NEWS

Davidson Women's Basketball program members celebrated with teammate Charlise Dunn following her selection in the WNBA Draft. (News of Davidson photo)

For the first time in program history, a member of the Davidson College Women’s Basketball team heard her name called during the WNBA Draft.

Charlise Dunn, the team’s lone senior was the #36 pick, and was the fourth player drafted by the expansion team Toronto Tempo. Sunday afternoon she received word that it might happen but opted to watch Monday night's draft with a small group of friends and teammates at her on-campus apartment.

Tuesday morning her coaches and teammates decided to try to surprise Charlise with a party at Ben & Jerry’s. Thanks to owner and manager Karen Toney, the team’s request was accommodated before the store was officially open. And yes, for your die-hard B&J fans, Karen Toney made it happen on “Free Cone Day,” the busiest day of the year. See our photo and video album from the event. 

Members of the team gathered outside the store with balloons and confetti at the ready. In addition to a big bunch of balloons, one individual balloon had the hand-written note: “First Ever NBA Draft Pick” on one side and “Got it Dunn” on the other.

The presentation of the golden tiara. (News of Davidson photo)

One of the coaches got a heads-up that Charlise and head coach Gayle Fulks would be coming from the CVS side of Main Street. When they were spotted across the street, the clapping and cheering began. “Charli, Charli, Charli!” As she joined her teammates, she was showered with the confetti and presented a plastic golden tiara.

Before heading inside for some ice cream, they stopped for a quick group photo. Charlise was given head-of-line privileges, and the rest of the team followed – ordering their Ben & Jerry’s favorites.

When they had finished their ice cream, Charlise and Coach Fulks sat down for a few questions. The longer, detailed Q & A can be found here.

One of the important clarifications Charlise made was in her description of the nature of her agreement with Toronto. She called it a “draft and stash.” The concept is used by the NBA and the WNBA, primarily for international players. It allows the teams to draft a player but allows them to continue playing for an international team for at least another year.

She has signed with a WNBL team but can’t reveal which team until the formal announcement is made. In the meantime, Charlise will remain in Davidson through commencement and then plans to return home to Australia.

As we wrapped up the interviews, we asked player and coach about the importance of the Davidson community, and what the support means to them.

Charlise said, “So much. It even made this experience more special. My phone was flooded straight away with so many messages from so many people, from the school, from the community. It has just been so special. I literally wouldn’t be here if I didn’t have this community backing me. It is so special.”

Coach Fulks highlighted the community's support, “The way this entire community has wrapped their arms around her as an international student, far away from home. From the first day she got here, the community welcomed her. I felt the same thing when I got the job here. I felt so welcome. Davidson is really unique and special.”

Oh, and for the record, the newest WNBA Draft pick’s pick was a mango smoothie.