Kristin Haynie is moving to California.
The MSU point guard, who led the Spartans to the women's NCAA championship game, was drafted ninth overall on Saturday by the WNBA's Sacramento Monarchs.
Haynie and MSU head coach Joanne P. McCallie sweated out the draft with the other top college players at NBA Entertainment Studios in New Jersey waiting for Haynie's name to be called.
"It was just an exciting day and a nerve-racking experience," Haynie said Sunday. "I just didn't have any idea where I would end up."
She became the first MSU women's basketball player to be drafted in the first round, which adds another honor to the history books that she's already rewritten in East Lansing.
During her four-year career, Haynie became MSU's all-time leader in assists, with, 574 and steals, with 346.
She finished eighth in scoring (1,199), 16th in rebounding (601), earned honorable mention All-America and also first-team All-Big Ten.
Haynie was back in East Lansing on Saturday night, scrambling to say goodbye to friends and family since she has to leave Thursday for a training camp in Chicago before moving to Sacramento. The season opens on May 21.
"I'm really excited," Haynie said. "It's a great honor, and I love the coaching staff."
Haynie is expected to compete for a starting position and playing time at the point guard spot. The Monarchs finished 18-16 last season and lost in the Western Conference finals. During the broadcast of the draft, Haynie was interviewed by her future teammate Kara Lawson.
For Monarchs head coach John Whisenant, filling the point guard position was his primary need.
"Kristin Haynie is an excellent point guard -?a winner, tough, competes," Whisenant said in a telephone interview after the draft.
Although Haynie's high draft pick was good news in East Lansing, Detroit Shock head coach Bill Laimbeer said he was disappointed he couldn't bring the Mason native to Metro Detroit.
The Shock took Georgia forward Kara Braxton with the seventh pick and Oklahoma guard Dionnah Jackson 13th.
"We didn't expect Kristin to go at nine," Laimbeer told The Associated Press. "We talked to the Monarchs, and they said it was a tough choice between Kristin and Dionnah, so we'll talk to them again and see if we can bring Kristin home."
The Monarchs took two other guards including Big East Defensive Player of the Year Chelsea Newton from Rutgers and the nation's best 3-point shooter (49.6 percent) Anne O'Neil from Iowa State.
Minnesota center Janel McCarville was picked first by the Charlotte Sting.
Haynie was the third guard picked after Tan White from Mississippi State and Temeka Johnson from Louisiana State.
Haynie is the fourth MSU player to be drafted.
Maxann Reese was picked 39th by the Portland Fire, and Kristen Rasmussen was taken by Utah Starzz in 2000. Syreeta Bromfield was picked 28th by Detroit in 2003.
MSU senior center Kelli Roehrig wasn't selected in the draft.
Brian Charlton can be reached at charlt10@msu.edu.
2005 WNBA draft
Here are the 13 first-round players drafted into the WNBA on Saturday.
1. Charlotte, Janel McCarville, center from Minnesota
2. Indiana, Tan White, guard from Mississippi State
3. Phoenix, Sandora Irvin, forward from Texas Christian
4. San Antonio, Kendra Wecker, forward from Kansas State
5. Houston, Sancho Lyttle, center from Houston
6. Washington, Temeka Johnson, center from Louisiana State
7. Detroit, Kara Braxton, center from Georgia
8. Connecticut, Katie Feenstra, center from Liberty
9. Sacramento, Kristin Haynie, guard from MSU
10. New York, Loree Moore, guard from Tennessee
11. Minnesota, Kristen Mann, guard from California-Santa Barbara
12. Seattle, Tanisha Wright, guard from Penn State
13. Detroit, Dionnah Jackson, guard from Oklahoma
Source: WNBA
