WNBA Drafts Two Badgers
April 19, 2002 | Women's Basketball
Wisconsin tied for the most draftees of any Big Ten school and had the highest pick overall when Tamara Moore and Jessie Stomski were the first Badgers ever drafted into the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) Friday.
Moore, a 5-11 guard, was a first round choice by the Miami Sol, and the 15th pick overall in the 64-person draft. Stomski, a 6-3 forward, was a fourth round pick by the Charlotte Sting.
The pair were both Kodak/WBCA honorable mention all-Americans and first team all-Big Ten picks this season. They are just the third and fourth Badgers ever to play in the WNBA following Keisha Anderson (Washington Mystiques and Charlotte Sting-2001-2002) and Robin Threatt (Seattle Storm-2001). Anderson was the only other UW player who was ever drafted and played in a women's professional basketball league as the 16th pick in the second round by the American Basketball League (ABL) in 1997.
The former 2001 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, Moore was picked as a defensive stopper as she set the Wisconsin all-time steals record with 353 falling just 19 short of the Big Ten steals record. She also set the UW record for assists with 554, and ranked second in both steals and assists in the Big Ten averaging 6.1 assists and 3.0 steals and added 16.6 points per game.
Stomski was UW's leading scorer and rebounder the past two years last season averaging 18.3 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. She finished second all-time in UW scoring and rebounding with 1,915 points and 961 rebounds, respectively.
Both will participate in the WNBA preseason training camps at their respective training facilities starting April 29. The WNBA season begins its sixth season on with a preseason game on Thursday, May 9 when the Miami Sol meet the Phoenix Mercury at America West Arena in Phoenix. The 2002 WNBA regular season will end on Tuesday, August 13, with playoffs scheduled to begin on Thursday, August 15.
Jessie Stomski, 6-3 Forward, Oakdale, MN
Named 2002 all-Big Ten First team and Kodak/WBCA District all-American for a second straight year ... AP All-America Honorable Mention ... UW Team Co-MVP ... led the Badgers in scoring and rebounding a second year averaging a career-best 18.3 points (4th in Big Ten) and is fourth in the Big Ten with 8.9 rebounds per game ... with 961 rebounds ranks second all-time at UW and also ranks second in career scoring with 1,915 points ... gifted, strong, mobile post player, with great range and an accurate eye ... has hit .512 from the field for her career ... has 13 double-doubles this season (ties for first in the Big Ten); has tied UW records for first with 37 in her career ... became just UW's 7th, 1,500-point scorer on 12/11... string of 23 double-figure scoring games ended Jan. 10 at NU ... named to fifth, sixth and seventh all-tourney teams this season (Ariz & Paradise) as she became UW's first player named to the Big Ten all-Tournament team when she had double-doubles in two of three games with a season high 32 points and 16 rebounds (tied tourney record) against Penn State on 3/3/02 ... earned her second Academic all-Big Ten honor ... regular contributor to UW game programs and web site with her columns, "Captain's Log'
Tamara Moore, 5-11 Guard, Minneapolis, MN
Named all-Big Ten first team by the coaches 2002 and Kodak/WBCA District all-American; Big Ten Player of Week Jan. 6; one of 11 finalists for the Nancy Leiberman Point Guard of the Year award and the Senior CLASS award ... tied her career-high with 29 points vs. Minnesota 3/1/02 adding eight rebounds and nine assists ... named to her fifth career all-tournament team at Arizona ... Wisconsin's Ms. Versatility, Tamara Moore can play the one, two or three positions, and is an astute student of the game ... team's emotional leader and a tri-captain, she is an extremely athletic and gifted player, with the ability to take over a game by her scoring, rebounding or defensive bursts ... is UW's all-time steals (353) and assists leader (554) and completed her career ranked second all-time in Big Ten steals records (19 shy of record) ... for the season ranked second in the Big Ten in steals (2.9) and second in assists with a school record 6.1/game ... never missed a game playing in 124 consecutive games (ties school record) ... can score big, evidenced by season highs of 29, 26, 24 and 22 points, but prefers to pass to others ... earned her 1,500th this season and finished sixth in UW scoring with 1,662 points; has had three double-doubles and was one rebound shy of a triple double vs. Minnesota (16 pts., 12 asst., 9 rebs) ... second in UW scoring (16.6 ppg) .... great at the line 95-114 for .833 percent which ranked second in the Big Ten ... is one of only four players in Big Ten history to collect 500 assists and 300 steals
