While he was there, the Detroit Shock assistant coach scouted OU’s opponent, West Virginia, namely senior forwards Meg Bulger and Chakhia Cole. Both impressed. Bulger scored 18 of her 21 points from 3-point range; Cole had a superb all-around showing with eight points, 13 rebounds, seven assists and three blocks.

But no one dominated the floor in the Mountaineers’ 84-65 victory like senior center Olayinka Sanni. She scored a career-high 29 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. “She was real aggressive, she rebounded the ball well and they kind of beat up on OU a little bit,” Mahorn recalled.

Five months later, Sanni returned to the O-Rena for the Shock’s open practice – as the team’s backup center. On Wednesday, in her third WNBA game, she made her first start against the Indiana Fever.

So how did Sanni ascend from second-round draft pick to first-string center? By proving to Shock head coach Bill Laimbeer and director of player personnel Cheryl Reeve that’s she a quick learner.

After all, a versatile low-post skill set and dogged mentality can only take you so far in six weeks.

“We’re very impressed with Sanni, unexpectedly so,” Laimbeer said. “Very athletic, strong. But her best trait is she finishes the shot with two hands, from around the basket, from 6-8 feet out.

Every day we’re looking, going, ‘Ooh, ooh, look at this.’”

Surely Laimbeer and the rest of the WNBA will keep watching. A latecomer to the game, Sanni could develop into the steal of the 2008 draft.

“She hasn’t played basketball for a long time and she hasn’t been in this league,” Laimbeer said. “But she has a physical talent and natural talent about her. If she keeps improving, she’ll do well.”

Ford: ‘She’s a great kid’

Sanni (pronounced Sa-knee) did not play organized basketball until high school and did not join an AAU team until her junior year. “My parents were very high on the academics,” the daughter of Olatunji and Olubunmi Sanni says. “They said if I kept my grades up then I could play and I did that.”

The Chicago Heights, Ill., resident put herself on the recruiting radar after a strong performance in a Nike AAU tournament in the Windy City. Among the schools that expressed interest was West Virginia.

“It was a building program so I was interested in helping them rather than going to a successful program,” Sanni said. “They kind of sold their story to me because West Virginia was not on the map like other schools. And I said, ‘This is an opportunity for me to give back and help the university, if I play hard, to bring that (program) up.’”

Sanni improved each year in Morgantown, averaging a career-high 16.2 points and 7.1 rebounds as a senior. She is the Mountaineers’ all-time leader in field-goal percentage (55.7%).

Even with her stock on the rise, Sanni says draft day was “nerve wracking” as she waited for her name to be called.

It was pretty tense for the Shock coaches too. Reeve had taken a liking to Mahorn’s find and hoped Sanni still would be available when Detroit made the No. 18 overall selection. (The Shock acquired the early second-round pick from Atlanta in the LaToya Thomas-Ivory Latta trade.) She pumped her fist in gratification when Houston selected LSU guard Erica White at No. 17. The Shock had found their backup center for 2007 All-Star Kara Braxton. (Though the two have traded places, at least for the time being.)

“The poise that she has when the ball gets thrown into her, to be able to pivot and make the right play to get a good shot off, is exceptional. She’s got big mitts for hands and can go from one side of the basket to the other,” Reeve gushed. “For a rookie to come into this league, second-round pick, that’s hard to find. That’s why we were so excited when she was there in the second round.”

As the third selection by the Shock – behind first-rounders Alexis Hornbuckle and Tasha Humphrey – Sanni didn’t take a roster spot for granted. “I came in with the mentality and the mind-set that nothing’s guaranteed. I had to prove myself to not only the coaches but the players and I have a lot of respect for them,” she said. “I just wanted to work hard for them and show them all I have.”

Sanni did just that in training camp, endearing her to a veteran squad that hasn’t had much room for rookies in recent seasons. “We love Sanni,” says team captain Cheryl Ford. “She’s a great kid – wants to learn, (has) the will to work hard.”

“Defend … and rebound the heck out of the ball”

Sanni has heard enough about Laimbeer and Mahorn’s “Bad Boys” days in the NBA to feel like “that’s my type of personality and my style, so I think I fit pretty well with that.”

She gained Laimbeer’s trust to the extent that she started her first WNBA game, a preseason tilt in San Antonio. But the rookie picked up three early fouls and never found her groove, collecting as many points and turnovers (3), though she did grab a team-high six rebounds.

“I think it was exciting but at the same time I think was overexcited and anxious to play. I picked up a couple quick fouls and my timing was off,” Sanni said. “I think I was a little antsy to play the first game.”

Reeve said the 21-year-old was suffering from a common rookie affliction – “paralysis by analysis” – so the coaches simplified her objectives heading into the regular season. “Right now we’ve asked Sanni to concentrate on two things,” the coach said. “Defend – always defend – and rebound the heck out of the ball, both ends. If she can be good at those two things, she can really help us.”

Running the floor doesn’t hurt, either. Sanni’s slower predecessor, 6-foot-8 Katie Feenstra, was a tough fit for the Shock’s up-tempo offense. But Sanni showed plenty of mobility in the opening minutes Wednesday against Indiana.

Sanni sprinted downcourt to be on the receiving end of a Deanna Nolan pass for a layup. The next Fever possession turned into another fast break, as Ford made the steal and passed to Nolan. With Sanni out in front of the break – drawing a defender – Ford trailed with a clear path to the basket, and Nolan passed to her for the layup and an 8-0 Detroit lead.

Sanni didn’t get any credit in the box score for that play, but she had an efficient night nonetheless: six points on four made shots, two field goals and two free throws.

Starting at San Antonio “made it a lot easier to know how it feels to start and play with the players who are starting,” Sanni said after Detroit’s 76-71 win over the Fever. “It kind of felt good just to know I could contribute to the team.”

Who says learning can’t be fun?