Throughout the course of the 2006 WNBA season, WNBA.com posted
its unofficial Rookie Rankings, highlighting the play of the top five rookies
of the week. Here's a look at our sixth and final installment, which features several players
who made a great impact in their first season of play.
Skinny: Seimone Augustus' scoring
numbers dropped over the past month from 23.3 ppg to 22.5 ppg,
and her field goal percentage dropped almost one percent over
the past two weeks, but the All-Star guard finished second in
the league in points per game behind Diana Taurasi and is the
front-runner for Rookie of they Year. She played the sixth most
minutes per game (33.1 mpg) in the entire league and led all rookies
in points per game and free throw percentage (.897 FT%). She also
ranked second among rookies in field goal percentage and blocks
per game (0.53 bpg). Augustus scored 32 points four times this
season.
Skinny: Whether it was in the
Draft or in the scoring race, Pondexter continues stay right alongside
Augustus. The Mercury guard's scoring numbers continued to drop
over the past two weeks as well, going from 20.5 ppg to 19.5 ppg
during that stretch. Yet her field goal percentage went up from
.435 to .442. Pondexter ranked fourth in the WNBA in points
per game (19.5 ppg) and fifth in minutes per game (33.4 mpg).
Among rookies, Pondexter ranked first in assists (3.1 apg) and
second in scoring and three-point percentage (.373 3P%).
No. 3: Sophia Young, San Antonio Silver Stars (4th pick)
GP
PPG
FG%
3PM-A
RPG
APG
SPG
BPG
34
12.0
.416
0-4
7.6
1.5
1.68
0.38
Skinny: Sophia Young's numbers
pretty much remained the same over the past two weeks as her scoring
slightly increased from 11.7 ppg to 12.0 ppg while her rebounding numbers
were identical. The 6-1 forward finished her rookie season
leading all rookies in every rebounding category and ranking sixth
among all players in rebounds per game (7.6 rpg). She also led
all rookies in steals per game (1.68 spg) and double-doubles with
seven.
No. 4: Candice Dupree, Chicago Sky (6th pick)
GP
PPG
FG%
3PM-A
RPG
APG
SPG
BPG
34
13.7
.457
0-5
5.5
1.8
1.26
0.74
Skinny: Candice Dupree got
stronger as the season went on and gives the Chicago Sky and its fans something
to look forward to in the future. The All-Star put up almost the
exact same numbers over the past two weeks with a slight increase in
her rebounding numbers. But she finished with a stronger second
half than first and started 31 games over the course of the season. She led
all rookies in blocks per game (0.74 bpg) and field goal percentage
(.457 FG%), and ranked among the top three in points per game
(13.7 ppg), steals per game (1.26 spg) and rebounds per game (5.5
rpg).
No.
5: Monique Currie, Charlotte Sting (3rd pick)
GP
PPG
FG%
3PM-A
RPG
APG
SPG
BPG
34
10.0
.332
16-55
3.9
2.6
1.00
0.12
Skinny: Monique Currie finished
in the top five despite her poor field goal and three-point field
goal shooting for the season. But over the final two weeks of
the season, Currie did push her points per game up from 9.8 ppg
to 10.0 ppg and her field goal percentage up from .321 FG% to
.332 FG%. The 6-0 guard-forward ranked fourth in the WNBA in free
throws made (149) and sixth in free throw attempts (184). Among
rookies, she ranked fifth in scoring (10.0 ppg), third in rebounding
(3.9 rpg), and second in assists (2.56 apg).
Honorable Mention:
Sherill Baker (7.4 ppg, 1.65 rpg)
LaToya Bond (5.7 ppg, 2.1 apg)
Barbara Turner (6.4 ppg, 2.53 rpg)
Shanna Zolman (6.6 ppg, .378 3P%)
In what may prove to be the best rookie class in history (though the Classes of 2002 and 2004 may have something to say about that), this group of talented women have shown that you really can believe the hype and that the future of the WNBA is indeed bright.
