Publication Date: Wednesday, April 21, 2004
Nicole Powell ready for the pros
Nicole Powell ready for the pros
(April 21, 2004) Cardinal senior goes to Charlotte as third pick in the WNBA draft
by Rick Eymer
Unless there's plenty of money available in the traveling budget, the only chance for Stanford women's basketball fans to see Nicole Powell this summer is July 31, when the Charlotte Sting visit the Sacramento Monarchs in a WNBA contest.
Powell became one of the newest Sting when she was drafted by them with the third overall pick of the WNBA draft on Saturday.
"I think I've prepared and I've worked hard in college to get to this point," said Powell. "I think it's going to be a challenge making the transition from college to now. But, it's something I'm looking forward to. I'm just going to go in there and try and play my game and fit in with the players."
Charlotte, which finished 18-16 and in second place in the Eastern Conference last year, traded up to make sure they could draft the 6-foot-2 Cardinal senior.
"There were a lot of good players in this draft, but we feel great about Nicole," said Sting coach Trudi Lacey. "She's a very good player, great rebounder, very good passer, has a very high basketball IQ, very versatile. I think she'll be able to do great things in Charlotte."
Powell led the Cardinal an NCAA Elite Eight appearance, while notching a team-high 627 points and 346 rebounds. She is the only three-time Kodak All-American in Stanford women's basketball history.
She finished her Cardinal ranked first in total rebounds (1,143), first in career rebounds per game (9.6), second in points per game (17.3), second in free throw percentage (82.9; 457-of-551), second in free throws attempted (551), second in 3-pointers attempted (518), second in 3-pointers made (201), third in total points (2,062) and fifth in assists (577) .
"She does so many things well," said Lacey. "I think what we'll have to do now is look at our offensive system and see what best suits her and maybe have to make some adjustments there."
Powell joins former Stanford player Olympia Scott-Richardson, who signed with the Sting as a free agent on March 16th.
"I thought the Stanford team was good this year, I was sorry they didn't make it to the Final Four," said Scott-Richardson. "Nicole Powell is a great player, and the whole team was very good. Nicole is a terrific guard and at over six feet, she is similar to (Chamique) Holdsclaw and (Tamika) Catchings in her size. She's a good 1-4 player."
Powell used to watch Scott-Richardson at Stanford, and is excited to get the opportunity to play with her.
"I looked up to the way she played and her intensity," said Powell. "I had a chance to meet her a couple of years ago and she was a really great person and I'm really looking forward to playing with her and getting to know her better."
The Sting also drafted Penn State guard Kelley Mazzante, Vanderbilt center Jenni Benningfield, and Texas Tech's Jia Perkins.
"This is the deepest draft that we've had in the WNBA," said Lacey. "There are several players that will have an immediate impact. I believe that Nicole Powell is one of those players. As you know from last year, the league has become highly competitive. So any edge you can get to continue to compete is what you need to do and I think we've done that with Nicole."
USC's Ebony Hoffman, taken by the Indiana Fever with the ninth pick of the first round, was the only other Pac-10 player chosen in the draft.
The Sting play in Phoenix on June 9 and in Los Angeles on June 11.
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