WBB: Hayden is Seventh Overall Pick in WNBA Draft
Saturday, April 17, 2004 | Women's Basketball
Former University of Florida women's basketball standout Vanessa Hayden (Orlando, Fla.) was the seventh overall selection in the 2004 WNBA Draft. The 6-foot-4 center was selected by the Minnesota Lynx in the first round of the three-round, 38-player event.
Hayden is the 13th different Gator to be selected in the WNBA Draft in the eight-year history of the event. She is the third Gator taken in the first round, joining Murriel Page, who was the third overall pick in 1998, and DeLisha Milton, who was the fourth player selected in 1999. Florida has had at least one player drafted in seven of the eight years.
Hayden was the second of seven players from the Southeastern Conference drafted Saturday afternoon.
"Vanessa has worked so hard to get where she is today," UF head coach Carolyn Peck said. "I am real proud of her. Today, she was nervous, she was excited and then she was relieved when she was selected. Now she has to turn her focus toward making the team. She has a tremendous future in front of her."
Hayden completed her four-year career at Florida with 1,576 points, 1,105 points and a school-record 357 blocked shots for averages of 14.7 points, 10.3 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per game. She appeared in 107 games, earning 75 starting assignments and averaging 24 minutes of playing time.
Hayden, who was recognized as the 2004 SEC Defensive Player of the Year, was named a 2002 & 2004 WBCA Kodak District 3 All-American, a 2004 Associated Press Second Team All-American, a 2002 & 2003 Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American and a 2002 & 2004 First Team All-SEC selection. In addition, Hayden was one of 16 players on the final ballot for the inaugural John R. Wooden Award in 2004 and was a Top-21 candidate for 2004 The State Farm Wade Trophy Award.
She recorded only the second triple-double in UF history, when she contributed 17 points, 12 rebounds and 10 blocks in the win over Kent State (Dec. 29, 2001). Hayden led the country in 2002 with 126 blocked shots, and ranked fourth nationally in rebounding (11.8 pg). Hayden became the 17th Gator to score 1,000 career points and the eighth-fastest to reach the plateau, netting the milestone in her 77th game; and only fifth Gator ever to record 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. She graduated as UF's all-time blocked shot record with 357, a total that ranks third all-time in SEC history. Hayden completed her Gator career in UF record book ranking seventh all-time for scoring (1,576) and fifth for rebounding (1105). She tallied 80 double-figure scoring games, 57 double-figure rebounding games, 50 double-doubles and one triple-double.
Gators in Professional U.S. Drafts
1996 (ABL)
Tammy Jackson (4th pick, 8th round), Hartford
Bridget Pettis (alternate), Denver
1997
DeLisha Milton (1st round/2nd pick/2nd overall selection), Portland (ABL)
Bridget Pettis (Elite Selection), Phoenix
Sophia Witherspoon (2nd round/3rd pick/11th overall), New York
Merlakia Jones (2nd round/5th pick/13th overall), Cleveland
Tammy Jackson (2nd round/8th pick/16th overall), Houston
1998
Murriel Page (1st round/3rd pick/3rd overall selection), Washington
1999
DeLisha Milton (1st round/4th pick/4th overall selection), Los Angeles
2000
Tonya Washington (2nd round/2nd pick/18th overall), Washington
Tiffany Travis (2nd round/11th pick/27th overall), Charlotte
2001
Tamara Stocks (2nd round/9th pick/25th overall), Washington
Tombi Bell (3rd round/7th pick/39th overall), Minnesota
2002
Brandi McCain (2nd round/8th pick/24th overall), Cleveland
Monique Cardenas (4th round/5th pick/53rd overall), Portland
2004
Vanessa Hayden (1st round/7th pick/7th overall), Minnesota
END OF REPORT
