Sun Select Trio

By Bob Phillips

The Sun selected Cal's Kristine Anigwe with the No. 9 pick in the 2019
WNBA Draft last night.

UNCASVILLE—In their first official act towards making a charge for their third straight postseason appearance, the Connecticut Sun added four players, including three picks, in the 2019 WNBA Draft last night. First up was Kristine Anigwe out of the University of California who the Sun tabbed with the No. 9 overall pick. Anigwe, the 2019 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year and the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, was the leading rebounder in the nation last season with 16.2 boards per game.

The first four-time All-American in Cal history, Anigwe pulled down 533 rebounds as a senior, the highest single-season rebounding total ever by a Pac-12 player. The 6-foor-4 center was the first Division I women’s player in 30 years to average over 22 points and 16 rebounds per game with totals of 22.3 points and 16.2 rebounds per game this season. She is Cal’s all-time leader in career points (2,591), rebounds (1,404) and blocks (205).

“We're ecstatic she dropped [to No. 9],” Sun head coach and general manager Curt Miller said. “We had her going at four. I have had Anigwe going to Chicago at four for the past six weeks, so when she didn't go at four, we had hope.”

Next up the Sun selected Bridget Carleton out of Iowa State with the 21st overall pick. The Chatham, Ontario native was named the 2019 Cheryl Miller Award winner as the best small forward in Division I. Carleton, the Big 12 Player of the Year, set school records for points scored (760), scoring average (21.7 ppg), field goals made (254) and field goal attempts (543) last season.

With their third and final pick of the evening, the Sun selected Regan Magarity from Virginia Tech with the 33rd overall pick in the third round. In 133 career games, the 6-foot-3 Magarity averaged 12.5 points and 9.8 rebounds, including career-highs of 14.1 points and 12.8 rebounds as a senior.

In addition, the Sun received the draft rights to Natisha Hiedeman from the Minnesota Lynx for guard Lexie Brown. The Lynx had selected Hiedeman with the 18th overall pick earlier in the evening. An honorable mention WBCA All-American, a 5-8 guard out of Marquette, was the unanimous Big East Player of the Year,  averaging 17.6 points per game as a senior. Heideman, who played at nearby Green Bay Southwest in high school, is Marquette’s all-time leader in 3-point field goals made with 301 and third on the all-time scoring list with 1,913 points.

“It was a fantastic evening for the franchise,” Miller continued. The Sun, of course, have played at the Mohegan Sun Arena for the past 16 years after moving to the Nutmeg State from Florida, where they began their existence as the Orlando Miracle (for four seasons). “We are ecstatic with our picks while also getting the rights to a fourth dynamic player. We’re excited to get to camp. This will be the most competitive camp we’ve had since my arrival and hope to use the momentum from camp into the regular season.”

Finally, the day after the draft, the Sun announced the signing of Emma Cannon to a training camp contract. The 6-2 forward spent the 2017 with the Phoenix Mercury, where she appeared in all 34 games, averaging 4.4 points and 3.6 rebounds per contest. A native of Rochester, NY, Cannon played for three seasons at Central Florida where she average 13.0 points and 10.1 boards before transferring to Southern Florida for her senior season. There she earned Division II Honorable Mention All-American accolades in 2011. Internationally, Cannon is averaging 18.1 points and 9.3 rebounds per game while shooting 53.1 percent from the field in 26 Polish League games for Arka Gdynia.

 

The Sun, Connecticut’s only major league-level team, will open the 2019 WNBA season on Saturday, May 25, when they will host the Washington Mystics. Tip off will be at 7:30 p.m. at the Mohegan Sun arena, and fans can visit ConnecticutSun.com or call 1-877-SUN-TIXX for more information.

The Sun, who have won 21 games under the stewardship of head coach and general manager Curt Miller in each of the last two years, will be featured on four nationally televised games this season:

• Sun., June 16, vs. Breanna Stewart, Sue Bird and the Seattle Storm. Tip-off is set for 3:30 p.m. ET at the Mohegan Sun Arena. The game will be televised nationally on ABC.
• Sat., June 29, at the Washington Mystics (2 p.m. ET, ESPN)
• Sat., July 6, vs. Maya Moore and the Minnesota Lynx (2 p.m. ET at the Mohegan Sun Arena; ESPN2)
• Fri., July 12, vs. Diana Taurasi and the Phoenix Mercury (8 p.m. ET at the Mohegan Sun Arena, ESPN2)

—with staff reports

 

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