by Dave Wohlhueter

Now in the second week of the second half of the WNBA season, it is an excellent time to analyze how the top draft picks have been faring so far in their respective young careers.

Seattle (8-12) was the early favorite in the preseason draft, and the Storm still seems to be the front runner. Seattle had the first pick and chose 6-5 forward Lauren Jackson (right) from the Australian Olympic team.

At 19 years old, the Aussie is still young, but is also living up to her advanced billing. Jackson has started 19 games and is eighth in the league in scoring with a 15.1 average, while her 6.5 rebounds per game ranks 13th. She is third in blocked shots (2.05 bpg.) and ninth in minutes played (33.7).

Jackson was named to the West squad for the all-star game. She had back-to-back double-doubles with 24 points and 12 rebounds vs. Washington and followed up with 18 points and 12 rebounds against Indiana.

Possibly the surprise of the draft has been the play of second-round pick Semeka Randall (right), a guard out of Tennessee. Randall, who had a career-high 28 vs. Orlando, has started every game with 10.1 ppg., 3.6 rpg. and 1.6 assists per outing.

The neighboring Portland Fire (9-9) did well with its first-round choice of guard Jackie Stiles from Southwest Missouri State. The NCAA's top career scorer has continued her sharp-shooting prowess, averaging 16.2 ppg., making 45 percent of her 3-pt. attempts, both categories ranking sixth best in the WNBA. Stiles was the only other rookie selected to play in the all-star game.

The diminutive backcourt ace has also made her mark in the marketing game. When the Springfield, Mo., K-Mart store put in an order to the WNBA for 10,000 Jackie Stiles T-shirts, and then had to reorder to accommodate the demand, it was the biggest player product order ever for the league.

Orlando (6-12) had a good draft. Former Florida forward Brooke Wyckoff, taken in the second round, has started 13 games for the Miracle, averaging 3.8 ppg. and 4.1 rpg. First-round pick Katie Douglas, who was reunited with her former Purdue coach Carolyn Peck, has come off the bench in 15 games to average 5.8 ppg., and is 16th in the WNBA in steals (1.60 spg.).

Another player doing well is former Rutgers center Tammy Sutton-Brown. Although she was not picked until the second round by Charlotte (8-11), she has started in half the games, averaging 7.4 ppg. and 4.0 rpg. She is seventh in the WNBA in blocked shots (1.63 bpg.).

Another second-round pick playing well is Niele Ivey, a guard out of NCAA national champion Notre Dame. Ivey has started 13 games for Indiana (6-13), averaging 3.9 ppg. and 1.9 apg.

Ivey's illustrious former teammate Ruth Riley, a 6-5 center and the college player of the year, has started nine games for the Miami Sol (10-9). The fifth pick in the draft, she is averaging 6.4 ppg. and 3.9 rpg. Riley is 11th in the league in blocked shots (1.37 bpg.).

Defending champion Houston (14-4) has moved forward Amanda Lassiter of Missouri into a starting berth in 12 games, and she is averaging 5.3 ppg. and 3.7 rpg. The Comets added backcourt depth in second-round choice Tynesha Lewis from North Carolina State. Lewis has played in 16 games, scoring at a 3.3 ppg. rate.

Minnesota (6-12) is young, and has three rookies seeing considerable playing time. Forward Svetlana Abrosimova out of UConn has recovered nicely from her foot injury. She has played in the last 12 games, nine as a starter, and is averaging 9.4 ppg. and 5.3 rebounds.

Guard Erin Buescher, taken in the second round from The Masters College, has started 13 times, with 6.7 ppg., 3.8 rpg. and 2.2 apg. stats. She is 14th in the league in blocked shots (1.06). Second-round draftee Georgia Schweitzer was selected by Miami out of Duke and then traded to the Lynx. She has made two starts and is averaging 4.7 ppg.

First-round choice Kristin Veal is new to the league, but is a seasoned veteran from Australia now playing in Phoenix (7-12). Veal has begun 11 games and is fifth in the league in assists with 4.8 apg., while averaging 4.0 ppg.

Another Aussie, Penny Taylor, taken in the first round by Cleveland (15-5), has played in all 20 games, putting up 6.7 ppg. and 3.7 rpg. stats. Countrylady Jae King, the 22nd woman chosen, has seen action in 15 games (three starts), with a 4.6 ppg. average, and is ranked 20th in the WNBA in 3-pt. field goal percentage (.385) for Detroit (5-13). The Shock's first-round choice, Deanna Nolan, has a 9.0 ppg. mark, while participating in 14 games.

Utah (8-10) went for LSU guard Marie Ferdinand (right) in the first round, and she has started eight games and averaged in double figures (11.2 ppg.). Ferdinand is seventh in the WNBA in field goal percentage (.494).

Three extremely successful teams in the WNBA were not as fortunate in the 2001 draft. Los Angeles (17-3) traded first-round selection Camille Cooper, a center from Purdue, to New York, and second-round pick, Xavier guard Nicole Levandusky, has played in 11 games, but is only averaging 1.3 ppg.

Cooper has yet to play for the Liberty, and the only choices that New York (15-5) had in the 2001 draft came in the fourth round, and both are no longer on the roster. Sacramento (12-8), finally utilizing talent it already had, had a second and third-round choice, and both are no longer with the team.

What happened to the Miller twins? Well, the two guards from Georgia are almost identical in their performances. Kelly Miller, the second pick in the draft, has played in 17 games for Charlotte (8-11), with no starts, averaging 2.4 ppg. and 0.6 apg. Coco Miller, taken ninth in the draft by Washington, has seen action in 12 games (no starts), and has 2.1 ppg. and 0.4 apg. stats.

Former Tennessee forward Tamika Catchings, who tore an ACL in her final collegiate season, was the third person selected, but has continued to be injured and will not play for Indiana this summer.

Former UConn star Shea Ralph is still struggling to be healthy, suffering another injury while rehabbing from her ACL tear. She is not currently listed on a WNBA roster.

The Fever is getting quality playing time from former UConn forward Kelly Schumacher, who was the 14th player selected. The 6-5 Schumacher has started in five of her 19 games, averaging 4.9 ppg. and 3.2 rpg., and is 12th in the league in blocked shots (1.21 bpg.).

While much scouting and tape viewing goes into draft choice evaluation, there are no certainties. Time and performance prove to be the best yardsticks.