April Sykes, Senior, Forward, Rutgers
Overview:
April Sykes came to Piscataway from Mississippi with high expectations. As a freshman she did get to play but went through some adjustment from high school to college, which is pretty common in college basketball. She started two games and played an average of 13 minutes per contest in helping the Scarlet Knights to another 20 win season.
As a sophomore, Sykes was primarily in a reserve role but expanded her presence in the starting lineup by starting 11 of 34 games and she averaged about 21 minutes a game. Sykes scored 5.6 points per game and had 3.5 rebounds per contest. In 2010-11, Sykes carried the load for the Scarlet Knights taking her game up to another level. She led Rutgers in scoring at 14.1 points per game and was very proficient from three point range shooting 37.6 percent. This perimeter shooting element makes her difficult to prepare for and it opens up driving lanes for the Scarlet Knight guards.
Final Projection:
April is looking to build on an excellent junior season. The international experience trying out for Team USA will only help her growth coming back to Rutgers for her senior season. The always arduous Big East should give Sykes plenty of tests, especially against Devreaux Peters of Notre Dame and Stephanie Dolson of UCONN. Sykes has plenty of upside to her game and with continued development should solidly secure a draft spot in the 2012 WNBA Draft.
