It's been a terrific year for Dallas Wings guard Allisha Gray. In April, she helped South Carolina win its first NCAA women's basketball championship. And Tuesday, she was named the WNBA's Rookie of the Year.
Gray, the No. 4 draft pick by Dallas, averaged 13.0 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.5 steals for the Wings. They finished 16-18 and lost to Washington in the first round of the playoffs. The 6-foot Gray started every game this season, averaging 27.2 minutes, most among rookies.
She is the lowest draft pick to win the league's rookie award since LSU's Temeka Johnson, who was the No. 6 selection by the Mystics in 2005.
"It's a big honor,'' Gray said. "I'm glad my hard work didn't go unnoticed, and I'm blessed to receive this award.''
The other top contender for the honor this year was drafted even lower: Atlanta's Brittney Sykes, who was the No. 7 selection out of Syracuse. Gray got 30 of the 40 votes from a national media panel; Sykes, who led all rookies in scoring average at 13.9 PPG, got the other 10 votes. Atlanta finished 12-22 and didn't make the playoffs.
San Antonio's Kelsey Plum was the No. 1 pick, and that slot in the draft has won rookie of the year in 10 of the last 13 WNBA seasons. But a sprained ankle delayed the start of Plum's season, and her minutes were pretty sporadic until the end of June. She ended up starting 23 games and averaging 8.5 PPG for the Stars, who finished last in the league at 8-26.