http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/college/college_basketball/article/WNBA09_20090408-215106/252282/
Virginia Commonwealth University women's basketball coach Beth Cunningham believes Quanitra Hollingsworth, the Rams' all-CAA post player, has what it takes to compete with the big girls.
Moreover, she believes the big girls share that opinion.
Cunningham expects Hollingsworth, the Rams' 6-5 senior, to be one of 39 players selected when the annual WNBA draft takes place this afternoon at the NBA Entertainment studios in Secaucus, N.J. The 13-team WNBA conducts its draft as a three-round affair.
Cunningham said communication with an assortment of WNBA general managers and coaches has made it apparent that interest in Hollingsworth is genuine and strong.
"She's been on a lot of peoples' radar" since earning freshman All-America distinction in 2006, Cunningham said. "The fact that she had a great senior year, combined with the success we've had the past two years" -- the Rams have posted consecutive 26-win seasons -- "has only pushed her stock higher."
Hollingsworth averaged 14.8 points and 9.5 rebounds in her senior season. She will depart as the program's runaway leader in career rebounds (1,114) and its second-most prolific scorer(1,605).
Solid though those credentials are, Cunningham said, the WNBA seems most fascinated by Hollingsworth's age. Hollingsworth, a prodigy in the classroom, entered high school as an 11-year-old and college as a 15-year-old. Thus, she has arrived on the WNBA's doorstep at an age -- 20 -- at which many players still have two years of college eligibility remaining.
Said Cunningham: "The feeling, I think, is, 'Here's a kid with so many things you can't teach size, athletic ability, mobility, intelligence.' But the thing that intrigues so many [WNBA coaches and general managers] is that in addition to her God-given talent, she has a tremendous upside because she has so much room for growth and development."
Helping, too, is the makeup of this year's group of draft-eligible athletes. Three of the most heralded post players in the women's game, Connecticut's Tina Charles, Stanford's Jayne Appel and Ohio State's Jantel Lavender, have college eligibility remaining. Many believe Oklahoma's Courtney Paris or Rutgers' Kia Vaughn will be the first post player taken today. Hollingsworth rang up 16 points and 11 rebounds in last month's 57-51 NCAA tournament loss to Vaughn and the Scarlet Knights.
Two other state players -- Virginia guard/forward Lyndra Littles and Liberty forward Megan Frazee -- seem likely to hear their names called before day's end. Frazee, 6-3, averaged 19.8 points and 9.9 rebounds while earning Big South player-of-the-year and tournament MVP distinction. Littles, 6-1, averaged 19.9 points and 6.4 rebounds. She was named to the all-ACC first team.
Contact Vic Dorr Jr. at (804) 649-6442 or vdorr@timesdispatch.com .