The New York Liberty completed Monday’s WNBA Draft by selecting Mekia Valentine of UC-Santa Barbara in the third round (34th overall) and by completing a pair second-round trades. The Liberty ended up with 13th overall pick Jessica Breland in a trade with Minnesota and 16th overall pick Sydney Colson in a trade with Connecticut.
The Liberty traded No. 22 pick Angel Robinson from Marquette, along with their 2012 second round pick to Minnesota for Breland. In addition, the Liberty traded guard Kalana Greene to Connecticut for Colson.
“We got exactly what we wanted in the draft today quick, defensive-minded, athletic players that will serve as great complements to our already strong base of talented veterans,” said Head Coach and General Manager John Whisenant. “We are very excited about the players acquired today, following an Eastern Conference Finals appearance last season, we believe we took another step forward in assembling a team that can challenge for the WNBA Championship.”
Breland, a 6-3 guard from North Carolina, finished her four-year college career averaging 10.8 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists over 140 games. Colson, a 5-8 guard from Texas A&M, finished her four-year college career averaging 6.1 points, 1.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists over 132 games. The Houston, TX native posted 100-assists three straight seasons. Valentine, a 6-4 forward/center from University of California at Santa Barbara, was the Big West Defensive Player of the Year and led the conference in rebounding and blocks this past season, averaging 11 rebounds, and 3.7 blocks.