LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- If the transfer portal ever needed a celebrity endorsement, Louisville's Emily Engstler would be among the prime candidates to provide it.
Engstler, a 6-foot-1 forward from New York, was taken with the No. 4 overall pick in the WNBA Draft Monday night, after not even being projected as a first rounder to start the season.
From off the board, Engstler became the third-highest WNBA Draft pick in Louisville history, behind Angel McCoughtry (No. 1 in 2009) and Asia Durr (No. 2 in 2019). Engstler got emotional in her interview with ESPN's Holly Rowe immediately after being drafted, talking about the support she has gotten from her family.
And she said it was "dope" to be so close to Kentucky, a state where she played for only one season but made a deep impression on fans and teammates.
"Louisville means everything to me," she said. "You've got to start with the fan base. It's just amazing. It's a rush when you walk on the court, and they're really genuine. The program is everything you can ask for in a program. They took me in for one year and it really felt like a home. Coach (Jeff) Walz meant the world to me. . . . My teammates were super great to play with, just the fire in us and all of them you know, you don't always get to find that when you feel like you have it in yourself. But I got to find it, and then they brought out the best in me and I think that's what mattered the most."
A successful player in a tough situation at Syracuse, Engstler left for Louisville after her senior season and, over the last half of the year, got the attention of the nation with her ability to influence games on the defensive end of the court and with her rebounding.
Her game came to the forefront during Louisville's run to the Final Four.
And in fact, Engstler credited her move to Louisville with the lofty position she eventually attained in the WNBA Draft.
"I'll be honest with you," Engstler said. "It probably was the reason my draft stock went to No. 4. It was a very smart decision. You know, I made it because I thought it was the best decision at that time of my life. And I'm very blessed. Going there has taught me so much on and off the court and I'm going to bring that with me into the league."
Louisville coach Jeff Walz likened her ability to anticipate on defense and get into passing lanes with that of former Louisville All-American Angel McCoughtry, an Olympian and the No. 1 overall pick of the 2009 WNBA Draft.
ESPN's LaChina Robinson said Engstler's defensive versatility separated her in this draft.
"She's so unique," Robinson said. "First and foremost, there aren't a lot of 6-1 wings. She can play the wing, play the 4. But in this draft, for various reasons, several decide to go back, there's some of the wings with injury coming in. So Emily is different in her size, her wingspan. I think you heard Jeff Walz compare her defensively in terms of her instinct to Angel McCoughtry, which is high praise. She just has a knack for the basketball. She's great at reading defenses, anticipating. What we haven't seen as much that I think we will see in the WNBA is she actually has some more offense to her game, as well. This was a kid who was a McDonald's All-American who put in the work to get her body in shape, so we know she has the work ethic. She just can come in and change the complexion of a game with her defensive reads and her high-level understanding of the game of basketball at a very high level. Not to mention she can play multiple positions."
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