Wiggins slows down for a moment to meet and greet

Bruce Bisping, Star Tribune

Minnesota Lynx Chief Operating Officer Roger Griffith introduced the Lynx top draft choices Candice Wiggins of Stanford (and not in picture) Nicky Anosike of Tennessee during a press conference at the Target Center.

The team's top draft pick talked about her father's death, her mother's support and her busy schedule, which included playing for a national title this week.

By ROMAN AUGUSTOVIZ, Star Tribune

Last update: April 10, 2008 - 10:45 PM

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Candice Wiggins, in four seasons at Stanford, had never seen Tara VanDerveer cry. But her college coach came close on Wednesday, at the WNBA draft.

"I am not going to be your coach anymore," a teary-eyed VanDerveer told Wiggins. "I won't be able to yell at you, but I will be yelling at you from the sidelines."

Her advice to Wiggins, the soon-to-be pro: Stay the person and the player you are.

The Lynx would be happy with that. Team officials rated Wiggins, a 5-11 shooting guard, the third-best player in a deeper-than-normal draft and took her No. 3 overall.

On Thursday, Wiggins and the Lynx's second pick, center Nicky Anosike of Tennessee, charmed the local media and a handful of season ticket-holders at a news conference at Target Center.

Both were witty, humble and said the right things.

Four hours later, Wiggins, in Minneapolis for less than a day, was at the airport, catching a flight for Los Angeles. She will receive one of her several national player of the year trophies there today, the Wooden Award.

After a quick stop at Stanford, Wiggins has to be in Chicago on Sunday for a three-day training camp with the U.S. national team. As soon as it ends, the team leaves for a six-nation tournament in Beijing from April 18 to April 26.

The present whirlwind Wiggins is in began Tuesday night with the NCAA title game. Stanford's 23-game winning streak ended with a 64-48 loss to Anosike and Tennessee.

"The past, I don't know how many hours, has been crazy and exciting," Wiggins said. "And I am very excited wearing Minnesota gear. I dreamed of this moment growing up."

Her older brother and sister both played basketball as youngsters in San Diego, but Candice has turned out to be the best of the three.

"I have natural talents genetically that I inherited from my father," Wiggins said. "I think my mom really knew, from a young age, that sports could be a very good tool for me."

Her father was Alan Wiggins, a second baseman for the San Diego Padres and Baltimore Orioles from 1981 to 1987. In 1984, he stole 70 bases and scored 106 runs as the Padres won their first National League pennant.

But his career was cut short as he battled his personal demons, depression and drug use.

"[My mom] knew him when he was in high school and saw the rise and fall of his life really," Wiggins said. "She really made sure I was focused and I knew what the important things were in life and to make sure you never let the pressure of a sport consume you, and get to you, and break you, which is what happened to my father. "

Alan Wiggins died in 1991 at 32 from complications of AIDS. Candice was a month away from turning 4.

Angela Wiggins helped her youngest child find her niche. "She saw this thing in me that really made her support me and push me to pursue athletics," Candice Wiggins said.

It worked. Wiggins went on to become the all-time leading scorer at Stanford and in the Pac-10.

Sharing the basketball as a member of the Lynx, with such teammates as Seimone Augustus and Lindsey Harding, is not a concern for Wiggins, who averaged 20.2 points as a senior.

"I know, just from my own experiences, the hardest teams to play are the ones that have multiple threats," Wiggins said. "The more offensive weapons you have, it only helps you."