Alexis Jennings and Bianca Cuevas-Moore make decisions on WNBA draft
South Carolina forward Alexis Jennings and guard Bianca Cuevas-Moore will not enter the WNBA draft this year. This does not guarantee the duo will return to USC for a fifth year, but it is a first step toward their likely return.
The WNBA mandates that all collegiate players who are eligible for the draft but have remaining NCAA eligibility renounce that eligibility 10 days before the draft. That set this year's deadline at midnight Monday, and at 11 a.m. Tuesday, the list became official. Jennings and Cuevas-Moore were not on it.
Cuevas-Moore injured her ACL during the 2017-2018 preseason, and after suffering a setback early in the year, she was shut down for the season, the team announced in December. Before that, she was a starter for most of USC's 2017 postseason run to a national championship and averaged 8.3 points, 1.9 assists and 1.8 rebounds per game in her junior season.
In the past year, coach Dawn Staley consistently deferred questions about a medical redshirt for Cuevas-Moore, suggesting she may not want to stay in school for five years and saying the team was focused on letting her rehab her knee.
Jennings averaged 11.4 points and 6.6 rebounds per game on 58.3 percent shooting this season for the Gamecocks, her first year on the court for USC after transferring from Kentucky after her sophomore year. She sat out the 2016-2017 season under NCAA transfer rules but practiced with the team.
After South Carolina lost to Connecticut in the Elite Eight on March 26, Jennings said she had yet to decide whether she would return to USC or turn pro.
In mock drafts released by High Post Hoops this year, Jennings was considered a potential second-round pick if she chose to leave early. Cuevas-Moore was not on the list.
The WNBA draft is scheduled to take place April 12 in New York City. Gamecock legend A'ja Wilson is widely expected to be the No. 1 overall pick by the Las Vegas Aces.
This story was originally published April 3, 2018 at 11:32 AM with the headline "Alexis Jennings and Bianca Cuevas-Moore make decisions on WNBA draft."