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Where is Alissa Pili projected to be taken in the WNBA draft?

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Where is Alissa Pili projected to be taken in the WNBA draft?


After a successful two-year stint at the University of Utah that included being named the 2023 Pac-12 Player of the Year, Alissa Pili is poised to be selected in the 2024 WNBA draft on Monday.

The Utes’ star forward is expected to be a first-round selection in a draft class that includes big names such as Caitlin Clark, Cameron Brink, Kamilla Cardoso and Angel Reese.

Taking a look at the most recent WNBA mock drafts, one team to keep a particular eye on in regards to Pili is the Connecticut Sun. In a survey of seven recent mock drafts, Pili is projected to be taken by the Sun in four mock drafts.

Three of those are with the No. 10 overall pick, while another has Pili slipping to Connecticut with the No. 19 selection in the second round.

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Pili also received a couple projections to the Dallas Wings with the No. 9 overall selection. The Wings also have the No. 5 pick.

Here’s where Pili is projected to be picked in seven mock drafts.

ESPN: No. 9, Dallas Wings

Michael Voepel wrote: “Dallas appears to have a solid core, so could Pili add a little more scoring punch? She averaged 21.4 PPG this season and shot 40.4% from 3-point range. There are questions about her defense, but she’s far from the only rookie who will face that.”

Sporting News: No. 10, Connecticut Sun

Gilbert McGregor wrote: “Pili is one of the most unique talents in this year’s draft. With her, she brings floor-spacing ability in addition to an array of moves around the basket.

“Connecticut’s main rotation is set but in the margins, it could use the scoring punch Pili would provide. Defensively, the Sun are strong and principled enough to compensate for Pili’s potential shortcomings.”

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NBA Draft Room: No. 9, Dallas Wings

From NBA Draft Room: “Can score in the post or from 3pt land. Has size, strength and skill.”

Bleacher Report: No. 11, New York Liberty

CBS Sports: No. 10, Connecticut Sun

Jack Maloney wrote: “The Sun were ninth in the league in 3-point attempts per game last season, and it lost three of the five players who attempted at least two per game during the winter. Connecticut desperately needs some shooting help, and one player who could fill that role is Pili. There are real questions about how she’ll fare in the pros as an undersized forward, but there’s no debate about her shot. She made 40.4% of her attempts from downtown, including 46.7% on open catch-and-shoot looks.”

The Athletic: No. 10, Connecticut Sun

Sabreena Merchant wrote: “Connecticut doesn’t have obvious needs and none that can be addressed at this point in the draft. The Sun can afford to be more forward-thinking and take the most talented player left, someone who figures out how to score from every area on the court. This is a great landing spot for Pili, who will have to learn how to defend, or simply give more effort on that end, to get on the court in Connecticut.”

Yahoo Sports: No. 19, Connecticut Sun

Jackie Powell wrote: “Some have compared Pili to Sun MVP candidate Alyssa Thomas. Pili has proven that she can score at an efficient level during her two seasons at Utah. Will it translate? Offensively it should be because of Pili’s strength and ability to score against much larger players. She scored 37 points on 15-of-23 shooting against Kamilla Cardoso in December. Where the Thomas comparison isn’t sound is when it comes to Pili’s abilities on defense. She’s not a rim protector, doesn’t use her hands to get steals and has trouble staying in front of quicker guards and wings.

“Pili’s success at the next level could depend on how she’s used. Could she come off the bench in spurts against second units and perform well? That’s a consideration around front offices.”

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When is the 2024 WNBA draft?

The 2024 WNBA draft will be held on Monday, April 15 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York.

The draft will be televised on ESPN starting at 5:30 p.m. MDT.

Pili is one of 15 players who will attend the draft in person.

2024 WNBA draft first-round order

1. Indiana Fever.

2. Los Angeles Sparks.

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3. Chicago Sky (from Phoenix).

4. Los Angeles Sparks (from Seattle).

5. Dallas Wings (from Chicago).

6. Washington Mystics.

7. Minnesota Lynx.

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8. Chicago Sky (from Atlanta, via Los Angeles).

9. Dallas Wings.

10. Connecticut Sun.

11. New York Liberty.

12. Atlanta Dream (from Las Vegas, via Los Angeles).

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9-year-old killed after ATV rollover in Utah County – KSLNewsRadio

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9-year-old killed after ATV rollover in Utah County – KSLNewsRadio


SALT LAKE CITY — A 9-year-old boy was killed after the ATV he was riding with his stepfather on Sunday rolled on West Mountain in Utah County.

According to Sgt Ray Ormond with the Utah County Sheriff’s Office, the boy was wearing protective equipment but still suffered fatal injuries.

The boy was flown to Primary Children’s hospital, where he died from his injuries.


This is a breaking news story and may be updated.

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Read more: Follow the law, Emery County Sheriff reminds off-highway vehicle riders (and their parents)

We want to hear from you.

Have a story idea or tip? Send it to the KSL NewsRadio team here.




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Rockslide caught on camera during Southern Utah wedding

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Rockslide caught on camera during Southern Utah wedding


A Hurricane man captured an apparent rockslide on camera during a wedding ceremony in Ivins.

According to Shane Schieve, who took the video, it happened just after 6 p.m. Saturday up the road from the Southern Utah Veterans Home in Ivins while the couple was exchanging vows.

“It just sounded like thunder, and we looked up thinking maybe a low-flying jet, then saw the dust and rocks falling down the mountain,” Schieve said. “I hope this isn’t a sign of a rocky marriage! Or maybe their love can move mountains!”

Santa Clara-Ivins Public Safety said it did not receive any reports of a rockslide but did notice a large plume of dust on Red Mountain.

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3 Utah students chosen for honor ensembles in national music festival

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3 Utah students chosen for honor ensembles in national music festival


SPANISH FORK — Three very talented Utah high school musicians get to show their talents at a national music festival.

Palmer Brandt, 16, from Maple Mountain High School, said music speaks for him.

“Music is a way for me to communicate what I feel without having to put it into words and I think it’s an easier way for me to do that than actually talking,” he said.

Brandt and two other high school students from Utah — Jack Hales, 18, of Herriman, and Tanner Brinkerhoff, 16, of American Fork — were chosen to be part of the Music For All National Festival, which hosts the top student ensembles from across the country. The students traveled to Indianapolis, Indiana, on Tuesday before enduring three long days of rehearsals to be ready for a performance on Saturday.

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Brandt and Hales will be performing in the Honor Band of America, which is described by the festival as the “nation’s finest student concert honor bands.” Brandt was chosen as the only baritone saxophone player in the band, and Hales is one of the trumpet players.

“It’s a little bit scary, but also pretty cool. It’ll be really exciting to play with a lot of other really good musicians and be able to get straight to like tackling the expressive part of the music rather than just focusing on notes and rhythms,” Brandt said.

Hales said it was both surreal and exciting when he found out he had been accepted into the band. He had applied after learning about the band from someone he knew who had done it the previous year.

“I was a little nervous before going because I had a little bit of imposter syndrome, but once I got here, it felt real and exciting,” Hales said Thursday after a day of rehearsing. “Preparing was difficult because the music was very foreign to me. All the songs were so difficult, which I am not used to.”

The students in the bands were given the sheet music for the performance last month, but they knew they would only have three days to practice with the band in person once they got to the festival.

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“It’s some of the hardest music I’ve ever played, it’s stupid hard actually. I’ve been looking at it a ton and trying to learn all these new things. Being able to go and play with the best kids in the country is going to be such a great experience,” Brinkheroff told KSL before arriving in Indiana.

Brinkerhoff was chosen to be part of the Jazz Band of America, dubbed “one of the top honor ensembles for young musicians in the nation.”

Brinkerhoff is the alto saxophone player for the band, but is also bringing a soprano saxophone, a clarinet and his flute to Indiana as some of the songs he has to play other instruments.

He got the email saying he had been accepted to the Jazz Band of America on Christmas Eve.

“I was super happy and started calling all my friends … it was like a little Christmas present,” he said.

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Brinkerhoff said he was excited to go, but also “scared out of my mind” to perform with some of the best musicians in the country. But he also said it’s an honor to participate in such an advanced performance.

“Especially with the jazz band, Utah isn’t really a music state … it’s mostly like on the East Coast. So representing Utah, I get to tell everyone that Utah does have players and you can actually do stuff in Utah,” he said.

Hales agreed, saying it feels awesome to represent Utah’s music programs.

“Not only to show others how good I am as a player, but how good Utah is at making competent, professional-level musicians,” Hales said.

Despite knowing a week full of hourslong rehearsals and a challenging performance awaited them, the students were so happy to show off their skills and do what they love.

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“Performing has always been a musical thing that I really like. I’m not a dancer or a singer or anything, so I feel like playing my instruments actually substitutes dancing or singing, it’s like another way to express (myself),” Brinkerhoff said.

Hales said he loves music because there is so much nuance that can make it hard to understand, but once you do, “it becomes one of the most powerful things you have.”

“Music has history, emotion, movement, creativity and sound, which make it just as, if not more, powerful than speaking,” Hales said.

The students’ parents couldn’t be prouder of their children. Matthew Brinkerhoff said it has been a “whirlwind,” but he just thinks it’s amazing his son gets to participate in the festival.

Kara Brandt said she is so happy her son has found his own way to communicate, adding that he has even composed some of his own music, letting people “see the world through his eyes.”

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“It’s just so cool to see his genius just flow through him and to see how his hard work pays off in that excellence. He really is so dedicated. People will say, ‘He’s so talented,’ and I agree that he has a lot of talent, and it’s because he works hard. That’s why he is here and is in Honor Band of America,” she said.

The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.



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