WVU Women’s Basketball: WNBA a Real Possibility for Graduating ‘Eer
By Phil Poling
With the WNBA Draft being held Thursday night in New York, one Mountaineer is on the cusp of becoming a professional basketball player.
As a senior, Lanay Montgomery flourished on and off the court, earning Big 12 All-Defensive Team and academic All-Big 12 First Team honors. She averaged 10.6 points per game, good enough for third on the Mountaineers.
Montgomery’s biggest impact came on the defensive end where she led not only WVU – but the entire Big 12 – in blocks with 99 on the season. She finished her career at WVU with 937 rebounds (7.1 rpg), 855 points (6.5 ppg) and 330 blocks (2.5 bpg).
Montgomery is a third round projection in a few mock drafts, but she’s tied for the tallest player in the draft at 6’5″. With this height advantage, Montgomery could be viewed as an integral piece to a contender. Her resume speaks volumes and she can be an immediate impact-player.
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Montgomery was co-captain for the 2016-17 squad that reached the NCAA Tournament and paced the ‘Eers with 13 double-digit rebounding games. Her 99 blocked shots are second-most in a season by a West Virginia senior and fifth-most all-time at WVU.
The first round of the WNBA Draft will be aired on ESPN2 at 7 p.m., with the following two rounds broadcast on ESPNU and the WatchESPN app. The regular season kicks off Saturday, May 13 while preseason action gets underway Saturday, April 29.