Smith Selected 22nd Overall In The 2010 WNBA Draft

Texas A&M’s Tanisha Smith was selected 22nd overall in the 2010 WNBA Draft presented by adidas Thursday afternoon at the NBA Entertainment studios in Secaucus, N.J.Smith, a six-foot combination

guard/forward from Kansas City, Mo., was drafted in the second round by the Seattle Storm. She is the second highest and sixth all-time draft pick in school

history next to former greats Morenike Atunrase (24th), Jaynetta Saunders (27th), Toccara Williams (34th), A’Quonesia Franklin (38th) and Danielle Gant (16th). It marked the third consecutive year in which an A&M player was drafted into the WNBA. Smith was also the sixth-highest of 10 players drafted out of the Big 12 Conference including Iowa State’s Alison Lacey who was the 10th overall pick by the Storm.“I am excited to join the Seattle franchise,” Smith said. “This is a great opportunity. I feel I can add versatility to their team. I feel blessed to be in this position even after just playing two years at Texas A&M. I appreciate Coach Blair and the coaching staff for preparing me for the next level. I also want to thank my family, my teammates and my high school and junior college coaches for pushing and encouraging me throughout my basketball career. I look forward to using everything I learned from them on the pro level, in the Seattle system.”This past season, Smith led the Aggies to their third-ever Big 12 Championship title, fifth-straight NCAA Tournament appearance and third consecutive No. 2 NCAA Tournament seed. She was tabbed an All-Big 12 First Team selection averaging 15.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.2 steals per game. Smith was also selected to the Big 12 All-Tournament Team and as the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year in 2009 during her junior campaign. Smith garnered Big 12 Player of the Week honors on Dec. 7 after leading the Aggies to a 3-0 week and being named the Colliers International Classic tournament MVP at host Cal. Smith registered five career double-doubles and six 20-point games of the season including a career-high 30 versus Stephen F. Austin on Dec. 2, which marked the most points ever scored by an Aggie in the Gary Blair Era. She was a regional finalist for the State Farm All-America Team and an Associated Press All-America Honorable Mention.“I am so excited for Tanisha,” Texas A&M head coach Gary Blair said. “This kid has been through a lot. She started at Arkansas, transferred to Arkansas-Fort Smith and then came to A&M. She has gotten better and better each year. I’m happy for her, because she is going to a franchise that is one of the better-coached teams in the league. She will play with one of the premier point guards in Sue Bird and arguably the best player in the world in Lauren Jackson. She is going from playing on a top 10 college basketball team to playing with one of the top two or three teams in the WNBA.“Tanisha is the most unselfish wing player I’ve ever coached. She enjoys the pass as well as the shot and that’s very unusual for a scorer. She is going to be a part of the WNBA season and walk across the stage at graduation in May all in the same year. Hopefully, this trend will keep going with five of our players drafted in three years including Takia Starks who is playing in the WNBL in Australia. It says a lot about our program and how we develop players who go on to produce at the next level.”The Seattle franchise, under the direction of third-year head coach Brian Agler, also selected Hungarian post Tijana Krivacevic with the No. 34 overall pick in the third round. The Storm roster also includes former Connecticut All-Americans Sue Bird and Swin Cash and two-time WNBA Most Valuable Player Lauren Jackson of Australia.“We wanted to get some depth on our perimeter,” said Agler of Smith in an interview with ESPN’s Holly Rowe on the draft broadcast. “We were very surprised that she was still available at No. 22. We like her athleticism and she has a great chance to make our team.”Agler, who has Kansas City ties, was previously the head women’s basketball coach at UMKC from 1989-93 and Big 12 rival Kansas State from 1993-96.