First 3 Selections in 2015 No. 1 overall No. 3 overall No. 20 overall

Last 3 First Round Picks (Pick, Year) Bria Hartley (7, 2014) Tianna Hawkins (6, 2013) Shekinna Stricklen (2, 2012)

The Seattle Storm are in a position that they haven’t been in in more than a decade.

The Storm will pick first in the 2015 WNBA Draft — the first time the team has owned the top pick since 2002 — and which direction new general manager Alisha Valavanis opts to take remains one of the biggest questions left to be answered.

On the heels of a 12-22 campaign last season, the Storm will look much different on the sidelines and the court, which presents a lot of different options for the front office. Jenny Boucek takes over as head coach with long-time coach Brian Agler now in LA, while two premier talents could be added with the first and third overall selection (the third overall pick coming to Seattle in a trade with Connecticut).

Still with the Storm, however, is Sue Bird — the team’s No. 1 overall pick in 2002. The eight-time All-Star is taking on more of a leadership role this season with an obvious opportunity to mentor a roster that will likely be one of the youngest in the league. Finding an heir to Bird isn’t a guarantee with the team’s first-round picks, but grooming a young point guard in the first year of head coach Jenny Boucek’s new system could be in the cards.

So who will the Storm take? With the No. 1 pick the Storm could choose either Notre Dame’s Jewell Loyd or Minnesota’s Amanda Zahui B and still be in position to land another bright young talent with the No. 3 pick.

“I think there’s a 100 percent chance that we’ll take one of them at [No. 1]. And at [No. 3], we’re really exploring a lot of options with that pick,” said Boucek.

Cal’s Reshanda Gray, Connecticut’s Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis and Duke’s Elizabeth Williams could be available when the Storm is on the clock again, but Boucek says the team is not opposed to trading away the third pick.

“I think anytime you’re in a draft you try to maximize the draft by comparing … the perceived value of the player you’re going to take there versus what people are offering you for that pick,” Boucek explained.

Zahui B. and Loyd were both eligible to declare early because they will turn 22 this year. The 6-foot-5 Zahui B., the reigning Big 10 Player of the Year, chose to enter the draft after averaging 18.8 points, 12.9 rebounds and 4.1 blocks per game at Minnesota.

Loyd, who was one of the nation’s most electrifying players in college basketball this past season, is expected to be a force at the next level. If the Storm opt to take her with the first pick, Loyd could quickly become Bird’s heir-apparent.

Whichever direction Valavanis selects, the Storm have plenty of options and are a franchise in prime position to embark on a new era as the 2015 season nears.