SECAUCUS, N.J. — Less than two days after helping the Connecticut women’s basketball team win its second consecutive national championship, Tina Charles was selected first by the Connecticut Sun in the WNBA draft Thursday.
Charles averaged more than 18 points and nine rebounds while leading UConn to an NCAA Division I-record 78 straight victories over the past two seasons.
The Sun traded with the Minnesota Lynx to get the NCAA’s player of the year. The Sun also acquired Charles’ former teammate, Renee Montgomery, from the Lynx for Monica Wright, the second pick in the draft, and former University of Minnesota star Lindsay Whalen.
The Lynx drafted Nebraska’s Kelsey Griffin with the third pick, then dealt her to the Sun minutes later for Connecticut’s first- and second-round picks next year.
Rutgers guard Epiphanny Prince was taken by Chicago with the fourth pick and Jayne Appel, who guided Stanford to three straight Final Fours and the national title game this season, was taken fifth by San Antonio.
Butler rewards Stevens with new contract
INDIANAPOLIS — Coach Brad Stevens, who took Butler to the national title game and fell one bounce short of winning the NCAA basketball championship, signed a 12-year deal that would keep him at the school through at least 2021-22. The school did not say how much the deal was worth.
• Coach Fred Hill was informed by Rutgers officials that he wouldn’t be retained because of multiple violations of the conduct clause in his contract.
• Iona hired Tim Cluess, who coached Division II C.W. Post to a 98-23 mark over four years, as its coach.
• Missouri hired Robin Pingeton of Illinois State as its new women’s basketball coach.
• Texas freshman guard Avery Bradley will declare himself eligible for the NBA draft, but he doesn’t plan to hire an agent.
• Others declaring for the draft included Oklahoma guard sophomore Willie Warren, Penn State junior guard Talor Battle and Vanderbilt junior center A.J. Ogilvy.
MLS expands its rosters to 26
NEW YORK — Major League Soccer has increased the size of rosters from 24 to 26 per team to boost the signing of local “homegrown” players.
The league said it will allow teams to sign homegrown players from their youth programs without those players having to go through MLS’s annual draft.
Footnotes.
Spain’s Samuel Sanchez won the mountainous fourth stage of the Tour of Basque Country in Arrate, Spain, while Alejandro Valverde reclaimed the overall lead.
• Kim Clijsters, fresh off her second title win of the year at Miami, lost to 258th-ranked Beatriz Garcia Vidagany of Spain 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 in the second round of the Andalucia Open in Marbella, Spain.
• Mark Kerrigan, the 45-year-old brother of figure skater Nancy Kerrigan, was charged with manslaughter in the death of their 70-year-old father in what Massachusetts prosecutors called a drunken rage during a trivial argument.
The Associated Press
