Three Cavaliers Selected In 2003 WNBA Draft
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April 25, 2003
NEW YORK – Three former University of Virginia women’s basketball players were selected to play professional basketball during the 2003 WNBA Draft on Friday.
Forward Schuye LaRue (Washington, D.C.) was final pick in the second round (27th selection overall) by the Los Angeles Sparks. Guard Telisha Quarles (Louisa, Va.) was the fourth pick of the third round (31st selection overall) by the Phoenix Mercury. Forward DeMya Walker (Mt. Holly, N.J.), who played for the defunct Portland Fire, was selected fifth by the Sacramento Monarchs in the Dispersal Draft.
LaRue, 6-3, was the 2001 ACC Rookie of the Year and All-ACC first team honoree. The first UVa freshman to be named to the prestigious Kodak Honorable Mention All-America Team, LaRue averaged 18.1 ppg as a sophomore. She left school following her sophomore season to play in Europe.
“I’m proud of Schuye,” Virginia head coach Debbie Ryan said. “Hopefully now that’s she out in L.A., she’ll have a chance to make the team. I’m just very pleased and proud of her.”
Quarles, 5-8, was a 2002 Second Team All-ACC honoree. Also a Richmond Times-Dispatch all-state Honorable Mention selection, she was named to ACC All-Tournament Second Team. The only senior on youthful squad in 2002, Quarles paced the Cavaliers in scoring with 15.7 ppg. She recorded double-digit scoring in all but three games. On UVa career charts, she stands No. 13 in scoring (1,323), No. 2 in three-pointers (187), No. 11 in steals (181), and No. 5 in FG attempts (433) in a season.
“I’m really, really pleased for Telisha,” Ryan said. “She deferred the draft until this year, because she wanted to finish her degree. It’s a real honor for her to be drafted. She will work hard in Phoenix, and she has a future.”
Walker, 6-4, played the last three WNBA seasons with the Portland Fire. An Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American and three-time All-ACC selection, Walker holds the Virginia record for blocked shots in a season (95) and a career (247).
“There has been a lot of interest in DeMya,” Ryan added. “I saw her last week, and I knew it was just a matter of where she would land. She will do fabulously wherever she plays.”