2011 WNBA Draft Live

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For the seventh consecutive year, Kevin Pelton will be covering all the action of the WNBA Draft live exclusively on StormBasketball.com. Stay with us throughout the draft to get instant reaction to the Storm's picks at No. 12 in the first round, No. 24 in the second round and No. 36 in the third round as well as coverage of the entire league. You can also follow along with @seattlestorm on Twitter and share your questions to potentially be answered using the Cover it Live box at the bottom of the page.

Krystal Thomas More Duke Flavor for Storm
Posted at 2:30 p.m.


In the past week, the Storm has picked up three Duke alumane. Last week it was forward Bridgette Mitchell, signed to a training camp contract as a free agent. Today, having drafted Jasmine Thomas in the first round, the Storm also selected her college teammate Krystal Thomas with the final pick - No. 36 overall in the third round. Krystal Thomas is a defensive-minded player who led the ACC in rebounding last season while averaging 1.7 blocks. She'll add some size to the Storm's camp roster as she comes in to join the competition for roster spots.

The 2011 WNBA Draft is now complete. Thanks for reading our live coverage and stay tuned to StormBasketball.com all day long as we offer further coverage of all three picks and the Storm shaping its roster. I already got a chance to talk to Jasmine Thomas, who is thrilled to have a chance to play in the WNBA and join the defending champs.

Thomas Highlights
Posted at 2:05 p.m.


From our chat, some highlights of Thomas from when she was ACC Player of the Week.

Storm Adds Ibekwe
Posted at 1:55 p.m.


Ify Ibekwe In the second round, the Storm drafted Arizona forward Ify Ibekwe with the 24th overall pick. Ibekwe was the Pac-10's Defensive Player of the Year as both a junior and a senior. She is a phenomenal rebounder who became the first player in UA history to score 1,000 points and grab 1,000 rebounds as well as the first to average a double-double for her career (14.3 points and 10.3 rebounds). Last week, she was named co-winner of the Ruby Award, the highest honor presented to graduating Arizona female seniors. Coach Agler compared Ibekwe to Swin Cash, though without the motor that has made Cash such a special player, and said she has the ability to play both forward positions. Ibekwe joins the competition in training camp for a spot on the roster.

Adams Goes to San Antonio
Posted at 1:43 p.m.


The last player in attendance at the draft has been taken, as the San Antonio Silver Stars selected Texas A&M forward Danielle Adams. I think Adams has the talent to make it in the WNBA, though she's going to have to improve her on-ball defense. I'm not sure that necessarily means dropping weight, which could negate some of Adams' advantage in the paint. It was tough to see Adams sit there waiting to get drafted, so happy to see her off the board. In the Draft Room, we're actually through the entire second round, but still waiting for those picks to be announced on NBA TV and ESPNU.

Into the Second Round
Posted at 1:25 p.m.


Things always get more unpredictable when we reach the second round of the draft. The Minnesota Lynx surprised some people by taking DePaul's Felicia Chester with the 14th overall pick. The big talk in the Draft Room is about Texas A&M's Danielle Adams, the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Tournament, who is still on the board. The question is where Adams will fit as an undersized but talented post.

Into the Second Round
Posted at 1:25 p.m.


Things always get more unpredictable when we reach the second round of the draft. The Minnesota Lynx surprised some people by taking DePaul's Felicia Chester with the 14th overall pick. The big talk in the Draft Room is about Texas A&M's Danielle Adams, the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Tournament, who is still on the board. The question is where Adams will fit as an undersized but talented post.

Jasmine Thomas Storm Takes Thomas
Posted at 12:53 p.m.


The Storm's newest player is Duke guard Jasmine Thomas. The Storm was excited to see Thomas - considered one of the top two point guards in the draft at the start of the NCAA Tournament - still around at the end of the first round. Thomas can play both guard positions and is a very capable scorer. She saves some of her best performances for big games, having won ACC Tournament MVP each of the last two years. She's also a very bright player who was the ACC's Scholar Athlete of the Year and has interned for the Washington Mystics.

Before the draft, Coach Brian Agler told us that "Jasmine is probably as good an all-around guard as there is in the draft. I think that she can be a quality player in our league."

Storm on the Board
Posted at 12:50 p.m.


After the Washington Mystics selected Kentucky's Victoria Dunlap, the Storm is on the clock. Not a lot of discussion here in the room. After the last couple of picks, there's a consensus on who will be the best fit for the Storm and the best talent available.

Playoff Teams Adding Talent
Posted at 12:42 p.m.


With the lottery in the books, other than Tulsa holding the No. 7 pick, teams that already made the playoffs are stocking up. Atlanta went with Ta'Shia Phillips, a backup with size for Erika De Souza who helps with Yelena Leuchanka's availability a question mark. The Indiana Fever added depth at the point with Stanford's Jeanette Pohlen, who can back up the point and also play some two for the Fever. San Antonio really needed an infusion of youth and athleticism and got it with Oklahoma point guard Danielle Robinson, who has excellent quickness. In between, Tulsa surprised the prognosticators by taking Kayla Pedersen. Everybody loves Pedersen's talent, but she might not be an ideal fit for Nolan Richardson's up-tempo scheme.

See the Picks
Posted at 12:34 p.m.


A quick reminder that Storm single-game tickets for the 2011 season went on sale today. That means you can secure your seats to see all of today's first-round picks. Maya Moore will play one of her first games here in Seattle on Thursday, June 9 before returning on Friday, June 24. The Tulsa Shock also makes a pair of visits with Liz Cambage facing fellow Aussie Lauren Jackson on Aug. 11 and Aug. 25. Courtney Vandersloot will have to wait until the end of the regular season to make her homecoming at KeyArena when the Chicago Sky comes to town on Saturday, Sept. 11.

Going Inside
Posted at 12:30 p.m.


Back-to-back post players selected. The Lynx got a top-three talent when Amber Harris fell to the No. 4 pick. Harris isn't a perfect fit for Minnesota's needs, but there is no questioning her talent. I think she's got All-Star potential. That's the last thing the Lynx needed more of on the roster! Meanwhile, Los Angeles added a true five in Jantel Lavender, who could play alongside Candace Parker and Tina Thompson to help protect the basket. Tough for the Storm to see so much quality in the Western Conference.

Vandersloot Goes No. 3
Posted at 12:25 p.m.


There were some jokes in the Storm Draft Room about not keeping Vandersloot secret. At the start of the year, there was a chance Vandersloot might last until the Storm's first-round pick, No. 12 overall. That changed during the NCAA Tournament, when Vandersloot dazzled the nation with her court vision and ability to score. Now she's a lottery pick, having gone No. 3 overall to the Chicago Sky. She gives Chicago a new dimension in the backcourt, but the Sky is a bit crowded at guard with last year's top pick Epiphanny Prince and All-Star Jia Perkins.

Cambage to Tulsa
Posted at 12:20 p.m.


The Tulsa Shock just got a whole lot bigger and more talented, taking 6-8 Australian Liz Cambage, the consensus second-best prospect available. The young Cambage is the kind of player a franchise can build around, so it's great to see the Shock get a new face.

Lynx Make it Official
Posted at 12:15 p.m.


Not that there was any question, but with the first overall pick the Minnesota Lynx officially added Connecticut forward Maya Moore. Moore has been the No. 1 pick in this draft since before she stepped on campus in Storrs. There should be a bit more drama about the No. 2 overall pick. We expect the Tulsa Shock will likely take Australian center Liz Cambage, but there's a chance Tulsa could surprise the draft room.

View from the Draft Room
Posted at 12:00 p.m.


Storm Draft Room

Happy Draft Day!
Posted at 11:50 a.m.


We're closing in on the start of the WNBA Draft and I'm here from the Storm's draft room with the coaching staff, CEO Karen Bryant, members of Force 10 Hoops LLC and representatives from the Storm PR department. Jamin Dershowitz, the WNBA's legal counsel, just went over the rules and checked in with each team's draft room. We're following the coverage on ESPN while waiting for the Minnesota Lynx to go on the clock at 12 noon. Stay with us all afternoon for updates as we get closer to the Storm's first pick, No. 12 overall, and make sure to share your questions in the chat.