Cooper anticipates 2001
WNBA draft
By Anne McLaren
Assistant
Sports Editor
Center Camille Cooper and guard/forward Katie Douglas
are two of just 12 players who are in Secaucus, N.J., today for the
fifth WNBA Draft.
This is the first time in the short history of
the draft that it will be televised live. The first round starts at
10:30 a.m. and will be shown on ESPN2. The second, third and fourth
rounds will be shown on NBA.com TV. All rounds will also be shown live
over the Internet at wnba.com.
The other 10 players who were invited include Connecticut's
Svetlana Abrosimova, North Carolina's LaQuanda Barksdale, Tennessee's
Tamika Catchings, Louisiana State's Marie Ferdinand, Notre Dame's Niele
Ivey and Ruth Riley, Lauren Jackson of Australia, Georgia's Coco and
Kelly Miller and Southwest Missouri State's Jackie Stiles, the NCAA's
all-time scoring leader.
"They have all sorts of things planned for us to
do as far as touring the city," said Cooper.
This year also marks the first time the potential
draftees have gathered for the draft. Cooper said she is excited about
the possibilities.
"It's hard to think that (today) I'll find out
where I'll be for the next three months," she said. "It could be anywhere.
I'm just happy to be in the position to play again and play more."
Douglas said she and Cooper don't talk much about
the draft.
"I'm sure she's like myself, just grateful for
the opportunity to play," said Douglas. "Where we end up is where we
end up. It's both a dream and a goal of ours to play professionally.
Hopefully that will be taken care of on Friday."
Cooper finished her collegiate career as Purdue's
leader in field goal percentage at .608 and games played (137). She
ranks in the top 10 all-time in blocks (second), rebounds (fourth) and
points (seventh).
This season she averaged 14.2 points and 6.5 rebounds
per game. She scored a season-high 29 points against DePaul on Dec.
21.
In terms of where she might be drafted, several
mock drafts have projected Cooper as a late first-round selection. Cooper
said she would prefer to go to a West Coast team for a new locale but
it isn't imperative.
The Los Angeles Sparks are one of the top teams
in the West and former Boiler Ukari Figgs is their starting point guard.
There are four other former Purdue players in the league — Indiana's
Stephanie McCarty, Orlando's Jannon Roland, Seattle's Stacey Lovelace
and Detroit's Joy Holmes-Harris.
The WNBA also includes three former Purdue coaches
— Seattle's Lin Dunn, Indiana's Nell Fortner and Orlando's Carolyn
Peck.
With 16 teams in the league, however, the chances
for a reunion are slim. Cooper said it will be strange to compete against
former teammates and coaches.
"I went out one summer when Steph and Ukari played
against each other and they had a lot of fun," said Cooper. "They got
to visit. It was just a good time to see each other again. I think I'll
have friends around the nation and have a good chance to hang out with
them again and compare notes on the season."
Douglas said, "It will be different because I played
with them, Steph and Ukari, for a couple of years. I'm not used to really
playing against them. But it will be good to see them when we do play
each other. It'll just be fun."
The chances that Cooper and Douglas will end up
together are equally slim.
"I can't imagine playing without Katie," she said.
"It will be a learning experience."
However, Cooper, a political science major set
to graduate in three weeks, is not finished learning.
"Things are working out so that I can play in the
summer and also go to law school at Duke as soon as the season's over,"
said Cooper. "So I'm pretty excited. I just know I have a big summer
and a big fall ahead of me."
Cooper isn't sure which type of law she wants to
practice after she finishes law school.
"Duke has a really good sports and entertainment
program," said Cooper. "I'm not going to play forever but I'd like to
be around basketball and maybe do contract negotiations for the WNBA
or the NBA. I also have interest in civil and civil rights law. I'll
figure something out."
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