Lauren Beckman will never again don a Utah women’s basketball jersey, as her collegiate eligibility expired at the end of this past season, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that her hoops career is over.
The two-time All-Mountain West Conference First Teamer is one of about 80 players heading out to Chicago to participate in the WNBA’s Pre-Draft Camp, hoping to make it to the pros.
The camp spans two days (April 12 and 13) and will take place at the Windy City’s Moody Bible Institute. Representatives from each of the WNBA’s 16 teams will attend the event, scouting its participants for the league’s upcoming Draft, which will take place on April 19 in Secaucus, N.J., beginning at 11:30 a.m. EDT.
Beckman and players from more than 60 other colleges and universities from around the country will take part in two-a-day workout sessions on Friday and Saturday at Moody Bible’s Solheim Center.
The former Ute finished her senior season having started and played in 27 games, averaging 13.2 points per game, 8.1 rebounds, 2.3 blocks, 1.7 assists and 1.1 steals on the year. The 6-foot-2-inch center was also a 2001-02 Verizon Academic All-District VIII Team selection.
Beckman could potentially be the first Ute drafted by the league, which will begin its sixth season on May 25, though training camps get underway April 29.
More than 2.5 million fans attended WNBA games during last season, and, for the fifth straight year, average attendance at league games was in excess of 9,000 people.