Laksa, taken in the first round, is the first USF player taken in the WNBA Draft since Courtney Williams in 2016.
TAMPA (April 17, 2020) – Former University of South Florida women’s basketball standout Kitija Laksa became the sixth player in program history to be selected in the WNBA Draft, when the Seattle Storm chose her in the first round with the 11th overall pick. Laksa is also just the third USF women’s basketball player to be selected in the first round, joining Courtney Williams in 2016 (eighth overall to the Phoenix Mercury) and Wanda Guyton in the inaugural WNBA Draft in 1997 (fifth overall to the Houston Comets).
Laksa played for USF from 2015-19 and helped lead the Bulls to three straight NCAA Tournaments.
“This is definitely a crazy feeling, a dream come true,” said Laksa. “It couldn’t have gone any better and I couldn’t have joined a better team. I’m very excited and it’s definitely a very, very good feeling right now.”
Laksa is the first USF player taken in the WNBA Draft since Williams in 2016.
“I could not be prouder of Kit,” said USF head coach Jose Fernandez. “Unfortunately, her career here (at USF) was cut short her senior year, but her impact and influence on our program will go down in history. She was an excellent representative of our program, on and off the floor, and I couldn’t be prouder of her on this special evening.”
Laksa was a two-time WBCA All-America Honorable Mention, earning the honors following her sophomore (2016-17) and junior seasons (2017-18), in addition to being named to the American Athletic All-Conference First Team. She finished her USF career ranking sixth on the all-time scoring list (1,715), third in points per game (17.8), first in free throw percentage list (.896) and second on the three-point field goal percentage list (.391).
Entering her senior season, Laksa was named to the preseason Ann Meyers Drysdale Award, Wade Trophy, Wooden Award and Naismith Trophy watch lists, however, had her season and collegiate career cut short after three games because of a season-ending knee injury. Prior to the injury, Laksa averaged 16.3 points and a career-high 4.3 rebounds per outing.
As a junior, the 6-foot-1 forward, and native of Latvia, averaged 21.1 points per game, good enough for second in The American, while starting in all 34 contests for the Bulls. She broke USF’s junior single-season scoring record with 717 points, which also rank second on the Bulls’ single-season scoring list. That season, she was the only player in Division I to record two 40-point performances, score at least 30 points in five games and at least 20 points in 18 games. Laksa poured in a career-high 41 points against No. 13 Ohio State, led the Bulls in scoring 20 times and netted double-figure totals in 32 of the Bulls’ 34 contests.
Currently, Laksa plays for TTT Riga in the women’s EuroLeague, averaging 8.0 points and 2.6 rebounds per game through eight outings.
USF’s All-Time WNBA Draft Selections
2020 – Kitija Laksa, Seattle Storm, First Round (11th overall)
2016 – Courtney Williams, Phoenix Mercury, First Round (8th overall)
2014 – Inga Orekhova, Atlanta Dream, Second Round (18th overall)
2013 – Andrea Smith, Connecticut Sun, Third Round (35th overall)
2007 – Jessica Dickson, Sacramento Monarchs, Second Round (21st overall)
1997 – Wanda Guyton, Houston Comets, Elite First Round (5th overall)
About USF Women’s Basketball
To stay up-to-date on the latest USF women’s basketball news, follow the Bulls on social media (Twitter | Facebook | Instagram).
USF notched its ninth consecutive 19-win season and was poised for its ninth straight postseason appearance in 2019-20 before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the end of the college basketball season. The Bulls celebrated two all-conference honorees in Elena Tsineke and Elisa Pinzan. Tsineke was named the American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year, in addition to The American All-Freshman Team and Third Team All-Conference; while Pinzan was named a Third Team All-Conference selection.
USF has made 15 postseason tournament appearances and had six NCAA Tournament berths in head coach Jose Fernandez’s 20 seasons. The all-time winningest coach in program history, Fernandez has guided USF to nine 20-win seasons, two WNIT final four appearances, the 2009 WNIT championship and won more than 350 games.
– #GoBulls –
