Ajsa Sivka, Hailey Van Lith, Aziaha James taken with final 3 picks in first round of the WNBA draft

NEW YORK (AP) — A look at the first-round picks in the WNBA draft, in order of selection:

The 5-foot-11 guard from Hopkins, Minnesota, is considered a generational player. Bueckers averaged 19.9 points and shot 41.9% from behind the 3-point line this season. Bueckers was one of the most efficient players in college basketball, playing 38 games this season for the national champion Huskies and 123 in her career. She will pair with Arike Ogunbowale in the Wings’ backcourt. Bueckers was the 2021 AP player of the year and a three-time AP All-American.

The 6-foot-6 center played for the French Olympic team last year and has a bright future in the WNBA. She averaged 15.0 points and 10.3 rebounds so far this season while playing for Lyon. She is 19 and won’t turn 20 until November. But Malonga gave a glimpse of her dazzling athleticism last fall, dunking for Lyon.

Citron is a 6-foot-1 guard. She averaged 14.1 points and 5.4 rebounds during her career at Notre Dame, where she worked hard enough on her defense to become one of the top defenders on the team. She also shot over 90% from the free throw line the past two seasons, one of the best percentages in the country. Citron started 107 of 124 games played over four seasons at Notre Dame.

The 6-foot-3 forward was a star at Stanford before spending her last season at USC. She averaged 18.0 points and 8.4 rebounds with the Trojans. Iriafen then raised her game when JuJu Watkins went down with an ACL tear, helping USC get to the Elite Eight.

The 6-foot Jocyte showcased her scoring skills with a 22-point effort against Belgium in the EuroBasket qualifiers. She’s a versatile player who can play any guard position. She is really effective on the pick-and-roll with a toughness and fundamental skills that are impressive for someone who turns 20 on Nov. 19.

Amoore is a 5-foot-6 guard with lots of experience, starting 155 of 157 games over five college seasons. Amoore averaged 19.6 points and 6.9 assists for Kentucky this season after transferring from Virginia Tech, where she spent her first four seasons. She is from Ballarat, Victoria, in Australia.

The 6-foot-1 forward led the nation in double-doubles as she averaged 18.7 points and 13.5 rebounds a game. She is second in that category for a career, behind only Oklahoma great Courtney Paris, having more than 100 in her career with her last two seasons at LSU after playing her first two at DePaul. The native of Chicago has a toughness and nose for the basketball.

The 6-foot-1 forward is coming off a season where she was All-ACC first team and also Atlantic Coast Conference All-Defensive Team for a second straight year. She helped lead the Wolfpack to the Final Four last season. Rivers helped South Carolina win the 2022 national championship her freshman year before transferring. Rivers averaged 11.9 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists this past season, starting all 35 games. She also is a good defender averaging, 1.3 blocks and 1.6 steals.

Finished her college career by scoring a school-record 45 points in Alabama's 111-108 double-overtime loss to Maryland in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Was first-team All-SEC selection in the last two of her three seasons with the Crimson Tide. Spent her first two seasons at Georgia. The 6-foot guard, a native of Birmingham, is the daughter of Jay Barker, who quarterbacked Alabama to the 1992 college football championship.

Sivka has size at 6-foot-4 that makes her a difficult matchup. She also is another European who won’t turn 20 until Nov. 23. Sivka is a multilevel scoring forward with efficient shot-making ability. She made over 42% from the 3-point line.

Van Lith is a 5-foot-9 guard who became the first player to play on three different teams in the Elite Eight after revitalizing her own college career at TCU. Van Lith averaged 17.9 points and 5.4 assists this season as TCU reach the Elite Eight for the first time in school history. Van Lith also has some pro experience helping the U.S. win a bronze medal in 3-on-3 at last year’s Paris Olympics.

The 5-foot-10 native of Virginia Beach, Virginia, is a two-time All-ACC first team player. James played in 105 straight games to finish her career at N.C. State. She capped her career averaging a career-high 17.9 points a game. She also grabbed an average of 4.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.1 steals, starting 34 of 35 games. James shot an average of 44.5% from the floor, 33.3% from 3-point range and 75% at the free throw line.

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North Caroline State's Aziaha James, left, poses for a photo with WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert after being selected 12th overall by the Dallas Wings during the first round of the WNBA basketball draft, Monday, April 14, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

TCU's Hailey Van Lith, right, poses for a photo with WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert after being selected 11th overall by the Chicago Sky during the first round of the WNBA basketball draft, Monday, April 14, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

Ajsa Sivka, left, poses for a photo with WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert after being selected 10th overall by the Chicago Sky during the first round of the WNBA basketball draft, Monday, April 14, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

Alabama's Sarah Ashlee Barker, left, poses for a photo with WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert after being selected ninth overall by the Los Angeles Sparks during the first round of the WNBA basketball draft, Monday, April 14, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

North Carolina State's Saniya Rivers, right, embraces WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert after being selected eighth overall by the Connecticut Sun during the first round of the WNBA basketball draft, Monday, April 14, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

LSU's Aneesah Morrow, left, poses with WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert after being selected seventh overall by the Connecticut Sun during the first round of the WNBA basketball draft, Monday, April 14, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

Kentucky's Georgia Amoore, left, poses for a photo with WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert after being selected sixth overall by the Washington Mystics during the first round of the WNBA basketball draft, Monday, April 14, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

Southern California's Kiki Iriafen, right, poses with WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert after being selected fourth overall by the Washington Mystics during the first round of the WNBA basketball draft, Monday, April 14, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

Notre Dame's Sonia Citron, left, poses with WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert after being selected third overall by the Washington Mystics during the first round of the WNBA basketball draft, Monday, April 14, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

Dominique Malonga, left, poses with WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert after being selected second overall by the Seattle Storm during the first round of the WNBA basketball draft, Monday, April 14, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

UConn's Paige Bueckers reacts after being selected first overall by the Dallas Wings during the first round of the WNBA basketball draft, Monday, April 14, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The head of Iran’s judiciary signaled Wednesday there would be fast trials and executions ahead for those detained in nationwide protests despite a warning from U.S. President Donald Trump.

The comments from Iran’s judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei come as activists had warned hangings of those detained could come soon. Already, a bloody security force crackdown on the demonstrations has killed at least 2,571, the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported. That figure dwarfs the death toll from any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades and recalls the chaos surrounding the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Trump repeatedly has warned that the United States may take military action over the killing of peaceful protesters, just months after it bombed Iranian nuclear sites during a 12-day war launched by Israel against the Islamic Republic in June.

Meanwhile Wednesday, Iran held a mass funeral of some 100 security force members killed in the demonstrations after authorities earlier said it would be 300. Tens of thousands of mourners attended, holding Iranian flags and photos of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The caskets, covered in Iranian flags, stood stacked at least three high. Red and white roses and framed photographs of people who were killed covered them.

People elsewhere remained fearful in the streets. Plainclothes security forces still milled around some neighborhoods, though anti-riot police and members of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard's all-volunteer Basij force appeared to have been sent back to their barracks.

“We are very frightened because of these sounds (of gunfire) and protests,” said one mother of two children shopping for fruits and vegetables Wednesday, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. “We have heard many are killed and many are injured. Now peace has been restored but schools are closed and I’m scared to send my children to school again.”

Ahmadreza Tavakoli, 36, told The Associated Press he witnessed one demonstration in Tehran and was shocked by the use of firearms by authorities.

“People were out to express themselves and protest, but quickly it turned into a war zone,” Tavakoli said. “The people do not have guns. Only the security forces have guns.”

Mohseni-Ejei made the comment in a video shared by Iranian state television online.

“If we want to do a job, we should do it now. If we want to do something, we have to do it quickly,” he said. “If it becomes late, two months, three months later, it doesn’t have the same effect. If we want to do something, we have to do that fast.”

His comments stand as a direct challenge to Trump, who warned Iran about executions an interview with CBS aired Tuesday.

“We will take very strong action,” Trump said. “If they do such a thing, we will take very strong action.”

“We don’t want to see what’s happening in Iran happen. And you know, if they want to have protests, that’s one thing, when they start killing thousands of people, and now you’re telling me about hanging — we’ll see how that works out for them. It’s not going to work out good.”

One Arab Gulf diplomat told the AP that major Mideast governments had been discouraging the Trump administration from launching a war now with Iran, fearing “unprecedented consequences” for the region that could explode into a “full-blown war.” The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak to journalists.

Meanwhile, activists said Wednesday that Starlink was offering free service in Iran. The satellite internet service has been key in getting around an internet shutdown launched by the theocracy on Jan. 8. Iran began allowing people to call out internationally on Tuesday via their mobile phones, but calls from people outside the country into Iran remain blocked.

“We can confirm that the free subscription for Starlink terminals is fully functional,” said Mehdi Yahyanejad, a Los Angeles-based activist who has helped get the units into Iran. “We tested it using a newly activated Starlink terminal inside Iran.”

Starlink itself did not immediately acknowledge the decision.

Security service personnel also apparently were searching for Starlink dishes, as people in northern Tehran reported authorities raiding apartment buildings with satellite dishes. While satellite television dishes are illegal, many in the capital have them in homes, and officials broadly had given up on enforcing the law in recent years.

The Human Rights Activists News Agency said 2,403 of the dead were protesters and 147 were government-affiliated. Twelve children were killed, along with nine civilians it said were not taking part in protests. More than 18,100 people have been detained, the group said.

Gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult, and the AP has been unable to independently assess the toll given the communications being disrupted in the country.

Associated Press writers Melanie Lidman in Jerusalem and Samy Magdy in Cairo contributed to this report.

FILE - This frame grab from footage circulating on social media shows protesters dancing and cheering around a bonfire as they take to the streets despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world, in Tehran, Iran, Jan. 9, 2026. (UGC via AP, File)

FILE - In this photo released by an official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks in a ceremony to mark the Shiite holiday of Eid al-Ghadir, in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, June 25, 2024. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP, File)