Long-time best friends and the Lady Tigers’ two leading scorers this past season were drafted Wednesday by the same team in the WNBA draft. Former LSU center Sylvia Fowles and former guard Quianna Chaney will join the Chicago Sky roster. The Sky drafted Fowles with the No. 2 overall pick and selected Chaney in the second round with the No. 19 overall pick. The Houston Comets drafted former LSU guard Erica White as the No. 17 overall pick. Fowles said she could not sleep Tuesday night because of her uncertainty. “I was very anxious [Tuesday] night when I got in [to the hotel],” she said. “I went to sleep at about [1 a.m.] and woke up at 6 o’clock in the morning.” Fowles said the draft day excitement only intensified when she heard Chaney, her LSU roommate, would be joining her in Chicago. “I was in the back doing interviews, and when I heard her name, I nearly fell out of the seat,” she said. Steven Key, the Sky’s head coach and general manager, said Fowles has “extraordinary skills” that can “change the game and expand the appeal of the WNBA.” “Sylvia is exactly the building block the Sky needs in our third season,” he said in an LSU news release. “I can’t wait to see her on the floor with two-time All-Star [forward] Candice Dupree … and Rookie of the Year Armintie Price at guard. Wow.” The Los Angeles Sparks selected Tennessee forward Candace Parker with the No. 1 overall pick. Many analysts agreed Fowles would have easily been a No. 1 pick any other year. White was drafted two spots ahead of Chaney by the Houston Comets. “I am extremely happy,” White said in an LSU news release. “I spent the day with my family not knowing when I was going to get picked so when I got the call, I was overwhelmed with emotion.” Chancellor was present at the WNBA draft in Palm Harbor, Fla. “I’m really proud of all of them,” Chancellor said. “Chicago got a tremendous post player and a great shooter, and I’m really happy for Erica [White] to be picked up by the Comets.” It is only the second time in WNBA Draft history that three LSU players were selected. In 2003, former Lady Tigers Aiysha Smith, DeTrina White and KiKi Tardy were drafted. The only former LSU player to go higher than Fowles was former guard Seimone Augustus, who went to the Minnesota Lynx in 2006 with the No. 1 pick. Fowles said she and Chaney planned to fly to Chicago on Wednesday night to meet with some “important people.” Fowles said she will finish her general studies degree through correspondence work and graduate in May or August.
—-Contact Casey Gisclair at [email protected]