Wnba Draft - Draft Picks Seek Redemption - Tulsa Shock - Espn

WNBA Draft: Glory Johnson After getting drafted fourth in the WNBA Draft , Glory Johnson stops by the espnW set to field some questions about going pro.Tags: espnW , NEXT VIDEO

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BRISTOL, Conn. Miami's Riquna Williams breathed a sigh of relief and gratitude when she heard her name called. Her wait was over, and she hopes a fresh start is ahead.

"I definitely got teary," Williams said.

At Monday's WNBA draft , Williams was one of the 15 players invited to take part at ESPN's studio. Considering how her Miami career ended she was not taken to the team's early-round NCAA tournament games at Gonzaga, where the Hurricanes lost in the second round Williams knew doubts had surrounded her.

So when Tulsa selected her in the second round with the 17th pick overall, Williams was extremely happy to be moving forward. She was one of the players who sees the WNBA as a chance for redemption of sorts, a way to perhaps prove something about themselves. A second chance.

"After what happened at the end of the season in my collegiate career, I wasn't expecting to go anywhere in the first round," said Williams, a 5-foot-7 guard who averaged 17.2 points in her Miami career. "It's a mistake I made. And it's something I have to deal with, the outcome.

"I think with Tulsa picking me, it's a great honor for them to believe in me and know that one situation doesn't determine who I am."

Neither Williams nor Miami coach Katie Meier have said exactly what happened, but apparently it wasn't a concern for Tulsa. The Shock, under first-year coach Gary Kloppenburg, have holes to fill and a new philosophy to embrace.

You could say the entire Shock franchise which relocated to Tulsa from Detroit in 2010 and has gone 9-59 in two seasons in Oklahoma is seeking redemption as well. The Shock started last season under coach Nolan Richardson, who resigned in July and was replaced by Teresa Edwards.

Now Kloppenburg will try to make Tulsa a competitive franchise. He's well-traveled, having coached at the college level, internationally, in the NBA and the WNBA. Most recently, he was Lin Dunn's assistant for the WNBA's Indiana Fever.

Last year, Tulsa took Australian center Liz Cambage and Stanford forward Kayla Pedersen in the first round. This summer, Cambage will be away with her national team through the Olympics, so the Shock might need some help in the paint.

WNBA Draft Mechelle Voepel email Women's Basketball