BASKETBALL

Although there’s no clear favorite for the No. 1 pick this time like Candace Parker a year ago, there will be plenty of impact players available in Thursday’s WNBA draft.

Courtney Paris of Oklahoma, Angel McCoughtry of Louisville, and Renee Montgomery of Connecticut -- all of whom will be playing in the Final Four this weekend -- are expected to be among the top selections, along with Maryland’s Kristi Toliver and Marissa Coleman.

“I think those are the top five or six players,” said Atlanta Dream Coach Marynell Meadors, whose team has the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft.

Paris holds 18 NCAA records, including the mark for consecutive double-doubles (112), and became the first four-time AP All-American in women’s basketball last week. McCoughtry has averaged 22.9 points and 9.5 rebounds her last three years, and Montgomery is averaging career bests of 16.2 points and 5.1 assists this season to help Connecticut enter the weekend a perfect 37-0.

The Dream finished 4-30 in its inaugural season last year but bolstered their lineup in the off-season by selecting former Houston forward Sancho Lyttle in the dispersal draft and signing Comets teammate Michelle Snow as a free agent.

Atlanta also signed forward Chamique Holdsclaw, who retired early in the 2007 season, and point guard Nikki Teasley, who sat out last season after having a baby.

Washington, which selects second, has also made changes. The Mystics acquired Lindsey Harding -- the No. 1 pick two years ago -- in a trade with Minnesota, and brought back veteran center Chasity Melvin, whom they traded to Chicago early in the 2007 season.

“Obviously with the No. 2 pick, we’re waiting to see what Atlanta does,” new Mystics Coach Julie Plank said. “When I took the job, I thought our two biggest needs were point guard and center. I think we addressed both of those needs in the off-season.”

Other potential first-round picks include Auburn’s DeWanna Bonner, Rutgers’ Kia Vaughn, Pittsburgh’s Shavonte Zellous, Oklahoma’s Ashley Paris, California’s Ashley Walker and Purdue’s Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton.

Chicago has the third pick and Minnesota is fourth. Indiana picks sixth, followed by Sacramento, New York, Minnesota again, and Connecticut. Defending champion Detroit, Seattle and the Sparks complete the first round.

“I’ve picked 11 two or three times already and it’s hit or miss,” Shock Coach Bill Laimbeer said. “You have to hit the right mix of players for your team, or draft board leverage to move on to someone else. We’re looking for a guard or a small forward. We’ve got a lot of good bigs, quality bigs.”

In addition to one fewer team this season, the league also reduced teams’ roster sizes. The last few years, teams were allowed to carry up to 13 players, with two designated as inactive before each game. This season, teams will only be allowed 11 on the roster. Although some teams didn’t carry the extra players, that’s a potential reduction of 39 players in the league this year.

“The competition for jobs in this league right now is extraordinary,” Laimbeer said. “And extraordinary may be too soft a word. It’s going to be very, very difficult for a [new] player to make a team in this league.”

With the reduction in roster sizes, Monarchs General Manager John Whisenant pointed to versatility being important for young players.

“What we have to be prepared to do is have multiple skilled players to play different positions because there will be injuries,” said Whisenant, who coached Sacramento to the WNBA championship in 2005 and a finals appearances the following year.

Laimbeer, who led the Shock to championships in 2003, 2006, and 2008, agreed, adding: “I never looked at the roster number. I always believed in multiple-position players, that’s why we always draft big guards and we draft versatile players across the board. . . . You must play multiple positions and the athletes coming in today can do that.”

In another change from previous years, the WNBA decided not to hold a predraft camp this time and coaches downplayed its role in the selection process.