2008 Woodie Awards
Kia Wright gets invite to New York Liberty camp
Deborah N. Harris, Staff Writer
Issue date: 4/16/08 Section: Sports
All Kia Wright has wanted since she was a young player in Copiague, N.Y. was to play professional basketball. But an injury-plagued junior year of college almost turned that desire into a just a dream or, worse, a distant memory.
When the WNBA Draft came and went last week without Wright's name being called, it seemed those fears were confirmed. Most of the players chosen were members of NCAA Tournament teams with a few international players sprinkled into the mix.
But it was still not the end of the road for Wright.
The following day, papers were finalized, and Wright, as well as teammate senior forward Tiina Sten, were invited to WNBA team training camps: Wright to the New York Liberty and Sten to the Los Angeles Sparks.
"When Tiina texted me I was jumping up and down," Wright said. "This is very exciting."
Terms of Wright's training camp invitation were not disclosed by the Liberty. However, Wright told The Torch her interpretation.
"I don't know if anybody knows this yet," Wright said, "but I believe, after reading my contract, I am officially a New York Liberty.
"There is still a training camp, but I believe I'm already in there."
Now, standing at 5-foot-8, Kia Wright is showing fans and critics that a big WNBA style game can be found in a small-guard package. Wright, the only player in St. John's women's basketball history to score over 1,500 points and dish out 400 assists, was invited to attend the Pre-WNBA Draft Camp that took place on April 4-5.
Wright received the news on Easter morning from head coach Kim Barnes-Arico after practice and was the first player to receive the invitation during the Barnes-Arico era.
"We were wrapping up practice and then coach made the announcement and all I could do was smile," Wright said. "I had no words."
Wright was supposed to leave practice early that day so she could meet with family at church. After finding out about the invitation, she couldn't wait to go to Easter Sunday service and tell them the good news.
When the WNBA Draft came and went last week without Wright's name being called, it seemed those fears were confirmed. Most of the players chosen were members of NCAA Tournament teams with a few international players sprinkled into the mix.
But it was still not the end of the road for Wright.
The following day, papers were finalized, and Wright, as well as teammate senior forward Tiina Sten, were invited to WNBA team training camps: Wright to the New York Liberty and Sten to the Los Angeles Sparks.
"When Tiina texted me I was jumping up and down," Wright said. "This is very exciting."
Terms of Wright's training camp invitation were not disclosed by the Liberty. However, Wright told The Torch her interpretation.
"I don't know if anybody knows this yet," Wright said, "but I believe, after reading my contract, I am officially a New York Liberty.
"There is still a training camp, but I believe I'm already in there."
Now, standing at 5-foot-8, Kia Wright is showing fans and critics that a big WNBA style game can be found in a small-guard package. Wright, the only player in St. John's women's basketball history to score over 1,500 points and dish out 400 assists, was invited to attend the Pre-WNBA Draft Camp that took place on April 4-5.
Wright received the news on Easter morning from head coach Kim Barnes-Arico after practice and was the first player to receive the invitation during the Barnes-Arico era.
"We were wrapping up practice and then coach made the announcement and all I could do was smile," Wright said. "I had no words."
Wright was supposed to leave practice early that day so she could meet with family at church. After finding out about the invitation, she couldn't wait to go to Easter Sunday service and tell them the good news.
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Mugsy
posted 5/29/08 @ 11:15 PM NA
Thats very exciting news!!! I wonder if she will be going to the outdoor classic game that they will be playing... Thats pretty exciting too.. They are making history with that one. (Continued…)
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