March 21, 2007

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Southeast Missouri State senior Lachelle Lyles (Chicago, Ill./Shelton State CC) has earned an invitation to participate in the annual Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) pre-draft camp on March 29-31 in Cleveland. The camp, which features the top 50 draft prospects in the country, will be held on the campus of Cleveland State University.

Lyles, a 6-2 center, helped the Redhawks post a 24-8 overall record, a program-best in Southeast's Division I era, along with winning their second consecutive Ohio Valley Conference championship and NCAA Tournament appearance. She has ranked first among the Division I leaders in rebounding with an average of 17 boards per game that included a career-best 32 at Tennessee State on Dec. 7.

Lyles was a First Team All-OVC selection and captured All-Tournament team honors at the OVC Tournament after grabbing a tournament-record 50 boards. She scored the game-winning basket against Murray State in the OVC finals and tallied 10 caroms in the Redhawks' NCAA first round game against nationally-ranked Oklahoma.

"I am just excited about the chance to compete in this camp," said Lyles. "I'm glad that they (WNBA) are giving me the opportunity to show my skills at the next level."

The WNBA Draft is scheduled for April 4 at the Renaissance Hotel in Cleveland's Public Square and will be televised live on ESPN2 at 1 p.m.