University of Nevada women’s basketball senior Tahnee Robinson has become the school’s first-ever player drafted by the Women’s National Basketball Association Monday. Robinson was selected as the 31st overall pick in the draft by the Phoenix Mercury on Monday. She was then traded to the Connecticut Sun. The Sun also selected Sydney Colson of Texas A&M in the second round and Adrienne Johnson of Louisiana Tech in the third round.
Transferring from Sheridan College in 2009, Robinson is considered one of the best women’s players ever at Nevada. After being named the Western Athletic Conference’s Newcomer of the Year and first-team All-WAC last year, she had a breakout season as the Wolf Pack’s co-captain in 2010-11. She spent the entire season in the top-15 in the nation for scoring, ending the year as the ninth-best with 22.1 points per game. She picked up her second All-WAC first-team nod and was named to the WAC All-Tournament Team. In addition, she was named one of five finalists for the Sullivan Award, given annually to the nation’s top amateur athlete. Robinson was also named a WBCA All-Region honoree and WAC Verizon Wireless Player of the Week three times over the season.
Robinson becomes the first full-blooded Native American player drafted in the league. She is descended from several tribes with her mother Pawnee and Eastern Shoshone and her father Northern Cheyenne and Sioux. Her family still lives on the Wind River Reservation in Fort Washakie, Wyo., the same reservation where she grew up.
The Sun were 17-17 last season finishing fifth in the Eastern Conference. Connecticut boasts the 2010 WNBA Rookie of the Year Tina Charles and also returns last year’s seventh overall pick Danielle McCray who had to sit out last season due to an ACL injury.
