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After putting together an all-time career at Maryland, Brionna Jones has officially made it to the next level.
The 6’3 center was drafted by the Connecticut Sun with the eighth overall pick in Thursday’s WNBA Draft.
With the 8th pick in the #WDraft17, the @ConnecticutSun select Brionna Jones! pic.twitter.com/XYDHyOpMZM
— WNBA (@WNBA) April 13, 2017
Jones was an impact player all four seasons in College Park, and it culminated in a career year as a senior. She averaged 19.9 points and 10.9 rebounds per game, and her 697 total points are a new program record. The AP named her a First Team All-American after the season. Jones finished her career tied for sixth on Maryland’s all-time scoring list and solo third in rebounds.
It’s unclear how well her game, which revolves around low-post domination, will translate to a WNBA that’s been trending up-tempo in recent years, but Jones' physicality will make her a tough matchup for even the world's best bigs. Even though her size won't stand out as much at the next level, scouts clearly believe she still has plenty of potential.
The Sun finished 14-20 last season, which placed fifth in the Eastern Conference. Connecticut now has three former Terps on the team, as Jones joins Lynetta Kizer and Alyssa Thomas. Jones and Thomas were teammates at Maryland for one season, and they’re back together now.