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ESPN2 To Televise WNBA Draft April 19 SECAUCUS NJ (April 10, 2002) Matt Devlin will
host ESPN2's coverage of the first round of the 2002 WNBA The telecast will feature live interviews with key coaches and players including: Geno Auriemma (head coach of NCAA champion University of Connecticut); Pat Summitt (University of Tennessee head coach and consultant to the Washington Mystics); UConn draft candidates Sue Bird, Swin Cash, Tamika Williams and Asjha Jones; and more. Devlin, an ESPN NCAA basketball play-by-play commentator, does TV play-by-play for the Memphis Grizzlies. Hall of Famer Meyers, in addition to working on NCAA women's basketball for ESPN, has been part of NBC's WNBA coverage since the league's 1997 debut. Burke, who has covered New York Liberty games for MSG Network, and Jones are both ESPN analysts on the WNBA and NCAA women's basketball. MEYERS ON THE DRAFT Probable first-round selections who will be in
attendance include: WNBA.com will give fans a chance to be a part of the Draft with exclusive 2002 Draft Day coverage featuring a live cybercast through all four rounds. The cybercast will feature commentary from 2001 WNBA Rookie of the Year Jackie Stiles of the Portland Fire and live chats with top draftees, including the number one overall pick. WNBA DRAFT- FIRST ROUND The 2002 WNBA season will tip off on May 25
during Memorial Day weekend. The 2001 season concluded with the crowning of a
new champion - the Los Angeles Sparks - and the recording of the 10 millionth
fan to attend a game since the league's inception. More than 2.5 million fans attended WNBA games
last season, the most ever, and for the fifth straight season, WNBA regular
season attendance averaged over 9,000 fans. Traffic to WNBA.com increased by 46%
during the 2001 regular season, and the site attracted over 1,000,000 fans - a
record - during the postseason. Last season, the league's combined local,
national and international television coverage reached nearly 60 million fans in
23 different languages and 167 countries. For more information, visit
www.wnba.com. ESPN's 12 games will generally be aired on Friday nights while ESPN2's 10 contests will be on Sunday afternoons and Thursday nights. ESPN's schedule is highlighted by the WNBA All-Star Game from Washington, D.C. Monday, July 15. In addition, the networks will televise playoff games and ESPN2 will continue to televise WNBA Action, a weekly WNBA magazine/highlights show. Media Contacts: Laura Traynham, WNBA Communications - 212-407-8095 or ltraynham@nba.com; Dave Nagle, ESPN - 860-766-2241 or dave.nagle@espn.com [Source: ESPN.com]
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