Charlotte takes Browne with draft's 43rd pick

On what could have been one of the biggest days of her life, Peppi Browne was too busy to notice.

The senior was taken by the Charlotte Sting in the third round of the WNBA Draft yesterday, but the BME/EE/BAA triple major was too swamped in school work to track her status.

"Right now, I'm still kind of in a daze," Browne said. "This was a pretty crucial day work-wise, and I haven't had a lot of sleep lately. I could not pay attention to the draft because of all the work I had to do today."

At 5 p.m. Browne stepped into her apartment to print out another paper when she got a phone call from teammates who announced Browne's new place of employment. She was taken with the 43rd pick overall and will join N.C. State's Summer Erb, who was the Sting's first-round selection.

"I didn't actually hear anything [before the draft]," Browne said. "I knew I was a potential draft pick, but as far as when I'd go, who would take me, I had no clue."

And although most of her energy was focused on school work, when Browne learned she would be staying in the state of North Carolina, she was pretty excited.

"I definitely wanted to stay on the East Coast, because I have a lot of family here," the Maryland native said. "And obviously I have lots of friends in North Carolina who can come see me play now.... It's definitely nice."

Browne is still recovering from the torn ACL that sidelined her for the final six weeks of the season. She was just recently cleared for half-court drills, but WNBA players are expected to be in preseason camp in two weeks, and Browne will not be ready to go right away.