NEW YORK _ Katie Lou Samuelson is headed to Chicago while Napheesa Collier is bound for Minnesota.
The two UConn seniors were selected in the first round of the WNBA draft on Wednesday night at Nike's New York headquarters, becoming the latest former Huskies to enter professional basketball.
Samuelson, who averaged 18.9 points and 6.7 rebounds this past season, was taken No. 4 overall by the Sky. Collier, who put up 20.2 points and 10.2 rebounds a game, came off the board at No. 6 to the Lynx.
Samuelson averaged at least 18 points per game in each of her final three seasons at UConn and finished her career second on the Huskies' all-time 3-point list, with 299 (behind only Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis). In Chicago, she will play alongside former UConn teammate Gabby Williams, as well as fellow ex-Huskies standout Stefanie Dolson.
After arriving at UConn in 2015, Collier developed into a dependable all-around player, posting 47 career double-doubles over her four years in Storrs and earning first-team All-America after her sophomore and senior seasons.
Notre Dame guard Jackie Young was selected No. 1 overall by the Las Vegas Aces on Wednesday, followed by Louisville's Asia Durr (New York Liberty), Mississippi State's Teaira McCowan (Indiana Fever), Samuelson and Notre Dame's Arike Ogunbowale (Dallas Wings).
Collier and Samuelson became the 22nd and 23rd UConn players to be selected in the first round of the WNBA draft since the event began in 1997. The Huskies have now produced at least one first-round pick in 10 of the past 12 drafts.
The WNBA season begins on May 10, when the Washington Mystics face the Minnesota Lynx.
