Stanford seniors Kayla Pedersen and Jeanette Pohlen are anticipating their WNBA futures a week after ending distinguished careers in disappointment at the Final Four in Indianapolis.
The Cardinal stars who lost in four consecutive Final Fours, including a 63-62 upset to Texas A&M last week, are projected as top 15 picks in Monday’s 2011 draft. Oklahoma’s Danielle Robinson, an Archbishop Mitty alum, also has been identified as a top pick.
The Minnesota Lynx is expected to take four-time All-America Maya Moore of Connecticut first while Tulsa will draft Australia’s 6-foot-8 Liz Cambage second overall.
After that draft experts said it was more difficult to determine the order of the first round. One mock draft, for example, has the versatile 6-foot-4 Pedersen going fourth overall to the Lynx, which also has former Stanford star Candice Wiggins.
But Pedersen has much competition. The other top front-line players include Texas A&M’s Danielle Adams, Ohio State’s Jantel Lavender and Xavier’s Amber Harris and Ta’Shia Phillips. Stanford played against all those stars in the past two seasons.
Pohlen and the Sooners’ Robinson are among the top guards of the 2011 class. Stanford is well acquainted with the others: Gonzaga’s Courtney Vandersloot and Texas A&M’s Sydney Colson, who helped the Aggies win their first national title.
Saint Mary’s Louella Tomlinson, a 6-4 center from Australia, is projected as a second-round pick.
Contact Elliott Almond at 408-920-5865 and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/elliottalmond.
