Vanderbilt's Jasmine Lister was selected as espnW's Player of the Week after a pair of impressive performances - including yesterday's win against Tennessee - but backcourt mate Christina Foggie is having an excellent senior campaign as well that should help her stand out among a crowded group of scoring prospects in the 2014 WNBA Draft.
When asked about Foggie earlier this season, I made the point that one thing working against her historically as a draft prospect was that more than 60% of her attempts were from beyond the arc and no prospect in the last five years had made it shooting threes at that rate (i.e. spot-up shooters don't fare well in the WNBA). However, shedding that "spot-up shooter" label is something Foggie has been working on as described by David Dawson of VUCommodores.com.
The senior guard from New Jersey has likewise been effective at the free throw line and from mid-range ... and, well, you get the picture... The impressive numbers are nothing new for Foggie, who was the SEC's leading scorer as a sophomore. But this year, Foggie is going about it a little differently by showcasing her versatility.
"Coming in this year, (I wanted to) to build off the things that I have done the last three years," said Foggie. "Not just being a 3-point shooter, but also trying to get to the rim and things like that."
Through the early stages of SEC play, Foggie's work is paying off and showing up in the statistics.
Foggie does still shoot about 56% of her shots from the 3-point line (122 of her 218 total field goal attempts), but she's also getting to the line more often than she has at any point in her career: her 44.95% free throw rate is her highest since her freshman year and elite compared to WNBA wing prospects of the past. Make no mistake that Foggie's 3-point shooting may still be her greatest strength - she's shooting 40.2% from beyond the arc this year - but her increased frequency in getting to the line reflects that attacking mentality that puts her in position to draw shooting fouls more often.
In addition to all of that, Foggie has an elite 2-point percentage of 51% and leads the talented SEC conference in scoring - statistically, she has the profile of a versatile and efficient scorer, which bodes well for her potential to continue finding scoring opportunities as a pro.
Right now, you have to search a bit to find fault with Foggie as a prospect and could perhaps point to a combination of a low steal and offensive rebounding rate (even for a guard) as a sign that she could struggle a bit with the athleticism in the WNBA. But in a field of prospects that is full of talented wing scorers that get more national attention, Foggie is making a case for being one of the best.
For more on draft prospects to keep an eye on, check out our 2014 WNBA Draft prospect watch storystream.