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STORRS, CT (April 19) -- University of Connecticut
women’s basketball players Sue Bird (Syossett, NY), Swin Cash
(McKeesport, PA), Asjha Jones (Piscataway, NJ) and Tamika Williams
(Dayton, OH) were drafted into the WNBA this afternoon during the
2002 WNBA draft held in Secaucus, NJ.
All four UConn players were top six first round draft picks, highlighted
by UConn’s first ever No. 1 pick, Sue Bird. Connecticut is
the first school to have four draft picks in the top ten. Bird was
the first pick overall by the Seattle Storm, while Cash was the
second pick going to the Detroit Shock. Jones was drafted by the
Washington Mystics with the 4th pick and Williams went 6th to the
Minnesota Lynx.
At Connecticut, the four seniors combined for two national championships,
four BIG EAST regular season and tournament titles and three trips
to the final four. They boasted an overall record of 136-9 over
their four-year careers.
Bird, the consensus national player of the year, closes out her
UConn career as the all-time leader in career three-point field
goal percentage (45.9) and free throw percentage (89.2). She posted
a career scoring average of 11.7 ppg and 5.0 assists and was one
of only two players at UConn to amass over 1,000 points, 500 assists
and 200 career steals.
Cash, a 2002 All-American, was named the 2002 Final Four Most Outstanding
player after posting 20 points and 13 rebounds in the national championship
game. She broke the top ten in career scoring and now ranks seventh
all-time with 1,583 career points. Cash posts a career scoring average
of 11.9 ppg and 6.8 rpg.
Jones, a 2002 All-American, leaves Connecticut with the UConn record
for all-time games played (144). Jones saw action in every game
since her freshman season and ranks 11th all-time on the career
scoring list with 1,502 points. A District I Academic All-American,
she finished her career ranked fifth all-time in blocks (151) and
ninth in rebounds (794), while averaging 10.4 ppg and 5.5 career
rebounds.
Williams, who played injured most of her senior season, owns four
top single season marks for field goal percentage and holds the
top spot on UConn’s career list in field goal percentage with
a .703 mark. She finishes her career ranked 14th in scoring with
1,402 points and is 10th all-time in rebounding with 763. She averages
10.6 ppg and 5.8 rpg for her four-year career.
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