UCLA Stars' Wild WNBA Draft Journey

0:00It's April 20th. Welcome in. This is Hartford News Today, where local news meets AI. I'm Cory with the story. Two UCLA Bruin stars, Gianna Neepkins and Charlize Lager, Walker, got drafted close together by the Connecticut Sun 15th and 18th overall picks. They flew to New York for the WNBA draft without packing their apartment, then rushed back to Los Angeles with just one day to box everything up, before heading east again. It was a wild scramble, finishing around 2 a.m. with help from family, then up at 5 a.m. to catch their flight. These two just led UCLA to their first ever NCAA championship on April 5th. Neepkins was a sharpshooter, averaging 12.8 points on nearly 50 percent field goals, over 42 percent from 3, and 93 percent free throws. Roger Walker ran the show with 5.6 assists, 8.4 points, 4 boards, and a team leading 1.6 deals per game.

1:00The transition to Pro Ball hit fast, but having each other has been huge. They are leaning on their roommate bond, hanging out off court, sharing the mental and physical grind. That instant chemistry is clicking on the floor too, helping them mesh with 11 new faces on the sun's training camp roster that started Sunday. Peter and Bruin Kennedy Burke, playing overseas in Turkey, stayed up past 11.30 p.m. Her time to watch the title game and got emotional win, they won. Now back with the sun, she is pumped about these rookies bringing energy, asking smart questions, and showing what they can do in just 2 days of. Camp. Early signs look good as they adjust to the pro speed and physicality. Lager Walker threaded a D pass for a teammate layup that fired up the bench, while Neepkins drained 3s and kept shooting after practice. With scissors like these, the sun's future feels bright.