ROUND 2
Pick	Team	Record
13	New York Liberty | Kalana Greene | Connecticut	13-21
14	Washington Mystics | Jenna Smith | Illinois	16-18
15	Connecticut Sun | Allison Hightower | Louisiana	16-18
16	New York Liberty | Ashley Houts | Georgia	16-18
17	San Antonio Silver Stars | Alysha Clark | Middle Tennessee	15-19
18	Washington Mystics | Shanavia Dowdell | Louisiana Tech	16-18
19	Tulsa Shock | Amanda Thompson | Oklahoma	18-16
20	Los Angeles Sparks | Angel Robinson | Georgia	18-16
21	Atlanta Dream | Brigitte Ardossi | Georgia Tech	18-16
22	Seattle Storm | Tanisha Smith | Texas A&M	20-14
23	Indiana Fever | Armelie Lumanu | Mississippi State	22-12
24	Phoenix Mercury | Tyra Grant | Penn State	23-11

2010 WNBA DRAFT – ROUND 3
Pick	Team	Record
25	New York Liberty | Cory Montgomery | Nebraska	13-21
26	Minnesota Lynx | Gabriela Marginean | Drexel	14-20
27	Connecticut Sun | Johannah Leedham | Franklin Pierce	16-18
28	Chicago Sky | Abi Olajuwon | Oklahoma	16-18
29	San Antonio Silver Stars | Alexis Rack | Mississippi State	15-19
30	Washington Mystics | Alexis Gray-Lawson | California	16-18
31	Tulsa Shock | Vivian Frieson | Gonzaga	18-16
32	Los Angeles Sparks | Rashidat Junaid | Rutgers	18-16
33	Atlanta Dream | Brittainey Raven | Texas	18-16
34	Seattle Storm| Tijana Krivacevic | Hungary	20-14
35	Indiana Fever | Joy Cheek | Duke	22-12
36	Phoenix Mercury | Nyeshia Stevenson | Oklahoma	23-11