NEW YORK — Monday night was a big night for a pair of UConn women's basketball stars, and all of UConn Nation, as Lou Lopez Sénéchal and Dorka Juhász were selected in the 2023 WNBA Draft.
UConn head coach Geno Auriemma and associate head coach Chris Dailey were on hand Monday to celebrate as both UConn standouts were selected by their new teams.
Lopez Sénéchal was a top-5 pick, being selected fifth overall in the WNBA Draft by the Dallas Wings. She joins former UConn star Crystal Dangerfield on the Wings roster.
Juhász was selected 16th overall in the second round by the Minnesota Lynx, joining former UConn champion Naphessa Collier on the roster.
Lopez Sénéchal transferred from Fairfield University and played a single season with UConn in 2022-23, stepping up to lead the Huskies when other star players went down with injury.
She started in all 37 of UConn's games this season, finishing the season with an average of 15.5 points per game, and 3.1 rebounds per game.
Juhász transferred to Storrs from Ohio State and finished out her two remaining years of eligibility with the UConn Huskies.
She started in 29 of UConn's game's this season, with a nearly 50% shooting average, scoring an average of 14.2 points per game, and leading the team with an average of 9.9 rebounds per game. Juhász also led the team in blocks, alongside teammate Aaliyah Edwards, with 41 blocks this season.
This is the first time since 2020 a UConn women's basketball player was selected in the WNBA Draft, when Megan Walker and Crystal Dangerfield were selected in the 2020 WNBA Draft.
There have now been 44 UConn players that have gone on to professional careers in the WNBA in the league's history, with Monday's selections of both Lopez Sénéchal and Juhász.
South Carolina's Aliyah Boston was the first overall pick in this year's WNBA Draft, being selected by the Indiana Fever, who also selected Grace Berger from Indiana University with the seventh overall pick in the first round.
Former Connecticut Sun head coach Curt Miller led off his first WNBA Draft with his new team, the Los Angeles Sparks, selecting South Carolina guard Zia Cooke, with the tenth overall pick that was acquired from a trade with the Sun.
The Connecticut Sun did not make their first selection in the 2023 WNBA Draft until the second round, when they selected Alexis Morris from LSU with the 22nd overall pick.
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