KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The WNBA Draft 2018, presented by State Farm, will take place on April 12 at Nike New York Headquarters in Manhattan, and three Tennessee graduates are projected to be selected.

Mercedes Russell, a 6-foot-6 center from Springfield, Ore., and Jaime Nared, a 6-2 forward from Portland, Ore., who recently completed their collegiate careers, and Diamond DeShields, a 6-1 guard who finished in 2016-17, are expected to be taken in the first two rounds according to multiple mock drafts. DeShields, who projects to be a top-five pick, will be present for the festivities.

ESPN2 will air the first round beginning at 7 p.m. ET, followed by coverage of rounds two and three on ESPNU at 8 p.m. ET.  The draft also will stream live on the ESPN app.

“We are thrilled that the WNBA Draft 2018 presented by State Farm will take place at the recently opened Nike New York Headquarters,” said WNBA President Lisa Borders.  “This is all part of our newly expanded partnership with Nike, a brand that believes in equality and the empowerment of women.  The draft is a pivotal moment for the players who will be selected. For basketball fans, it is that moment when they see their favorite team’s roster taking shape with the tip-off of the new season right around the corner.”

DeShields, who played two seasons at Tennessee and departed after the 2016-17 campaign to pursue a professional career in Turkey with Cukurova, is projected as a top-four pick in the first round by three mock drafts. AP (using opinions of WNBA coaches and general managers) has DeShields going with the third pick to the Chicago Sky, as does FanSided. Chicago also has this year’s No. 4 selection, and DraftSite has the Sky taking her at that spot.

DraftSite, meanwhile, has Russell going with the No. 6 overall pick to the Dallas Wings. AP has a different outlook, projecting her to be taken in the second round by the Atlanta Dream with the 16th overall selection.

As for Nared, AP predicts her to be selected by the Washington Mystics in the second round at No. 19 overall. DraftSite has her tabbed for the No. 22 spot, going to the New York Liberty.

Russell averaged 15.3 points and 9.2 rebounds per contest, ranking second on the team in scoring and first in rebounding. She also ranked first in field goal percentage (.583) and blocked shots (44), while standing third in steals (39), fifth in free throw percentage (.682) and sixth in assists (27). Her 1,597 points and 1,085 rebounds rank her 16th and third, respectively on the Lady Vol career lists and her rebound average (9.2) is the fifth-highest ever recorded by a UT senior.

With her UT senior-record 16th double-double of the season in her final game, Russell finished with 46 for her career to wind up second behind only Chamique Holdsclaw (57). Her .583 field goal percentage is ninth-best in a single season, while her career numbers in field goal percentage (.570), blocks (195) and rebound average (8.0) ranked her fifth, fifth and sixth, respectively, all-time at Tennessee.

Russell netted WBCA Honorable Mention All-America and WBCA All-Region accolades for the second year in a row. She was an All-SEC First Team selection after earning second-team honors a year ago, and she was a finalist for the Lisa Leslie Award as well in 2017-18.

Nared led Tennessee in scoring at 16.7 points per game in 2017-18 and was third with 7.4 rebounds per contest. She also ranked first in steals (73), second in three-pointers made (27), third in assists (84) and third in blocks (20), while leading the Lady Vols in free throw percentage (.820), free throws made (169) and free throws attempted (206).

With 19 double-doubles during her career, Nared’s 10 this season ranked her sixth among SEC players and seventh-most ever by a Lady Vol senior. She finished second all-time at UT in a season in free throws made (169) and 10th in free throws attempted (206), while standing fifth in career free throws made (429) and fifth in career free throw percentage (.827). Her scoring average of 16.7 is the eighth-highest all-time of any Lady Vol senior and her career point total of 1,460 ranks No. 26 on UT’s scoring list.

She was named AP and WBCA Honorable Mention All-America, WBCA All-Region, All-SEC First Team by the coaches and second team by the media, MVP of the Cancun Challenge and a finalist for the Cheryl Miller Award. She also was named USBWA Ann Meyers Drysdale National Player of the Week, a two-time SEC Player of the Week, a two time College Sports Madness National Player of the Week and a three-time College Sports Madness SEC Player of the Week.

As for DeShields, she led Tennessee and ranked fourth in the SEC in scoring in 2016-17 at 17.4 points per game, marking the highest average by a Lady Vol since Candace Parker put up 21.3 ppg. in 2007-08 and the sixth-highest ever recorded by a Lady Vol junior. She also averaged 6.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists per contest.

DeShields hit double figures in points 26 times as a junior, scoring 20 or more points on 11 occasions. Despite leading the team in scoring average, she only paced the team in points during 10 games while leading UT 16 times in assists and five times in rebounds. She also led the team in charges taken with eight. The next closest player had three.

Her postseason accolades included WBCA Honorable Mention All-America, Coaches All-SEC First Team, AP All-SEC Second Team and the SEC Academic Honor Roll. She also was on the Dawn Staley Award, Ann Meyers Drysdale Award, John R. Wooden Award, Naismith Trophy and Wade Trophy Watch Lists during the year as well.

The WNBA App and WNBA.com will provide complete draft-day coverage and serve as the digital destination for fans who want to track the top prospects leading up to the draft.

WNBA DRAFT 2018 ORDER OF SELECTION
First Round
1) Las Vegas (8-26)
2) Indiana (9-25)
3) Chicago from Atlanta (12-22) (McGee-Stafford, Young, Hooper, 8/31/17)
4) Chicago (12-22)
5) Seattle (15-19)
6) Dallas (16-18)
7) Washington (18-16)
8) Indiana from Phoenix (18-16) (B. January, 3/6/18)
9) Connecticut (21-13)
10) New York (22-12)
11) Los Angeles (26-8)
12) Phoenix from Minnesota (27-7) (Robinson, 3/6/18)

Second Round
1) Las Vegas (8-26)
2) Indiana (9-25)
3) Connecticut from Atlanta (12-22) (Hooper, 6/8/17)
4) Atlanta from Chicago (12-22) (McGee-Stafford, Young, Hooper, 8/31/17)
5) Minnesota from Seattle (15-19) (Howard, 2/7/18)
6) Dallas (16-18)
7) Washington (18-16)
8) Phoenix (18-16)
9) Phoenix from Connecticut (21-13) (George, 2/1/18)
10) New York (22-12)
11) Los Angeles (26-8)
12) Minnesota (27-7)

Third Round
1) Las Vegas (8-26)
2) Phoenix from Indiana (9-25) via Las Vegas (Bone, 2/2/18) (Gwathmey, 5/9/17)
3) Atlanta (12-22)
4) Chicago (12-22)
5) Seattle (15-19)
6) Dallas (16-18)
7) Washington (18-16)
8) Las Vegas from Phoenix (18-16) (Currie, Brunner, Murphy, 6/28/17)
9) Connecticut (21-13)
10) New York (22-12)
11) Los Angeles (26-8)
12) Minnesota (27-7)

UT Athletics