WBB: Ty and Kiki await the WNBA draft

Tyasha Harris and Mikiah Herbert Harrigan are expected to be selected in the WNBA Draft Friday night.

The draft got a big shakeup Wednesday when the New York Liberty traded all-star and former league MVP Tina Charles to Washington in a three-team trade. The Liberty now have three first-round picks, including the first overall pick, and five of the first 15 picks. The Liberty are expected to take Sarbina Ionescu with the top pick.

During the season, Dawn Staley campaigned for Harris to get more recognition as a potential draft pick, and it paid off. Harris has seen her stock rise and most analysts view her as the best of the second tier of players, behind the top four of Ionescu, Satou Sabally, Lauren Cox, and Chennedy Carter. Fortunately for Harris, the teams with the fifth and sixth picks, Dallas and Minnesota, are both in the market for a point guard. Every mock draft has Harris going either fifth or sixth, and both have a history with the Gamecocks.

Dallas already has former Gamecocks Allisha Gray and Kaela Davis on the roster. Minnesota is coached by Cheryl Reeve, who once coached Staley as an assistant with the Charlotte Sting and is currently an assistant on Staley’s USA basketball staff. Although the Lynx are in a rebuilding mode, they have been extremely successful, just two years removed from their last championship, which capped a run of four titles in seven years. Staley said recently that Harris is at her best when she has talent around her.

“I really don’t think Ty has reached her full potential. I think the better players Ty is surrounded by, the better she plays,” Staley said. “When Ty’s able to lead, when she’s able to be heard, she plays her best.She understands that now. She’s empowered by what she’s been able to do in her four-year career and dissecting where she can be successful.

“I think the WNBA and their style of play is very beneficial to her style of play. I think the sky is the limit. It wouldn’t be surprising if she is up for rookie of the year.”

For Herbert Harrigan, there is much less clarity. Some mocks have her going as high as tenth to Phoenix, while others have her lasting well into the second round. The reason for the disparity is largely due to concern over what position Herbert Harrigan will play. A stretch four in college, Herbert Harrigan will likely have to transition to the three in the WNBA, something Staley is confident will happen.

“Her three-point shooting percentage, her overall percentage, her ability to be efficient, the times that she did get a chance to shoot the basketball, more often than not she made it, and they were from all over the place,” Staley said. “That’s appealing to the next level. I had a couple of conversations with coaches about can she play on the perimeter or is she strictly a four. When I compare her to some of the other players at her position, I think she can slide over and play the three. She had plenty of opportunities to play against small lineups.”

If you are wondering about Harris or Herbert Harrigan joining their former teammate A’ja Wilson in Las Vegas, that is unlikely. The Aces only have one pick, and it’s not until the third round, 33rd overall, and both Harris and Herbert Harrigan expect to be gone by then.

The WNBA draft will be held “virtually,” meaning the picks will be announced on television but the players and team staff will all be watching remotely. There is a scheduled teleconference for drafted players, and Gamecock Central will have full coverage tonight. The draft begins at 7:00pm on ESPN.