Erin Phillips

Erin Phillips
WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks  – No. 31
Guard
Born 19 May 1985
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Nationality Australian
Listed height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Listed weight 165 lb (75 kg)
WNBA draft 21st overall, 2005
Connecticut Sun
WNBA career 2006–present
Profile WNBA player profile
WNBA teams
Connecticut Sun (2006, 2008–2009)
Indiana Fever (2011–2013)
Phoenix Mercury (2014)
Los Angeles Sparks (2015–present)
Non-WNBA teams
Adelaide Lightning (2002–2008)
Electra Ramat Hasharon (2008–2009)
Lotos Gdynia (2009–2010)
TS Wisła Can-Pack Kraków (2010–2013)
Awards and honors
2× WNBA Champion (2012, 2014)

Erin Victoria Phillips (born 19 May 1985) is an Australian professional women's basketball player. She has played basketball in Australia's WNBL for the Australian Institute of Sport and the Adelaide Lightning. She has played in the USA's WNBA for Connecticut Sun, Indiana Fever, Phoenix Mercury and Los Angeles Sparks. She has also played professionally for European club sides for teams in Israel and Poland. She is a member of the Australia women's national basketball team, and as a member of the team, has won a silver medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics and a gold medal at the 2006 FIBA World Championship for Women.

Personal

Phillips was born on 19 May 1985[1][2][3] in Carlton, Victoria.[2][3] She is from South Australia.[4] She is the daughter of Port Adelaide footballer Greg Phillips. When not playing basketball, she is a community youth worker.[3]

Phillips is 173 centimetres (68 in) tall.[1][2][3] In 2006, she weighed 73 kilograms (161 lb).[3] She has had a knee reconstruction prior to March 2007.[5]

In April 2008, Phillips created controversy when she did a photo shoot for men's magazine Alpha wearing skimpy SpencerLacy lingerie.[6]

In June 2012, Phillips bought a house in Dallas, Texas. She explained to reporter Jayda Evans that she has friends in the area and likes the fact that there are direct flights from Dallas to Australia. "Obviously I won't live in it a lot, but it'll be a base for me."[7]

Basketball

Phillips is a guard.[1][2] In 2003, she had a scholarship with the Australian Institute of Sport.[8] As a competitor at the 2004 Australian Under-20 national championships, she won the Bob Staunton Award.[9] In March 2007, she was recovering from a knee reconstruction.[5] In 2008, she was featured as a basketball star on myFiba.[10]

WNBL

Phillips had a scholarship with and played for the Australian Institute of Sport in 2003 in the WNBL.[11]

In 2005, Phillips was named to the WNBL's All-Star Five.[3] She played for Adelaide Lightning in 2005/2006[12] and 2006/2007 where she was coached by Chris Lucas.[3] In 2007/2008, she played for the Adelaide Lightning.[13]

WNBA

In 2006, she was playing for Connecticut Sun.[14] It was her first season in the league.[14] In 2008, she was playing in the WNBA, taking leave from the early part of the season in order to prepare for the Olympics.[15] Prior to the start of the 2011 WNBA season, she had signed a training camp contract with the Seattle Storm.[16] However, before the season started, Seattle traded her to the Indiana Fever to make room for Katie Smith who had demanded a trade to the Storm from the Washington Mystics.[17] She helped the Fever win the WNBA Championship in 2012, averaging 13.5 points per game in the finals after an injury to Katie Douglas.[18] Prior to the 2014 season, she was traded to the Phoenix Mercury with a second-round draft pick in return for forward Lynetta Kizer and a first-round draft pick.[19] On February 11, 2015, Phillips signed with the Los Angeles Sparks.[20]

Europe

Phillips was playing for Ramat Hasharon (Israel) during the 2008/2009 WNBA off-season.[21] She played for Lotos Gdynia in Poland in 2009/2010.[22][23]

In 2010/11 she played for TS Wisla Can-Pack Krakow. Phillips played for this Polish team again during the 2011/2012 season.[1][2][24] The Wisła fans have been very supportive of her in the 2012 season, despite having missed a month of play.[25] They applauded loudly for her upon her return.[25] She was playing for the team as a 27 year old and was older than many of her team mates.[25] In the 2012 season, she ranked fifth with 3.7 free throws made per game, ranked sixth in the league with an average of 4.6 fouls drawn per game, ranked eighth with 4.8 free throw attempts a game, ranked thirteenth with 32.3 minutes per game, ranked sixteenth with a free throw percentage of 77.6%, ranked sixteenth with an average of 3.3 assists per game, and ranked twentieth with a 3 point field goal percentage of 39.5%.[2]

National team

Phillips is a member of the Australia women's national basketball team.[26] In 2006, she was a member of the Australian women's senior team that won a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games.[27] She wore number 10.[4] In 2006, she was a member of the Australian women's senior team that won a gold medal at the World Championships in Brazil.[27] In March 2007, she was named to the national team what would prepare for the 2008 Summer Olympics.[5] In 2008, she participated in the Good Luck Beijing 2008 held in China in the lead up to the Olympics. Her team was joined by national teams from United States, Cuba, Korea, New Zealand and China.[13] She was a member of the 2008 Summer Olympics Australian women's team that won a silver medal at the Olympics.[28] In mid-2010, she participated in a tour of China, USA and Hungary.[29] In 2010, she was a member of the senior women's national team that competed at the World Championships in the Czech Republic.[30] She was named to the 2012 Australia women's national basketball team.[26] She was scheduled to participate in the national team training camp held from 14 to 18 May 2012 at the Australian Institute of Sport.[31] Phillips was not selected to the 2012 Australian Women's Basketball Olympic team and said in an interview with reporter Jayda Evans that she was devastated by the news, but knew that she was taking a risk by not staying in Australia up until the Olympic games to practice full-time with the team (unlike Lauren Jackson who did not play for the Seattle Storm in 2012 until after the Olympics).[7]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "London 2012 - 2012 Australian Opals squad named". London2012.olympics.com.au. 2012-02-16. Retrieved 2012-05-02.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 "Erin Phillips | EuroLeague Women". FIBA Europe. Retrieved 2012-05-02.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 "Basketball". 2006 Australian Commonwealth Games team handbook. Melbourne, Vic.: Australian Commonwealth Games Association 2006. pp. 88–89.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Stewart-Hudsonpublisher=Australian Commonwealth Games Association Inc., Marion (2006). "Basketball — Women". In Gallagher, D. Australia at the Commonwealth Games 1911-2006 : XVIII Commonwealth Games, 15–26 March, Melbourne 2006. p. 42. ISBN 9780958019019.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 March 12, 2007 11:30PM (2007-03-12). "Phillips keeps Opals place". Adelaide Now. Retrieved 2012-05-08.
  6. ↑ "Opal Erin polished to perform". Herald Sun. 18 March 2008. Retrieved 1 May 2012-05-01. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "WNBA Talk: Reporter Jayda Evans talks with Indiana guard Erin Phillips". "Seattle Times". 2012-06-25. Retrieved 2012-07-02.
  8. ↑ Australian Institute of Sport; Basketball Australia (2011). AIS Basketball 2011. Canberra: Australian Sports Commission. p. 60.
  9. ↑ Brad Graham Creative, ed. (2012). "The Bob Staunton Award". Play Up (February 19–25 ed.) (South Melbourne, Australia: Basketball Australia): 8. Official Event Program
  10. ↑ Nagy, Boti (2008-12-31). "Pin-up girls hit market". Adelaide Now. Retrieved 2012-05-09.
  11. ↑ "Past Athletes : Australian Institute of Sport : Australian Sports Commission". Australian Sports Commission. Retrieved 2012-05-11.
  12. ↑ "'Warhorse' Jackson heads team for world champs - Basketball - Sport". smh.com.au. 2006-08-08. Retrieved 2012-05-11.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "News Article". SportsAustralia.com. 2008-04-08. Retrieved 2012-05-08.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "'Warhorse' Jackson heads team for world champs — Basketball — Sport". Sydney Morning Herald. 2006-08-08. Retrieved 2012-05-11.
  15. ↑ "Opals humbled in gold medal match - 2008 Beijing Olympic Games — ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)". ABC. 2008-08-24. Retrieved 2012-05-02.
  16. ↑ Evans, Jayda (2011-02-17). "Women's Hoops Blog | Storm reserve Abby Bishop opts to not return in 2011 | Seattle Times Newspaper". Seattletimes.nwsource.com. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
  17. ↑ "Fever Lands Aussie guard Erin Phillips in three-team trade with Storm and Mystics". WNBA. 2011-04-29. Retrieved 2012-07-02.
  18. ↑ Voepel, Mechelle (October 21, 2012). "Turning disappointment into a title". ESPN. Retrieved October 22, 2012.
  19. ↑ , OFFICIAL: Mercury Acquires Erin Phillips
  20. ↑ Sparks Sign Two–Time WNBA Champion Erin Phillips
  21. ↑ "Offseason 2008-09: Overseas Roster". WNBA. 2009-01-08. Retrieved 2012-05-01.
  22. ↑ "Wicemistrzyni olimpijska w Lotosie PKO BP Gdynia". Sport.pl. Retrieved 2012-05-01.
  23. ↑ "Jackson, Taylor to lead Opals into worlds — ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)". Abc.net.au. 2010-08-19. Retrieved 2012-05-08.
  24. ↑ Travis King (2012-02-17). "Kristi eyes fourth Games — Local News — Sport — Basketball". Bendigo Advertiser. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 "Erin Phillips: Nie mogłam doczekać się powrotu". Sport.pl. Retrieved 2012-05-06.
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 "Basketball Australia : 2012 Squad". Basketball Australia. 2012. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 Australian Institute of Sport; Basketball Australia (2011). AIS Basketball 2011. Canberra: Australian Sports Commission. p. 48.
  28. ↑ Australian Institute of Sport; Basketball Australia (2011). AIS Basketball 2011. Canberra: Australian Sports Commission. p. 46.
  29. ↑ "Opals hit road for world title lead-up". Nine MSN. Retrieved 2012-05-08.
  30. ↑ Australian Institute of Sport; Basketball Australia (2011). AIS Basketball 2011. Canberra: Australian Sports Commission. 45.
  31. ↑ "AUS — Opals announce training camp squad". FIBA. Retrieved 6 May 2012.