Lady Falcons and the WNBA
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Lady Falcons and the WNBA Former Lady Falcons have done quite well in the WNBA as of late. 2004-2006 All-American standout Amber Holt was drafted by the Connecticut Sun in the first round (9 th overall) of the 2008 WNBA Draft and played the 2008 and 2009 seasons for them. On April 7, 2010, she was traded to the Tulsa Shock where she will play the 2010 season. One day later, 2006-2008 All-American Chanel Mokango was drafted by the Atlanta Dream in the first round (9 th overall) of the 2010 WNBA Draft. Later that day, her teammate, Armelie Lumanu (2006-2008) was drafted by the Indiana Fever in the second round (23 rd overall) of the 2010 WNBA Draft. Chanel Mokango Drafted by WNBA's Atlanta Dream Former Lady Falcon, Chanel Mokango, was drafted 9th overall in the first round of the WNBA's 2010 draft. Chanel will be playing for the Dream in Atlanta, Georgia. The Atlanta Dream took the next step in becoming one of the more elite WNBA teams in the 2010 season by taking Mississippi State Bulldogs forward Chanel Mokango. Mokango, who participated in the WNBA Draft activities in the NBA Entertainment studios, was selected ninth overall. The 6-5 Mokango of Kinshasa, Congo played two seasons for Southeastern Illinois, averaging 14.1 points and 8.8 rebounds, and two seasons for Mississippi State, averaging 11.0 points and 6.5 rebounds. She was selected to the Southeastern Conference All-Defensive Team both seasons. “Chanel had a terrific year and her upside is just out of sight,” said Dream General Manager and Head Coach Marynell Meadors. “She has only been playing basketball since she was 15. She is a shot blocker, a terrific defender and she runs the floor extremely well. She’s just going to continue to get better.” Mokango, a native of Kinshasa, Congo, played two years for Mississippi State after beginning her collegiate career at Southeastern Illinois College. As a senior, Mokango led the Lady Bulldogs to a 21-13 record and the program’s first Sweet Sixteen appearance in the NCAA tournament. She averaged 10.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in the 2009-10 season. The two-time Southeastern Conference All-Defensive Team selection also set the Mississippi State record with 180 career blocked shots. Chanel Mokango - Mississippi State / Southeastern Illinois Position: Forward Height: 6-5 Birthdate: 10/13/1988 Birthplace: Kinshasa, Congo High School: Kinshasa College Highlights: All-SEC Defensive Team (2009, 2010) NJCAA All-America First Team (2007, 2008) WBCA All-America (2007) NJCAA Region XXIV Tournament Team (2007, 2008) All-Region XXIV (2007, 2008) All-Great Rivers Athletic Conference (2007, 2008) (Photo courtesy of Mississippi State University) NJCAA Region XXIV Freshman of the Year (2007) NJCAA Region XXIV Tournament MVP (2007). Statistics Southeastern Illinois Season G FGM FGA PCT FTM FTA PCT 3PM 3PA PCT REB AST STL BL PTS AVG 2006-07 31 187 331 .565 69 90 .767 3 9 .333 343 29 42 446 14.4 2007-08 36 205 402 .510 80 108 .741 6 32 .188 247 29 40 496 13.8 Mississippi State Season G FGM FGA PCT FTM FTA PCT 3PM 3PA PCT REB AST STL BL PTS AVG 2008-09 33 126 288 .438 82 106 .774 11 43 .256 190 29 23 97 345 10.5 2009-10 31 135 301 .449 58 74 .784 7 32 .219 220 11 17 77 335 10.8 Career Season G FGM FGA PCT FTM FTA PCT 3PM 3PA PCT REB AST STL BL PTS AVG Totals 131 653 1322 .494 289 378 .765 27 116 .233 1000 98 122 174 1622 12.4 Armelie Lumanu Drafted by WNBA's Indiana Fever Former Lady Falcon, Armelie Lumanu, was drafted 23rd overall in the second round of the WNBA's 2010 draft. Armelie will be playing for the Fever in Indianapolis, Indiana. Talking about each of her first two picks, Head Coach Lin Dunn said, “I don’t want anybody to confuse their defensive abilities with the fact that they can’t score. We value defense, rebounding and playing hard. I think both Jené Morris and Armelie Lumanu reflect that. They are very athletic, strong, physical and quick.” Dunn said this shows a new commitment to pushing the tempo and scoring more. The defending Eastern Conference champion Fever, which has ranked in the top three in the WNBA in steals and scoring defense in each of the past five seasons, kept defense and athleticism as its theme in the draft. Lumanu was the defensive player of the year in the Southeastern Conference and a two-time member of the SEC All-Defensive Team. This past season, she collected 80 steals, but she also averaged 12.3 points per game. Armelie Lumanu - Mississippi State / Southeastern Illinois Position: Guard/Forward Height: 5-9 Birthdate: 3/30/1988 Birthplace: Matonge, Congo High School: Kinshasa Miscellaneous: Played two seasons at Southeastern Illinois College before transferring to Mississippi State. College Highlights SEC Defensive Player of the Year (2010) All-SEC Second Team (2010) SEC All-Defensive Team (2009, 2010) NJCAA All-America First Team (2008) (Photo courtesy of Mississippi State University) NJCAA All-Tournament Team (2008) Region XXIV Player of the Year (2008) Region XXIV Tournament Player of the Year (2008) All-Great Rivers Athletic Conference (2007, 2008) All-Region XXIV (2007, 2008). Statistics Southeastern Illinois Season G FGM FGA PCT FTM FTA PCT 3PM 3PA PCT REB AST STL BL PTS AVG 2006-07 32 149 306 .487 82 133 .617 24 81 .296 253 123 39 0 404 12.6 2007-08 34 211 397 .531 75 116 .647 32 103 .311 257 184 99 0 529 15.6 Mississippi State Season G FGM FGA PCT FTM FTA PCT 3PM 3PA PCT REB AST STL BL PTS AVG 2008-09 33 138 313 .441 62 108 .574 15 46 .326 191 118 70 10 353 10.7 2009-10 31 136 306 .444 102 166 .614 6 32 .188 224 122 80 4 380 12.3 Career Season G FGM FGA PCT FTM FTA PCT 3PM 3PA PCT REB AST STL BL PTS AVG Totals 130 634 1322 .480 321 523 .614 77 262 .294 925 547 288 14 1666 12.8 Amber Holt Traded to Tulsa Shock Former Falcon, Amber Holt, was traded to the WNBA's Shock of Tulsa, Oklahoma. 2008 WNBA All-Rookie Team choice, Amber will head to a new team this season. The Connecticut Sun traded Holt and teammate, Chante Black, to the Tulsa franchise in return for its 7th pick in this year's draft and its second-round pick in the 2011 draft. Holt played at Southeastern Illinois College and Middle Tennessee State. Amber was a two-time All-American at both colleges. Sh e was selected by the Sun in the first round (9th overall) of the 2008 WNBA draft. After averaging 6.5 points per game in her first season, Holt was selected to the WNBA All-Rookie Team. She was one of two rookies to start all 34 games in the first season. In 2009, Holt averaged 6 points per game in an injury-shortened season. “We actually believe we got a tremendous deal with trading our first pick in this year’s draft and our second round pick in next year’s draft to get two great quality players that will fit my system.” Shock Head Coach and General Manager Nolan Richardson said. Amber Holt was traded 4/7/2010 to the Tulsa Shock from the Connecticut Sun. (NBAE/Getty Images) Amber Holt - Middle Tennessee / Southeastern Illinois Position: Forward Height: 6-0 Birthdate: June 7, 1985 Birthplace: Duluth, Georgia High School: Meadowcreek College Highlights: All-American (2008) Single-Season Scoring Record (MTS, 2008) All-Sun Belt First Team (2007) Kodak All-American (2006) NJCAA All-American First Team (2006) NJCAA All-American Second Team (2005). (Photo: courtesy of Middle Tennessee State) STATISTICS Southeastern Illinois Season G FGM FGA PCT 3PM 3PA PCT FTM FTA PCT REB RPG AST STL BL PTS PPG 2004-05 25 194 360 0.539 13 50 0.260 107 138 0.775 273 10.9 66 91 N/A 508 20.3 2005-06 33 245 546 0.449 38 128 0.297 140 184 0.761 315 9.5 162 133 N/A 668 20.2 Middle Tennessee State Season G FGM FGA PCT 3PM 3PA PCT FTM FTA PCT REB RPG AST STL BL PTS PPG 2006-07 31 143 345 0.414 21 64 0.328 89 106 0.840 96 3.1 52 14 5 396 12.8 2007-08 33 342 667 0.513 20 72 0.278 196 251 0.781 265 8.0 105 78 11 900 27.3 Career G FGM FGA PCT 3PM 3PA PCT FTM FTA PCT REB RPG AST STL BL PTS PPG Totals 122 924 1918 0.482 92 314 0.293 532 679 0.784 949 7.8 385 316 16 2472 20.3 .