Big Three set for WNBA draft

Bristol, CT – When the WNBA holds its annual draft Monday night, it's expected Baylor's Brittney Griner will be chosen first and Delaware's Elena Delle Donne and Notre Dame's Skylar Diggins will go second and third, although not necessarily in that order.

After that, it's anyone's guess.

The Phoenix Mercury have the first pick in the draft and will likely add Griner, a two-time national player of the year, to a team that features former Connecticut star Diana Taurasi and Auburn's DeWanna Bonner. The Mercury finished the year at 7-27, including seven straight losses to close out the season.

Griner, who led Baylor to its second national championship (40-0) as a junior in 2012, finished her career with 736 blocked shots - an NCAA record for men and women - and was second all-time in women's scoring with 3,283 points. She also was named a first-team All-American each of the past three seasons.

The last time the Mercury had the first overall selection was in 2007, when they took Lindsey Harding out of Duke.

The Chicago Sky select second and could take Diggins because of her quickness and the proximity to her home in Indiana. She averaged almost 17 points and six assists a game for the Irish and was named the Big East Player of the Year for the second straight season. Diggins ended her college career as the all-time scoring leader in school history.

If the Sky select Diggins, Delle Donne is expected to be chosen third overall by the Tulsa Shock. The 6-foot-5 standout, who made headlines before her freshman year when she decommitted from Connecticut and stayed closer to her Delware home for personal reasons, can play all three positions. Delle Donne led the Blue Hens (27-3) in scoring 22 times this season, averaging 26 ppg, second-best in the nation.

Among the next group of expected draftees include UCLA's Markel Walker, Connecticut's Kelly Faris, Penn State's Alex Bentley and Ohio State's Tayler Hill.

The draft will consist of three rounds, with each of the 12 teams getting a pick in the opening round, while Minnesota and San Antonio will have two picks in the second round.

Last year, Stanford's Nnemkadi Ogwumike was chosen first overall by the Los Angeles Sparks.