The Los Angeles Sparks drafted a center to play along side forward Candace Parker, selecting Ohio State center Jantrel Lavender with the fifth overall pick in Monday's WNBA Draft. The 6-foot-4 center from Cleveland is the all-time leading scorer and rebounder in Buckeyes' history. In fact, Lavender's 1,422 rebounds are the most in Big Ten history.
"I thought she was going to end up in L.A.," OSU coach Jim Foster told Matt Edwards of the Buckeyes' newspaper The Lantern. "I talked to the L.A. people late last week and I think that they had zeroed in and targeted her."
Lavender averaged 22.8 points and 10.8 rebounds in 2010-2011, the third straight season she averaged at least 20 points and 10 rebounds. She was an Associated Press first team All-American selection in both her junior and senior seasons at Ohio State, and was a second team choice as a sophomore. The Sparks finished 13-21 in 2010.