DeWanna Bonner got her wish — a warm destination. Bonner went fifth in today's WNBA Draft to the Phoenix Mercury.

Bonner, an Alabama native, had few pre-draft preferences other than hoping she got to play in a warm-weather city. Credit O-A News scribe Andrew Gribble for this fact: the average temperature in Phoenix from June to August is 104 degrees.

I don't know much about the Phoenix Mercury other than Nell Fortner said she modeled Auburn's up-tempo offense this year after the WNBA team. Sounds like a good fit.

The first four picks were Louisville's Angel McCoughtry (Atlanta), Maryland Marissa Coleman (Washington), Maryland's Kristi Toliver (Chicago) and UConn's Renee Montgomery (Minnesota).

Hopefully we get a chance to chat with Bonner here in a little while. I'll update again then.

(UPDATE): Whitney Boddie just went to the Sacramento Monarchs in the second round with the 20th overall pick.

We also just talked to Bonner, who was, in a word, excited.

"I just have to go in and prove myself and work really hard," she said. "I think that they have a great team. They have veterans. If I come off the bench, I'll give them something. Or if I start for them — it really doesn't matter."

Bonner was particularly happy to be going to a team with some veterans. The Mercury's star is guard Diana Taurasi.

Bonner said she'll likely train in Auburn until after graduation, then move out to Phoenix, a city she's never visited before.

She said the whole thing has been a dream.

"This is something that you grow up and you watch the WNBA, you're sitting in your backyard and you say, I'm such and such player, I'm Lisa Leslie, I'm Cynthia Cooper," Bonner said. "Then all of a sudden I'm here. I couldn't believe it. I was like, it still hasn't hit us yet that we're about to be in the WNBA. For me to go to a great team, that makes it that much better. And it's somewhere hot and I wanted to go somewhere warm and I'm excited."