As we posted last night, the San Antonio Stars selected Kayla McBride from Notre Dame with the third overall pick, and selected Spain’s Astou Ndour and Missouri’s Bri Kulas with their second and third round picks. Here are our thoughts on the 2014 WNBA Draft selections.
Michael A. De Leon
In Kayla McBride, the Stars not only got a great young combo guard that will eventually have the torch passed to her by Becky Hammon, but they also seemingly got a high-quality person that fits the Stars and their culture very well. She’ll benefit from being mentored by Hammon, and will pair nicely with Danielle Robinson in the backcourt in the future.
We won’t see Astou Ndour right away, but she addresses the frontcourt help the Stars need and will provide the team with a solid rebounder. Bri Kulas will bring some versatility to the Stars. The former Missouri forward seems as comfortable mixing it up in the paint as she is launching threes over defenders on the perimeter.
Stephen Anderson
The Stars future appears to be bright after a successful WNBA Draft on Monday night. With their third overall pick they selected Notre Dame’s Kayla McBride. With Becky Hammon on the back end of her career, it appears Stars Head Coach/General Manager Dan Hughes is preparing McBride to be the next face of the franchise and will learn a great deal from Hughes, Hammon and Robinson. The D-Rob & McBride back court will be one to watch.
Hughes took a page from Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich and drafted Astou Ndou, a center from Spain. Down the road she may be one of the best players in the game but will need to continue working on developing her skills and craft.
All in all, I like what I saw in this year’s draft.
Samantha Garcia
I see McBride as a great fit into the Stars system. Coach Hughes has always had luck in the past with the third pick and I believe he has stuck gold once again. McBride can shoot the ball well, make stellar passes, is quick, and of course her in between game was great when she was at Notre Dame. If she can bring those skills to San Antonio, she and Danielle Robinson will be a force to be reckoned with. Becky Hammon’s nearing the end of her playing days and it seems Hughes has found his next Becky.
