For a second straight season, a WNBA Draft pick has called North Carolina home.

Saniya Rivers, a star at Laney and Ashley High School in New Hanover County, was selected eighth overall out of N.C. State by the Connecticut Sun.

Rivers initially pledged her commitment to the University of South Carolina as the nation’s No. 3 ranked recruit. She was the highest-ranked player to come out of North Carolina since Butler’s Cierra Burdick in 2011.

As a freshman, she was a part of the Gamecocks’ national championship team.

Rivers scored 1,152 points over her freshman and sophomore seasons at Laney. In 2018, Hurricane Florence displaced her and her family, leading to her transfer to Ashley.

As a junior for the Screaming Eagles, the 6-foot guard averaged 25 points per game, 12 rebounds per game, six steals per game, and four assists per game.

Her senior season was one of the most memorable in recent history. Rivers helped Ashley to a 15-2 season, including a trip to the 4A eastern regional championship game. She averaged 36.8 points 11.5 rebounds, 5.3 steals, and 5.1 assists per game. She was named a McDonald’s All-American and was a two-time HighSchoolOT Honors Player of the Year honoree.

She returned to her home state for the final three years of her collegiate career. With the Wolfpack, Rivers was named ACC Sixth Player of the Year as a sophomore then All-ACC First Team and ACC All-Defensive Team as a junior and senior.

Rivers ended her college career, having started and played in 61 straight games. She was the only player in N.C. State history with at least 1,100 points, 600 rebounds, 350 assists, 180 steals, and 100 blocks, hitting those marks in only three seasons.

As a junior, she was a member of the Wolfpack team that qualified for the NCAA Women’s Final Four.

Last season, the Connecticut Sun finished with the third-best record in the WNBA, second in the Eastern Conference to eventual champion the New York Liberty.