Black Taken No. 10 By Connecticut; Waner No. 21 By NY In WNBA Draft

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DURHAM, N.C. ?Senior Chante Black became the sixth first round WNBA Draft selection from Duke University on Thursday at the NBA Entertainment studios in Secaucus, N.J., as she was selected with the 10th overall pick by the Connecticut Sun.

Along with Black, Blue Devil senior Abby Waner was selected with the 21st overall pick in the second round by the New York Liberty. Black and Waner became the 12th and 13th Duke players to be taken in a WNBA Draft since 1999.

A product of Winston-Salem, N.C., Black finished the year averaging 14.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.1 blocks, 1.5 assists and 1.4 steals. She grabbed 278 rebounds during her senior year, which ranks as the fourth-highest single-season total in school history.

In 2008-09, Black was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year as she established Duke as one of the most dominating defenses in the nation. The 6-5 center collected 10 double-doubles and became only the third player in ACC history to notch over 1,400 points, 900 rebounds and 250 blocked shots. Black ranked 10th in the ACC in scoring, sixth in rebounding, ninth in field goal percentage (48.6), 15th in free throw percentage (72.5) and third in blocked shots.

In her four years at Duke, Black totaled 1,438 points to rank eighth, 995 rebounds to rank second, 261 blocks to rank second, 565 field goals made to rank eighth, 308 free throws made to rank seventh and 451 free throws attempted to rank eighth on the Duke charts. Her 995 rebounds also placed 19th on the ACC career lists, while her 261 blocks was sixth. Black is also a finalist for the John R. Wooden Award and the State Farm All-America team, while also being named USBWA All-America, first team third team Associated Press All-America, All-ACC, All-ACC Defensive team, and a midseason candidate for the Naismith Award.

Waner, who is a product of Highlands Ranch, Colo., concluded her collegiate career as one of the top three-point shooters in Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) history. A 5-11 guard, Waner registered 222 career treys over four years to rank 12th on the ACC charts and first in the Blue Devil history books. She became the first Duke player and eighth ACC player to register 45 or more three-pointers in four consecutive years.

Her 691 career three-pointers attempted ranks seventh in ACC history and first at Duke. Not only did Waner hit three-pointers, but she was a great all-around student-athlete as she became the fifth player in ACC history to notch over 1,400 points, 400 rebounds, 400 assists and 300 steals. Waner was also a two-time ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District selection.

A two-time Naismith National Player of the Year candidate, Waner received the 2009 Robin Roberts/WBCA Broadcasting Scholarship and was a finalist for the Lowe's Senior Class Award in 2009. She is a three-time All-ACC Tournament first team selection. As a senior, Waner averaged 9.7 points, 3.5 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 2.7 steals, while registering 55 three-pointers made.

Duke has had 13 players selected in the WNBA Draft in school history -- Lindsey Harding (Phoenix Mercury, No. 1 overall pick in 2007), Alana Beard (Washington Mystics, No. 2 overall pick in 2004), Monique Currie (Charlotte Sting, No. 3 overall pick in 2006), Alison Bales (Indiana Fever, No. 9 overall pick in 2007),Chante Black (Connecticut Sun, No. 10 overall pick in 2009), Iciss Tillis (Detroit Shock, No. 11 overall pick in 2004), Michele Van Gorp (New York Liberty, No. 18 overall pick in 1999), Georgia Schweitzer (Miami Sol, No. 21 overall pick in 2001), Mistie Williams (Phoenix Mercury, No. 21 overall pick in 2006), Abby Waner (New York Liberty, No. 21), Wanisha Smith (New York Liberty, No. 27 overall pick in 2008), Jessica Foley (Indiana Fever, No. 38 overall pick in 2006) and Peppi Browne (Charlotte Sting, No. 43 overall pick in 2000).

WNBA Draft Quotes ?

Chante Black

“Knowing that you were invited to the draft; you are enraged with not anxiety but just emotions of just waiting to hear where you will be going. It is an exciting moment and I had the opportunity to have my mother come here and share this moment with me. So it is a good day.”

What does it mean to you to be a first round pick in the WNBA Draft?
“It means a lot. You dream of this as a child so to come out and be noticed as being on top of this group. It is a great recognition; you cannot ask for more.”

On Connecticut really wanting to draft her:
“Because of us being connected and familiar with them; I hoped they would [draft me]. It is a great experience that they did choose me.”

On your progression during your college career:
“It is a great opportunity to look back and to show your progression has paid off, but I still have a lot of areas I want to improve on. Hopefully, I will keep improving and becoming the best player I can be.”

Thoughts on Coach Thibault?
“I know he is going to want a lot from me. He doesn't expect less from anyone of his players so he is going to push me. I love coaches like that because they will make you the best player you can be. That is the type of coach he is; he is one of the best.”

On being a defensive stopper?
“I have always wanted to be like Dennis Rodman growing up. He just loved to rebound, rebound and that is what I went into doing at a young age at boys camps. They were quicker, stronger so I was like hey I can grab some boards. So that is where that came from. My presence of being tall, shot blocking and rebounding.”

Abby Waner

On the emotions of today:
“I stayed at home with my mom and sister today ? I didn't want to be anywhere else because I was so nervous. More than anything it's cool because you've played against some of these girls for eight years in high school, USA Basketball, and then in college and seen everyone's development and now you get to play together at the next level. It was fun today to watch the girls at the draft. I'm really proud of Chante [Black]. The first round was just fun to watch and soak it in, but when the second round rolled around the nerves started kicking in. It's funny, it's a different nervousness than in a game, because in a game you have the ball and you have the control to choose what happens, but today everything was in someone else's hands. There was a definite anxiety level there, but it's just incredible. When the announcers started to talk about me beforehand and then when they said my name, my family and I just started celebrating. It's great to have a fresh start and to be able to continue to play basketball. I'm really looking forward to it.”

On what she is most excited about:
“I've always watched the WNBA. I think our age group of players is the age that really grew up with the WNBA. More than anything I'm looking forward to playing with that caliber of player, some of them I've idolized and watched and tried to model my game after.”

On what she will take from Duke:
“What won't I take with me? Duke is fantastic. It's really a breeding ground for anything you want to do with your life. My sister went to Duke and just got into graduate school, and here I am using my experiences to go on and play professional basketball. You can take what Duke gave you and go in any direction. It's mostly about the relationships you make and what you learned from your teammates, coaches, doctors, friends, everyone.”

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