Sparks consider Parker and more

Candace Parker is a two-time All-American who has led Tennessee to the women’s Final Four this weekend in pursuit of back-to-back NCAA championships. Sylvia Fowles, also an All-American and the Southeastern Conference player of the year, has brought LSU to its fifth straight Final Four in search of its first title.

The two are expected to be the top selections in the WNBA draft on Wednesday, with Parker the presumptive favorite to be taken No. 1 by Los Angeles.

“Candace is definitely an impact player,” Sparks coach Michael Cooper said. “Already she has changed the interest in the WNBA because here in L.A. we’re hearing a lot of people talk about how they would come see her no matter what team she’s on.”

However, Cooper isn’t publicly committing to selecting Parker.

“We’re evaluating at least the top five players, and Fowles and Parker are definitely up there,” he said. “We’re not going to take the best player, we’re going to take the best player for our organization.”

Parker, a 6-foot-4 forward with dunking prowess, has averaged 19.5 points and 8.8 rebounds in three seasons for the Lady Vols, while the 6-6 Fowles has averaged 15.3 points, 10.8 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in four years at LSU.

Chicago has the second pick and coach Steven Key said the Sky will take the player Los Angeles doesn’t.

“[Cooper] is sitting in the catbird’s seat and I have to wait to see what he does,” Key said. “Both players would be No. 1 if they came out separately in individual drafts. Either way, we’re going to end up with a very, very fine quality player.”

Perennial All-Star and three-time Olympic gold medalist Lisa Leslie sat out last season after giving birth to a daughter in June, and Los Angeles was a franchise-worst 10-24 in her absence. The Sparks then won the lottery for the top pick.

Leslie, who will turn 36 in July, has played some with the U.S. national team in recent months and will be back with the Sparks this year.

“With Lisa Leslie at this stage where she probably has a year or two left, we have to pick a player that’s going to be able to fill her shoes and someone we can build our team around and still be successful in the years to come,” Cooper said.

After Parker and Fowles, there are still many top players available in what is considered one of the deepest drafts in the history of the league entering its 12th season.

Other players expected to be taken in the first round include Stanford’s Candice Wiggins, Maryland’s Crystal Langhorne and Laura Harper, Tennessee’s Alexis Hornbuckle, Georgia’s Tasha Humphrey, North Carolina’s Erlana Larkins, and Matee Ajavon and Essence Carson of Rutgers.