Sancho Lytle was the first player chosen in the WNBA's dispersal draft of Houston Comets players Monday, going to the last-place Atlanta Dream.
The Washington Mystics chose Matee Ajavon with the second pick and the Chicago Sky took Mistie Willilams with the third selection during a conference call. Teams drafted in inverse order of their regular-season finish this past season.
The Houston franchise, which won the first four WNBA championships, announced last week it would disband because the league-owned team could not find new ownership.
Houston Rockets owner Leslie Alexander, the original owner of the Comets, sold the team to businessman Hilton Koch last year. The WNBA took over the franchise this year, and the team finished 17-17 and missed the playoffs.
Lytle, a 6-foot-4 forward, averaged 8.2 points and 6.2 rebounds last season, her fourth in the WNBA. She joins an Atlanta team that finished 4-30 in its first season.
Other players chosen in the dispersal draft were Roneeka Hodges to Minnesota, Sequoia Holmes to Phoenix, Erica White to Indiana and Renae Camino to Sacramento. Unrestricted free agents who were not eligible for selection included Latasha Byears, Mwadi Mabika, Hamchetou Maiga-Ba, Michelle Snow and Tina Thompson.
Copyright 2008 AP News
