WNBA general manager deems potential lottery prospect a “dawg” ahead of draft

Aneesah Morrow was women’s college basketball’s top rebounder this past season — and finished her collegiate career as an all-time rebounder.

In her senior year season at LSU, she averaged 18.8 points and 13.7 rebounds per game, shooting 49.4% from the field.

The Athletic and Tankathon currently project that Morrow will be selected 7th overall by the Connecticut Sun. Yahoo Sports has the rebounding machine slotted 5th overall to be taken by the Golden State Valkyries.

Those are higher projections than before the NCAA tournament — in part because several top prospects, most notably Olivia Miles, have opted to forego the draft, and in part because Morrow had several standout performances in March. (Morrow racked up 26 points and 11 rebounds in a Round of 32 win over FSU, and posted 30 points, 19 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks).

There’s no guarantee that Morrow will be drafted by the Sun or the Valkyries; also in her projected range are the Washington Mystics (No. 3, 4, and 6 pick) and Los Angeles Sparks (No. 9). But, it’s clear teams think highly of her ahead of the draft.

Dallas Wings general manager Curt Miller spoke glowingly about Morrow in a pre-draft media availability on Thursday afternoon.

“Whichever franchise is fortunate to end up with her is getting a really talented player,” Miller said. “First and foremost, I personally, in my decade in this league, think that rebounding has translated, and players that rebounded in college ended up rebounding in the pros. And so one of the things that you have that just pops off the chart [is] when she leads the nation in rebounding.”

The Wings have the No. 1 and No. 2 picks in the WNBA draft, so they’re unlikely to select Morrow based on current projections.

Still, Miller is one of the most veteran people in the WNBA, having previously coached both the Connecticut Sun and Los Angeles Sparks before taking the general manager role in Dallas. And, he’s encouraged but the fact that Morrow is the third all-time leading rebounder in NCAA Division I women’s basketball history.

“She’s undersized, so it talks about tenacity, it talks about desire,” Miller said. “Rebounding is a big hustle statistic.”

Whether Morrow lands in Connecticut, Golden State, Washington, or elsewhere, Miller is confident she’ll be a great value-add and culture setter.

“All of us are looking to add dawgs to our locker room,” Miller said. “I think we all believe that she’ll be a dawg in the locker room.”