WNBA Teams to Pick Barksdale, Brown

Instead of sitting in a classroom, Brown will be glued to a television, computer and telephone, willing the television to say her name, the computer to show her name and the phone to ring with the most exciting news of her career.

Brown, a senior at North Carolina and the Tar Heels' former starting two-guard for their women's basketball team, is waiting to hear her name called in the WNBA Draft. Brown will await her future in the UNC women's basketball office with assistant coach Andrew Calder.

"I'm nervous," Brown said. "Have you not seen the names on the list? I mean, God, that's a lot of talent in this class."

Norte Dame's Ruth Riley, Southwest Missouri State's Jackie Stiles and Connecticut's Svetlana Abrosimova are just some of the big names that will be snapped up before Brown.

The draft begins at 11:30 a.m. in the NBA Entertainment Studios in Secaucus, N.J. The Seattle Storm has the first pick of the four-round draft.

The WNBA has invited 12 players, including former North Carolina forward LaQuanda Barksdale, to come to the studio for the draft.

"I'm not really excited or nervous right now," Barksdale said. "I feel like it's like another day right now, but I think when I get there then I'll probably be excited or nervous.

"But right now, I'm thinking so much about getting my work done here. I still have a lot of papers to finish up, and I have to take all my exams early."

Barksdale said she thinks she might end up in Washington -- the Mystics have the ninth overall pick.

For Barksdale and Brown, the dream of playing professionally wasn't always there. When training camps open May 2, it will only mark the fifth year of existence for the WNBA.

"When this league came about, I was a little uneasy about it. I was thinking, 'Was it going to last?'," Brown said. But when it became obvious to her that the WNBA would still be around, Brown began to include the WNBA in her career goals.

Brown said she didn't want to play in a second-rate European league, and so she focused on a nonbasketball career. For Barksdale, playing in Europe was fine with her, just as long as she gets to play.

But like Brown, Barksdale's very glad that she's about to be drafted in her home country where her family can see her play.

"It means a lot," Barksdale said. "You think about it a little bit when you're in high school, but you don't think you'll able to play in your own country. You think about going overseas.

"It means a lot to be able to get paid to do something that I love to do."

The Sports Editor can be reached at sports@unc.edu.