Tamika Catchings

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tamika Catchings
Catchings handles the ball
Catchings handles the ball
Position Small Forward
Nickname Catch, Meek
Height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight 167 pounds (75.7 kg)
Team Indiana Fever
Nationality USA
Born July 21, 1979 (1979-07-21) (age 28)
Stratford, New Jersey
College University of Tennessee 01'
Draft 3rd overall, 2001
Indiana Fever
Pro career 2002 – present
Awards Member of All-Decade Team
Olympic Gold Medalist (2004)
WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Award (2006, 2005)
WNBA Rookie of the Year (2002)
Medal record
Women's Basketball
Competitor for Flag of the United States United States
World Championship
Bronze 2006 Brazil Team Competition

Tamika Devonne Catchings (born July 21, 1979 in Stratford, New Jersey) is an American WNBA player who plays for the Indiana Fever. She is a prolific scorer close to and far from the basket, as well as a capable rebounder, ball handler and defender. After playing at Adlai E. Stevenson High School (Lincolnshire, IL) and graduating from Duncanville High School, Tamika Catchings became one of the stars of the University of Tennessee women's basketball team. In 2001, she was drafted by the Indiana Fever. After sitting out her rookie year due to injury, she had an all-star rookie season in 2002.

Contents

[edit] Career

An All-American with the Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball for 1997-2001, Catchings was drafted by the Indiana Fever in 2001. Unable to play her rookie season, she had an outstanding year in 2002 and was named WNBA Rookie of the Year for that year. She has led Indiana Fever in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks in all six of her WNBA seasons. Catchings played for the USA Women's Basketball Team at the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, helping the team win the gold medal.

In 2005, she scored her 2,000th point in the WNBA. With this she became the fastest player to score 2000 career points in the WNBA, reaching the milestone in only four seasons of play. She is also the fastest to 1,000 rebounds, 400 assists, and 300 steals. In 2005, Catchings was also named the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year. Catchings then repeated as Defensive Player of the Year in 2006.

In 2006, she was voted in to the 2006 WNBA All-Star Game, and was also the leading vote-getter, but had to sit out because of a foot injury. At half-time she was announced as a member of the All-Decade Team along with 9 other players and former Comets coach Van Chancellor.

Catchings is a 5-time WNBA All-Star and 5-time All-WNBA selection. She is also President of the WNBA Players Association.

[edit] Personal

Catchings is the daughter of former NBA player Harvey Catchings. Her sister Tauja also played basketball at Stevenson and the University of Illinois, was drafted by the WNBA and now plays in Sweden. Tamika's cousin Bobby is a starting forward for Eastern Illinois University's basketball team. Tamika majored in Sports Management at the University of Tennessee.

Catchings helped Stevenson High School (Lincolnshire, Illinois) to Illinois' IHSA Div. AA State Championship in her Sophomore year in 1995 under head coach Frank Mattucci before moving to Texas.[1] Her sophomore year at Stevenson she won Illinois Ms. Basketball (which at the time was the youngest player to ever win the award). In addition to leading Duncanville High to the state basketball title in her senior season (she played only two years at Duncanville after moving from the Chicago area), she also led the volleyball team to its only state title as a junior.

Catchings was born with a hearing disablity, she wore a hearing aid as a young girl. In 2000, she was honored with the Reynolds Society Achievement Award by the world-famous Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston. Catchings is a leading figure in the Indianapolis community, having started the Catch the Stars Foundation, Inc. which helps disadvantaged youth achieve their dreams.

Catchings refereed a game of 3-on-3 basketball played by Barack Obama along with local students Kokomo, Indiana at the Maple Crest Middle School on April 25, 2008. Fever teammate Alison Bales also played on Obama's team.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Williams, Lena. "OLYMPICS; Taking a Legacy To New Heights", The New York Times, August 3, 2004. Accessed November 4, 2007. "Even now that Tamika, 25, is a star in her own right, her father's legacy continues to shadow her. It was there at Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Ill."

[edit] External links

Awards
Preceded by
Chamique Holdsclaw		 Naismith College Player of the Year (women's)
2000		 Succeeded by
Ruth Riley
Preceded by
Lisa Leslie		 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year
2005


2006

 Succeeded by
Lauren Jackson
Preceded by
Jackie Stiles		 WNBA Rookie of the Year
2002		 Succeeded by
Cheryl Ford
v • d • e
Women's National Basketball Association | WNBA's All-Decade Team
Languages