After playing a pivotal role for Utah women’s basketball in her two years as a Ute, Alissa Pili’s athletic journey is far from over.
Earlier this month, the star forward announced her decision to declare for the WNBA draft, hoping to advance her career to the professional level.
Two years ago, Pili began her Utah career after transferring from USC, and immediately started making waves in the Huntsman. In her first season, Pili led the team with an average of over 20 points per game, recording double digit figures in all but one of her 31 games. Not to mention her field shooting percentage was the best in the Pac-12, and in the top 20 in the country. Pili polished off her junior season with First Team All-Conference honors, as well as a Pac-12 Player of the Year title for good measure.
During her senior and final season, Pili helped the Utes secure a No. 5 national seed in preseason charts, the highest ever in program history. Pili’s senior year also proved to be her year of breaking records, as she helped the Utes break their records for most made 3-pointers — with a casual 348 this season — and most assists, recording 660 in total. All of those baskets helped her achieve the milestone of becoming the fastest Ute ever to reach 1,000 points, and to leave behind a legacy that will leave a lasting mark on the Utah community.
On April 15, Pili attended the WNBA Draft event in Brooklyn, New York where it was revealed she had been selected as the No. 8 overall pick by the Minnesota Lynx. With ESPN predicting Pili would go as No. 9 and Yahoo even putting her as far as No. 19, going eighth overall was slightly unexpected, but to her fans who know her talent, it isn’t a shock at all.
“Everyone can see her talent and ability,” Head Coach Lynne Roberts said of Pili earlier this season. “What separates her is her desire to win … when your best player is about winning and not playing selfish is when good things happen.”
Monday’s draft marks the seventh WNBA draft where a Ute was picked, with Pili taking the second-highest spot next to Shona Thorburn, who was drafted as the seventh overall in 2006.
“I’m willing to do whatever the team needs me to,” Pili said after being selected. “I’m excited to just learn and grow from that.”
