Ahhh, Draft Day. The day when college stars become professionals... girls become women... and WNBA franchises become excited -- even giddy -- as they look to the future.

And for the players themselves, Draft Day can be everything from shocking to exhilarating, humbling to invigorating.

We spoke with several current WNBA stars about their Draft Days, the biggest transitions they had to make in jumping from the college game to the WNBA, their teams' plans for this year's selections and former teammates set to hit the big time:

Sheryl Swoopes, Seattle Storm
Assigned to Houston on Jan. 22, 1997

On the biggest adjustment on moving from college to the WNBA:
"I think it was a little different for me, because I went from college to the National Team and the Olympics. So I was already surrounded by great players. So the Olympics was definitely an eye-opening experience for me, because I thought I was good… and then I started playing with and against players who were five times better than me. But it helped, because it showed me what I had to go to bring my game to the next level.

"So my advice to players coming out of college… especially to ones who might think they're 'all that'… just know that the WNBA is a COMPLETELY different game and a COMPLETELY different level of talent than what you're used to. Day in and day out, you can't take a game off. Even in college, you have some opponents who just aren't as good as you are, so you tend to slack off a little bit. But in the WNBA, you have to come ready to play EVERY SINGLE NIGHT. The talent level has gotten so much better, it's so much more competitive, so you can't take a day off. You can't even take a possession off, because anybody can beat anybody. The players on each team are incredible."

Erin Buescher, San Antonio Silver Stars
2nd round, 23rd overall pick, 2001

On her feelings as the draft approached:
"You definitely have all of those nerves and butterflies. You're anxious, excited, scared, thrilled… it's a mix of everything. It just seems like such a big thing, because it affects the direction of your life. And you have no idea where the day will take you: what city you'll end up, the people you'll be surrounded by. You just never know.

"And it's also interesting because people grow and flourish at different points. Being a star in college doesn't always mean you'll be a star in the WNBA. And it's not always the college stars who find a lot of success in the pro game. There's just so much unknown, and that creates a lot of anxiety and excitement."

On the importance of going to the right team:
"The men's players are just happy to go somewhere and they'll succeed or fail largely independently from what team they're on. They just do their thing.

"Women's players are a little different… I think they're more likely to succeed or fail based on the relationships they find on their teams. The team situation weighs more heavily for women than it does for men. The people… even on the court, each coach and each team has its own system, and how well you do depends on the whole dynamic."

Cheryl Ford, Detroit Shock
1st round, 3rd overall pick, 2003

On what the Shock are looking for in the draft:
"I think we need a guard... a one, because Katie doesn't really like playing the point. And Tweety definitely doesn't like playing the point. So we need someone in that position to back up Elaine Powell or whoever ends up playing there. If we can do that, maybe Katie will move to the three, where she's more comfortable."

On the biggest adjustment in transitioning to the pro game:
"How tough the competition is. The adjustment to all of the travel. The back-to-back games."

Kara Lawson, Sacramento Monarchs
1st round, 5th overall pick, 2003

On the holes the Monarchs need to fill in the draft:
"Our team is one of the few teams in the league that really relies on its depth. There are plenty of teams that rely on just six or seven players and there are some others that use their bench only when they have to because of foul trouble or something like that. But anyone who's watched us before knows that we regularly use nine or 10 players. That's our system. So we're always looking for quality players who can come in and play right away.

"For us, I don't think it's so much a matter of positioning. I think it's more a matter of Coach Whiz and Jenny finding and bringing in players who are smart and can fit into our system and who are mature enough to play right away. Some players make that look easy: the Taurasis and Augustuses of the world… those players come in and play like veterans right away. But it's tough to come in and do it right away."

On the toughest part of the transition to the pro game:
"Being focused all the time and having to eliminate small mistakes from my game. This is a league where you go up against a great player at your position every night… a player who knows how to capitalize on every little mistake you might make. In college, you can sometimes get away with things you wouldn't be able to get away with at the professional level. So for me, the toughest part was trying to eliminate mistakes at both ends… particularly the defensive end, because we had a lot of great offensive players who would make you pay if you messed up."

Janel McCarville, New York Liberty
1st round, 1st overall pick, 2005

On her advice to incoming draft prospects:
"Take it all in and enjoy it. Try not to be too nervous about anything. Expect a good, fun day. I was excited a week in advance not really knowing what to expect. But being in a room with the rest of the top 20 players in the country is amazing."

Seimone Augustus, Minnesota Lynx
1st round, 1st overall pick, 2006

On what the Lynx need to go after:
"I would say we need to focus on the inside. We have Nicole (Ohlde) and Vanessa (Hayden) is coming back from her pregnancy, but we can always use another solid post player. Obviously, we'd love to get Sylvia or Candace, but they'll probably go one and two and end up in Chicago and L.A. After that, Erlana Larkins and Tasha Humphrey are both really good prospects, so we'll see if one of them can maybe help us inside."

On former LSU teammate Sylvia Fowles:
"I played with her for two years. She's one of the hardest workers we ever had at LSU. She would come in every day and work her tail off. She has the kind of size and body that no one's ever seen before. She's going to bring an aggressive mindset to whichever team she plays for. She's hard-nosed. She's going to dive on the floor, she's going to go after rebounds and she's going to raise the tempo and effort on both ends for whatever team she ends up with.

"I think her skills will translate well to the pro level. She has a few things she needs to add to her game. She can always work on her drop-step. Once she gets here to the WNBA, she's going to be around some great coaches, who will help round out her game and help her to progress.

"But defensively, she's already there, I think. When you can take the ball off the backboard, I don't think there's a whole lot more that you have to be able to do."

Cappie Pondexter, Phoenix Mercury
1st round, 2nd overall pick, 2006

On the Mercury's plans for the draft:
"We're looking for a post. I want to get Candace! I want to get Sylvia! Both of them! Why not?!

"I'm kidding, but this class is really deep: the kids from Maryland (Crystal Langhorne and Laura Harper), the kid from Georgia (Tasha Humphrey)… I like them. And I love the seniors at Rutgers, too, but we're so stacked at the guard position, I doubt we'll go in that direction. I like the kid from Tennessee, too… Anosike. I think she has a big upside at the next level."

Candice Dupree, Chicago Sky
1st round, 6th overall pick, 2006

On the toughest part of the transition to the WNBA:
The biggest thing was the schedule. In college you usually play just one or two games a week. But in the WNBA, you have back-to-back games… you might have a game in Detroit one night, then you have to fly back to Chicago that night to play the next night. And as a rookie, your body isn't used to that. Especially if you're coming straight from your senior season in college to the WNBA season. There's not a lot of rest in there, so you have to make sure to get enough sleep, eat the right foods.

Lindsey Harding, Minnesota Lynx
1st round, 1st overall pick, 2007

On the toughest adjustment during her rookie season and her advice for draft picks:
"Just know that it's a similar adjustment from the one you had to make when you went from high school to college. Players at the next level are faster, quicker and stronger. They have more knowledge of the game. It's a totally different level. At this level you have to guard players like Katie Smith -- who, for a point guard, is like… STRONG -- and I have to body her up. Then you also have smaller point guards who you have to chase around, which is also tough.

"People are quicker… the game is quicker… the shots and passes have to be so much quicker. And it's tough even for players coming out of college who are used to scoring 20 points a game, because you only have an opening to shoot or pass for a split second. I'm still trying to get used to that.

"Aside from the quickness, you also need the skill level. Diana Taurasi, for example, isn't the fastest player in the world, but her skill is amazing and she's so smart that she makes up for it. So you have to have something special to bring to the table."

Sidney Spencer, Los Angeles Sparks
2nd round, 25th overall pick, 2007

What's the biggest thing you've learned about the pro game since you were drafted?
"You really have to learn to manage your schedule and know your body. You're still young, of course, but you can get tired because you play a lot of games in a short season, which demands a lot physically. So as a pro, nutrition becomes more important. You also learn pretty quickly when to push yourself and when to take time off. It's all about maintaining that balance. In college, the schedule is spread out more widely, you have lots of days off. In the WNBA, there's definitely less rest. That was probably the biggest adjustment I had to make."

On how prepared her former Tennessee teammates are for the WNBA:
"Coming out of Tennessee -- and I've heard this from other former Tennessee players, too -- you have a lot more basketball sense than players from most other schools. It seems like we know the game better. That's a big advantage and I think it will help the Lady Vols in this year's draft class."

On her advice for incoming rookies:
"You only get to be a rookie once. And people make it seem like a bad thing, but it's not! You meet a ton of great people, you get to travel to great cities. Just enjoy it, because you only get to do it once."