On the Saturday before spring break, Lady Lion Kam Gissendanner's cell phone rang.
The voice on the other end was head coach Coquese Washington.
"Kam, you got invited," she said.
The news was short but sweet, as those four words sent Gissendanner's emotions sky high, and her life-long dreams to a very real reality.
After finishing her Penn State basketball career last month, Gissendanner, one of 30 players in Lady Lion history to record 1,000 points, has been invited to take part in the 2008 WNBA pre-draft camp, to be held Friday and Saturday in Tampa, Fla.
The camp offers WNBA coaches and general managers an opportunity to evaluate the skills of about 40 top prospects of the current senior class.
"I just feel like this is a big chance for me to impress people," Gissendanner said. "I want to go out there and show them my skills. I couldn't pass up this opportunity."
According to WNBA Director of Communications Ron Howard, the final list of players has not yet been released, and because the camp will take place during the NCAA women's tournament, players still involved in the tournament are not eligible to participate.
Howard said the women will arrive the night before the camp, then spend the next two days taking part in assorted drills and exercises. Everything from shooting techniques to one-on-one drills will test the athletes' skill level, giving each player an opportunity to play some of the sport's best.
"Having the chance to have all the coaches see you going against other really good players is a big opportunity," Mechelle Voepel, Kansas City Star and ESPN.com women's basketball writer, wrote in an e-mail.
"It's one thing for coaches to hear of your reputation or possibly have seen you in a game or two. At the camp, they are evaluating you against the other best seniors and it's right in front of their eyes."
Gissendanner will have the chance to become the second Lady Lion drafted into the WNBA over the past two seasons. Last April, former Lady Lion Amanda Brown was selected by the Los Angeles Sparks with the 38th pick. Though she did not earn a roster spot, Brown has provided Gissendanner with some insight to help her have success at the next level.
"I've talked with her a lot," Gissendanner said. "She's told me a lot about what to expect and how to prepare for the camp. The main piece of advice she gave me was to just go out there and be myself."
Though Penn State's season has been over for almost a month now, that hasn't kept Gissendanner from spending the majority of her time on the hardwood.
Gissendanner said she is continuing to sharpen all parts of her game, particularly her shooting, an aspect the guard said she has been working on five to six days a week.
Gissendanner also said if she is not selected in the April 9 draft, the chance to play ball overseas is still an option.
"My first goal is to make the WNBA," Gissendanner said, "but if that's not in my plans, then I would be happy to play overseas. It would be a big change and a different atmosphere. It would just be a different experience."
