Aggressive Abl Overshadows Wnba Draft

In what can be considered a role reversal of sorts, the shadow of the American Basketball League will be hovering over the Women’s NBA when the new professional league holds the predominantly collegiate phase of its ongoing draft today.

While selections are being announced for the WNBA, which begins play in eight NBA cities and arenas June 21, the New England Blizzard of the ABL will be announcing the league’s signing of 6-foot-8 senior Kara Wolters of the nearby University of Connecticut. Contract details were being finalized Sunday afternoon. Additionally, an announcement could come soon, possibly later this afternoon, that Southern Cal’s Tina Thompson will also become part of the ABL.

A few days from now, Georgia’s senior LaKeisha Frett is also expected aboard, while Old Dominion senior Clarisse Machanguana is also leaning in the ABL’s direction.

Stanford senior Kate Starbird, who won all but the Associated Press player of the year honors, signed last week. Wolters, incidentally, was the AP winner, making it two straight years the ABL grabbed the top two awards honorees. The others were Georgia’s Saudia Roundtree and Connecticut’s Jennifer Rizzotti in 1996.

Two Southeastern Conference stars - Florida’s DeLisha Milton and Alabama’s Shalonda Ennis - also recently signed with the league.

This followed on the heels of Olympic star Katrina McClain, one of the powers of the 1996 gold medal winners, who returned to the United States and inked a three-year deal with the ABL to play in Atlanta near her alma mater Georgia.

On top of all this, the ABL received an influx of $6 million from two new investors last week, which more than wiped out the $4 million debt in its first season.

The ABL draft will be held next Monday. Both that event and today’s WNBA procedure will be carried by Philadelphia Online at www.phillynews.com.