BY MORGAN LANDES| Ball State Sports Link
The Indiana Fever started off this season with a bit of a curve. This year marked just the third time in 18 years they did not have a first round pick. The other two years, 2000 and 2008, the Fever traded their first round picks for players from other teams. Candice Dupree, Katie Douglas, and Stephanie White were the three players acquired by the Fever in those trades.
The Fever did however have four draft selections, the most since 2006, which made Coach Pokey Chatman ecstatic. The Indiana Fever chose at 17, 20, 22, and 32:
- Pick 17 – Erica McCall (Stanford)
- Pick 20 – Feyonda Fitzgerald (Temple)
- Pick 22 – Ronni Williams (Florida)
- Pick 32 – Adrienne Motley (Miami)
Even though the Fever did not get a first round pick and wasn’t able to snag top picks like Kelsey Plum or Alaina Coates, the coaches were thrilled with the selections they did receive.
“We were ecstatic to get those late picks,” said coach Chatman. “They fit the mold of an Indiana Fever basketball player in terms of having a good motor and high energy.”
The Indiana Fever and their fans are looking forward to training camp to see what these new players can do when training camp starts on April 23, 2017. There are only 12 spots on the roster, so each player will have to work hard to find a spot on this year’s squad.
There will be three former Temple Owls in the Indiana Fever training camp this year: Candice Dupree, Victoria Macaulay, and Feyonda Fitzgerald. The chemistry of these three players will be interesting to watch to see how they work together for the Fever.
“We are really happy with the players we acquired in this year’s draft,” added President Kelly Krauskoph. “It is always a good sign when players, coaches, and fans are tweeting exciting things about the upcoming season. That’s how we know we made good selections.”
After training camp, the Fever kick off their 2017 WNBA preseason on Tuesday, May 2 against the Washington Mystics, which runs until their regular season games begin on Sunday, May 14 against the Seattle Storm.
