Diamonds in the rough: The New York Liberty draft Marquesha Davis, four more rookies
The Liberty came into draft night with specific needs and came out with a fivesome who may answer them
The most hyped WNBA Draft in league history went down last night, with Caitlin Clark going first overall to Indiana, Cameron Brink and Rickea Jackson Hollywood-bound and Angel Reese bringing first class to the Second City. A New York Liberty fan might grave grown a bit jealous, like a kid at Christmas watching everyone else get to open all the presents under the tree, until they remembered the gift of last season, the greatest in franchise history, is why the Sea Foam had to wait for the 11th pick. With that pick New York selected Marquesha Davis, the first of a few moves on the night all pointing in the same direction. April 15, 2024 was all about 2023.
Every mock draft and their mother had the Liberty picking Charisma Osborne out of UCLA, but those same mocks had Davis gone by #11 — for good reason. She offers immediate quality and tantalizing upside. The 6-foot guard, who spent two years at Ole Miss after three at Arkansas, brings speed and athleticism to a team whose cup runneth over in many areas, but not those two. After starting one game in three years at U of A, Davis started 59 her two years in Oxford. Last year she was named All-SEC, averaging 14 points and nearly five rebounds a game.
The Liberty will be hoping with a year of experience under their belts, last year’s on-the-fly superteam can overcome the Vegas Voltron and win their first WNBA title. A lot of that work is gonna come down to the familiar faces from 2023: Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, Sabrina Ionescu, Betnijah Laney and Courtney Vandersloot. But in last year’s Finals, the Aces taught the Lib all too well that being the best means having answers beyond the big names.
Remember: the Liberty had the lead in the second half of Game 4 of the Finals, looking to force a winner-take-all finale back in Vegas. The Aces were without two starters in Chelsea Gray and Kiah Stokes, as well as the long-lost-to-injury Candace Parker. Alysha Clark jumped from the bench to the starting lineup and played incredible defense that night; she, Sydney Colson and Cayla George helped spark the shorthanded champs to another title. The Liberty went into the offseason knowing they needed to add depth and perimeter defense. Mission accomplished?
With their second-round pick the Lib took Esmery Martinez, a 6-foot-2 forward with surreal wingspan whose two steals a game earned her an honorable mention for the All-Pac-12 Defensive Team. “Esmery is an accomplished collegiate player with a defensive-first mentality,” Liberty GM Jonathan Kolb said in a press release. “Her strength, versatility, and anticipation are all pro-level, and we very much look forward to watching her compete in training camp.”
Chica’s also Domincana, and best know The Strickland always has time, shine and love for all the Caribbeanitas out there. Like Davis, Martinez spent three years at another school (West Virginia) before completing her last two in the desert. There’s currently more talent than teams who can house it in the W, so Martinez will have to fight to make the team.
After she went 17th, the Liberty added a second Mississippian six spots later in center Jessika Carter, out of Mississippi State. The Liberty enjoy an embarrassment of riches with their starting bigs of Stewie and Jones, but with Stefanie Dolson lost in free agency and Han Xu likely to spend the year preparing with China for the Olympics, there’s a need for size on the bench. A four-year starter, Carter put up 15, 10 and nearly two blocks a game last year.
The Liberty used their last pick of the night on Kaitlyn Davis, a 6-foot undersized forward. Davis played three years locally, at Columbia, before finishing her last year at USC. Predominately an inside scorer, the Norwalk, Connecticut native is likely to spend a year overseas before giving the W a shot. For a win-now team with no real spot for her, this is really a draft-and-stash maneuver.
New York had one move left and it fit the evening’s theme, signing undrafted Colorado Jaylyn Sherrod. The 5-foot-7 point guard led the Buffaloes in scoring, assists and steals, and was named Pac-12 All-Defense three times. The Liberty didn’t add a potential GOAT in Clark, nor a household name in Reese. But if 2024 ends with confetti raining down on them, it could be because last night they found their Clark, Colson or George.
