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After four years of thrilling Iowa fans, terrorizing Iowa opponents, and rewriting the record books for the school, the conference, and the nation, Samantha Logic is finally moving on from Iowa City. Her four years of eligibility are expired and the professional ranks beckon. And now we know where she'll be plying her trade this summer and beyond:
With the 10th overall pick in the #WNBADraft, we've selected Samantha Logic from @IowaWBB. #LiveIt #WNBADraft2015 pic.twitter.com/bFpAKyoUFX
— Atlanta Dream (@AtlantaDream) April 16, 2015
Logic became the first Iowa player drafted since Kachine Alexander was taken in the third round by the Minnesota Lynx in the 2011 WNBA Draft. She becomes the 12th total Iowa player to be selected in the WNBA Draft and the first to be taken in the first round since Toni Foster was taken with the 8th overall pick by the Phoenix Mercury in the 1997 WNBA Draft.
In case you need a reminder of just how impressive her collegiate career was:
Logic, a 5-foot, 9-inch native of Racine, Wisconsin, started all 135 games during her four-year career with the Hawkeyes, scoring 1,546 points (10th in school history), grabbing 922 rebounds (second), and handing out 898 assists (first by 322). Logic is the only player in NCAA history to accumulate at least 1,500 career points, 800 rebounds, 800 assists, and 200 steals. She notched the sixth triple-double of her career (14 assists, 13 points, 10 rebounds) during an 81-66 loss to Baylor in the Sweet 16 on March 27.
Yeah, that was a pretty good career. Her career assist record may never be broken at Iowa and she was a legitimate threat to record a triple-double every single night she walked on the court. She'll be joining an Atlanta team that made the WNBA playoffs last season, falling to the Chicago Sky in the conference semifinals.
ESPN's draft analysts liked the pick -- and the fit for Logic in Atlanta.
"This is an Atlanta team that really needed to shore up their point guard spot and Samantha Logic will do that for them. At 5-foot-9 she can score but she is so good at the other parts of the game, she is an outstanding passer, good at the dribble penetrate and kick and she will get in there and rebound the basketball.
"She has always had kind of a pass first mentality but her senior year when they needed a little more scoring from her she looked to do that. On an Atlanta team that has a lot of offensive weapons it's good to have a pass-first point guard."
-- Rebecca Lobo"She's always around the ball and might be the best player in the draft at making teammates better."
Logic seems well-positioned to succeed in the WNBA -- which would be great news for her and for the Iowa program as a whole. Alexander was Iowa's last draft pick, but she unfortunately wasn't able to make much of an impact on the WNBA. If Logic is able to succeed in the WNBA, it should only be a benefit for Lisa Bluder's recruiting efforts at Iowa -- being able to point to a past Hawkeye great thriving in the professional ranks can only help open a few more doors in recruiting or get a few more signatures from potential difference-makers.
But regardless of the potential impact of Logic's hypthetical WNBA career on the future of the Iowa women's basketball program, this is a great achievement for Logic and we wish her nothing but the best in the WNBA. She was an absolute joy to watch for four years in Iowa City and while she leaves some big shoes to fill next year, it's great to see her getting a chance to showcase her tremendous all-around skills on a bigger stage. Good luck in Atlanta, Sam.