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UW women's basketball: Anderson, Banks to attend WNBA pre-draft camp
University of Wisconsin athletes Jolene Anderson and Janese Banks were invited to participate in the WNBA's pre-draft camp Friday and Saturday in Tampa, Fla., on the campus of the University of Tampa.
The 14-team league will hold its annual draft on April 9. The Los Angeles Sparks won the WNBA Draft Lottery and have the first overall pick in the event, which consists of three rounds and 44 selections. It has been widely speculated that Tennessee standout and two-time All American Candace Parker will go to the Sparks with the top pick.
Anderson and Barnks were seniors with the UW women's basketball team, which recently concluded its 2007-08 season with a 60-54 loss to Villanova in the second round of the Women's National Invitation Tournament on March 21.
The co-captains were first and second, respectively, in scoring this past season for the Badgers (16-14), who finished tied for seventh in the league standings. Anderson averaged 19.9 points per game, while Banks averaged 12.8 ppg.
Former UW assistant coach Denise Dove Ianello, who has worked as a WNBA scout, said in late February that she expects Anderson to be one of the first guards selected to play in the league, which begins its 12th season this year.
Anderson spent the summers prior to her junior and senior seasons training and performing workout sessions with Ianello in South Bend, Ind.
"She's got special things she brings to the table that a lot of other guards don't have," Ianello said of Anderson, who was named the media's Big Ten Player of the Year and led the league in scoring for a second straight season. "Her ability to score and her feel and savvy on the court. People think of her as just a scorer, but she's also a great defender.
"She has, basically, no flaws in her game. She just needs to keep on getting better at little things and that will help her improve."
tmadsen@madison.com
File photo/Michelle Stocker/The Capital Times
Janese Banks and Jolene Anderson practice their shots at the Nicholas Johnson Pavilion.
