All Aces: A'ja Wilson top pick in WNBA draft

NEW YORK _ After spending her life in South Carolina, A’ja Wilson is headed for Las Vegas. The consensus national player of the year was the No. 1 selection by the Aces in Thursday’s WNBA draft held at Nike’s New York Headquarters.

Wilson, a 6-foot-5 forward, averaged 22.6 points and 11.8 rebounds with 105 blocked shots as a senior for South Carolina, which lost to UConn in the NCAA tournament’s Elite Eight.

Wilson, a native of Columbia, South Carolina, led her hometown school to the national championship in 2017.

She is the first Gamecock to be picked No. 1 in the WNBA draft, and the first top pick from the SEC since Tennessee’s Candace Parker in 2008.

The Aces also had the No. 1 pick last season, when the franchise was still in San Antonio as the Stars and chose Washington guard Kelsey Plum.

San Antonio had the league’s worst record each of the last three seasons, with single-digit victories each year.

Former New York Liberty and Detroit Shock coach Bill Laimbeer has taken over the Aces as coach and general manager, and praised Wilson’s skills as being pro-ready.

The Aces are a young team; only free-agent signees Tamera Young at forward and Carolyn Swords at center have more than four seasons of experience in the WNBA.

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All Aces: A'ja Wilson top pick in WNBA draft
All Aces: A'ja Wilson top pick in WNBA draft
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Source: ESPN SPORTS