Jill Barta’s basketball career isn’t over just yet.
The former Fairfield High School and Gonzaga star was selected by the Las Vegas Aces in the third round of the WNBA Draft on on Thursday. The Aces used the 32nd overall pick to select Barta and then subsequently traded her to the Minnesota Lynx.
Barta, a 6-foot-3 forward, recently completed her third season at Gonzaga, earning West Coast Conference player of the year honors. She finished her Gonzaga career ranking seventh in program history with 1,620 career points, helping the Bulldogs win three WCC championships. She was a three-time all-conference selection and two-time WCC Tournament MVP. Barta scored a tournament-record 37 points in the 2017 WCC championship.
Set to graduate with a degree in special education, Barta forfeited her final season of collegiate eligibility to enter the WNBA Draft. Now that she’s been selected, Barta will participate in the Lynx’s training camp and preseason games. The Lynx must trim their roster to 12 players by May 17 in advance of the 2018 season opener.
At Fairfield, Barta was one of the most dominant girls basketball players in Montana history. The Eagles never lost a game during her career, compiling a 104-0 record and winning four Class B state championships. Barta was named the state’s 2013-14 Gatorade player of the year after averaging 24.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 3.5 steals, 3.3 blocks and 2.8 assists per game.
The 12 WNBA teams selected 36 players in three rounds during Thursday’s draft. A’ja Wilson of South Carolina was the No. 1 overall pick.
In a @WNBA Draft Day trade | Barta is headed to the @minnesotalynx #UnitedWeZag #WNBADraft pic.twitter.com/dWOuO4vFSp
— Gonzaga WBB (@ZagWBB) April 13, 2018
