Maryland senior guard Kaila Charles was drafted by the Connecticut Sun on Friday night with the 11th pick in the second round of the WNBA draft.
Charles, a native of Glenn Dale, was picked 23rd overall and she joins former Terps Alyssa Thomas and Brionna Jones (Aberdeen) on Connecticut’s roster. The Sun went to last year’s WNBA Finals.
This year, Charles earned WBCA NCAA Division I Coaches’ All-America Honorable Mention honors and All-America honors from the Associated Press and the USBWA. She garnered unanimous All-Big Ten First Team honors for the second straight year as well.
This year, Charles led the Terps with 14.3 points and 7.3 rebounds as they earned a record of 28-4 and won 17 straight games to end the season. Charles helped lead the Terps to their fifth Big Ten championship in six years and their fourth Big Ten Tournament title.
Charles finished her career with 1,984 points, which is No. 6 on Maryland's all-time list. She grabbed 930 career rebounds, which was also in the top 10 of the Terrapin record books. She started in every game of her career and tied Alyssa Thomas' school record with 135 career starts.
Charles is Maryland’s 18th WNBA Draft Pick and 14th under head coach Brenda Frese. Last year, five Terps played in the WNBA Finals – more than any other school. Jones and Thomas faced off against Kristi Toliver, Tianna Hawkins and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough of the Washington Mystics.