USA - WNBA draft top two picks Harding, Davenport traded

CLEVELAND (WNBA) - Lindsey Harding endured a heartbreaking finish to her college career. Her pro career is off to a whirlwind start.

After being selected first overall by the Phoenix Mercury in Wednesday's WNBA draft, Harding was traded to the Minnesota Lynx for veteran forward-center Tangela Smith.

The San Antonio Silver Stars took Ohio State center Jessica Davenport with the second pick, then promptly dealt her to the New York Liberty for guard Becky Hammon and a 2008 second-round pick.

In her final collegiate season at Duke, Harding won the Naismith Trophy, given to the nation's top player. The ACC Player of the Year and a two-time conference Defensive Player of the Year, Harding averaged 13.8 points and 4.0 rebounds this season.

"It's really exciting to add a player of Lindsey's caliber to our roster," Lynx CEO Roger Griffith said. "When you have the opportunity to make a move and get the top player in the country, it's something you have to do to improve your team. She's going to be a tremendous asset to the Lynx."

Harding's career ended in stunning fashion in the "Sweet 16" of the NCAA Tournament, where she missed two free throws with one-tenth of a second remaining in a 53-52 loss to Rutgers.

In Smith, the Mercury receive a nine-year veteran who has career averages of 11.9 points and 5.1 rebounds. She was taken by the Lynx in the dispersal draft earlier this year.

The Silver Stars received one of the league's more popular players in Hammon, who has averaged 10.4 points and 2.5 assists in 227 career games.

The Chicago Sky, who were a league-worst 5-29 in their inaugural 2006 season, selected Mississippi guard Armintie Price with the third pick. Price was a finalist for the Wooden Award in her final season, when she averaged 19.1 points.

Picking fourth, the Lynx also went small by taking UCLA combo guard Noelle Quinn, who averaged 17.1 points this season and fills out the backcourt alongside budding star guard Seimone Augustus.

"We believe Noelle has tremendous upside and growth as a player," Lynx coach Don Zierden said. "As a coaching staff, we really like her ability to pass the ball and score within the flow of the offense. She is an extremely talented player who knows the game. We look forward to adding her to our solid core of young players."

The New York Liberty selected Texas forward Tiffany Jackson with the fifth pick. The 6ft 3in Jackson averaged 16.8 points in her senior season.

Another Big 12 Conference player went sixth, with the Washington Mystics taking Baylor forward Bernice Mosby. She averaged 17 points in her only season at the school, playing three seasons at Florida before transferring.

Looking for outside shooting, the Seattle Storm took Purdue guard Katie Gearlds seventh. The 6ft 1in Gearlds made 238 three-pointers in her collegiate career.

The Houston Comets went for a player from a small school, using the eighth pick on guard Ashley Shields of Southwest Community College, who averaged 25.9 points this season.

Size mattered for the Indiana Fever, who selected 6ft 7in center Alison Bales of Duke ninth overall. Bales averaged 11.9 points and 7.8 rebounds in her final collegiate season.

With their second pick of the first round, the Sky rounded out the top 10 by taking Vanderbilt 6-3 forward Carla Thomas, who averaged 16.2 points.

The defending champion Detroit Shock used their first-round pick on North Carolina's Ivory Latta, who won the Nancy Lieberman Award as the nation's top point guard. The 5ft 6in Latta helped the Tar Heels reach the Final Four by averaging 16.2 points and 4.2 assists.

Owning the final two picks of the first round, the Connecitcut Sun went big, taking Temple forward Kamesha Hairston and French center Sandrine Gruda, the FIBA Europe Young Player of the Year who shone for US Valenciennes in the EuroLeague Women.

Gruda recently played at the EuroLeague Women All-Star Game in Valencia and also competed at last year's FIBA World Championship for Women in Brazil.

The 6f Hairston averaged a career-high 18.9 points this season.

FIBA