WINNERS AND LOSERS from 2024 WNBA Draft: Full FIRST ROUND Selections | CBS Sports

and we welcome you to CBS Sports HQ. I'm Kiana Martin with my boy Chris Williamson and I'm so sorry Chris, but it's ladies night on a night where the NBA season had a day off, all eyes were on this historic

draft

class that has It changed the landscape of women's basketball and officially entered the professional ranks and it's a lot like the transition from college to the pros. It's one thing that you'll feel honored, but on this night they had every reason to flex and brag because they were living their dreams. and leading this class that has the potential to change the course of W.

Caitlin's history by captivating Clark. The Indiana Fever selected her number one overall. She was the worst kept secret of this

draft

. She is a two-time Smith Player of the Year and all-time leading scorer. in men's or women's division one history, Caitlyn now joins former No. 1 overall pick Aaliyah Boston of South Carolina last year and then how about Stanford's No. 2 Cameron Brink, the defensive player in the year 20124, goes to the Sparks as they look to enter a rebuilding era and this is someone who is a great blocker, can protect the rim and also has the ability to go out and look at Camila Cardoso taking the number three overall spot.

The two-time national champion ended her season, her career, I should say with a personal record. 17 boards and now he's going to the Midwest in incredible fashion to the Star Center in South Carolina and he's going to join his angel Reese and those two have had battles since their high school careers, now two of the best rebounders in the nation will be on the same team so I don't think anyone will get many rebounds against them in Chicago and here's a look at the rest of the

first

round so Ria Jackson will be joining Cameron BR that should be fun. exciting duo ha Sheldon from Ohio State going to Dallas Aaliyah Edwards how about she go to m Mystics in DC Lissa phy from Utah going to the links and how about nardu Pooch po excuse me from Australia going to the dream then Marquisha Davis M miss Go to Liberty Liberty definitely needed that moment to welcome CBS Sports basketball analyst Erica Ayala, who has been hard at work all night covering this draft from interview analysis and Erica

first

, Caitlyn Clark, going to number one of the fever, what kind of What impact will it have on them and what was the atmosphere like when they selected her number one?

Well, Caitlyn Clark said she was a little anxious before she heard her name called, of course, at this point when we got very close to the draft. Some of the players have already had conversations with teams looking to recruit them to determine where they might fit and what some of the questions might be, but Caitlyn was a little nervous, but she handled that with the poise and grace that we are. I also liked hearing her talk about how she thought her game could translate not only to Indiana but also to the WNBA and she hopes to show her role as a facilitator or her role as a facilitator and be able to really convey, of course, to who I know is in the post from Aaliyah Boston, so I'm really excited to see that part of her game and then over time maybe as a WNBA pro we'll see that range that was made famous in the NCAA, but for now, Caitlyn is just excited.

Everybody very excited and we're going to see her facilitate really getting, you know, the ball to the post for Boston and the rest of her Indiana Fever teammates, yeah, and I think she'll have a much easier time facilitating than not. She doesn't have to carry the load as much as she did at Iowa, she's now playing with all-time professional players who will make her job a lot easier this year and let's get to the Sparks we talked about earlier. They're not going to compete for a WNBA championship, but that doesn't mean they won't be a fun team to watch.

They have Cameron Brink from Stanford, Ria Jackson from Tennessee, who I feel like not a lot of people are. speaking enough as they should, what do you think of Sparks' decisions here as they enter a new era in La? I really like the quality of the player, the basketball IQ and also the person and personality attached to their picks here like you. You mentioned on Cameron Brink and Ria Jackson that maybe you talked about Jackson, as a first-rounder, being a little underrated or not talked about as much. This is a very loaded draft class here in the WNBA, so I am very excited to see how Ria is going to take her game to the next level.

I think she has a very well-rounded game and will fit in well, but I also think the game in the WNBA really comes down to what you can do. the post and I like that Cameron Brink, of course, will bring that rebounding presence in particular, but he's also a player that can help stretch the floor a little bit at times. I was able to talk to a lot of the players as they went through the circuit, but Ria Jackson was coming in when the Los Angeles Sparks were actually FaceTiming her, so I could see Kurt Miller, you know, in the corner of his screen and having a really great conversation about wanting her to enjoy tonight, enjoy the time, and then getting ready and excited about the work that you can do together, so it was really awesome to have that little perspective as we were getting ready to sit down for our one-on-one interview.

I love that and Yeah, it's a quick transition, I mean, the season starts in May and they're going to start working, speaking of starting to work, Angel Reese and Cila Cardoso, we know what happened in the tournament championship game of the SEC, right here, when they pulled out their bloody lips. and all those great battles too in some other games going back to high school, what do you think of that duo in Chicago? Since they also have a new chapter for this team. These are two really cool accomplishments for any WNBA team, but as you mentioned, We know Chicago didn't have the season they wanted last year, they lost a lot of pieces in free agency and in the offseason, so there's a little bit of Reb , but we know again that we talked about this as you mentioned. talked before talked about Teresa Weatherspoon also just this organization Angel ree actually talked a lot about development and knowing that she's going to a place where they have a big focus on player development and it's a place where she can grow, but she's very excited of playing alongside cardoo, she talked about starting her NCAA career as one of the highest Wings in her college career, so she's excited to not have to sacrifice and play what she considered maybe out of position and get back to more than a natural position because cardoo can take over the five oh yeah we saw it time and time again in this tournament and throughout her career now when we look at the Rookie of the Year odds Caitlin Clark is at 950 do you think anyone further? she has a better chance of winning because I know the pick is Caitlyn, but maybe there could potentially be another player who is on a team where they carried more of the load and actually ended up winning.

That's a great question and, honestly, we won't do it. We won't know until we finish training camp because even though we know what these players have done at the NCAA level, we talked about it a moment ago. Angel Re will likely play a different position or hope to at least at this level. We hear again that Caitlyn Clark hopes to facilitate more, so she may not be taking as many shots. That said, I think any of the players we talked about have a high probability that they can not only make an impact on the teams they've gone to. this year, but of course they have to get through training camp, get through their rookie season and if their teams can also come together in a way where they not only fill holes but establish their professional game, that to me will be the player with the best odds for Rookie of the Year, Eric Ayala, breaking it down fantastic as always, we appreciate you for us, if you want to continue doing well, you should continue watching the WNBA because we have 20 games during the

2024

season. here on CBS Sports also broadcasting on Paramount plus, where we are entering a new era of WNBA basketball where many more people are starting to appreciate the talented women that are day in and day out Caitlyn Clark Brina yasu Asia Wilson, two-time MVP Angel Reese, they will all be featured at the great stage.