Huskies Eye First-Round WNBA Draft Splash
The Story: Lou Lopez Senechal and Dorka Juhasz are expected to begin their professional careers tonight when the WNBA Draft takes place (7 p.m., ESPN).
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Lopez Senechal and Juhasz have a chance to be the first UConn players chosen in the first round since Megan Walker was selected by the Liberty in 2020.
• UConn has had 26 players drafted in the first round, more than any other school. Tennessee is second with 16 and Stanford is third with 12, showing just how well Geno Auriemma and his staff prepare his players to launch their pro careers.
• Three former UConn players were drafted last season, all in the second round, with Christyn Williams going No. 14 to the Mystics, Olivia Nelson-Ododa going No. 19 to the Sparks and Evina Westbrook going No. 21 to the Storm.
FIRST-ROUND TALENT: Nearly every mock draft has Lopez Senechal chosen in the first round, with Juhasz appearing as a first-round pick in most drafts.
• ESPN’s mock draft has Lopez Senechal going with the 11th pick to the Wings and Juhasz going at No. 12 to the Lynx. Winsidr has Lopez Senechal at No. 7 to the Fever and Juhasz joining her with the No. 13 pick, the first in the second round.
• Just Women’s Sports is bullish on Juhasz, projecting her to go No. 8 to the Dream and Lopez Senechal going No. 10 to the Sparks.
• Three mock drafts only projected the first round and have Lopez Senechal as a top-12 pick: Her Hoop Stats (No. 11 to the Wings), CBS Sports (No. 11 to the Wings) and Sports Illustrated (No. 10 to the Sparks).
LOPEZ SENECHAL’S JOURNEY: We were consistently amazed throughout the season at Lopez Senechal’s impact on the Huskies, and her journey from Mexico to France to Ireland to Storrs was well chronicled by ESPN over the weekend.
The graduate transfer from Fairfield didn’t expect to land with a top-25 program as she began her college years, so she didn’t contact any of them. She also was reluctant to do the same thing a year ago but was blown away when UConn, and assistant coach Morgan Valley, reached out after she put her name in the transfer portal.
All Lopez Senechal did in her lone season with the Huskies was average 15.5 points, second on the team, while shooting 47.6 percent — and 44 percent from 3-point range.
THE REST OF THE DRAFT: Nearly everyone projects South Carolina’s Aliyah Boston to be chosen by the Fever with the No. 1 pick, with Maryland’s Diamond Miller expected to go No. 2 to the Lynx and Villanova’s Maddy Siegrist going No. 3 to the Wings.
— Zac Boyer
Hawkins to NBA; Clingan Coming Back
The Story: Donovan Clingan will be back at UConn for another year as the roster starts to take shape.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: It might be news to some of you that UConn’s backup center announcing he will return for another year is actually news. We are here to inform you that he is very much an NBA prospect and would have been a first-round pick in the draft. This isn’t as easy a decision and a slam dunk to return as you think.
• The NBA doesn’t look at raw stats or trophies. They analyze the game when he plays. Clingan’s advanced metrics were off the charts. He averaged 6.9 points and 5.6 rebounds per game with 1.8 blocks in 13.1 minutes. The per-40-minute numbers were dominating: 21.1 points, 17.2 rebounds and 5.5 blocks per game. What will he do in 30 minutes a game next season?
• When Clingan was in the game, UConn surrendered 89.9 points per 100 possessions. When he wasn’t in the game? UConn allowed 103 points per 100 possessions. Our eye test knows this to be true as well.
• Opponents shot 41 percent at the rim when Clingan was in the game. That’s nearly impossible defensive impact. We are talking elite-level rim protection, and it’s why a former NBA coach in Stan Van Gundy and even Charles Barkley gushed over his potential.
• Per the Athletic, one source had Clingan rated as the No. 1 player in all of college in a stats-only model. Draftniks believe Clingan, at 7-foot-2, will be a lottery pick next year if he produces in more minutes
• Why is Clingan better than Purdue’s Zach Edey, the 7-foot-5 player of the year? The answer is simple: mobility. Clingan is athletic and can run the floor. He also has a face-up jump shot that we’ll see next year. And, while Edey is a liability in the NBA due to his lateral quickness, Clingan is quick and athletic and has great instincts to go with his length.
HAWKINS TO THE LEAGUE: Jordan Hawkins isn’t returning for his junior season as he looks likely to be another UConn first-round draft pick. Hawkins looks locked into the middle of the first round, between Nos. 15-25, and could move into the lottery if his athleticism and size measure out.
HOW ABOUT THE REST? Adama Sanogo is weighing his options and at a minimum will likely declare for the draft and keep his eligibility. The same is true with Jackson, whom Dan Hurley believes is an NBA-caliber player/
• It looks like Samson Johnson and Nahiem Alleyne will be back, while the futures of Hassan Diarra, Apostolos Roumoglou and Yarin Hasson are uncertain. Tristen Newton is weighing pro options but we should hear his plans in the coming days.
CELEBRATION: The Huskies were given a parade through downtown Hartford on Saturday, with an estimated 45,000 people in attendance to celebrate the fifth national championship.
— John Silver
Morning Reads
• The No. 19-ranked baseball team split a doubleheader at St. John’s on Saturday, winning the first game 8-3 but losing the second 9-7. (UConnHuskies.com)
• Freshman Hope Jenkins pitched a two-hitter and had eight strikeouts as the softball team finished a three-game sweep of St. John’s with a 4-1 win yesterday. (UConnHuskies.com)
• The No. 25-ranked women’s lacrosse team had its four-game winning streak snapped on Saturday in Storrs as it lost 14-9 to Denver. (UConnHuskies.com)
Lou Lopez Senechal dribbles the basketball during the Huskies’ first-round NCAA Tournament win over Vermont. (Courtesy of UConn athletics)
