Iowa State Teammates End Up With The Same WNBA Team

They were teammates for a short time at Iowa State. Now two of the top players from this past season's Cyclone women's basketball team find themselves teammates again in the WNBA.

First up, it was Cyclone center, Stephanie Soares. The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports that Soares was a star at the NAIA level, but played just 13 games for Iowa State before suffering a season-ending ACL injury. During her brief time in the Cyclone lineup, Soares averaged 14.4 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 3 blocks per game for Iowa State. Last night, she didn't have to wait long to hear her name called during the WNBA Draft.

Soares was selected 4th overall by the Washington Mystic before having her rights traded to the Dallas Wings. Coincidentally, it would be the Dallas Wings again, selecting at #19, that would pick yet another Iowa State player. This time, Cyclone's all-time great Ashley Joens. Joens scored over 3,000 points during her career at Iowa State and was a three-time winner of the Cheryl Miller trophy, given annually to the top small forward in the game, according to the Gazette.

The Gazette reports that Soares and Joens are the 15th and 16th Iowa State women's players drafted into the WNBA. Soares is now the highest ISU draft pick ever. Iowa's Monica Czinano was also drafted. The Des Moines Register reports that the former Iowa center was selected 29th overall by the Los Angeles Sparks.

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