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UCLA Wire
UCLA's Gianna Kneepkens gets taken 15th overall by the Connecticut Sun
- Story byUCLA Wire
- UCLA's Gianna Kneepkens gets taken 15th overall by the Connecticut Sun
The UCLA Bruins just keep breaking records . With the final pick of the first round of the WNBA Draft , the Connecticut Sun selected UCLA guard Gianna Kneepkens. Kneepkens was the fifth Bruin selected in the first round, setting a new record for first round picks for one team.
It was even a bit of a surprise that Kneepkens had to wait as long as she did to hear her name called on Monday. Kneepkens went eighth overall to the Golden State Valkyries in ESPN's WNBA mock draft but instead went No. 15 overall to the Sun.
It's easy to see how Kneepkens contributes at the WNBA level, it's with her shooting. Kneepkens is one of the best shooters in the country, shooting 43% from three for her career and 43% in her lone season as a Bruin. The sharpshooter played her first four college seasons with Utah before wrapping up her collegiate experience with a national title for the UCLA Bruins .
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Kneepkens was a bit quiet during UCLA's championship run, but her floor-spacing still made a difference for the Bruins , even if she wasn't getting a ton to fall. Kneepkens' scoring dropped to 12.8 points per game with UCLA after posting 19.3 per game last year with Utah.
Throughout the season it was obvious that UCLA featured a lot of WNBA talent, but now we see the Bruins make WNBA history, being the first school to ever have five players taken in the first round. Of course the expansion Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire helped that cause, but it stills goes to show how much talent Cori Close accrued in Westwood.
While the Sun has established talent, they have just one player who averaged double-digit points last year, with guard Leila Lacan at 10.8 points per game, Kneepkens' offense could prove to be useful right off the bat for the Sun.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: Gianna Kneepkens becomes the fifth Bruin drafted in the first round
