The Stars' 2013 season was derailed by injuries to Becky Hammon and Sophia Young; the bright side is that it earned them the number three pick in the 2014 WNBA Draft, which they used to select Kayla McBride. The guard out of Notre Dame shot 46 percent in her senior season and averaged 3.84 assists a game.
There was more than a little bit of talk linking Alyssa Thomas, a forward out of Maryland, to the Stars. The decision to select a guard, to me, reflects the Stars' need to think of life after Becky Hammon. Hammon is now in her 16th season as a pro and just turned 37; and that's not to mention the two torn ACLs. McBride can relieve Hammon off the bench this season and pick up valuable experience without the pressure of having to start right away, barring any catastrophic injuries.
In the second round the Stars stuck to their organizational roots by picking foreign-born player Astou Ndour. This is a good summary of Ndour from Luís F. Cristóvão:
Astou Ndour is a rebounding machine. Her two performances in the U19 World Championships produced a more than 9 rebounds per game average and, this season, in the Spanish Liga Femenina, she averaged more than 13 rebounds a game in the regular season. At 6-6, she will need to keep working on her body and gain some weight, but she is already very physical and has no problems facing anyone in the paint.
This year's Missouri squad isn't much different than last year's. The good news - such as it is - is that Bri Kulas is the only other player worth noticing. Of course, she's 6'1", shoots 42% from deep, and gets 1.15 points per weighted shot...She's going to likely spot up at the 4, which puts her up against Isabelle Harrison at the top of the key - or, even better, Bashaara Graves down low. Make her work on defense and she'll likely need a few possessions off on the other side of the court.
Unfortunately that's the extent of the good info I could find on Kulas, but here's a highlight reel of some of what she did at Mizzou. Video! Flashing lights!
You can see the full list of drafted players here and be sure to check out all the coverage Swish Appeal has to offer leading up to opening night on May 16. It's going to be a great season in the WNBA!