Jackson to Attend WNBA Draft

NORMAN, Okla. Senior Dionnah Jackson has been invited to attend the 2005 WNBA Draft on Saturday, April 16 in Secaucus, NJ. Draft coverage begins at 11:30 a.m. ET on WNBA.com and at 12 p.m. ET on ESPN2. Pam Ward, Ann Meyers and Rebecca Lobo will be anchoring the television coverage. ESPN2 will carry the first round draft selections live from the NBA Entertainment Studios while NBATV will provide live coverage of the second and third rounds.

Jackson will be one of 39 players that will be drafted Saturday. She led the Oklahoma women's basketball team to its sixth straight NCAA Tournament this season, after averaging a team-best 8.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 2.2 steals per game. Jackson also accounted for 14.6 points per game, second best for OU.

Only one previous Sooner has been invited to attend the live selection show. Stacey Dales-Schuman attended the 2002 WNBA Draft show. Dales-Schuman was the third overall pick by the Washington Mystics and played three seasons for the organization before retiring from the business in February.

Teammates LaNeishea Caufield and Rosalind Ross also went in the first round in 2002. Caufield was the 13th overall pick by the Utah Starzz, while the Los Angeles Sparks chose Ross as the final pick (16) in the opening round.

Former Sooner great Phylesha Whaley was the first OU player to be draft by the WNBA. She went in the third round to the Minnesota Lynx in 2000. Maria Villarroel also went in the third round to the Phoenix Mercury last year.

Based on the results of the WNBA Draft Lottery, which was held on December 1, the Charlotte Sting has the first overall selection. The Indiana Fever has the second pick and the Phoenix Mercury, last year's winner of the WNBA Draft Lottery, has the third selection. The San Antonio Silver Stars and the Houston Comets have the fourth and fifth picks, respectively.

The WNBA will tip off its ninth season Saturday, May 21, 2005 with a full slate of exciting match-ups, including ABC's broadcast of the defending WNBA champion Seattle Storm against reigning MVP Lisa Leslie and the Los Angeles Sparks at Key Arena beginning at 4 p.m. EDT.

What they are Saying About Jackson:
WNBA 2005 Point Guard Prospects
Kevin Pelton, storm.wnba.com
What is there not to like about Dionnah Jackson? The Oklahoma point guard can truly do it all, leading the Sooners in every major category but scoring (where she finished second). A First Team All-Big 12 pick after two years on the Second Team, Jackson recorded only the sixth triple-double in conference history with 15 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists against Tulsa in December. With good size for a point guard at 5-9, Jackson isn't afraid to play in the paint, averaging 8.5 rebounds per game as a senior. That ranked her seventh in the Big 12 and would be a fine total for a forward, let alone a point guard. Jackson averaged at least five assists per game all three seasons as a starter and has more than enough playmaking ability to play the point, while she's a highly-regarded defender who averaged more than two steals per game. The only negative was that Jackson was a bit prone to turnovers, including more than three a game as a senior, but that's to be expected when you're doing it all.

Ann Meyers' Prospect Breakdown: Guards
By Ann Meyers, WNBA.com
What an athlete! In college, she was easily able to score and go to the basket inside. She is also a great rebounder for her size. She is only 5-9, however, and needs to work on ball-handling and outside shot. Because of her size, they will want to put her at the 2 in this league, so increased range is very important. But she is a good defender, is very quick and has good lateral movement. In the WNBA, players look to take you off dribble, so she will learn how to defend against that.A

WNBA.com Scouting Preview
This Year's Best Kept Secrets
Unlike last year, the 2005 WNBA Draft may not be as deep or as full of household names. However, there is plenty of talent coming out of college this spring sure to make a splash in the WNBA for years to come. After watching the NCAA Tournament these past few weeks and keeping an eye on some of the more well-known names and prospects, there still might be a few prospects out there that you have not heard about yet. And while they might have slipped below your radar, they haven't gotten past WNBA scouts are more than worthy of your consideration even if they don't go in the top two or three picks.

Dionnah Jackson, Oklahoma, Shooting Guard:
-A versatile player for Oklahoma who played three or four positions over her career. She can do it all. At her size, she gets a lot of rebounds while defending bigger players. She will play two in the WNBA, so she needs to become more of a scorer and develop that aggressive mentality as well as work on her point guard skills . She could also add some bulk to her frame.

Rebecca Lobo's 2005 WNBA Mock Draft
By Rebecca Lobo, WNBA.com
The pre-draft camp this weekend will help coaches answer some questions. Most eyes will be on Kara Braxton to determine where her game is after not playing for 14 months (she left Georgia's team halfway through the '03-'04 season and recently had a baby). How she plays will help shape this draft because she has the potential to be a stud. Below is my mock draft but I'm sure things will change after this weekend. Better keep the oven mitts on...

1. Janel McCarville (Charlotte)
2. Tan White (Indiana)
3. Sandora Irvin (Phoenix)
4. Kendra Wecker (San Antonio)
5. Dionnah Jackson (Houston)
6. Temeka Johnson (Washington)
7. Sancho Lyttle (Detroit)
8. Kara Braxton (Connecticut)
9. Tanisha Wright (Sacramento)
10. Jacqueline Batteast (New York)
11. Shyra Ely (Minnesota)
12. Katie Feenstra (Seattle)
13. Catherine Kraayeveld (Washington)

2005 COLLEGE DRAFT ORDER
First Round
1) Charlotte (16-18)
2) Indiana (15-19)
3) Phoenix (17-17)
4) San Antonio (9-25)
5) Houston (13-21)
6) Washington (17-17)
7) Detroit (17-17)
8) Connecticut (18-16)
9) Sacramento (18-16)
10) New York (18-16)
11) Minnesota (18-16)
12) Seattle (20-14)
13) Los Angeles (25-9)

Second Round
1) San Antonio (9-25)
2) Houston (13-12)
3) Indiana (15-19)
4) Minnesota from Charlotte (16-18) (Darling, 2/11/05)
5) Phoenix (17-17)
6) Washington (17-17)
7) Detroit (17-17)
8) Connecticut (18-16)
9) Sacramento (18-16)
10) New York (18-16)
11) Charlotte from Minnesota (18-16) (Darling, 2/11/05)
12) Seattle (20-14)
13) Los Angeles (25-9)

Third Round
1) San Antonio (9-25)
2) Houston (13-21)
3) Indiana (15-19)
4) Sacramento from Charlotte (16-18) (Frett, 4/23/04)
5) Phoenix (17-17)
6) Washington (17-17)
7) Detroit (17-17)
8) Connecticut (18-16)
9) Sacramento (18-16)
10) New York (18-16)
11) Minnesota (18-16)
12) Seattle (20-14)
13) Los Angeles (25-9)

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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