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	The Comets select Ashley Shields with the No. 8 pick The Comets select Dee Davis with the No. 14 pick Comments from Ashley Shields after the draft
	Ashley Shields Dee Davis (Photos: Jennifer Pottheiser /NBAE/ Getty Images)

HOUSTON – The Houston Comets added three players in the 2007 WNBA Draft, including Southwest Tennessee Community College guard Ashley Shields with its first round selection (8th overall). Rounding out Houston’s selections were Vanderbilt guard Dee Davis (14th overall) in the second round, and center Kristin Newlin out of Stanford (34th overall) in the third round.

Shields (5’10, guard) transferred to Southwest Tennessee after playing one season at Northwest Mississippi Community College. In her 2006-2007 season she scored 673 points, averaged 11 rebounds per game, 7 assists per game, and had a total of 107 steals. Shields was named to the 2007 Junior College/Community College Kodak/WBCA All-American Team. Shields also was Player of the Year in the Tennessee Junior and Community College Athletic Association by a unanimous vote of the coaches. Shields scored an NJCAA record 65 points in the Lady Saluqis' TJCCAA/NJCAA Region VII Tournament quarterfinal win over Cleveland State. Shields finished her high school career as the number two all-time leading scorer in Memphis and Shelby County history with 3,571 points (ranking her behind only former Tennessee and WNBA player Nikki McCray). Shields was born on June 15, 1985 in Memphis. She is the daughter of Tina Johnson and Ron Shields.

Head Coach and General Manager Karleen Thompson believes Shields is "one of the best players coming out of the 2007 draft. She is a point guard who has the versatility to move to the shooting guard position. She can handle the ball under pressure and is an exceptional passer, rebounds well and is a tenacious defender."

Davis (5’7, guard) was first-team All-Southeastern Conference selected by league coaches and second-team All-SEC pick by the Associated Press for the 2006 season. Davis ranks among national leaders in assists per game (5.5). Davis ranks sixth all-time in the SEC for career assists (718). Davis was Coaches All-SEC First Team for 2006, AP All-SEC Second Team for both the 2005 and 2006 seasons, and Coaches All-SEC Second Team for 2005. Over her four seasons at Vanderbilt she averaged 6 assists per game, 3 rebounds per game, and 9 points per game. Davis is a native of Cincinnati, Ohio.

“Davis is a pure point guard and floor general who loves to distribute the ball. She can also score if left open. She is a tough on ball defender as well,” said Thompson.

Newlin (6’5, center) set the Stanford school record for blocks in a single game with eight in her freshman season. Newlin ranks fifth in Stanford school history with 119 career blocks. Over her four seasons at Stanford, Newlin averaged 6 rebounds per game and 7 points per game. She was a Pac-10 All-Academic honorable mention selection as a junior and was named to the 2004 Pac-10 All-Freshmen Team.

“Newlin is from a program that has a long tradition of success. She is a physical, low post player who can score consistently on the low block and has the ability to step out and hit the 3,” said Thompson.

The Comets regular season starts with a road game in Seattle on May 19th. The first home game of the season is May 29th against the San Antonio Silver Stars.

Individual game tickets for the preseason and regular season went on sale today at noon. To purchase season tickets, mini-plans or group tickets, call (713) 627-WNBA or go online at www.houstoncomets.com.