Beard, Tillis go No. 2, 11 in draft

When the women's basketball team hosted Tennessee January 24 at Cameron Indoor Stadium, former Lady Vols star and three-time WNBA All-Star Chamique Holdsclaw gushed about the possibility that Duke senior Alana Beard could be selected by her Washington Mystics in the 2004 draft.

"We're definitely in need of a player like [Beard]," Holdsclaw said.

"She's a great player, but I am really also impressed with her as a person. She can get it done from all different areas of the floor, so I'm hoping and I'm praying that I'll be playing with her next year."

Saturday afternoon, Holdsclaw's wish became a reality, as Beard was selected second overall by Washington and will make her first appearance as a professional when the Mystics host the Indiana Fever in a preseason game May 11.

"I have been waiting for this for a while, and I cannot express how excited I am to be going to play for Washington," Beard said. "To join the Mystics family is very exciting and is an honor. I am blessed and cannot wait to meet my teammates. It is going to be a lot of fun."

"We are very excited that we had the opportunity to pick Alana," said Judy Holland Burton, Mystics Senior Vice President of Business and Basketball Operations. "This is an incredible day for the Mystics. We are sure that Alana will be a perfect compliment to this team."

As Duke's all-time leading scorer, Beard will bring a polished offensive game to a Washington team that averaged 68.5 points per game last year, but perhaps her greatest asset will be her defensive prowess.

"I have seen Alana play a few times already, and I think that the most important thing that our team needed was perimeter defense," Mystics head coach Michael Adams said. "Alana can pressure the ball, and she is physical with whoever she is guarding."

Although Beard's selection garnered the most attention, her four-year teammate Iciss Tillis was also drafted in the first round by the defending WNBA champion Detroit Shock with the 11th pick.

Tillis--who at 6-foot-5 can play from the perimeter or in the post--will bring versatility to a team led by Swin Cash, Deanna Nolan, Ruth Riley and Cheryl Ford.

"[I can bring] even more versatility," Tillis said. "They have great rebounders like Swin Cash and Cheryl Ford, great post players who will raise the level of my game. I'm just excited about this next part of my career and I am ready to get going."

Tillis was projected by many draft analysts to go to Sacramento with the No. 10 pick, but the Monarchs went with Georgetown forward Rebekkah Brunson instead.

The selection of Brunson allowed Tillis to slip to the Shock, who are coached by former NBA star Bill Laimbeer.

"I think I am going to like playing for Coach Bill Laimbeer," Tillis said. "He structures his team like many of the NBA teams do. There is a lot of fast-breaking, there isn't much structure, and it just seems like a fun style of play to be involved with."

With the drafting of Tillis and Beard, Duke became the only school to have two players chosen in the first round this year. And despite a disappointing end in the NCAA tournament to their senior season with the Blue Devils, both women are ready for the next stage of their careers.

"I had only a day after the Minnesota loss [in the NCAA tournament] to just sit back and drown myself in my sorrows, and the next day I had to get started with everything--picking an agent and doing all this crazy stuff," Beard said. "I've been traveling for the past three weeks and it's been hectic, but I've been loving it. I have had a great career at Duke, but this is a new journey and I am very excited about what lies ahead."