Photo by: Brianna Prisco
2017 WNBA Draft: On the Orange Prospects
4/10/2017 10:36:00 AM | Women's Basketball
The 2017 WNBA Draft will be held on Thursday night
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Ahead of Thursday night's 2017 WNBA Draft, several head coaches and women's basketball media personalities were made available to the media to discuss prospects. Senior center Briana Day, senior guard Alexis Peterson, and redshirt senior guard Brittney Sykes each were discussed on the conference call.
The 2017 WNBA Draft will be held on Thursday in New York, beginning at 7 p.m. ESPN2 will cover the first round, while ESPNU will air coverage of the second and third rounds starting at 8 p.m.
Briana Day
Briana Day out of Syracuse, if you can kind of provide the assessment of what she looks like going into a possibility of being drafted late.
LaChina Robinson: She brings great length and size and athleticism. I know you guys are tired of me saying athleticism and sides and speed, but that is the biggest question mark when a player goes from college to the WNBA. Her ability to contest shots and give you rim protection, it can create -- the question for her would be on the offensive end, where does she fit in. I think she had the benefit obviously of playing with two very good guards in Brittney Sykes and Alexis Peterson, so she got a lot of her points off of rebounds and just being fed as they were drawing a defense, so how does her offensive skill set develop. But I think she definitely would be great for a team that just needed some backup at the rim in terms of some length, and she also was a post player that did not just stay in the post and defend. Sometimes got in a little foul trouble out on the perimeter, but she has that ability, quickness, to help on that end of the floor.
Alexis Peterson
Between her [Brittney Sykes] and I guess her backcourt mate Alexis Peterson, if you guys can share, who projects better at the WNBA level?
Chicago head coach Amber Stocks: I mean, obviously they're both are extremely talented, and they have unique attributes, both of them. So on one hand, yes, they're both perimeter players and they both play on the ball very well, but they're a little bit apples and oranges as far as projecting which one will play better in the league. A lot of that's going to be determined by which roster they're on. There's a lot of great players who have success because they're at the right place at the right time, and it's a perfect fit roster-wise. And likewise, there's other players who maybe have just as much if not more talent in certain areas, but the pieces of the puzzle don't fall their way, so to speak, just because of the timing and where they happen to land as far as training camp is concerned. Alexis Peterson, Brittney Sykes, both extremely talented. I think they can both be players that develop in this league, and a lot will be determined by just kind of where they fall.
This is for any coach that wants to speak on this. I know you're not going to disclose your hands, so I don't want you to try to, but just talk about is there any little thing about this draft that intrigues any of you that you see that stands out that hasn't been talked about? They talked about the draft being guard heavy, they talked about maybe not a star coming out, but just little things you want to speak on about this draft that impresses you as coaches this year.
Chicago head coach Amber Stocks: You know, just kind of seeing the forest through the trees, two things I would say stand out are just the breadth of shooters at multiple positions that this draft offers, not only the perimeter players but the bigs, as well, are shooting very impressive, steady, consistent percentages beyond the three-point line. You know, that's a tribute to how hard players are working now. On the flipside, that doesn't necessarily mean that we have a bunch of finesse players out there, and so the players that are scoring the ball well beyond the 3-point line, whether it be a 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 position player, are also attacking the rebounds and getting to the free throw line. So that's one thing that stands out as impressive kind of across the board with this draft class. And then secondly, because a lot of these players, even the ones that score a lot of points, for example, Alexis Peterson and Brittney Sykes, they score a lot of points for their team, but they also have to play complementary roles on their teams, and the way that across the board these players seem to move without the ball, set good screens, they're not just scoring heavy, but they're playing smart basketball, offensively and defensively I think that's one thing that stands out throughout all of the players we're looking at, or a big chunk of the players that have caught our eye.
Rebecca, I wanted to ask you about Shayla Cooper and how you see her skills fitting into the WNBA, where she needs to develop to stay in the league and have that staying power, and LaChina, another Columbus kid in Alexis Peterson, how you've seen her grow this season and where you see her fitting in amongst some of the top guard prospects this season.
Rebecca Lobo: I'll start with Shayla Cooper. She's got WNBA size. She's 6'2". She can rebound. She can shoot the three. So she's bringing good skill set. For her size I think she would need to become a little bit more of a consistent shooter because she'd be another one of those players that you would -- might be built more for the 4 spot but would have to play mostly at the 3 in the WNBA. But because of her size, because of her versatility, she'll definitely be intriguing to teams.
LaChina Robinson: Yeah, and as far as Alexis Peterson, I've run out of words to describe her, both on the court as well as off. I mean, she's one of the most mature players I've ever come into contact with, tremendous basketball IQ. I mean, let's not forget she pretty much willed her team to the National Championship game last year, put the team on her back. She's just a consummate leader. She is a player that can create her own shot from anywhere on the floor. She's tough. You know, sees the floor extremely well, makes good reads off of the bounce. I just think that she's an asset, you know, and not to mention that she's going to bring the emotion, the toughness, all those things, but she's obviously a great outside shooter, can get to the rim and create. There's just not very many things on the basketball court that she can't do on top of just being a great person, as well.
Brittney Sykes
This can be for any of the coaches. I'm just wondering what you guys see from Brittney Sykes. Obviously she thought about declaring for the draft last year, came back to school and had a good season. How has she improved from last year to this year and how does she project for the WNBA?
Dallas Wings head coach Fred Williams: I think when a player has an opportunity to refine their skills for another year, that helped her a great deal to put her in the position for this year. The ability for her to hit shots from the outside and her versatility as a perimeter player is really going to show itself in training camp. I think she is an athletic talent, and I think she will exploit that athletic talent and challenge on someone's roster. She's a player that really intrigues a lot of the scouts and a lot of the coaches within the league.
For the latest news on the Syracuse women's basketball program, follow /SyracuseWBB on Facebook, @CuseWBB on Instagram, and @CuseWBB on Twitter.
Be a part of the 2017-18 season, order season tickets today! $75 for general admission and $125 for courtside tickets. One can purchase tickets here.
The 2017 WNBA Draft will be held on Thursday in New York, beginning at 7 p.m. ESPN2 will cover the first round, while ESPNU will air coverage of the second and third rounds starting at 8 p.m.
Briana Day
Briana Day out of Syracuse, if you can kind of provide the assessment of what she looks like going into a possibility of being drafted late.
LaChina Robinson: She brings great length and size and athleticism. I know you guys are tired of me saying athleticism and sides and speed, but that is the biggest question mark when a player goes from college to the WNBA. Her ability to contest shots and give you rim protection, it can create -- the question for her would be on the offensive end, where does she fit in. I think she had the benefit obviously of playing with two very good guards in Brittney Sykes and Alexis Peterson, so she got a lot of her points off of rebounds and just being fed as they were drawing a defense, so how does her offensive skill set develop. But I think she definitely would be great for a team that just needed some backup at the rim in terms of some length, and she also was a post player that did not just stay in the post and defend. Sometimes got in a little foul trouble out on the perimeter, but she has that ability, quickness, to help on that end of the floor.
Alexis Peterson
Between her [Brittney Sykes] and I guess her backcourt mate Alexis Peterson, if you guys can share, who projects better at the WNBA level?
Chicago head coach Amber Stocks: I mean, obviously they're both are extremely talented, and they have unique attributes, both of them. So on one hand, yes, they're both perimeter players and they both play on the ball very well, but they're a little bit apples and oranges as far as projecting which one will play better in the league. A lot of that's going to be determined by which roster they're on. There's a lot of great players who have success because they're at the right place at the right time, and it's a perfect fit roster-wise. And likewise, there's other players who maybe have just as much if not more talent in certain areas, but the pieces of the puzzle don't fall their way, so to speak, just because of the timing and where they happen to land as far as training camp is concerned. Alexis Peterson, Brittney Sykes, both extremely talented. I think they can both be players that develop in this league, and a lot will be determined by just kind of where they fall.
This is for any coach that wants to speak on this. I know you're not going to disclose your hands, so I don't want you to try to, but just talk about is there any little thing about this draft that intrigues any of you that you see that stands out that hasn't been talked about? They talked about the draft being guard heavy, they talked about maybe not a star coming out, but just little things you want to speak on about this draft that impresses you as coaches this year.
Chicago head coach Amber Stocks: You know, just kind of seeing the forest through the trees, two things I would say stand out are just the breadth of shooters at multiple positions that this draft offers, not only the perimeter players but the bigs, as well, are shooting very impressive, steady, consistent percentages beyond the three-point line. You know, that's a tribute to how hard players are working now. On the flipside, that doesn't necessarily mean that we have a bunch of finesse players out there, and so the players that are scoring the ball well beyond the 3-point line, whether it be a 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 position player, are also attacking the rebounds and getting to the free throw line. So that's one thing that stands out as impressive kind of across the board with this draft class. And then secondly, because a lot of these players, even the ones that score a lot of points, for example, Alexis Peterson and Brittney Sykes, they score a lot of points for their team, but they also have to play complementary roles on their teams, and the way that across the board these players seem to move without the ball, set good screens, they're not just scoring heavy, but they're playing smart basketball, offensively and defensively I think that's one thing that stands out throughout all of the players we're looking at, or a big chunk of the players that have caught our eye.
Rebecca, I wanted to ask you about Shayla Cooper and how you see her skills fitting into the WNBA, where she needs to develop to stay in the league and have that staying power, and LaChina, another Columbus kid in Alexis Peterson, how you've seen her grow this season and where you see her fitting in amongst some of the top guard prospects this season.
Rebecca Lobo: I'll start with Shayla Cooper. She's got WNBA size. She's 6'2". She can rebound. She can shoot the three. So she's bringing good skill set. For her size I think she would need to become a little bit more of a consistent shooter because she'd be another one of those players that you would -- might be built more for the 4 spot but would have to play mostly at the 3 in the WNBA. But because of her size, because of her versatility, she'll definitely be intriguing to teams.
LaChina Robinson: Yeah, and as far as Alexis Peterson, I've run out of words to describe her, both on the court as well as off. I mean, she's one of the most mature players I've ever come into contact with, tremendous basketball IQ. I mean, let's not forget she pretty much willed her team to the National Championship game last year, put the team on her back. She's just a consummate leader. She is a player that can create her own shot from anywhere on the floor. She's tough. You know, sees the floor extremely well, makes good reads off of the bounce. I just think that she's an asset, you know, and not to mention that she's going to bring the emotion, the toughness, all those things, but she's obviously a great outside shooter, can get to the rim and create. There's just not very many things on the basketball court that she can't do on top of just being a great person, as well.
Brittney Sykes
This can be for any of the coaches. I'm just wondering what you guys see from Brittney Sykes. Obviously she thought about declaring for the draft last year, came back to school and had a good season. How has she improved from last year to this year and how does she project for the WNBA?
Dallas Wings head coach Fred Williams: I think when a player has an opportunity to refine their skills for another year, that helped her a great deal to put her in the position for this year. The ability for her to hit shots from the outside and her versatility as a perimeter player is really going to show itself in training camp. I think she is an athletic talent, and I think she will exploit that athletic talent and challenge on someone's roster. She's a player that really intrigues a lot of the scouts and a lot of the coaches within the league.
For the latest news on the Syracuse women's basketball program, follow /SyracuseWBB on Facebook, @CuseWBB on Instagram, and @CuseWBB on Twitter.
Be a part of the 2017-18 season, order season tickets today! $75 for general admission and $125 for courtside tickets. One can purchase tickets here.
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