For four years, a faithful contingent of Jenny Mowe fans from the tiny city of Powers went to every Oregon women’s basketball game to watch their hometown hero play.
The Jenny Mowe fan club won’t have to travel much farther to see her play now.
Mowe, a former Duck center, was drafted Friday by the Women’s National Basketball Association’s Portland Fire in the second round with the 20th overall pick, becoming the first women’s player in Oregon history to be drafted.
Fellow senior Angelina Wolvert was also drafted Friday. The 6-foot-3 forward/center was taken in the third round with the 43rd pick by the Cleveland Rockers.
“They’re very successful players,” Oregon head coach Jody Runge said. “To have two players in the WNBA is a real compliment to our program. They haven’t always been acknowledged as national players, but they did a great job in the [pre-draft] camps to improve their standing.”
Mowe, 6-foot-5, and Wolvert were a force for the Ducks in four NCAA Tournament seasons and a part of one of the best recruiting classes in school history. Mowe finished her career at Oregon second all-time in blocked shots (222) and field goal possession (.573), while averaging 8.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game.

Wolvert led the Ducks in scoring and rebounding this season with 14.1 points and 5.9 rebounds, along with 39 steals, 21 blocks and a .791 free-throw percentage. The Camas, Wash., native finished her career ninth on the all-time scoring list, fifth in field goal percentage, seventh in blocks and free-throw percentage, eighth in rebounds and ninth in steals.
“I think Jenny will really blossom,” Runge said. “Angelina’s a very versatile post player. She has a lot of offensive moves to go along with a good post defense. I’m really proud of them.”
Mowe and Wolvert were the first two players selected out of five Pacific-10 Conference draftees. Other conference players picked were Arizona’s Reshea Bristol, Stanford’s Carolyn Moos and Washington’s Megan Franza.
Mowe joins a 10-22 Portland team that finished seventh in the Western Conference last season and failed to make the playoffs. Mowe should make an immediate impact on the Fire, who have only one center on the roster and only two players over 6-foot-4.
“I am so excited,” Mowe told The Register-Guard. “I’m going to Portland. My friends and family can see me play. It’s really awesome.”
Mowe will likely play behind Sylvia Crawley, a 6-foot-5 forward/center. Crawley led the Fire in rebounding last season and finished second in scoring. Crawley could also play power forward next season.
“Jenny’s going to give us great depth at the post position,” Portland head coach Linda Hargrove said. “She’s going to create a lot of problems for the opposition.”
Portland also drafted Southwest Missouri State guard Jackie Stiles, the career NCAA scoring leader, LaQuandra Barksdale of North Carolina, Pepperdine’s Kasheed Clark and Rutgers’ Tasha Pointer in one of the league’s most highly touted draft pools.
“It’s such an honor,” Mowe said. “I’m so proud, so grateful.”
Wolvert joins a more successful Cleveland team that was 17-15 last season, good enough for second in the Eastern Conference.
“Angelina Wolvert is a really interesting third-round pick because you’re talking about a player that has a lot of versatility as a post player with the ability not only to play on the block but to face-up and to score,” Rockers head coach Dan Hughes said.
As second- and third-round picks, Mowe and Wolvert will be given two-year contracts worth $33,000 and $29,700, respectively. They can earn an additional $10,000 bonus if their teams reach the WNBA finals.
Both players will report to training camp May 2.