MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — So much for projections.
Former WVU women’s basketball standout Kysre Gondrezick was selected No. 4 overall Thursday night by the Indiana Fever in the WNBA Draft.
It marks the highest a WVU player has ever gone in the WNBA Draft, breaking the mark of 11th overall by Bria Holmes in 2016.
“I am super excited and humbled,” she said. “This is just a remarkable moment for me to even be granted the opportunity to showcase my abilities and talent. I want to be an impact, too, on a championship-caliber team. I will work and I’m excited to be coming close to home to have my shining moment and to be a part of Indiana. I’m so excited for the future and what it has to offer.”
ESPN draft projections had Gondrezick slated to go in the third round of the three-round draft, but Indiana’s draft team pulled off a shocker by taking Gondrezick in the first round.
“A 5-foot-9 redshirt senior, Gondrezick was a stunner as the No. 4 overall pick,” was the post analysis provided by ESPN. “She’s a player most were projecting in the second or third round, but averaged 19.5 PPG this season and made 64 3-pointers.”
Gondrezick led the Mountaineers to the second round of the NCAA tournament this season and came into her senior season after losing 45 pounds.
“I couldn’t be happier for her,” WVU head coach Mike Carey said. “I said all year that she was one of the most-skilled guards in the country. She put in the work and made herself a much better player.”
She was named first-team all-Big 12 after shooting 42.1% from the field as a senior.
She played in 59 career games at WVU after transferring from Michigan and she averaged 17.1 points per game for her career with the Mountaineers.
“Indiana was a team that had shown a lot of interest in her early,” Carey said. “I know they were talking to her after the NCAA tournament and they talked to us more than anyone else did about her. I didn’t know they were going to take her fourth overall, but it doesn’t surprise me it was Indiana that took her.”
Gondrezick’s father, Grant, was a former NBA player with Phoenix and the L.A. Clippers.
He passed away in Jan., in the middle of Kysre’s senior season.
“The day after last season, my dad said to me it’s time to get to work. We have an All-American season ahead, top 5 draft pick, and I’m looking at him like he’s crazy,” Kysre said. “It’s like he spoke everything into existence and manifested this very moment. It’s unfortunate that he’s not present for me to share it with, but he’s up there, and he knew it. I’m completely humbled. Don’t tell me hard work doesn’t pay off.”
The Fever, coached by Marianne Stanley, finished 6-16 last season, which was 11th out of 12 teams in the WNBA.
Gondrezick was the second Big 12 player taken in the first round. The Dallas Wings took Texas center Charli Collier with the first overall pick.
The WNBA season begins May 14 and the Fever have the first game, when they travel to New York.
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