As always, the WNBA draft is a roll of the dice – except for Candace Parker. If she isn’t an instant all-star, then every basketball player, coach, expert and fan will be completely stunned.

After Parker, though, nothing’s certain. Sylvia Fowles is going to help someone, but can she score in the WNBA? Tasha Humphrey looked like a superstar when she got to Georgia, but she hasn’t gotten much better. Candice Wiggins has done everything right, but so did Noelle Quinn – and her first year in the W was pretty much a bust.

[The position subheads should probably be in the headline font around 16 point or so, and the players’ names should remain in bold. That said, you’re the designer, so feel free to do it another way.]

Point guards

There’s always a shortage of point guards, at every level, and there’s not much out there this year either. But teams will draft and pray, hoping that deficiencies that seem insurmountable will be somehow overcome.

Kimberly Beck, 5-8, George Washington: Beck has as much of the complete package as any point guard on the market, but that doesn’t mean she’s a surefire WNBA starter. It’s not that she doesn’t do everything reasonably well, it’s that she doesn’t do one thing exceptionally well.

Sharnee Zoll, 5-7, Virginia: Zoll has the quickness, the BCS pedigree and most of the court vision. But if she can’t shoot consistently from the perimeter (which she has to do to score), she’ll join a host of almost-made-its who had everything but the jumper.

Shannon Bobbitt, 5-4, Tennessee: The problem is obvious -- Bobbitt is tiny. Then again, she’s as tall as Temeka Johnson, and Johnson was rookie of the year in 2006. And Bobbitt has managed to overcome her size deficit at every level. If she can find a way to defend and get her low-release three-pointer off in the WNBA, she might be able to do what Johnson did.

Mallorie Winn, 5-10, Pittsburgh: Winn is coming off an ACL, and the big concern before her injury was quickness at the defensive end. If she can stay in front of WNBA point guards, she might find a home in the league, but her knee has to be 100%.

Shooting guards

It’s a good year for shooting guards, but then again, it almost always is. And it says here WB’s cover girl, Jolene Anderson, is going to make some low-picking franchise very happy.

Candice Wiggins, 5-11, Stanford: Wiggins is a multitalented, elite player who not only will be a starter in the WNBA, she’s got a pretty good chance to be an all-star as well as an Olympian. She’s athletic, quick, fast, can shoot and rises to the occasion. Plus she’s a great teammate. It will take a high pick to land her, though, because she won’t last long.

Alexis Hornbuckle, 5-11, Tennessee: Perhaps the most under-the-radar player on the college scene, Hornbuckle has quietly toiled in the long shadows of Candace Parker and Pat Summitt. But there’s little she can’t do on the court, and though there are some doubters, it says here she’ll start in the WNBA.

Matee Ajavon, 5-8, Rutgers: Ajavon should be strong defensively after her career at Rutgers (though that pedigree didn’t do much for Cappie Pondexter at the defensive end), so if she can score consistently, she should be able to stay in the league. Is she going to be a starter? Perhaps in the Chelsea Newton mold, but don’t expect an impact scorer.

Jolene Anderson, 5-8, Wisconsin: She does not look like a basketball player, and she certainly doesn’t look like the outstanding player she really is. She surprised at the BCS level, she surprised at USA Basketball, and, given that track record, she certainly could surprise at the pro level. Worth a first-round roll of the dice.

Quianna Chaney, 5-11, LSU: There aren’t many small two guards on this list, and there aren’t many small two guards in the WNBA -- which is why Chaney will get a look. She has to be able to make the three, though, and so far, that hasn’t been a strong point.

Small forwards

Not much in this department, which is unusual. If Angel McCoughtry comes out, though, the equation changes.

Essence Carson, 6-0, Rutgers: The best of a thin crop at is what normally a strong position, even Carson doesn’t look like a sure thing. She’s a very good player, no doubt, but usually, WNBA starters do at least one thing exceptionally well -- and since music doesn’t count, Carson may struggle. But her background, her athleticism and her luck (not much competition at this spot) should get her a good long look in the league this summer.

Angel McCoughtry, 6-1, Louisville: Though only a junior, McCoughtry is eligible for the draft, and if she comes out, her athleticism and feel for the game should put her in the first round. She doesn’t have the reputation Carson does, but she may have more game – and she could wind up going a lot higher than people expect.

Lindsey Pluimer, 6-4, UCLA: Pluimer’s size says ‘power forward’; her dislike of contact says ‘ perimeter.’ But the eternal question looms: Who’s she gonna guard?

Power forward

Plenty of help up front, but only one instant starter – OK, maybe two if Humphrey adjusts to the WNBA quickly. Still, Laura Harper is a nice consolation prize.

Candace Parker, 6-4, Tennessee: OK, she doesn’t defend. Yes, she rebounds only on occasion. But who cares? She’s an unstoppable offensive force and has so much athleticism and size that she’ll block shots and rebound almost without trying to. A franchise player, destined for L.A., unless she inexplicably decides to play for Pat for another year and winds up with expansion Atlanta in 2009.

Tasha Humphrey, 6-3, Georgia: She hasn’t improved much at all, but that’s true of almost every player who goes to Georgia. Even so, she has tremendous talent and should develop over time in the W. Like the Miller twins, she may not produce consistently until she’s been in the league a few years.

Laura Harper, 6-4, Maryland: People have been saying she’s better suited for the pro game since she arrived in College Park, and there’s a certain truth in that. Her length is an asset, and she should be able to score a little (and rebound a lot). But she’s not going to be an all-star, and will need the right setting to be a starter.

Erlana Larkins, 6-1, North Carolina: Her stock has steadily dropped since her sophomore season, and now she looks too slow and too short for the WNBA. There’s no doubt she understands the game, and helps the Tar Heels win – but can she do the same in the summer?

Nicky Anosike, 6-4, Tennessee: There are lot of players who have a pretty nice WNBA career with Nicky Anosike’s size and skill. She can get a rebound, take advantage of a post mismatch, and she plays hard all the time. On the right team, she could draw decent minutes as a rookie; on the wrong one, she might get cut.

Center

Fowles is as close to a sure thing as you can find, but Langhorne is major question mark. Then again, given the lack of true post players in the league, someone will take a chance early.

Sylvia Fowles, 6-6, LSU: Fowles will never be a great player because of her offensive limitations, but she’s a player to build a great team around. With her in the middle to rebound and defend at an Olympic level, the franchise can then focus on finding scorers and complementary players -- a much easier task. She’ll go second, unless Parker doesn’t come out.

Crystal Langhorne, 6-2, Maryland: Langhorne’s range is about three feet, and she’s going to find it much harder to score against the taller, stronger WNBA centers, especially since her offensive repertoire is so limited. Her size also works against her at the defensive end; she’s not a shotblocker and she’s not exceptionally quick. Then again, Natalie Williams had a great career with much the same profile.

Crystal Kelly, 6-3, Western Kentucky: Kelly has never been given a lot of credit, but all she does is produce. She was a winner at Sacred Heart Academy in Louisville, and she’s been a winner at Western Kentucky. Who’s to say she can’t get it done in the W as well?

Sarah Elliott, 6-6, Kentucky: Elliott’s primary virtue is being 6-6. She’s
reasonably strong, but not particularly graceful -- which might indicate a lack of athleticism, or might be completely irrelevant. She’s going to get an opportunity somewhere.