JONQUEL JONES
UNCASVILLE, Conn. — George Washington senior Jonquel Jones was selected sixth overall by the Los Angeles Sparks in the first round of the 2016 WNBA Draft on Thursday evening at Mohegan Sun Arena. Jones was later traded to the Connecticut Sun.
GW’s first-ever first round pick, Jones is the sixth player in program history chosen in the WNBA Draft and first since Jessica Adair was taken 34th overall by the Phoenix Mercury in 2009. Prior to Jones, Ugo Oha was the highest Colonial ever taken at No. 26 by Connecticut in 2004.
Other former Colonials selected in the WNBA Draft include Tajama Abraham Ngongba, who was chosen 31st overall by the Sacramento Monarchs in the inaugural WNBA Draft in 1997; Cathy Jones, who was picked 30th by the New York Liberty in 2004; and Kimberly Beck, who went 36th overall to the Seattle Storm in 2008.
A two-time honorable mention All-American, Jones finished her collegiate career ranking third all-time at GW in rebounds (961), fourth in scoring (15.4 ppg) and fifth in blocked shots (177). Including her time at Clemson as a freshman, Jones topped both the 1,000-point and 1,000-rebound marks, tallying 1,249 and 1,041, respectively. She also owns GW’s single-game and single-season rebounding records.
The 6-6 forward from Freeport, Bahamas, led the nation in rebounding (14.6 rpg) this season and ranked fourth in the Atlantic 10 in scoring (16.2 ppg) and second in blocks (3.3 bpg). The only player in the conference to average a double-double for the third year in a row, she registered 18 double-doubles in 23 games played and finished her career with 54 in 84 total games.
Jones is the eighth Atlantic 10 player ever chosen in the first round of the WNBA Draft and the highest since Xavier’s Amber Harris went fourth to the Minnesota Lynx in 2010. Jones joins Dayton’s Ally Malott, who was taken eighth overall by the Washington Mystics last season, to give the A-10 a first round pick two years in a row.
The Sun, who went 15-19 last year, tip off the 2016 season against the Chicago Sky on Saturday, May 14 at Chicago’s Allstate Arena. The Sun will visit D.C. to face the Washington Mystics at the Verizon Center on Sunday, Sept. 18.
Jones joins UConn’s Morgan Tuck and Minnesota’s Rachel Banham, who were selected third and fourth by the Sun.