One day after falling just short of her dream of winning the National Championship, Monique Currie realized a different dream Wednesday.
The Charlotte Sting made Currie the third overall pick in the WNBA Draft, while her teammate Mistie Williams landed with the Houston Comets after being selected in the second round. Jessica Foley was chosen by the Indiana Fever with the 38th overall pick.
"This is a dream come true for me, to be in the WNBA," Currie said. "I've been a fan of the league since its inception, and this season, I have really been looking forward to becoming a part of that league."
In her final season in Durham, Currie led the Blue Devils in scoring, averaging 16.4 points per game, and was named as a first-team All-American for the second consecutive year. The senior finished her career with 2,122 points and was a part of 123 wins at Duke.
"She just has a variety of skills that we thought would fit well in our system," the Sting's General Manager Trudi Lacey said of Currie. "She brings perimeter scoring, and she has increased her range-she now has three-point range."
Currie, who sat out the 2002-2003 season with a knee injury, utilized her fifth year of eligibility to return to Duke and attempt to win the program's first National Title. The senior scored 22 points in the Blue Devils' 78-75 overtime loss to Maryland in the NCAA Championship Game Tuesday, and said she was still coping from the quick turnaround.
"I am really not sure if I've got it all together because everything is happening so fast," Currie said. "I'm just really excited. I had a pretty tough loss last night, so I have a lot of mixed emotions and feelings. I'm a pro now, and it feels great, and I am just looking forward to getting started with everything."
Charlotte finished last season with the worst record in the league at 6-28, 10 games out of the playoff hunt. After the season, the Sting named former NBA point guard and Wake Forest star Muggsy Bogues as their new head coach. Bogues attended multiple Blue Devil games during the year and apparently saw something he liked from Currie.
"She is certainly ready to play now," Lacey said. "We have our core returning from last year, so she has the chance to learn from some veteran players. There is not going to be a lot of pressure on her, she can ease into the transition."
Fellow senior Mistie Williams was selected with the seventh pick of the second round-the 21st selection overall-by the Phoenix Mercury, but was immediately traded to the Houston Comets as part of a pre-arranged deal between the two teams. Williams averaged 11.2 points and 6.3 rebounds per game as Duke's second-leading scorer this season.
"Mistie's ability to rebound the ball and defend sold us in the end," Comets Director of Player Personnel Tom Cross said. "Development-wise, she has to stretch her range facing the basket, not necessarily to be shooting the three, but to keep defenses from sagging way off her."
While Williams had a night she would soon like to forget against the Terrapins-shooting just 1-for-8 from the floor in 36 minutes of action-Cross said the senior showed impressive leadership on the large stage. While few rookies other than the top picks have a significant impact their first season, Cross said he expects Williams to be ready if the opportunity comes.
"You can never duplicate our league in terms of the schedule and the grind in college," Cross said. "But when you talk about her coming out of the ACC, the best league in the country this year and one of the top two or three over the last few years, she is as ready as you can get as far as the competition coming out of college."
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