Yolanda_Griffith

Yolanda Griffith

Yolanda Griffith

Basketball player

Yolanda Evette Griffith (born March 1, 1970) is an American professional basketball hall of fame player who played in both the ABL and WNBA. A former WNBA MVP, she is considered one of the greatest rebounders and defensive players in the history of Women's Basketball.[1][2][citation needed] She last played in the WNBA as a member of the Indiana Fever. In 2011, she was voted in by fans as one of the top 15 players in WNBA history. She is sometimes called by her nicknames: "Yo" and "Yo-Yo". Since retiring from the professional ranks, Griffith was as assistant coach at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She is currently an assistant coach with the Boston College Eagles. Griffith was inducted into the 2014 Women's Basketball Hall of Fame's class on her first year of eligibility.

Quick Facts Personal information, Born ...

High school career

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Griffith attended George Washington Carver High School in the Chicago area.[3] In her senior year (1988–1989), she was named First-team Parade All-American,[4] as well as first team All-America in softball.[3]

College career

Griffith was offered a scholarship to play for the women's basketball team at the University of Iowa, but had to cancel it after she gave birth to her daughter, Candace.[5]

Afterward, she attended Palm Beach Junior College in Lake Worth, Florida, where she earned Junior College All-America honors in 1990-91.[3] She later transferred to Florida Atlantic University, which was then a Division II school, where she graduated in 1993, earning Kodak Division II Player of the Year honors.[3] While in school, she supported herself and her daughter by working for a car repossession company.[3]

Professional career

Germany

Following her graduating from college, Griffith began her professional basketball playing career in Germany with DJK Wildcats Aschaffenburg, where she played from 1993 to 1997.[citation needed] In 1997, she finished as the top scorer and rebounder in the Euroleague Women, averaging 24.7 points and 17.1 rebounds per game.[6]

American Basketball League

After four seasons in Germany, Griffith joined the American Basketball League (ABL).[3] She was selected by the Long Beach Stingrays as the number one pick overall in the ABL players draft.[3] In their only season, Griffith led the Stingrays to the brink of the ABL title, only to lose to the defending champions, the Columbus Quest. Griffith was named the 1997–1998 ABL Defensive Player of the Year and to the All-ABL first team.[3] She finished second in the ABL's 1998 Most Valuable Player voting to her future 2000 Summer Olympics teammate Natalie Williams.[citation needed]

When the Long Beach franchise folded after the end of the 1997–98 season, she was dealt to the expansion Chicago Condors, in her hometown. She played there only briefly, however, as the league folded on December 22, 1998. Prior to that, Griffith ranked fifth among league leaders in scoring (17.2 ppg), first in rebounding (12.3 rpg), 19th in assists (2.6 apg), second in steals (3.3 spg), and second in blocked shots (1.3 bpg).[citation needed]

WNBA

The Sacramento Monarchs selected Griffith as the no. 2 overall draft pick in the 1999 WNBA draft.[3] She is a seven-time WNBA All-Star, and won the WNBA's MVP, Newcomer of the Year[7] and Defensive Player awards in 1999.

In 2001, Griffith set the WNBA single-season record for most offensive rebounds with 162.[citation needed]

In 2005, the Monarchs won their first WNBA title over the Connecticut Sun, three games to one in a best-of-five series. Griffith was named Finals MVP.[citation needed]

On April 8, 2008, after nine seasons with the Sacramento Monarchs, Griffith signed with the Seattle Storm.[citation needed]

On February 20, 2009, Griffith signed with the Indiana Fever, after a one-year stint with the Storm.[citation needed]

On June 9, 2009, Griffith tore her achilles tendon in a game against the Seattle Storm, her former team. In August the same year, she announced her retirement from professional basketball.[8][9] In 2011, she was voted in by fans as one of the top 15 players in the fifteen-year history of the WNBA.[10] In 2016, Griffith was once again honoured by the WNBA in the WNBA Top 20@20 in celebration of the league's 20th season.[11]

Europe

As the WNBA and the seasons in Europe did not overlap, Griffith, like many other WNBA players played in Europe during the winter. She played two seasons for Lavezzini Basket Parma in Italy from 2000 to 2002. In 2003–2004 and 2005–2006, she played for Russian club UMMC Ekaterinburg.[citation needed]

Statistics

WNBA career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game  RPG  Rebounds per game
 APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game  BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game
 TO  Turnovers per game  FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 Bold  Career best ° League leader

Regular season

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Postseason

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National team career

Griffith has twice been a member of the U.S. National Women's Basketball team. She won Gold Medals at the Summer Olympics in both 2000 and 2004.[12][13][14] Griffith will serve as a member of the USA Basketball Women's Development National Team Committee from 2013-2016. The Women's Developmental National Team committees will select coaches and athletes for USA Basketball teams competing in the 2013 and 2015 FIBA Americas U16 Championships; and the 2014 and 2016 FIBA U17 World Championships. The Men's Developmental National Team Committee also selects staff and players for the annual Nike Hoop Summit.[15]

Coaching career

Yolanda Griffith coaching from the sidelines

In 2011, Griffith accepted an assistant coach position with Ivy League university, Dartmouth, located in Hanover, NH.[16] In her first season with the Big Green the Dartmouth post players made great strides. Griffith was instrumental in the development of Arianne Hunter and Tia Dawson. Dawson, who was the Big Green's top rebounder and the top shot blocker in the Ivy League, was twice named Ivy League Rookie of the Week.[17] In 2013, Griffith was named the First Assistant Coach for Lafayette College a member of the Patriot League.[18] She was an assistant coach for Joanna Bernabei-MacNamee at the University of Albany. When Bernabei-MacNamee was named as the new head coach at Boston College in 2018, she brought Griffith along as her assistant. Griffith has been instrumental in the development of post players at BC.[citation needed]

Notes

  1. [1]
    "Indiana Lands Former MVP Yolanda Griffith". oursportscentral.com. 20 February 2009. Retrieved 11 April 2024. "We are thrilled to sign one of the greatest rebounders and defenders in the history of the women's game," said Fever Head Coach Lin Dunn.
  2. [2]
    "Yolanda Griffith - Hall of Fame Career Retrospective". NBA. 12 September 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2024 – via Youtube.
  3. [3]
    Porter pp. 178–179.
  4. [4]
    Chuck Otterson (5 November 1989). "PBCC women: Tall expectations". The Palm Beach Post. p. 2C. Retrieved 23 October 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  5. [5]
    Mechelle Voepel (4 August 2004). "Griffith finds success on road less traveled". ESPN. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  6. [6]
    "EuroLeague Women (1997) | FIBA Europe". fibaeurope.com. FIBA Europe. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  7. [7]
    "WNBA.com: Ambassadors of the Game: Yolanda Griffith". www.wnba.com. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  8. [8]
    "Griffith ending career after 11 seasons". ESPN. Associated Press. 4 August 2009. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  9. [9]
    "FEVER: TORN ACHILLES TENDON ENDS GRIFFITHS SEASON". www.wnba.com. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  10. [10]
    "WNBA.com: AllStar 2011". www.wnba.com. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  11. [11]
    Mechelle Voepel (21 June 2016). "Maya Moore, Candace Parker, Lisa Leslie among WNBA's 20@20". ESPN. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  12. [12]
    "Yolanda Griffith, Lin Dunn inducted". ESPN. Associated Press. 15 June 2014. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  13. [13]
    "Games of the XXVIIth Olympiad -- 2000". USA Basketball. Archived from the original on 24 April 2012. Retrieved 4 June 2010.
  14. [14]
    "Games of the XXVIIIth Olympiad -- 2004". USA Basketball. Archived from the original on 24 April 2012. Retrieved 4 June 2010.
  15. [15]
    "USA Basketball Announces 2013-16 Competition Committees". Archived from the original on November 9, 2013. Retrieved November 9, 2013.
  16. [16]
    YOLANDA GRIFFITH Archived 2013-04-26 at the Wayback Machine Dartmouth Big Green
  17. [17]
    "Dartmouth Endowment Yields 18.4% Return in Fiscal 2011". Archived from the original on October 7, 2011. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
  18. [18]
    "WNBA, Olympic standout Yolanda Griffith named top assistant for Lafayette women's basketball program". Retrieved November 9, 2013.

References

  • David L. Porter, ed. (2005). Basketball: A Biographical Dictionary. Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0-313-30952-6.
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