NEW YORK, NY– April 10, 2019 – The New York Liberty selected University of Louisville guard Asia Durr (2nd overall) in the first round of the 2019 WNBA Draft on Wednesday night. New York also picked Chinese forward Han Xu (14th overall) in the 2nd Round and University of Utah forward Megan Huff (26th overall) in the 3rd Round.
Durr, a 5-10 guard, helped lead the Cardinals to the Sweet 16 as a sophomore, the Final Four as a junior and the Elite Eight this past season as a senior. She is the second all-time leading scorer in Louisville’s history. During her senior season, the two-time ACC player of the year averaged 21.2 ppg on 44 percent shooting.
The Douglasville, Georgia native scored 2,485 points during her collegiate career. She averaged 17.8 ppg, racked up 307 assists and shot 38.5 percent from the outside, making 374 total 3-pointers.
“Tonight was a big night for the New York Liberty,” said Liberty General Manager, Jonathan Kolb. “We added high character and high caliber players that will contribute both on the court and within our culture. In the first round we added a guard in Asia Durr that is as pure a scorer as they come. She loves this game and we envision her exciting Liberty fans for years to come.
“Han Xu is a player we have had our eyes on for a while,” Kolb added. “She has incredibly quick feet for a player her size and has a versatile skillset we believe will continue to develop. Megan Huff is a can-do do player that will compete night in and night out.”
Xu, the Liberty’s second round pick is a 6-9 center who began her first Women’s Chinese Basketball Association (WCBA) season with the Xinjiang Tianshan Magic Deer in 2018, averaging 15.9 ppg, 8.9 rpg and 2.1 bpg.
The 19-year old is the first Chinese player drafted to the WNBA since 1997.
The Liberty’s final pick in the 2019 WNBA Draft, Megan Huff is a 6-3 forward from the University of Utah. She is a two-time first-team All-Pac-12 selection and ranks in the top-10 all-time at Utah in single-game and single-season scoring. Huff also became a 1,000-point scorer in just two seasons.
A transfer from Hawaii, Huff finished two seasons on-court for Utah tying for second in career rpg (8.8) and tied for 3rd in career ppg (17.2).
“We got better tonight,” said Liberty Coach Katie Smith. “Going into the draft, we knew that we had a couple of needs and we appreciate what Durr brings to the table. She can score the basketball and she’s a playmaker.
“In the second round, it was important to us to choose a productive center who is a hard worker and we got that with Han,” Smith added. “Huff is so versatile and can spread the floor. All in all, we filled some holes that we have and it’s going to be a competitive training camp.”
The 2019 New York Liberty regular season tips off on Friday, May 24, when the team hosts the Indiana Fever at Westchester County Center.
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