Three Former Scarlet Knights Start WNBA Seasons
May 19 | Women's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, NJ - Three former members of the Rutgers women's basketball program will tip off their 2006 WNBA seasons this weekend. Recent graduate Cappie Pondexter's professional debut will be shown on ABC Saturday, May 20, at 4:00 p.m. when her Phoenix Mercury take on the Scaramento Monarchs.
Chelsea Newton (Monroe, LA) and her Chicago Sky teammates will start the season at Charlotte Saturday, May 20. Newton was acquired by the Chicago Sky in the Expansion Draft this past winter. A second-round selection of the Sacramento Monarchs in the 2005 WNBA Draft, she was one of two league rookies to start every regular-season game (Temeka Johnson) last season, helping to lead the Monarchs to the 2005 WNBA title. The 5-11 guard averaged 4.4 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 21.0 minutes per game, and was used as a defensive stopper, often drawing the toughest assignment on the perimeter. In fact, Newton missed a spot on the 2005 WNBA All-Defensive Second Team by just one vote, but she did earn one of five spots on the WNBA All-Rookie Team. The 2005 BIG EAST Conference Defensive Player of the Year and a member of the All-BIG EAST Third Team, Newton averaged 9.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.1 steals for Rutgers as a senior, starting 32 of 33 games and posting 15 double-digit scoring efforts. During her four years 'On the Banks,' Newton started 95 of 104 games, averaging 9.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.8 steals per contest, posting 51 double-digit scoring games (four 20+ points), two double-digit rebounding games and two double-doubles.
Newton will make one trip to the area Saturday, Aug. 5, when the Sky play the New York Liberty at Madison Square Garden (MSG TV). Chicago will make one national television appearance when the Sky host Los Angeles Tuesday, May 30, at 9:00 p.m. ET (ESPN2), and will be featured on 11 NBATV broadcasts. In addition, two of Newton's home games against the Liberty will be shown on MSG - Friday, July 7, at 8:30 p.m. ET and Tuesday, July 25, at 8:00 p.m. ET.
Pondexter was the second overall selection of the 2006 WNBA Draft, chosen by the Phoenix Mercury. A finalist for the State Farm Wade Trophy, the Naismith Award, the Women's Wooden Award, the Bayer Advantage Senior CLASS Award, the Honda Sports Award for Basketball and the Nancy Lieberman Award (nation's top point guard), the 5-9 guard was picked as the Women's Basketball News Service National Player of the Year. Pondexter was named to the Kodak/Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) All-America First Team, the Associated Press All-America First Team, the ESPN.com All-America First Team, the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) All-America Team, the WBNS All-America First Team, the Women's Wooden Award All-America Team, the Senior CLASS Award All-America First Team, the Full Court Press All-America First Team and the Gballmag.com All-America First Team, and was the unanimous selection as the BIG EAST Player of the Year, becoming the first player in league history to be named to the All-BIG EAST First Team four times during her career. Picked as the WBCA National Player of the Month for January, she started all 32 games for the Scarlet Knights during the 2005-2006 season, averaging 21.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.7 steals per game. Named to the NCAA Tournament All-Cleveland Region Team, Pondexter scored her 2,000th career point at West Virginia Feb. 10 and competed with the USA Basketball Senior National Team at the Opals World Challenge in Australia April 8-12. Pondexter played in 121 career games, making 103 starts, and averaged 18.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.8 steals per game. She finished her time 'On the Banks' first in three-point field-goal percentage (164-385, .426), second in scoring (2,211), free throws made (427), field goals made (810) and field goals attempted (1,768), third in scoring average (18.3 ppg), three-point field goals made (164) and free throws attempted (539), fourth in three-point field goals attempted (385), fifth in assists (470), tied for sixth in free-throw percentage (427-539, .792) and tied for seventh in steals (213) on the RU career charts.
Pondexter will play at Madison Square Garden just once this summer, a contest against the New York Liberty Sunday, July 9, at 4:00 p.m. ET (MSG TV). Phoenix will make four appearances on ESPN2 - Tuesday, June 6, against Sacramento (10:30 p.m. ET); Saturday, July 8, at Connecticut (3:00 p.m. ET); Tuesday, July 25, against Seattle (9:30 p.m. ET); and Tuesday, Aug. 8, against Minnesota (9:30 p.m. ET). The Mercury will be featured on eight NBATV broadcasts, and on MSG Sunday, July 16, against the Liberty at 9:00 p.m. ET.
Tammy Sutton-Brown (Markham, Ontario) is in her sixth season with the Charlotte Sting. A 2002 WNBA All-Star, the 6-4 center has averaged 9.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocked shots per game during her career. A second-round selection of the franchise in 2001, she helped lead Charlotte to that summer's WNBA Finals. Sutton-Brown averaged 9.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game during her Rutgers career, finishing her time 'On the Banks' ranked tied for first in games played (130), third in field-goal percentage (.577), fourth in blocked shots (148), sixth in free throws attempted (494), seventh in free throws made (304), 12th in rebounds (685) and 15th in scoring (1,246). A third-team all-BIG EAST selection and a candidate for the Naismith National Player-of-the-Year Award as a senior, she helped lead the Scarlet Knights to four NCAA Tournament berths, including an Elite Eight finish in 1999 and a Final Four berth in 2000.
Sutton-Brown will take on another RU product when her Charlotte Sting host Newton and the Sky Saturday, May 20, to begin the season. Charlotte will play at New York twice this season - Tuesday, June 27, at 7:30 p.m. (MSG TV) and Friday, Aug. 11, at 7:30 p.m. (MSG TV). The Sting will play at Washington Tuesday, June 13, a game that will be shown on ESPN2 at 7:00 p.m. In addition, Charlotte will make six NBATV appearances and one other MSG showing, a home game against the Liberty Saturday, July 29, at 6:00 p.m.
