A March Madness star was sure she knew which WNBA team would draft her, and she made sure to tell her new coach when he proved her right

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DiJonai Carrington was projected in WNBA mock drafts as a late first-round or early second-round pick.

But on Thursday night, the Baylor standout watched as her name stuck around on the draft board for longer than most anticipated. She slipped to the latter half of the second round before the Connecticut Sun scooped her up with the 20th overall pick. It was their first selection of the night.

Carrington's prolonged wait was a surprise to WNBA experts. But the 5-foot-11 guard had a hunch that she'd wind up in the exact situation that transpired.

During a phone call with her new head coach, Curt Miller, Carrington immediately claimed that she knew she'd wind up with the Sun.

"No, literally, after the first round, I said 'I'm going to Connecticut,'" she said. "I was like 'I'm going there — I know it.'"

"I'm so excited," Carrington added.

There's an irony to San Diego, California, native's lifelong dream being realized by the Sun. Just weeks before Connecticut snagged her in the draft, Carrington saw her collegiate career come to a bitter end against the nearby Connecticut Huskies in the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament.

The Lady Bears' star graduate transfer put up a potential game-winning shot in the final seconds, looking for a call that never came — much to the dismay of Carrington, her coach, and most anyone who watched the replay.

Carrington's performance in the tournament helped place her in the national spotlight. She rose to the occasion against the mighty Huskies, leading Baylor with 22 points and securing seven rebounds to boot in the two-point defeat.

If that performance is predictive of her future in Connecticut, Miller has lots to look forward to once preseason begins for the Sun. And for his part, the sixth-year head coach never wavered on who he wanted out of this year's draft class.

"I told you!" he told Carrington on the phone. "I told you we were gonna get you."

Check out the clip of their conversation below:

 

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