Tamika Catchings

Position	Small Forward
Nickname	Catch, Meek
Height	{}
Weight	167 | lb (0 kg)
Team	Indiana Fever
Nationality
Born	July 21 1979 (1979--) (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, Top Vote Getter for the 2006 WNBA All-Star Game, 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist, 2006 & 2005 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Award, 2002 WNBA Rookie of the Year

Medal record
Women's Basketball
Competitor for  United States
World Championship
Bronze	2006 Brazil	Team Competition

Tamika Devonne Catchings (born July 21, 1979 in Stratford, New Jersey) is an American Women's National Basketball Association (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.

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 5 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 Comets coach Van Chancellor.

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

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 majored in Sports Management at the University of Tennessee.

Catchings helped Adlai E. Stevenson High School (Lincolnshire, IL) to Illinois' IHSA Div. AA State Championship in her Sophomore year in 1995 under head coach Frank Mattucci before moving to Texas. 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.[1], which helps disadvantaged youth achieve their dreams. Her official website is catchin24.com[2].

References

• WNBA.com Tamika Catchings Player Info. Retrieved on August 30, 2005.

External links

• Tamika Catchings' WNBA Playerfile
• Tamika Catchings's Official Website
• http://www.usolympicteam.com/26_21633.htmTamika Catchings' U.S. Olympic
• Indiana Fever Official Website

Awards
Preceded by Chamique Holdsclaw	Naismith College Player of the Year (women's) 2000	Succeeded by Ruth Riley
Preceded by Jackie Stiles	WNBA Rookie of the Year 2002	Succeeded by Cheryl Ford

•  • [ e] Women's National Basketball Association | WNBA's All-Decade Team
Sue Bird • Tamika Catchings • Cynthia Cooper • Yolanda Griffith • Lauren Jackson • Lisa Leslie • Katie Smith • Dawn Staley • Sheryl Swoopes • Tina Thompson Ruthie Bolton • Chamique Holdsclaw • Ticha Penicheiro • Diana Taurasi • Teresa Weatherspoon (Honorable mention)