Today you will witness dreams come true for more than 30 female ballers in Bristol, Conn., at the 2011 WNBA draft. But what you won't see is all the planning and decisions that go into just one pick. espnW has you covered and will be live from the Dream's war room in Atlanta to give you a behind-the-scenes look at draft day.
Atlanta, in only its fourth season, is a relatively new franchise, and draft day is when it starts its legacy. The Dream lost in the WNBA Finals last year and look to field a team that will capture this season's league title.
1:45 p.m.: Dream owner Kathy Betty arrives like a storm in a crimson power suit introducing herself to account executives and saying hello to everyone. Her delightful Southern accent lights up the office.
2 p.m.: Staffers are fitted with Atlanta Dream T-shirts. This comes as a surprise to most, especially those who dressed up today. Two women in public relations are working tirelessly to update fans on Twitter and Facebook.
2:10 p.m.: Season-ticket holders start to arrive for the draft day party.
2:14 p.m.: We get our first look at the draft board. Names and teams are printed on white pieces of paper and taped to the wall next to the conference table. The first two anticipated picks are beside their teams before the draft starts. The rest are blank. Available players are categorized on the board by point guard, shooter, driver, little guard, post 4/5.
2:30 p.m.: Coach Marynell Meadors (pictured above) talks about the Dream's position, choosing eighth in the first round: "It's tougher being in the middle of the draft board because you don't know who is going to fall to you. You have to have options and look at your board and make sure to get players that can contribute. Because we can only have a roster of 11 women, it's important to have players that can play multiple positions for you. That's the difficult part."
2:44 p.m.: WNBA officials start the conference-call roll call. Rules are announced. It's three minutes between picks; the number to call in first-round picks is given out. Also, the time on the ESPN official broadcast is set as the official time to make picks. Teams are warned that picks are at their own risk. Eligibility issues are up to teams to figure out, so they should pick carefully.
2:53 p.m.: Meadors' cellphone rings. The room jumps. "Uh-oh, it's the hotline," a staffer says. A PR official says the coach jokes, "I'm not here. I'm busy."
2:53 p.m.: Meadors meets with season-ticket holders. Fans ask, "Are you picking Maya?" Meadors says, "I'd trade all of you and some more for Maya."
3 p.m.: The draft starts. The volume gets turned up on the television. Bob Rathbun, the play-by-play announcer for the Atlanta Dream, arrives in the war room.
3:12 p.m.: Maya Moore is selected No. 1. There are no real gripes in the room.
3:20 p.m.: A staffer comments after Liz Cambage is selected No. 2, "If 6-9 can't catch 5-9, I'll take 5-9." Talk of Cambage's age, international status and trendy haircut floats around the room.
3:24 p.m.: Awe strikes the room when Courtney Vandersloot is picked at No. 3. Meadors high-fives Toby Wyman, president and COO.
3:35 p.m.: Fred Williams, executive director of player development, moves names on the board and tosses a player's name in the trash once she is selected.
3:38 p.m.: Kayla Pedersen, who was high on Atlanta's list, is selected by Tulsa. Plans will need to change.
3:39 p.m.: The Dream select Ta'Shia Phillips, a 6-6 center from Xavier. All seem happy to have her, since they did not think she would fall this far. "She's an excellent player. She's going to make a great pro," Meadors says.
3:42 p.m.: Meadors makes a call to a team asking to switch second-round picks for a possible 2012 pick. She's shot down.
3:47 p.m.: Ginger Sanford, executive assistant to the owner, jokes with Rathbun about a Dominique Wilkins arena brawl from more than a week ago.
3:49 p.m.: The Dream field a call from a Western Conference team for a possible swoop-and-swap trade in the second round that would include their 2012 second-round pick.
4:06 p.m.: The Dream decide to take a shooter with the third pick.
4:09 p.m.: The Chicago Sky are on a 30-second warning to make their pick. The Sky get dropped from the call and miss their pick. They might be having some technical difficulties since their coach is conferencing via Skype from Russia. They will get to call back later with their pick.
4:20 p.m.: The Dream select Rachel Jarry and are already receiving calls about this pick. They're questioning whether to inform season-ticket holders of the pick.
4:27 p.m.: A Dream PR staffer runs downstairs to receive call from their first pick, Ta'Shia Phillips. Season-ticket holders will interview her via video chat.
4:30 p.m.: Ta'Shia Phillips is on live chat with season-ticket holders who ask her what is she going to bring to the table. She replies with same response she had during ESPN's broadcast: "Presence, rebounding and working hard." One fan asks Phillips if she has any ties to Atlanta. Phillips says "No, but I have family in Tennessee."
4:38 p.m.: Season-ticket holders hear that Rachel Jarry is picked by the Dream on the ESPN broadcast, and silence falls over the crowd of 40. No one is really familiar with the Aussie.
4:41 p.m.: Brittany Spears is selected at No.19 in the second round on the ESPN broadcast, but the broadcast is behind real-time. The draft room conference call is already up to the 27th pick in the third round.
4:46 p.m.: Laptop and smart phones are being whipped out to search for the collegiate records and accolades of players not so well known to help determine which player the Dream will pick next.
4:52 p.m.: Coach is having technical difficulties with the phone. Accidentally hung up on draft conference call while making her pick. Dial tone of death overwhelms the war room.
4:53 p.m.: The Dream have to call the cell phone of a WNBA official to select Kelsey Bolte from Iowa State.
4:54 p.m.: "Draft day is in the can," one staffer says.
4:55 p.m.: Guard/forward Iziane Castro Marques makes a surprise appearance in the war room. She is dressed in a loose-fitting T-shirt and jeans, completed with black boot on her right foot from an Achilles injury. "I'm looking forward to having another big post player," she says. "The Dream were first in rebounding last year, and we can stay that way with additions. On ESPN, they said we are the team to beat since we have everyone coming back, and that's great."
5:06 p.m.: Owner Kathy Betty attempts to spin a basketball on a her finger and drops it down the stairs. Everyone is alarmed, thinking someone fell. Staffers warn Betty to work on her ball handling skills.
5:10 p.m.: Fred Williams, executive director of player development, starts to rip down names off the wall. He sings, "Turn out the lights, the party's over."
