Two Cardinals Selected in Post-Tournament ESPN WNBA Mock Draft
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - With the 2021-22 women's college basketball season now officially in the books, it's only a matter of time before the 2022 WNBA Draft gets here, and the next crop of Cardinals officially begin their professional careers.
Louisville has three players departing the program in Emily Engstler, Kianna Smith and Chelsie Hall. All three have the potential to hear their names called when the draft gets underway next Monday, with Engstler very likely getting selected early on.
Not long after South Carolina took down UConn to claim the national championship, ESPN women's hoops writer Mechelle Voepel released her post-tournament WNBA Mock Draft. So when, and whom by, does she project all three Cards will be drafted?
Unsurprisingly, Voepel projects Engstler will be selected in the first round with the No. 6 overall pick held by the Indiana Fever. The 6-1 forward had an outstanding NCAA Tournament, averaging 14.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 4.6 steals and 1.8 blocks in five games.
"Engstler made a big impact in her one season at Louisville, helping lead the Cardinals to the program's fourth Final Four," Voepel wrote. "She averaged 11.9 PPG and 9.4 RPG and plays bigger than 6-1. Her constant energy, ability to disrupt the passing lanes and defensive grit should make her appealing to Fever general manager Dunn, who wants better defense."
After that, Voepel doesn't have the next Cardinal being selected until the third and final round, with Smith being taken 27th overall by the Los Angeles Sparks. The 6-0 guard finished as Louisville's second-leading scorer behind Hailey Van Lith with 12.0 points per game, and led the Cardinals in assists with 2.7 and made threes with 62.
Unfortunately, Voepel does not have Hall getting drafted. The 5-7 guard did average 8.0 points per game on 50.0 percent shooting during the NCAA Tournament, and was instrumental in securing the Elite Eight win over Michigan, but only averaged 6.8 points on 43.3 percent from the field for the entire season.
Louisville (29-5, 16-2 ACC) had a stellar 2021-22 season, reaching the Final Four for the fourth time in program history before falling to the eventual national champion, South Carolina. The 2022 WNBA Draft is scheduled for Monday, Apr. 11 at 7:00 p.m. EST on ESPN.
(Photo of Emily Engstler: William Purnell - USA TODAY Sports)
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