The New York Liberty selected former UCLA forward Michaela Onyenwere No. 6 overall in the 2021 WNBA Draft.
Onyenwere averaged 19.1 points and 7.2 rebounds while shooting 42.1% in her senior campaign, leading UCLA to a Sweet Sixteen appearance.
In her mock draft, Mechelle Voepel of ESPN.com writes she “has a great motor, can guard a variety of players and tends to make things happen on the court”. Therefore, she checks the boxes as an ideal fit for head coach Walt Hopkins and his pace and space offense.
Onyenwere, a 6-0 forward and Aurora, Colo. native, was the leading scorer and rebounder for the Bruins in 2020 and 2021.
“She’s a home run for us,” Liberty head coach Hopkins said after the draft.
“This is a special night for us”, said Liberty General Manager Jonathan Kolb. “To be able to add the talent that we did was both surprising and welcomed. Michaela Onyenwere is someone who fans will be proud to root for.”
With their second pick, the New York Liberty select …
The Liberty used their second round pick, No. 17 overall, to draft DiDi Richards out of Baylor. The Cypress, Texas native, is known for her elite defensive ability.
Richards, a 6-2 guard, averaged 6.3 points and 6.3 assists per game in the 2020-21 season while shooting 42.9% from the field. She helped lead Baylor to a 28-3 finish and Final Four appearance.
Kolb added, “DiDi Richards is someone who quite honestly, we didn’t think would be there when we selected, but we were overjoyed to take her with pick 17. Overall, tonight is a great night for the Liberty, and we can’t wait to get started.”
New York concluded their 2021 draft by securing Valerie Higgins and Marine Fauthoux with the 25th and 29th picks, respectively.
Higgins, a 6-1 guard, joins the Liberty by way of Pacific University. She became the first player in program history to be selected in the WNBA draft. The redshirt senior, the Granada Hills, Calif. native averaged 16.5 points and 9.7 rebounds per game, while shooting 46.6% from the field.
Fauthoux a 5-8 guard, joins the Liberty after recently competing for Lyon ASVEL in France’s LFB. The Pau, France native averaged 4.8 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game across domestic and EuroLeague play.
Training Camp for the Liberty will begin on April 25. Tip-off for the historic 25th anniversary season and inaugural home opener at Barclays Center will be on May 14 at 7 p.m. ET against the Indiana Fever.
Image: Michaela Onyenwere – Getty
Image: DiDi Richards – Ben Solomon/NCAA Photos via Getty Images
