Prospect Rankings: Weeks 6, 7, 8

This is our first ranking update in three weeks. Much has changed.

   Rank - Name (Team) - Last Week's Rank
  1. Courtney Paris (Oklahoma) - 1
  2. Ashley Walker (California) - 2
  3. Star Allen (Ohio State) 4  
  4. Angel McCoughtry (Louisville) - 5
  5. DeWanna Bonner (Auburn) - 6 
  6. Ashley Paris (Oklahoma) - 3
  7. Shalee Lehning (Kansas State) - 9
  8. Danielle Gant (Texas A&M) - 7
  9. Kristi Cirone (Illinois State) - 28
10. Chante Black (Duke) - 16
11. Robyn Fairbanks (Utah Valley State) - NR
12. Marlies Gipson (Kansas State) - 17
13. Renee Montgomery (UCONN) - 10 
14. Marshae Dotson (Florida) - 11
      Monique McLean (St. Johns) - NR
16. Jernisha Cann (IUPUI) - 22
      Shavonte Zellous (Pittsburg) - 25
18. Marissa Coleman (Maryland) - 14
19. Lyndra Littles (Virginia) - NR
20. Whitney Thomas (Indiana) - NR
      Kristi Toliver (Maryland) - 29
      Chandrea Jones (Syracuse) - 18
      Rachel Porath (UW-Green Bay) - NR
24. Laura Kurz (Villanova) - NR
25. Traci Edwards (UW Milwaukee) - NR

HM: Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton (Purdue), Jessica Bobbitt (Belmont), Rashanda McCants (North Carolina), Briann January (Arizona State), Megan Frazee (Liberty).

WNBA Prospect of the Week (12/29-1/4)

After returning from a Fall Semester Suspension, Lyndra Littles (6'1 Forward Virginia), came back in a big way, taking this week's Prospect of the Week Award. Littles' Virginia Cavaliers went 2-0 this week with wins over Louisiana Tech (68-52) and Georgia (62-60). Littles scored 33 points in her first game back while also managing to pull down 7 rebounds. For week, Littles averaged 28 points, 7 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game. Littles also shot 44% from the field. This is Littles' first Prospect of the Week Award.

Also Considered: Renee Montgomery (Connecticut), Shavonte Zellous (Pittsburgh), Robyn Fairbanks (Utah Valley State), Ashley Walker (California), Heather Ezell (Iowa State).

Will Stars Align Again in San Antonio?

Last year, San Antonio made one of the biggest draft day trades by trading with Atlanta to recieve Ann Wauters, the strong center out of Belgium. Once Ann arrived, San Antonio seemed unbeatable. Let's look at how San Antonio stacked up and what we could look for them to do come draft day.

Forever Young
Becky Hammon, the odds on star for the Silver Stars, had yet another solid season, but it was the play of 6'1" forward Sophia Young that caught people's attention. Young averaged 18 points and 6 rebounds for the Stars last season. Wauters also had a stellar campaign, scoring around 14 points and pulling down 6 boards a game. The Big Three did a lot for the Stars. At times, they heavily depended on those three. But once again, the story of San Antonio's season was execution and balance. The Stars are very disciplined and score a lot out of halfcourt sets. The Stars also, despite not having a huge roster due to cap reasons, went about as deep as possible - bringing off veteran guards like Helen Darling, Vickie Johnson, and Edwige Lawson-Wade. Balance and discipline helped get San Antonio to the finals. Oh, and so did that Sophia Young girl.

Exit Stage Left
The Silver Stars had one of the most memorable trips to the Finals, by beating a fiesty Sacramento team and ultimately beating the LA Sparks, a team most thought would win the title. However, once they got to the finals, the Stars struggled. Detroit's in-your-face style of defense really bothered the Stars. San Antonio has people that can create their own offense, but at some times it can get tough. This is the reason why they also struggled against a Sacramento squad who, on paper, shouldn't have been able to stay that close. But Sacramento frazzled the Stars and thus made a series out of it.

Reaching for the Stars
The Stars currently hold the 14, 26, and 39 draft picks. Though they don't have a pick in the first round, they get first dibs in the second round. Like any WNBA team, the Stars need to look at their roster and predict what will happen. Will Wauters and Lawson-Wade come back? Lawson-Wade plays for France and Wauters plays for Belgium. Eurobasket 2009, the qualification tournament for the World Championships, will be held this summer. Will the two Euros be no-shows? If so, the Stars might look to go with a post and a guard with their first two picks. With Shanna Crossley returning, the Stars do get some shooting, but how will older players like Darling and Johnson hold up? Johnson was a no-show in the finals last year. The guard position may be of need in San Antonio.

It's Shot Creation, Stupid
No matter what position the Stars draft, they need players who can create their own shots at any time. A player like Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton is a possiblity if she isn't drafted in the first round. Also look for someone like Shavonte Zellous or Briann January if they go guard. The Stars might even look in the Big XII for a player - someone like Danielle Gant, Takia Starks or Marlies Gipson. San Antonio might even take a chance on Liberty star Megan Frazee, a player who could thrive in the WNBA due to her versatility. The Stars were the best team for most of the year last season, which means they don't need a huge upgrade, but there are positions they need filled. They need someone who can create their own shot on the drop of a dime and someone who can act as a lockdown type of defender, because who wants to see Katie Smith light up the Stars again? I know San Antonio fans don't.

Introducing...Amber Bland
Amber Bland. Does the name sound familiar? Well, for Big Ten enthusiasts, the name should sound familiar. Bland is a guard from North Carolina A&T, making it big in the world of mid majors. But that's not how it always was. Bland began her career at Penn State, where she was expected to fill the shoes of Kelly Mazzante. During the whole Rene Portland saga, Bland decided that she, too, would transfer. Bland was the third Lady Lion to leave the program, and that's what brought her to North Carolina. The Aggies welcomed Bland with open arms. She's been one of the better players that area has ever seen, setting single season scoring records. Bland has garnered multiple awards, and have drained many jumpers on opponents all over the nation. Patricia Bibbs, head coach at NC A&T, thinks this is Amber's chance to get in the spotlight. The Aggies are odds on favorites to get to the NCAAs via an automatic birth, and anything less would be disappointing. "Amber is loaded with so much talent,” said Bibbs. “I think sometimes Amber doesn’t know how talented she is. She gives so much so much on the court. But I told her, ‘it would be a travesty for you not to take your team to the NCAA tournament.’ I know sometimes it doesn’t happen, but she is the kind of player that can make it happen.”

Introducing...Krystal Ellis

Krystal Ellis, despite being one of the more explosive scorers nationally, is also one of the least talked about players. Seriously, if Ellis' name were to appear in a dictionary, it would be on the page that features the term 'underrated.' Marquette  has never really been known as a women's basketball power, but since Ellis arrived, they've been making noise. Since her arrival, The Golden Eagles have been on the fast track to success. Marquette is coming off of a WNIT title and two years ago, Marquette made the NCAA Tournament, eventually falling to Oklahoma. Ellis has had some memorable scoring performances, including putting down 31 against a Top 25 Wisconsin, and 40 on Kentucky in the WNIT. But while numbers are nice, Ellis has more on her mind. "It'll be exciting to break the record but I'm more focused on winning a national championship, actually," Ellis said. "I'm really excited about getting back to the NCAA tournament again, because that's the biggest goal of all. I can set all the records and everything, but I just want to win." Now a senior, Krystal has had to step in as a leader, something that has not always come naturally to her. But still, Ellis has had quite a part in Marquette's history. She will go down as one of the better players to ever play there, and hopefully she'll get the national credit she deserves.

WNBA Prospect of the Week (12/15-12/28)

Over the holiday season, Shavonte Zellous, the 5'10" Pittsburgh guard, picked up her second WNBA Draft Net Prospect of the Week award. In a span of two weeks, Zellous' Panthers went 2-1, only losing to a ranked Florida Gators team. The Panther's easily beat Wagner and Florida A&M, also. In the loss against Florida, Zellous went off, scoring a career-high 42 points on 54% shooting, while also dishing out 6 assists and pulling down 4 rebounds. For the two weeks, Zellous averaged 30 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. She also shot, on average, 53% from the floor, 55% from the three point line, and 87% from the charity stripe. This is Zellous' second Prospect of the Week Award.

 Also considered: Sha Brooks, Chante Black, Lyndra Littles, DeWanna Bonner.

Santa's Prospect List

Naughty

Kristi Toliver (Maryland) - Prior to her senior season, Toliver was seen as a probable lottery. However, Toliver and her Maryland team have fallen off the radar and are not making nearly as much noise as they should. Toliver's awful performance against TCU in Maryland's season opener was the first early sign that Toliver was going to have a down season. There's still time, but Toliver's stock is dropping.

Abby Waner (Duke) - Duke seems to have improved from last year, but Waner's shooting has been ho-hum this season. Waner was great early in her career and many WNBA scouts were looking to see if she would return to her pre-McCallie form, but she hasn't. Waner's shot selection is still poor most of the time, and her three point shooting continues to plummet.

Lyndra Littles (Virginia) - Playmaking queen Sharnee Zoll graduated last year, leaving Lyndra Littles a perfect opportunity to get in the spotlight for an up-and-coming Virginia team. However, very early in the season Littles was suspended due to academic issues. Littles could have shown the scouts what type of player she is and could have risen her stock dramatically. Instead, she's not sitting on the bench. Bad move, Lyndra, bad move.

Kia Vaughn (Rutgers) - Remember the days when Kia Vaughn could score? Ah, those were the days. Sadly, many thought this would be Kia's year. Matee Ajavon, who most thought was a ball hog, graduated and with the added youth at the guard positions, many thought Vaughn would be the focus of a Rutgers offense. That hasn't happened, though. Vaughn's numbers our down, as is her confidence. With Vaughn's struggles, Rutgers has even decided to go to Rashidat Junaid instead at times. Ouch.

Nice

Shalee Lehning (Kansas State) - Shalee Lehning has been one of the best stories early in this women's college basketball season. The Kansas State point guard has led her team to a 10-0 record while averaging a near point-assist double double. Lehning also recorded a triple double earlier this year. Point guards are always a need in the WNBA and Lehning's play could catapult her into the first round.

Ashley Walker (California) - With former senior post Devanei Hampton out most of the preseason, Walker carried the load for the Golden Bears. After a strong start to the season, including a whooping of a talented Rutgers team, Walker has been one of the stars on the scene early. Walker has shown she can score, rebound, defend, and shoot from many areas of the floor with regularity. With Walker, California would be in trouble.

Briann January (Arizona State) - Come on! Who doesn't love Briann Janvier?! The WNBA scouts definitely do. January has helped her Arizona State team maintain a Top 25 ranking. January's offense seems to be on the rise, yet she's still defending as she always has. At this point the season, January may be the most consistent and balanced point guard in the bunch.

Angel McCoughtry (Louisville) - Among the projected Top 5 picks, McCoughtry has been by far the most consistent. With the loss of a key post player, McCoughtry has helped the defense and rebounding for the Louisville Cardinals. And McCoughtry is still scoring as she used to. Like Lehning, McCoughtry also has been in the Triple Double Party. McCoughtry's versatility and consistency shows why some people are comparing her to Swoopes.

Another Redshirt of Note

This time it's Nebraska's Kelsey Griffin.

 Griffin was primed for a fantastic fourth and final season, but an ankle injury has halted that back a year. Get well soon, Kelsey! We'll see you next year!

Introducing...Kia Vaughn
It's not every day that you actually hear about a Rutgers post player. I mean, for every Tammy Sutton-Brown, there's a Tasha Pointer, Cappie Pondexter, Matee Ajavon, and Essence Carson. I think you get the point. But Kia Vaughn has been one of the better posts in the nation over the last few years and it has paid off for Rutgers. Earlier this year, she was named to the Wade Preseason Watch List, and for good reason. This is a woman that has helped her team along the road, even to a title game matchup against those Vols from Knoxville. However, this year Vaughn's game as been lacking. Rutgers, at this point, seems to be a work in progress, with those five (now four) fab freshman leading them along the way. Don't get me wrong, Rutgers will still bring their D, but this year, the offense has not been flowing. Especially for Vaughn. Her numbers are down, and even her touches haven't really improved drastically. Vaughn's stock is dropping as we speak, and even though there is still a lot of time, it's time for her to start getting to work and showing us what she can do.

Introducing...Emily Fox

It's hard to fill shoes, especially to fill the shoes of Lindsay Whalen, one of the better guards in the history of the Big Ten. But Emily Fox has put four solid years in and has proven that she us up for the task. Fox, a Colorado native, had big expectations coming out of high school with all eyes on her in just her freshman year. Fox, who was once known to be shy, has really embrased her leadership role and according to fellow Minnesota guard Brittany McCoy, "Her enthusiasm for the game impacts everyone on the team. When you see her shooting every day, it inspires everyone else to go above and beyond. We feel like something's missing if she's not there." In the summer of 2007, Fox was chosen to take part in the Pan Am games and play for the USA. Among those chosen, were some elite prospects who have already begun their WNBA careers. Emily Fox is having a solid season and her Gopher team is as well. She is a strong prospect at the guard position and definitely someone who will be fighting for a roster spot. And if you're scared of her game on the court, see what she does off the court. Fox's game can be summed up in one word...fast.