Dallas Wings pick Azura Stevens, Loryn Goodwin, Natalie Butler in WNBA draft

The Dallas Wings’ first pick in the WNBA Draft on Thursday night was UConn’s 6-foot, 6-inch guard Azurá Stevens, who, in 37 games this season with the Huskies, averaged 17.7 points and 7.4 rebounds per game.
The Wings went into the draft with three overall picks, getting the sixth pick in the first round to nab Stevens. With picks two and three, the Dallas team chose Loryn Butler out of Oklahoma State in the second round at 18th and Natalie Butler from George Mason in the third at 30^th.
Wings President & CEO Greg Bibb said the team is “thrilled” with its draft picks, adding that the team “added size, talent, versatility and athleticism to our roster.”
Stevens was named 2018 American Athletic Conference Newcomer and Sixth Player of the Year, and she was named to the American Athletic Conference Second Team.
Stevens led the Huskies with 76 blocks, while recording eight double-doubles. Prior to arriving to UCONN, she was an All-ACC First Team selection as a sophomore at Duke, and a second team pick as a freshman. For the Blue Devils she averaged 16.2 points per, 8.8 rebounds per game and shot 52.3 percent from the field in 58 games.
Goodwin, a graduate transfer at Oklahoma State by way of UTSA, played a key role for the Cowboys, receiving honorable mention All-American status from the Associated Press and honorable mention All-American by the WBCA.
She played in 32 games, leading the Big 12 by averaging 20.6 points per game, and finished in the top 12 of the conference with 6.7 rebounds per game. She also led the league with five 30-point games and 20 games with at least 20 points.
Butler, a 6-5 center at George Mason, won honorable mention All-American honors from the Associated Press and Atlantic 10 Player of the Year. In her final season for The Patriots, she broke the single season scoring record with 653 points and an NCAA D1 single-season rebounding record with 563 rebounds.
Overall, Butler started in all 34 games with 19.2 points and 16.6 rebounds per game. On top of breaking a single-season rebounding record, she also recorded 33 consecutive double-doubles.
The Wings begin training camp on April 29 and begin regular season play May 18 in Phoenix against the Mercury. Individual tickets are on sale now; call 817-4W9-9464 or visit DallasQings.com.

— Tammye Nash