Three Players of the Year get WNBA Invite

Three HBCU Players of the Year are among more than 80 players from over 60 colleges and universities who have been chosen to participate in the 2002 WNBA Pre-Draft Camp held on April 12-13 at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago.

JB Carter Photo Jacklyn Winfield

Howard University's Andrea Gardner, Southern University's Jacklyn Winfield and N.C. Central University's Amba Kongolo were among those invited.

The camp offers WNBA coaches and general managers the opportunity to evaluate the skills of prospective players in advance of the 2002 WNBA Draft.

All Pro Photo Andrea Gardner

Gardner was voted the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Player of the Year for the second straight season. During this past season, she led the MEAC in rebounding (11.6 per game), was second in field goal percentage (52 percent) and third in scoring (15.6 points per game). In 2001, Gardner led the nation in rebounding, averaging 14.1 rebounds per game and in double-doubles with 24.

In her final season as a Jaguar,

Winfield led Southern to their first-ever Southwestern Athletic Conference title and the school's first-ever berth into the NCAA National Tournament. The 2002 SWAC Player of the Year closed out her career at Southern, averaging 20.7 points per game, with a shooting percentage of 41% from the field. The Mississippi native holds the school record for most points scored in a single season (666), highest scoring average in a season (21.5 ppg), and became the fastest player to reach the 1000 career point plateau in 45 games.

All Pro Photo Amba Kongolo

Kongolo, a native of Kinshasa, Congo, averaged 20.3 points and 10.1 rebounds for the Lady Eagles and led the CIAA with 52 blocked shots. After flirting with a possible early departure last year, she returned to school and captured her second straight CIAA Player of the Year honor.

All 16 WNBA teams will be present at the two-day combine in preparation for the WNBA Draft on April 19 at 11:30 a.m. EDT at the studios of NBA Entertainment in Secaucus, NJ. ESPN 2 will nationally televise the main event, with additional coverage being provided on NBA-TV and WNBA.com.

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