MORGANTOWN — The interest has already been shown in former WVU women’s basketball standout Teana Muldrow.
It’s come in the form of calls and questions to either WVU or WVU head coach Mike Carey, all wanting to know what type of person Muldrow is or how hard she works or about her medical history.
So, it’s not really a question of if the 6-foot-1 forward will be selected in the April 12 WNBA draft, it’s more a matter of when.
“I really have no idea,” said Muldrow, who ended her WVU career with 1,819 points and 969 rebounds. “It’s nerve-racking a little bit, because you just don’t know.”
The first round of the draft begins at 7 p.m. today. South Carolina center A’ja Wilson is expected to be the first pick, by the Las Vegas Aces.
The draft is three rounds with 12 selections in each round.
“Everything I’m hearing is (she’ll go) somewhere in the second or third round,” WVU head coach Mike Carey said. “All of that depends on where you go, because a team must have a need. It’s all about that.
“If she gets drafted by a team that has a need for someone who can play several positions, she’ll be fine.”
In truth, the draft is just the start of the next step for Muldrow. Training camp begins April 29, with final cuts announced May 17.
If Muldrow makes a team, the average starting salary in the WNBA is $50,000 per season.
A WNBA season runs from May 18 through mid-September, with the conclusion of the finals.
The bulk of a woman’s player’s earnings come from playing overseas following the WNBA season.
It’s all part of the dream for Muldrow, a native of East Orange, N.J., who grew up with a love for basketball, and the sport has been a major part of her life.
She’s been in contact with friend Brittney Sykes, a first-round pick of the Atlanta Dream out of Syracuse last season, who helped fill Muldrow in on different things to expect.
“I think it’s cool to see different places and traveling,” Muldrow said. “You’re doing something you’ve been doing your whole life. It’s nothing new, but it leads you to different places in your life. I think it’s all going to be a good experience.”
An experience she never realized was possible a few years ago.
“Growing up, I thought basketball would lead to a [college] scholarship,” she said. “I never imagined it would take you to so many places and that I would meet so many people. I never thought basketball could do all of that.”
If Muldrow is selected, it would be the third consecutive year a WVU player was drafted, following Bria Holmes, in 2016, and Lanay Montgomery, last year.
The Mountaineers have had seven players drafted by WNBA teams. The WNBA draft began in 1997.
