Jenna Smith on her way to Washington

Illinois’ Jenna Smith (13) goes to give a high-five to teammate Lacey Simpson during a game against Purdue in the Assembly Hall on Feb. 21, 2009. The Washington Mystics chose Smith with the 14th pick in Thursday’s draft.
Brad Meyer The Daily Illini

Jenna Smith has never been to our nation’s capital.

She will become very acquainted with Washington D.C., very soon, because the Washington Mystics took her with the 14th pick in the WNBA draft.

Smith said she was shocked when her name was called just after 3 p.m. on Thursday as she watched the draft with coaches, teammates and draft hopeful and former Illini forward Lacey Simpson.

“I was just shocked, I was just speechless ... my jaw just dropped,” Smith said.

“I didn’t have any expectations ... It kind of hit me like a dream, it was like, ‘It’s finally here.’”

Smith probably shouldn’t have been surprised. She’s a three-time All-Big Ten First team member and led the league in rebounding this year.

Although the Illini’s season was rocky — Illinois finished ninth in the Big Ten for the third straight year ­— Smith was expected by most mock drafts to go within the first two rounds.

She’ll head to Washington along with 6-foot-5 Florida State and fellow lefty post Jacinta Monroe, whom the Mystics took with the sixth pick.

Monroe averaged 13.2 points per game and 7.3 rebounds for the Seminoles this season. Smith averaged 18.1 points and 11.3 rebounds per game.

The Mystics were 16-18 last season and grabbed the fourth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

With 11-player rosters, Smith knows she’ll have to fight for a spot.

In a money-starved league, though, it’s likely that a team would take a chance on a rookie rather than a higher-salaried veteran.

Either way, Smith is glad to finally have landed a spot in the pros.

“It was just good to know that all your hard work pays off and that people really recognize what you’ve done over your four years,” she said.

One of the first calls Smith took after the draft was from her mother, who was crying so hard Smith couldn’t hear her.

While parents Frank and Gigi drove to Champaign from Bloomington, Minn., for most of their daughter’s games, the drive to D.C. is about 19 hours. Smith thinks that’s too long.

“I told them they need to start flying,” she said. “They love driving and seeing scenery.”

The senior hopes to finish out her classes and stay in playing shape before the end of April, when she’ll start her new life.

Smith, though, knows she won’t be alone when she heads to Washington.

“One of the people that worked there went to Illinois, and she was trying to get me to sing the Illinois school song, we were just laughing on the phone, so they all seem great out there,” Smith said.

Simpson was not drafted, but the Illinois career steals leader received a call from San Antonio immediately following the conclusion of the draft, and took several other calls.