April 9, 2008

Lacy and Piekarska profiles in PDF format

2008 WNBA Draft Results in PDF Format

UTEP seniors Natasha Lacy and Izabela Piekarska were chosen in the 2008 WNBA Draft on Wednesday afternoon, becoming the first players in program history to be selected. Lacy went as the 28th overall pick to the Detroit Shock in the second round, while Piekarska landed with the Sacramento Monarchs at No. 40 in the third round.

UTEP was one of eight schools in the country to have multiple players chosen. Eight-time national champion Tennessee led the way with five selections, followed by LSU with three. The Miners, along with perennial national powers Maryland, North Carolina, Rutgers, Texas A&M and UCONN, all had two players drafted. Additionally, Rice's Valerya Berezhysnka was picked, giving Conference USA a total of three players tabbed to the league.

"It is a fantastic day. I'm just so happy for these two young ladies," UTEP head coach Keitha Adams said. "It is a dream come true, and we're so excited for them."

Lacy, who concluded a stellar collegiate career at UTEP, compiled some gaudy numbers in three years with TCU and one with the Miners. The native of El Paso finished with more than 1,300 points, 750 rebounds, 600 assists and 300 steals.

The AP Honorable Mention All-American played a large role in the Miners' record-setting 28-4 campaign. She finished eighth in the country in steals per game, setting the single-season school record with 108 total thefts in the process. The Conference USA Newcomer of the Year was second on the squad in assists (156) and scoring (13.0 ppg), and third in rebounding (5.9 rpg) and total blocks (20).

Lacy filled up the stat sheet like very few can, as the second-team all-league honoree was second in C-USA in steals, fifth in assists, sixth in assist-to-turnover ration, 10th in defensive rebounding, 12th in scoring and 17th in overall rebounding.

Piekarska had a phenomenal career for the Miners, helping turn UTEP into a nationally-ranked team. The imposing 6-5 center leaves the Sun City as the program's all-time leading scorer and the only player in school history to register more than 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 200 blocked shots and 100 assists. Moreover, she is second all-time in blocked shots and third in rebounds and in three-pointers made.

The second-team All-C-USA honoree had a large impact during UTEP's historic 2007-08 campaign. She paced the Miners in blocked shots and three-point percentage, while ranking second in rebounding and third in scoring. The native of Warsaw, Poland, made her presence felt across the league. She was second in the conference in blocked shots, and 15th in both rebounding and scoring.

Lacy's and Piekarska's talents proved to be vital at the NCAA Tournament. The Miners, who had never competed in any postseason tournament in program history prior to this year, played a flawless game in the opening-round dismantling of Western Kentucky before bowing out to eventual national runner-up Stanford.