Logic picked 10th overall by Atlanta Dream in WNBA Draft

Samantha Logic hoped to recognize a lifelong dream at Thursday night's WNBA draft.

It was the Atlanta Dream that turned Logic's dream to reality.

Atlanta selected the Iowa point guard with the 10th overall pick in Thursday's WNBA draft at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. making Logic the second Hawkeye ever to be selected in the first round and first in 18 years.

"It's something that I have thought about for a really long time and dreamed about since being a little kid," Logic said of being drafted. "When you hear your named called you just have overwhelming sense of relief."

Logic became the second highest draft pick in Iowa history and the first Iowa player to go in the first round since Toni Foster went eighth overall in 1997.

The 5-foot-9 Logic is the 12th Iowa player to be selected in the WNBA Draft and the first since Kachine Alexander was picked in the third round in 2011.

"Hearing your named called and finding out where you are actually finally going is just something so special," Logic said. "I'm never going to forget it."

Iowa's all-time assist leader, Logic heads to an Atlanta team that finished 19-15 last season and lost to Chicago in the conference semifinals.

Atlanta is coached by former NBA player Michael Cooper, who is entering his second season leading the Dream.

"This is an Atlanta team that really needed to shore up their point guard spot and Samantha Logic will do that for them," ESPN Analyst Rebecca Lobo said. "At 5-foot-9 she can score but she is so good at the other parts of the game, she is an outstanding passer, good at the dribble penetrate and kick and she will get in there and rebound the basketball."

Known for her passing prowess, Logic finished her collegiate career with 898 assists, second most in Big Ten history.

She averaged a career-best 8.1 assists per game last season while leading Iowa to a 26-8 record and its first Sweet 16 appearance in 19 seasons.

Logic also averaged a career-best 13.4 points per game this season while shooting 48 percent from the floor and 33 percent from 3-point range.

"She has always had kind of a pass first mentality but her senior year when they needed a little more scoring from her she looked to do that," Lobo said. "On an Atlanta team that has a lot of offensive weapons it's good to have a pass-first point guard.

San Antonio had been considered a possible landing spot for Logic with the Stars holding both the sixth and ninth picks.

The Stars selected Wake Forest forward Dearica Hamby with the sixth overall selection, and then traded the ninth pick to New York who used it to pick California guard Brittany Boyd.

Logic had been contacted by San Antonio thinking she could be the pick at nine, but didn't have to wait long after the trade.

"That might have made me a little more anxious because I had talked to them a little bit," Logic said of the trade at ninth pick. "Crazy things happen in a draft and I think a lot of us go into the draft thinking that so I just kept an open mind and I'm just so happy to be going to Atlanta."

ESPN Analyst Charlie Crème liked the Dream's selection of Logic who also averaged 7.0 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game this season.

"She's always around the ball and might be the best player in the draft at making teammates better," Crème said following the pick.

Logic will return to Iowa on Friday and graduate on May 16.

She will depart for training camp on the May 17 to prepare for the WNBA season that begins on June 5.

"I'm going to get back and get in the gym and start working and get in the weight room and try to get stronger," Logic said. "I'm just excited to start working."

Seattle selected Notre Dame's Jewell Loyd with the first pick in the draft while Minnesota sophomore Amanda Zahui B. was the second overall pick going to Tulsa.

Linn-Mar graduate Kiah Stokes was the 11th overall pick by New York and former Iowa State guard Nikki Moody was selected 33rd overall by San Antonio.

"I didn't really know what to expect," Logic said. "Obviously it's exciting to be here with this many great players and I was just excited to be here and have so much fun with all the girls that were here and I'm happy for them to get drafted and get their shot."

Reach Ryan Murken at 319-339-7369 or rmurken@press-citizen.com and follow him on Twitter at @rmmurken.