Two C-USA Players Selected in WNBA Draft

Lori Nero

Louisville’s Lori Nero and Cincinnati’s K.B. Sharp were selected in the 2003 WNBA Draft, which concluded Friday in New York. The Houston Comets picked Nero in the second round with the 19th overall pick, while Sharp was selected by the New York Liberty as the 26th overall selection. It marks the fourth time in six years that C-USA has had multiple draft picks.



TWO C-USA PLAYERS SELECTED IN WNBA DRAFT

CHICAGO – Louisville’s Lori Nero and Cincinnati’s K.B. Sharp were selected in the 2003 WNBA Draft, which concluded Friday in New York. The Houston Comets picked Nero in the second round with the 19th overall pick, while Sharp was selected by the New York Liberty as the 26th overall selection. It marks the fourth time in six years that C-USA has had multiple draft picks.

Nero spent one season at Louisville after transferring from Auburn University. She made an impressive mark in just one season, leading the team in scoring and rebounding with 17.4 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. Nero also led the team in field goal percentage, connecting on 53.3 percent and blocks with 37 on the season. She was named to the Women's College Hoops.com All-Tournament team and earned third team All-Conference USA honors. While at Auburn, Nero was named third team All-SEC by the Associated Press her junior season. In her final season at Auburn, she averaged 12.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. Nero, a native of Baton Rouge, La., becomes the second Louisville player to be drafted. Jill Morton was drafted in the third round with the 34th pick of the 2000 WNBA draft by the Charlotte Sting.

This season, Sharp led Cincinnati in assists (5.94 pg) and ranked third in scoring (13.6 pg) and rebounding (5.7 pg). She became UC’s all-time leader in assists (623), games played (126) and minutes played (4,339) this year while earning first team All-Conference USA honors. She also ranks second on C-USA all-time assists ladder with 623. Sharp, a 5-9 guard from Columbus Ohio, is one of fewer than 15 women in Division I history to tally over 1,000 career points, 600 assists and 450 rebounds. She becomes the second Bearcat to play in the WNBA and is the highest-picked Cincinnati player in league history. In 2000, former Bearcat Madinah Slaise was chosen in the second round with the 28th overall selection by the Detroit Shock.

C-USA currently has 10 former players in the WNBA: Barbara Farris (Tulane)-Detroit Shock, Grace Daley (Tulane)-Minnesota Lynx, Tamika Whitmore (Memphis)-New York Liberty, Latasha Byears (DePaul)-Sacramento Monarchs, Janell Burse (Tulane)-Minnesota Lynx, Brandy Reed (Southern Miss) –Phoenix Mercury, LaTonya Johnson (Memphis)-Utah Starzz, Amanda Lassiter (Houston)-Houston Comets, Deanna Jackson (UAB)-Cleveland Rockers and Lenae Williams (DePaul)-Detroit Shock.

C-USA’s 2003 WNBA DRAFTEES

Rd No. (Overall) Player Pos. C-USA School Team
2 7 (19) Lori Nero C Louisville Houston Comets
2 14 (26) K.B. Sharp G Cincinnati New York Liberty


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