Aces select Holy Cross forward Lauren Manis in WNBA draft

Las Vegas Review-Journal

5 years ago

Buckets waves the flag as the Las Vegas Aces ready to face the Washington Mystics during the fi ... — Buckets waves the flag as the Las Vegas Aces ready to face the Washington Mystics during the first half of their WNBA playoff game at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Left_Eye_Images

Oregon’s Sabrina Ionescu (20) plays against Stanford during an NCAA college basketball game in the final of the Pac-12 women’s tournament Sunday, March 8, 2020, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

In this Feb. 1, 2020, file photo, Oregon guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) shoots in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Boulder, Colo. Ionescu was a unanimous choice Monday, March 23, 2020, as The Associated Press women’s basketball player of the year. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

With a championship-caliber core and veteran role players already on the roster, Aces general manager Dan Padover didn’t feel the need to do anything drastic Friday during the WNBA draft. So he stood pat with the No. 33 overall pick and sought to add a player with a unique skill. A specialist of sorts.

And he sought one skill in particular.

Shooting.

The Aces drafted Holy Cross forward Lauren Manis with their lone pick, hoping she can challenge for a roster spot and provide shooting from the perimeter. The 6-foot-1-inch wing averaged 18.6 points and 11.5 rebounds for the Crusaders during the 2019-20 season while shooting 46.3 percent from 3-point range.

“Looking at who is on (the Aces) roster. … It’s just an unreal experience,” Manis said. “I’m ready to become more of a guard and play that role.”

The WNBA conducted a virtual draft because of the coronavirus pandemic, and it went on without a hitch on ESPN. The New York Liberty selected Oregon point guard Sabrina Ionescu with the No. 1 overall pick. The Dallas Wings selected her Oregon teammate Satou Sabally with the No. 2 pick and the Indiana Fever drafted Baylor forward Lauren Cox with the third pick.

It’s not just the efficiency with which Manis makes 3-pointers that intrigued the Aces’ braintrust. It’s as much how she shoots them. “She’s got a really quick release,” Padover said. “(We’re) kind of looking for some skill set that can help us, and we’re always looking for another (3-point shooter). That’s really what we saw in her.”

Manis is from Franklin, Massachussetts, and played four years at nearby Holy Cross, where she became the first player in school history — men’s or women’s — to total 2,000 points and 1,o00 rebounds. She was named to the Patriot League’s all-conference first team and all-defensive team as a senior. She capped her career with averages of 16.6 points and 9.7 rebounds.

Las Vegas did not have another pick, but Padover is pleased with the construction of the roster. The Aces have three All-Stars in A’ja Wilson, Liz Cambage and Kayla McBride — along with reigning Sixth Woman of the Year Dearica Hamby and former No. 1 overall picks Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young.

They also added experience and leadership by signing five-time All-Star wing Angel McCoughtry in free agency along with three-time All-Star guard Danielle Robinson.

“This is our ball club,” Padover said. “We think our team is good and we’re ready to go play — whenever that may be.”

Contact reporter Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on Twitter.