April 17, 2002

University of South Carolina seniors Shaunzinski Gortman and Teresa Geter learn where they’ll basketball careers on Friday, April 19th in the 2002 WNBA Draft.

The Draft begins at 11:30 a.m. and will be televised live on ESPN2. This is the sixth WNBA Draft since the league began play in 1997 and so far, no USC players have ever been drafted into the WNBA. Former Gamecock Shannon Johnson was assigned to the Orlando Miracle in 1999, when the American Basketball League (ABL) folded and their players joined the two-year old WNBA.

Conducted in the NBA Entertainment Offices in Secaucus, New Jersey, the WNBA Draft consists of four rounds with each of the 16 WNBA teams slotted to pick from the best of the 2002 collegiate senior class. Projected by the league and teams to be one of the potential first-round players selected, Shaunzinski Gortman and her family are being flown to New Jersey by the WNBA to await the selection live in the NBA Entertainment Studios.

Both Geter and Gortman were selected to attend the WNBA Pre-Draft Camp last weekend in Chicago and impressed the team scouts with their abilities. During the two-day workouts, the players were interviewed by team officials and participated in scrimmages against the nation’s best collegiate players.