Seattle stuck with Sue Bird. Connecticut's four seniors went in the first round. And guards were definitely in demand.

But there were a few surprises in Friday's WNBA Draft. Here's a look at how things shaped up:

Cash in demand
It was very surprising to see Detroit draft Swin Cash with the second overall pick. Cash certainly has the talent to warrant the high selection, but the Shock seemed solid inside and more in need of a true point guard. Both Deanna Nolan and Edwina Brown typically play the 2 or 3, and Dominique Canty can play the 1, 2 or 3, but a lot of people thought the first priority might be to take Nikki Teasley or Sheila Lambert. Instead, it appears Detroit will put the ball in the hands of its fifth pick of the day, Kathy Wambe, a 5-foot-9 guard from Belgium who went as the 22nd overall pick.

Detroit picked up a lot of good players. In addition to Cash, a forward, the Shock added post players in Ayana Walker of Louisiana Tech and Jill Chapman from Indiana in the second round. Detroit also picked up guard/forwards Lenae Williams of DePaul (18th overall pick) and Ericka Haney of Notre Dame (47th overall). Considering Detroit already has 6-6 center Oksana Zakaluzhnaya, 6-3 center Astou Ndiaye-Diatta and 6-2 forward Wendy Palmer, the group will be an interesting mix once everyone's in training camp.

Should have gone higher

	Welle

Of all the big names we expected to hear sooner, Angie Welle tops the list. The Iowa State center averaged a double-double in Big 12 play and led the nation in field-goal percentage. She was projected to be drafted in the middle or later part of the first round, but was selected by Cleveland with the 31st pick overall. Forward Linda Fröhlich also probably should have gone higher than 26th (New York). She's a great scorer -- as UNLV's all-time (men's or women's) leading scorer, Fröhlich capped her career with 2,355 points -- and a very strong, smart player.

Higher than expected
UAB's Deanna Jackson is a very talented player, but Cleveland surprised a few people when they drafted the UAB forward instead of a point guard with the eighth overall pick. The selection really emphasizes the Rockers' confidence in Jen Rizzotti as their point guard, and Cleveland probably needed Jackson's versatility. Oklahoma guards LaNeishea Caufield (14th overall to Utah) and Rosalind Ross (16th overall to Los Angeles) also were drafted a little higher than projected, which shows how much big performances in the NCAA Tournament can mean to a player's draft status. Ross, a streaky 3-point shooter who has played with several torn ligaments in her right knee for some time, came up big at the Final Four, and Michael Cooper must have been watching. As for Caufield, she has had a couple great years with the Sooners, and will be able to add some support to Utah.

Sting operation
Before the draft even began, Anne Donovan and the Sting were off to a good start after orchestrating Thursday night's trade that sent center Clarisse Machanguana to Orlando for the No. 7 overall pick. As a result, Charlotte picked up point guard Sheila Lambert at No. 7 and then added Shaunzinski Gortman, who was later traded, with the ninth overall pick.

Charlotte had a very good draft. The Sting needed a guard, both to add some depth and some youth to the position, and Lambert is an excellent point. Although she'll miss the early part of the season while she continues to recover from a fractured fibula, Lambert really landed in a great situation -- not only does she get drafted by a solid team, she also gets to have Dawn Staley, one of the all-time greats, as a mentor.

Gortman is a great player who really helped her draft stock with big-time performances in the NCAA Tournament, WBCA All-Star game and Pre-Draft Camp. Charlotte traded Gortman to the Minnesota Lynx for Erin Buescher and Maylana Martin.

Magnificent seven
UConn's four seniors were expected to each be drafted in the first round, but perhaps went quicker than expected and were spoken for after just six picks. That really speaks to the strength of UConn and to coach Geno Auriemma. He has had them playing a pro-style offense for four years, and this is the ultimate compliment to him. Overall, seven players from last month's NCAA title game were selected in the first round as three OU players also were taken. There's nothing like stepping up and playing big when people are watching.

Houston has a winner
Van Chancellor really likes Michelle Snow's game, and the Comets bettered themselves by drafting her with the 10th overall pick. Last week, we said Snow likely won't be a star at this level, but after seeing her stats from the Pre-Draft Camp and reconsidering her career, Snow can be a tremendous pro player. She has great hands, obviously great jumping ability and is playing with great confidence and freedom. We haven't seen her game truly blossom yet, and if this were any other year (read: if the UConn foursome wasn't around), Snow would have been a top-five pick.

Mercury rising
Some people questioned Phoenix giving up its first-round pick in a trade for 6-foot forward Tracy Reid. But even though the Mercury didn't even get on the clock until the 25th pick, the move proved to be a good one. None of the players taken before what would have been Phoenix's first-round pick -- including Tawana McDonald and the other first-round picks -- are better than Reid, so the Mercury picked up the best player that can help their team before the draft was even held.

Steals of the day
Sacramento got a steal with the 12th overall pick. Hamchétou Maïga is an outstanding player, and has the potential to grow into a Mwabi Mabika-type player. Maïga also should be pretty comfortable playing alongside fellow ODU alum Ticha Penicheiro. Indiana also drafted two quality players in Georgia's Tawana McDonald and Vanderbilt's Zuzi Klimesova, who was the SEC tournament's Most Valuable Player.

ESPN analyst and Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman is a former WNBA coach, general manager and player. She is a regular contributor to ESPN.com's women's basketball coverage.