On Monday the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame announced the 7 members of its Class of 2019: Ticha Penicheiro, Ruth Riley Hunter, Valerie Still, Carolyn Bush Roddy, Beth Bass, Joan Cronan, and Nora Lynn Finch. Ticha Penicheiro has to be considered 1 of the greatest PGs in the history of women’s basketball. She was a 2-time All-American at Old Dominion, won the 1998 Wade Trophy as the best D-1 player in the nation, was a 4-time WNBA All-Star, won the 2005 WNBA title with Sacramento, and led the WNBA in AST an amazing 7 times. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with the brand-new Hall of Famer about making the 1997 NCAA title game and winning the 2005 WNBA title.
You grew up in Portugal: how did you 1st get into basketball? My dad/brother both played basketball so I just started following them everywhere. Basketball was love at 1st sight for me even though I was often the only girl playing among the boys.
In the 1997 NCAA title game as a player at Old Dominion you had a 9-PT loss to Tennessee: how close did you come to winning it all, and where does that rank among the most devastating losses of your career? It probably ranks #1 or #2: I also lost the 2006 WNBA Finals to Detroit. ODU is where my American journey started and I really enjoyed being there. We faced a Stanford team in the Final 4 who many considered to be the favorite to win it all. We beat them in OT and then I think that we just ran out of gas against the Vols 2 nights later.
You finished your career as the school’s all-time leader with 591 STL and still hold the WNBA single-game record for most STL in a game with 10: what is the secret to being a great defender? Just having the will to defend. Most people talk about my passing but I took a lot of pride in playing defense and guarding the best perimeter players on the other team. I had a lot of defensive-minded coaches, starting with my dad, and I really enjoyed playing defense.
You were a 2-time All-American/2-time conference POY and won the 1998 Wade Trophy: what did it mean to you to receive such outstanding honors? It was great! I really did not know what to expect when arriving at college: kids today can do a lot of online research but it was kind of a step in the dark for me. I did not know how hard the conference would be or what our team would be like: I did not even know what the Wade Trophy was until someone explained it to me! I just tried to play team basketball the right way and have fun while doing it.
You were a 4-time WNBA All-Star with Sacramento: how were you able to play your best against the best players in the world? Great coaching/teammates and a lot of hours in the gym. I took a lot of pride in winning: the 1st couple of years in Sacramento were kind of rough but we eventually got better. Whenever you receive individual accolades in a team sport it is always a credit to your coaches/teammates.
You remain #2 in WNBA history with 2599 career AST and led the league in AST 7 times: what is the key to being a great PG? Court vision: being able to see things before they happen. You also need to have good chemistry with your teammates: sometimes my passes would hit my teammates in the head(!) but every AST involves someone else putting the ball into the basket.
In 2005 you won a WNBA championship with the Monarchs: what did it mean to you to win a title? Everything: that is what you play for! We had a great fan base and were so close for so many years but just could not overcome the LA Sparks. I will never forget Game 4 and the moment of winning a title at home: it is probably the highlight of my career.
Your father João was a basketball player/coach and your brother Paulo plays pro basketball in Portugal: who is the best athlete in the family? I would probably have to say myself but I did not get to see my dad play a lot. My brother always shot and I always passed: I tell my parents that I wish they would have mixed up the genes a bit! I owe a lot to my brother because he helped me get my start in the sport.
After retiring you became the Director of Women’s Basketball and a certified agent for Sports International Group: how did you 1st get into the industry, and what is the best part of being an agent? I started to think about my post-playing career even before I retired. I noticed that there were not a lot of former players/women in the industry and I wanted to help become a mentor to female athletes. I try to help guide them through that world because I know firsthand how the experiences go. When I recruit players I tell them that it is a step down from college where they are taking charter flights and staying in nice hotels (unlike the men’s game). The sport has given me so much more than I could ever give back to it so I just try to pay it forward.
Earlier this week you were announced as an inductee into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame: where does that rank among the highlights of your career? It has to be pretty high. The people already in there have contributed significantly to the game. It is still surreal but the more I talk about it the more real it becomes. Basketball is not as big a sport in Portugal as it is in the US but to come here and have the career I had is crazy. I am very honored/humbled/proud to represent my country. Anything is possible when you work hard and follow your dreams.