The suspense did not last long for the two Blue Devils at the WNBA Draft Wednesday afternoon in Cleveland.
Naismith National Player of the Year Lindsey Harding became the first Duke player to be taken No. 1 overall, and Alison Bales was selected ninth overall by the Indiana Fever and will return to her hometown of Indianapolis.
Harding was surrounded by drama from the beginning of the draft. After being selected as the No. 1 overall pick by the Phoenix Mercury, she was promptly traded away to the Minnesota Lynx for All-Star forward Tangela Smith.
Harding did not seem to mind.
"It was a really good draft for me," Harding said. "There were just a lot of trades going on."
The unpredictability of the draft continued after Harding was chosen. Ohio State product Jessica Davenport, who was the second overall pick, was also traded away moments after being drafted, and North Carolina guard Ivory Latta fell to No. 11 on draft day after she was projected to be a top-five pick.
In the end, however, the fickleness did not seriously hamper the two Dukies- both Harding and Bales were able to join squads that have plenty of positives.
Harding will team up in the backcourt with former LSU star Seimone Augustus, who was the No. 1 overall pick last year. In addition, Minnesota selected UCLA's Noelle Quinn-a three time all-Pac 10 first teamer-with the fourth overall pick, giving Harding plenty of help for her rookie season.
Bales, meanwhile, celebrated her 22nd birthday by returning to familiar territory in more ways than one. In addition to playing in her hometown again, Bales is also extremely familiar with Indiana assistant coach Lin Dunn.
"I'm really excited," Bales said. "Lin Dunn has been to so many of our practices and games and is a close personal friend of Coach G. I talked to Coach G and she thinks it'll be a really good fit."
The 6-foot-7 Bales will add size to a Fever squad that did not have a player over 6-foot-3 last year. Because they were both picked so early, it would be natural for both players to feel pressured to make an immediate impact. Harding, however, said she is not intimidated.
"I don't think I'll feel anymore pressure than I felt in college," Harding said. "Obviously they picked me No. 1 and want to see what I can do, but I don't really feel any pressure."
The two stars leave behind a legacy that could stand for a long time. Harding racked up 579 assists in her four years at Duke and leaves the school with 128 career victories-the most all time. Bales averaged 4.4 blocks per game last year en route to becoming the school's leader in blocked shots.
The dynamic duo recorded these feats in large part because they played so well in tandem. After four years on campus together, however, Bales and Harding have to part ways.
"Lindsey's a great teammate and a close personal friend," Bales said. "It'll be different not playing with her."
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