In the 20 days leading up to the 20th annual WNBA Draft, WNBA.com and @WNBA are highlighting the first 19 No. 1 overall picks and their place in league history. Our 20-day countdown continues with Jewell Loyd, the first selection in the 2015 WNBA Draft.

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With the first pick in the 2015 WNBA Draft, the Seattle Storm selected guard Jewell Loyd out of Notre Dame. In her final season at Notre Dame, Loyd led the Fighting Irish to their second consecutive NCAA championship game and was a unanimous AP All-America First Team selection.

She was named ESPNw National Player of the Year and was the runner up to Breanna Stewart for the AP National Player of the Year. Loyd, who entered the WNBA Draft a year early after forgoing her senior season and final year of eligibility, was the first Notre Dame player to earn a Player of the Year award since Ruth Riley back in 2001.

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The 5-10 guard would go on to win WNBA Rookie of the Year honors, becoming the first Seattle Storm player to win the award. In WNBA history, 10 of the 19 No. 1 overall picks have gone on to win Rookie of the Year; Loyd was Seattle’s third No. 1 selection (Lauren Jackson in 2001, Sue Bird in 2002) and first to be named the top first-year pro.

Loyd led all rookies in scoring (10.7), minutes played (25.9) and free throw percentage (90.4%, 4th in the WNBA) to go with 3.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 34 games. Loyd continually improved throughout her rookie campaign, increasing her scoring and field goal percentage every month of the season. Of her 18 double-digit scoring games, 10 came in her final 13 games of the season.

Loyd and the Storm will look to continue on that upward trajectory in 2016, where they will have the No. 1 overall pick for the second straight year and a WNBA-high fourth time overall.