St. John’s University, Jamaica, senior women’s basketball guards Nadirah McKenith and Shenneika Smith became the first-ever WNBA draft picks in program history Monday. McKenith was picked up by the Washington Mystics No. 17 overall, and Smith was taken by the New York Liberty with the 25th pick.

“This was an extraordinary night for two of our young ladies, Nadirah and Shenneika, who became the first-ever WNBA draft picks in our program history,” remarked head coach Joe Tartamella. “It was also a special night for our community and women’s basketball program as a whole, and I couldn’t be prouder of these two young ladies. I have had the opportunity to not only watch these two play as young players in high school but also be someone who was able to recruit them over time, and then to become their head coach as well. It is something special to me, and I really have a lot of pride that I was able to watch these two young ladies grow up before my eyes. It just shows how special St. John’s is and what our players can be capable of as part of our program.”

McKenith was selected by the Mystics with their second pick in the draft.

“Nadirah has the ability to be a leader, and she brings an extremely talented skill set to the point guard position for Washington and I hope she is able to contribute for them in whatever capacity they need,” Tartamella said. “She couldn’t be more excited to have the opportunity to be able to prove herself at the professional level. This has been a dream of hers for her whole life and I am so happy that she is going to be able to do it, and we wish her the best as she gets ready for camp.”

Smith was taken by the hometown Liberty in the third round. The Liberty traded with the Mystics for the third-round pick earlier in the day on Monday.

“Shenneika gets the opportunity to stay home in New York, which is great for her and will be one of the pluses for New York if they do feel that she will be able to contribute to their team,” Tartamella said. “She has obviously been a tremendous scorer for us over time but also can defend and play at multiple positions. They are getting a very versatile and athletic player, who can score the ball, which is always important at the professional level. Her versatility will be her strength, and that will be a key factor in getting her on the floor for the Liberty.”

The Phoenix Mercury had the No. 1 pick in the draft. They selected Baylor University, Waco, Texas, forward Brittney Griner.

St. John’s has had five players in the past five years sign professional contracts overseas. McKenith and Smith’s former teammates Da’Shena Stevens and Centhya “Coco” Hart both played professionally this season, with Stevens in Switzerland and Hart in Germany. Tiina Sten (Class of 2008) played in the same league as Hart during the 2012-13 season in Germany. In addition to Stevens, Hart and Sten, Joy McCorvey (Class of 2010), previously played in Germany with the DBBL’s TUS Jena Burgaupark Lady Baskets and Monique McLean (Class of 2009) played for the Greek franchise, Olympiakos.

“Tonight speaks volumes of where our program is headed and our ability for our program to have players that will have the opportunity to get drafted into the pros,” Tartamella said. “That is something that we have always been trying to build toward as a program over the last few years and this just shows what our players are capable of and we are really proud of the fact that we got not just one but two players go in the same draft.”