Tia Presley set for the WNBA draft

There has been a decent amount of draft talk involving WSU players recently , but it's been focused on Connor Halliday, Xavier Cooper and Vince Mayle's NFL Draft status. Another Cougar athlete is positioned to get drafted soon: women's basketball player Tia Presley.

Presley, one of the best players in WSU women's basketball history, could land with a WNBA team Thursday night. The WNBA 2015 draft is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. PT. Presley has been mentioned on a few WNBA draft sites, but doesn't appear in a couple of the most-recent mock drafts I was able to find. That includes SB Nation's Swish Appeal which doesn't have Presley going in any of the three rounds.

Still, Presley is by far and away the best WNBA prospect to come out of WSU -- at least until Lia Galdeira graduates -- so hopefully she hears her named called Thursday night. Nate Parham of Swish Appeal wrote an excellent feature on some unheralded prospects. That includes a lengthy section on Presley. Here is a small bit of it:

Compounding all of that is Presley's injury history, which kept her from even participating in the Pac-12 Tournament until last season when she absolutely blew up — having already suffered one ACL injury in her sophomore year, perhaps you wouldn't blame WNBA general managers for rating her low as a professional prospect. But the numbers she has put up in the final two seasons of her career really can't be ignored in a draft that is still something approximating a crap shoot after the two non-seniors who declared early.

There are 36 picks in the 2015 WNBA Draft and hopefully one team uses one to grab Presley.

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Women's basketball:

2015 WNBA Draft prospects: Finding promising perimeter prospects - Swish Appeal
You would be forgiven if you had never heard of Washington State senior Tia Presley.

Football:

Not one, but two features on WSU running back Keith Harrington. He's an interesting player who will definitely see some action this season and could play a significant role. He's also a big fan of Jack in the Box, apparently.

WSU spring football: RB Keith Harrington impresses, but must become more consistent - Spokesman.com - April 15, 2015
Flashes and bursts are the images most appropriately associated with the inconstant nature of freshman running back Keith Harrington, whose coaches are annoyed by his inconsistency, but beguiled by his unpredictable running style.

Harrington Ready To Make An Impact - Washington State University Official Athletic Site
Keith Harrington is ready to shed his redshirt for a crimson and gray jersey in a big way. Transitioning from wide receiver to running back is the name of the game and Keith is ready to play.

Questions remaining for Pac-12 teams this spring - Pac-12 Blog - ESPN
Washington State: So many positions are up for grabs this spring in Pullman. But when discussing the Cougars, it's only natural to discuss who is going to step up at wide receiver because Mike Leach is always looking for more of those guys.

Hope for the Washington State Cougars defense? - Pac-12 Blog - ESPN

Spring practices often provide the ole half-full/half-empty duality. If the offense surges, you can either be ecstatic or bemoan the feckless defense, and vice versa. Yet considering that Washington State coach Mike Leach often seems like a darn-near-empty sort when talking about his team, let's adopt a positive interpretation when he celebrates his defense, which has struggled during his three previous seasons in Pullman.

Director of Athletics Bill Moos Podcast - Washington State University Official Athletic Site

Director of Athletics Bill Moos begins this week's podcast as he ended last week's, talking about Joe Pistorese’s second Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week honor in as many weeks.

Baseball:

Cougars Host San Jose State in Four-Game Series - Washington State University Official Athletic Site
The Washington State baseball team (18-17, 5-10 Pac-12) wraps up its nine-game homestand, hosting San Jose State to a four-game set, April 16-19…first pitch is slated for 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday, and noon Sunday