Breanna Stewart heads to Storm as top pick

— -- UNCASVILLE, Conn. -- Breanna Stewart, who last week capped her college career at UConn with a fourth consecutive national championship, is the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft.

Seattle had the top pick for the second straight season and, as expected, drafted the versatile, 6-foot-4 Stewart, the consensus national player of the year the past two seasons, on Thursday as the draft got underway at Mohegan Sun. The WNBA's 20th season tips off May 14.

Stewart is the fifth UConn player selected with the No. 1 overall pick, joining Maya Moore (2011), Tina Charles (2010), Diana Taurasi (2004) and Sue Bird (2002).

Stewart and Bird now become teammates in Seattle, which selected Notre Dame's Jewell Loyd at No. 1 overall last season. The Storm reached the playoffs for 10 consecutive seasons from 2004-13 -- winning the WNBA title in 2004 and 2010 -- but have failed to reach the postseason in each of the past two seasons. Lauren Jackson, who Seattle drafted with the No. 1 pick in 2001 but hadn't played for the team since 2012, recently announced her retirement.

Stewart averaged 19.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.4 blocks per game as a senior. She is UConn's all-time leader in blocks (414) and ranks second in scoring (2,676 points). Stewart is the only player in NCAA history to reach 300 career blocks and 300 career assists, and the only player to be selected Final Four most outstanding player four times.

UConn is expected to have three players drafted in the first round. Stewart, point guard Moriah Jefferson and forward Morgan Tuck -- who redshirted all but eight games of the 2013-14 season and decided to forego her final season of college eligibility -- led UConn to four NCAA titles, 151 wins and an NCAA tournament-record 24 consecutive wins in their four seasons in Storrs, Connecticut.

The first round is being televised on ESPN2, with additional coverage on ESPNU starting at 8 p.m. ET.