Lopez Senechal a Top-5 Pick; Juhasz to Lynx

The Story: Lou Lopez Senechal became the UConn women’s highest-drafted player in four years last night when she was selected by the Dallas Wings with the No. 5 pick in the WNBA Draft, while Dorka Juhasz went to the Minnesota Lynx with the No. 16 pick, the fourth of the second round.

A SURPRISING CHOICE: Lopez Senechal was projected to go later in the first round — even the most ambitious mock draft had her being taken with the No. 7 pick — so it was an eye opener when she was chosen by the Wings.

• She’ll join an ambitious rookie class in Dallas, which also drafted Villanova’s Maddy Siegrist at No. 3, traded for the No. 4 pick and Iowa State’s Stephanie Soares, and selected Maryland’s Abby Meyers at No. 11, Iowa State’s Ashley Joens at No. 19 and Illinois State’s Paige Robinson at No. 31. She’ll also be teammates in Dallas with former UConn guard Crystal Dangerfield.

• The last UConn player to be taken with a top-five pick was Katie Lou Samuelson, who was chosen No. 4 by the Chicago Sky in 2019. Lopez Senechal becomes the Huskies’ 14th top-five draft pick. The others:

* No. 1 picks: Sue Bird (2002), Diana Taurasi (2004), Tina Charles (2010), Maya Moore (2011) and Breanna Stewart (2016);
* No. 2 picks: Swin Cash (2002) and Moriah Jefferson (2016);
* No. 3 picks: Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis (2015) and Morgan Tuck (2016);
* No. 4 picks: Asjha Jones (2002), Renee Montgomery (2009), Gabby Williams (2018) and Samuelson.

• UConn has now had 27 players drafted in the first round with Lopez Senechal’s selection.

WHAT DID LOPEZ SENECHAL SAY? “I think this year, I had the confidence and the trust from everyone around me, my coaches and my teammates, and it gave me the confidence to know that I could compete at this level, too.”

AS FOR JUHASZ … : Minnesota kept its UConn pipeline flowing by drafting Juhasz, who will join Napheesa Collier in the Great White North. The Lynx have also drafted Svetlana Abrosimova, Tamika Williams, Charde Houston, Montgomery, Moore, Collier and Dangerfield over the years.

WHAT DID JUHASZ SAY? “A kid coming from Hungary, I think this is just so huge. It’s not just about me, but hopefully, [young players back home] are watching and they can see that this dream can come true.”

THE REST OF THE DRAFT: South Carolina’s Aliyah Boston was the No. 1 pick of the Indiana Fever, with Maryland’s Diamond Miller going No. 2 to the Lynx.

WHEN DOES THE SEASON BEGIN? The first games will be played on May 19, with training camps set to begin later this month.

— Zac Boyer

Morning Reads

• The UConn men are the early favorites to repeat as champions as they were included as the top seed in the inaugural version of Bracketology. Yes, one season has barely ended and yet we’re already projecting the results of another. (ESPN)

• Stephen Quigley struck out 10 batters in six innings and Matt Garbowski went 3-for-5 with three runs as the No. 20-ranked baseball team beat CCSU 10-4 yesterday at Dunkin’ Donuts Park. (UConnHuskies.com)

• U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal was expected to be released from the hospital yesterday as he underwent surgery on a broken leg after he fell during the UConn men’s parade in Hartford on Saturday afternoon. (Associated Press)

Top photo: Lou Lopez Senechal dribbles the ball in the Huskies’ game against Texas. (Ian Bethune for The UConn Daily)