Samantha Logic pick highlights active night of WNBA Draft for Atlanta Dream

By E. Marcel Pourtout, Editor

The Atlanta Dream opened the book on another season with selections in the 2015 WNBA Draft on Thursday night.

The Dream selected Iowa point guard Samantha Logic in the first round with the No. 10 overall pick. Atlanta later acquirerd the rights to second-round pick DePaul guard Brittany Hrynko via a trade, and during the third round selected Tennessee guard Ariel Massengale and James Madison center Lauren Okafor with the 29th and 34^th overall picks, respectively.

“We were confident going in to the draft that we could get a player or players who fit our system and would be able to compete for a spot on our roster,” Dream President and General Manager Angela Taylor said. “Coming out of the draft, I feel like we exceeded our expectations by securing four players who were on our board either at that position or higher, so we feel that all four were steals. All four come from great programs and are all competitive. From talking to coaches who coached them or coached against them, they all have a high basketball IQ, are competitive, and come from quality programs.”

Logic finished her career in Iowa as as the only player in NCAA history to accumulate at least 1,500 points, 900 rebounds, 800 assists and 200 steals in a career. She ranks 11^th in NCAA history with a school-record 898 assists, second in Iowa history with 922 rebounds and 260 steals, 10^th on the school’s all-time scoring list with 1,546 points, and her six career triple-doubles are tied for third most in NCAA history.

“Logic is a versatile guard who brings a great deal of leadership and going to compete at a whole other level,” Dream head coach Michael Cooper said. “She’s a stat stuffer, and that’s what I love about her. She’ll go rebound, she’ll get her assists, she’ll get her steals, she’ll get her points, and I think those things will help the team.”

Logic became the fourth consensus All-American in Iowa women’s basketball history this season, averaging 13.4 points, 7.0 rebounds and 8.1 assists per game while leading the Hawkeyes to the Sweet 16. She was also named the 2015 Senior CLASS Award winner, a Capital One Academic All-American, one of five finalists for the Nancy Lieberman Award and one of 15 players named to the ballot for the John R. Wooden Award.

Logic, a unanimous first-team All-Big Ten pick in each of her last two seasons at Iowa, was the Big Ten’s assists leader each of the last three years, and this season was the only player nationally to average at least 11 points, seven assists, and seven rebounds per game.

“It was a combination of excitement and relief, to see my name called,” Logic said about her selection. “I know Atlanta has a pretty successful team with a lot of veteran leadership, and I enjoy watching them play. I’m excited to get down there and bring another dynamic to the team. I’ll do whatever I can to make the team successful.”

In a draft night trade with Connecticut, the Dream dealt guard Jasmine Thomas to Connecticut for the Sun’s second-round pick (No. 19 overall), guard Brittany Hrynko of DePaul, pending the results of a physical. A four-year starter for the Blue Devils, Hrynko finished her career ranked No. 2 all-time in BIG EAST history for three-point field goals made with 281. Hrynko averaged double figures in scoring all four years, finishing her career with 1,970 career points.

“Brittany is a talented combo guard who had a great career at DePaul,” said Taylor. “She is someone who we think could be a great pro because of various aspects of her game – her ability to finish with contact, her range beyond the three-point line, and her solid handles, which compliments Coach Cooper’s system in which either guard can handle the ball in transition or in the half court.”

Hrynko capped her career as an All-BIG EAST First Team pick for the third straight year as a senior, and was the BIG EAST Player of the Year and an honorable mention All-American (Associated Press and Women’s Basketball Coaches Association) after averaging 19.1 points, 5.3 assists and 2.6 steals while sinking 88 three-pointers.

Massengale is just the third Lady Vol in history with 1,000 points and 500 assists in a career, and ranks fourth in UT history with 518 career assists. She was the team’s No. 2 scorer as a senior, but became the team’s top point producer (11.5 ppg) after Isabelle Harrison was sidelined with a season-ending injury. She also ranked second in the SEC in three-pointers made (74) and percentage (.366).

“Ariel is a consummate leader who had a very successful career at Tennessee,” said Taylor. “She is a versatile player who can play both guard positions, is dynamic in transition, and also has the ability to space the floor on offense as a solid three-point shooter.”

Massengale was the Vols’ assist leader as a junior while averaging 12.5 points and was a Freshman All-American during the 2011-12 season.

The six-foot, three-inch Okafor led the Colonial Athletic Association in rebounding (9.8 rpg) and field goal percentage (.531) during her senior campaign. She added 12.4 points per game and 1.7 blocks per contest on her way to earning All-CAA First Team, CAA All-Defensive Team and CAA All-Tournament Team accolades, and was the CAA Women’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

“Lauren is someone who will provide a physical, low-block presence,” said Taylor. “She has great size, is competitive, works hard and has potential to be a productive post in the WNBA.”