Dream Signs Three Draft Picks Including First-Round Pick Shoni Schimmel
In addition to Schimmel, the Dream signed second-round selections Inga Orekhova (No. 18 overall) and Cassie Harberts (No. 20). Among the players signed to training camp contracts are: guard Ashley Corral, guard/forward Rebekah Gardner, guard Khaalidah Miller, forward Amanda Thompson and forward Danielle Wilson.
Corral, a 5-9 guard, is USC's all-time leader and ranks second in Pac-12 history with 292 career three-pointers, and participated in training camps with the Seattle Storm in 2012 and the Washington Mystics in 2013. Gardner, a 6-1 guard/forward, was a 2011-12 All-Pac-12 First Team and Pac-12 Defensive Team honoree as a senior at UCLA in 2011-12 and has starred in the Israeli league the past two seasons. Miller, a 5-9 guard, was Georgia's third-leading scorer this past season, averaging 10.4 points, and led the team with 3.1 assists per game.
Thompson averaged 1.6 points and 1.6 rebounds in seven games with Tulsa during the 2010 WNBA season after earning First Team All-Big 12 honors and leading Oklahoma to back-to-back Final Four appearances. Wilson finished her college career by leading Dowling College to an NCAA Division II national runner-up finish after earning honorable mention All-American honors as a junior at Baylor in 2008-09.
Those four will join the rest of the Dream training camp roster to compete for one of 12 roster spots. Final rosters must be set by May 15. The Dream's training camp will include a home exhibition game against the New York Liberty on May 11, as well as closed scrimmages against national teams from Australia and China.
The Dream returns four starters from last year's team that reached the WNBA Finals for the third time in four years, and the playoffs for a fifth consecutive season. The team is led by All-Star forward Angel McCoughtry, who won her second league scoring title in 2013. Center Erika de Souza also earned All-Star honors in 2013, while forward Sancho Lyttle - the reigning FIBA Women's European Player of the Year - returns after missing all but six games last season with a foot injury. Guards Jasmine Thomas and Tiffany Hayes are also back after playing key roles in the backcourt last season.
New additions to the roster include point guard Celine Dumerc, the captain of the French national team who led her country to the silver medal at the 2012 Olympics. A seasoned veteran of overseas competition, Dumerc will be making her WNBA debut this year. Veteran guard Matee Ajavon was acquired from Washington via a trade, while point guard Samantha Prahilis was signed as a free agent after earning WNBA All-Rookie Team honors in 2012.
The Dream's 2014 WNBA Draft selections will also be competing at training camp, headed by first-round pick (No. 8 overall) Shoni Shimmel. Second-round selections Inga Orekhova and Cassie Harberts will also be looking to secure roster spots.
The Dream will open training camp with a two-a-day practice on April 27, with the first practice scheduled for 9:30 a.m. at a location to be determined and the second for 3 p.m. at Philips Arena. All practices are closed to the public and open to the media for the last hour of each day. Media interested in attending should contact the Atlanta Dream's media relations department, as practice times and locations are subject to change.
The three-time Eastern Conference Champion Atlanta Dream tips off its seventh season in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) on May 16 against the San Antonio Stars in Philips Arena. The Dream has qualified for the playoffs in each of the past five seasons, including conference titles in 2013, 2011 and 2010. Season tickets and single-game tickets for the 2014 season are now available and can be purchased by calling (877) 977-7729 or visiting www.AtlantaDream.net.
