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Mercury select Auburn guard in 1st round
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The Phoenix Mercury went for a tall, high-scoring guard from Auburn in the WNBA draft.
The Mercury chose 6-foot-4 DeWanna Bonner with the fifth pick overall on Thursday. Bonner averaged 21.1 points and 8.5 rebounds per game last season and was the player of the year in the Southeastern Conference.
"All along, it's been our No. 1 pick," Phoenix general manager Ann Meyers Drysdale said. "(Coach) Corey Gaines has been following her for the last two years and we think she fits in great with our lineup. It gives us a different look."
A second-team All-American, Bonner started all 126 games in her four years at Auburn, averaging 17.2 points per game. She is the school's career scoring leader.
"I'm extremely pleased to get the opportunity to draft a player that we've had our eyes on for the past two years," Gaines said. "DeWanna is a versatile player who will be able to contribute at multiple positions for us both offensively and defensively."
The Mercury passed on local star Briann January of Arizona State.
January, a 5-9 point guard, was the next selection, No. 6 overall, by the Indiana Fever. She is the first Arizona State player to be chosen in the first round of the WNBA draft.
Bonner blocked 139 shots in her career and led the team in scoring and rebounding all four years, but weighs less than 140 pounds.
"She is going to have to adjust to the style of play at the pro level, there is a difference," Meyers said. "(But) we have no problems with her weight."
The Mercury are trying to rebound from a sixth-place finish in 2008, a year after they won the NBA championship.
The Mercury have made a number of moves in the offseason, including acquiring former rookie of the year Temeka Johnson, inside players Nicole Ohlde and Alison Bales as well as forward Kim Smith.
In the third round, the Mercury selected 5-foot-7 Florida guard Sha Brooks, who averaged 16.6 points a game and was a 30 percent 3-point shooter in college, and 6-4 center Jessica Adair of George Washington. Adair averaged 13.5 points and 7.5 rebounds a game in her senior season.
The Mercury traded their second-round pick to Atlanta for Bales.
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