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Former Hawkeye Monika Czinano waived by WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks
Third-round draft pick cut a few days before the WNBA season began
May. 16, 2023 10:39 am, Updated: May. 16, 2023 12:21 pm
The Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA waived rookie center Monika Czinano of Iowa as they neared this week’s start of the season.
Czinano was a first-team All-Big Ten player for the Hawkeyes in 2022-23, averaging 17.1 points and 6.5 rebounds. She scored 2,413 points over 162 games for Iowa over five seasons, the last of which was the NCAA championship.
Her .671 field goal percentage is fifth in NCAA Division I women’s history.
Czinano was a third-round draft pick of the Sparks on April 10, the 26th player selected. She played nine minutes and scored six points in their exhibition game against the Phoenix Mercury last Friday.
Megan Gustafson, who entered the WNBA in 2019 after a National Player of the Year season at Iowa, is on the Phoenix roster and is the only former Hawkeye in the league.
