Danielle McCray (born October 8, 1987) is an American professional basketball player. She was selected seventh overall in the

2010 WNBA Draft The 2010 WNBA Draft is the league's annual process for determining which teams receive the rights to negotiate with players entering the league. The draft was held on April 8, 2010. The first round was shown on ESPN2 ( HD), while the second and t ...

by the

Connecticut Sun The Connecticut Sun are an American professional basketball team based in Uncasville, Connecticut that competes in the Eastern Conference of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was established as the Orlando Miracle in ...

. She played collegiately for the

Kansas Jayhawks The Kansas Jayhawks, commonly referred to as simply KU or Kansas, are the athletic teams that represent the University of Kansas. KU is one of three schools in the state of Kansas that participate in NCAA Division I. The Jayhawks are also a mem ...

where she was named a second-team All-American during her senior season. McCray is the highest-picked player in KU's history.

Early life

McCray was born in

Boynton Beach, Florida Boynton Beach is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It is situated about 57 miles north of Miami. The population was 68,217 at the 2010 census. In 2019, the city had an estimated population of 78,679 according to the University ...

, and as a young child, her family moved to Olathe, Kansas. McCray attended

Olathe East High School Olathe East High School is a public high school located in Olathe, Kansas, United States, serving students in grades 9-12. The school is one of five high schools in the Olathe USD 233 school district. Olathe East is a member of the Kansas State ...

and was an All-State selection. During her senior season, she accepted an athletic scholarship to the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. T ...

Collegiate career

McCray concluded her career ranked in the top 10 of nine categories — including fourth in all-time scoring with 1,934 points — and with a good deal of hardware.

Kansas statistics

Source

USA Basketball

McCray was named a member of the team representing the US at the 2009 World University Games held in Belgrade, Serbia. The team won all seven games to earn the gold medal. McCray led the team in scoring in the semi-final game against Australia, and was the second leading scorer overall, averaging 12.0 points per game

WNBA

Danielle McCray was selected 7th overall by the Connecticut Sun in the 2010 WNBA Draft. According to several analysts, McCray would have been selected in the top four had she not suffered an

ACL injury An anterior cruciate ligament injury occurs when the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is either stretched, partially torn, or completely torn. The most common injury is a complete tear. Symptoms include pain, an audible cracking sound during inju ...

she suffered on February 2, 2010. McCray's pick makes her the highest-selected player in the WNBA Draft in KU's history. Additionally, her selection makes her the first Jayhawk drafted into the WNBA since Jaclyn Johnson was taken by the

Orlando Miracle The Orlando Miracle were a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team based in Orlando, Florida. It began play in the 1999 WNBA season. The Miracle relocated, in 2003, to Uncasville, Connecticut, where the team became the Connecticut ...

with the 42nd pick in the 2001 WNBA Draft.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McCray, Danielle 1987 births Living people American women's basketball players Basketball players from Florida Basketball players from Kansas Connecticut Sun draft picks Connecticut Sun players Forwards (basketball) Guards (basketball) Kansas Jayhawks women's basketball players Sportspeople from Olathe, Kansas Sportspeople from Boynton Beach, Florida Universiade gold medalists for the United States Universiade medalists in basketball Medalists at the 2009 Summer Universiade