WNBA drafts the defunct ABL:
West Valley College
By Michael Saltzman
In the third annual WNBA draft, the Washington Mystics used their first overall pick to select three time NCAA champion Chamique Holdsclaw from Tennessee.
After Holdsclaw was taken, the ABL took over, the 10 team league that declared bankruptcy after 2 1/2 seasons. Of the next 49 picks, 35 were players with ABL experience.
The next college player was not selected until Duke center Michele Van Gorp was taken by the New York Liberty with the 18th pick.
The first player of the former ABL taken was Yolanda Griffith, a power forward of the Chicago Condors, by the Sacramento Monarchs. The first Bay Area player to be selected was former Stanford and San Jose Laser star Jennifer Azzi with the fifth pick by Detroit.
Six San Jose Lasers were selected overall as well as two former Lasers. The team's career leader in points scored, Sheri Sam, who also played for the Stanford Cardinal, was selected 20th overall by the expansion Orlando Miracle.
Another former Cardinal, Kate Starbird, was picked in the third round by Sacramento.
One other Tennessee star was taken after Holdsclaw and that was guard Kellie Jolly by Cleveland. Jolly won the NCAA women's three point contest over Arizona point guard Jason Terry in the battle of the sexes.
The Houston Comets, who have won the first two WNBA championships went all the way to Russia to make their first selection by picking Natalia Zassoulskaia.