University of Tennessee Athletics
Parker to Pursue Olympics and Pro Career
February 21, 2008 | Women's Basketball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. ??? Tickets are going fast to the final two Lady Vol basketball home games. The University of Tennessee ticket office announced on Thursday that as of 3 p.m., 18,937 tickets had been sold for the Mississippi State game and 14,458 for Florida.
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Mississippi State (TV: FSN South) visits Thompson-Boling Arena on Sun., Feb. 24 at 2:30 p.m. Florida comes to ???The Summitt??? on Thurs., Feb. 28 (no TV) for a 7 p.m. tip-off. MSU (18,937) and UF (14,458).
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The contest with the Gators will be ???Senior Night??? and Tennessee will be paying tribute to seniors Nicky Anosike, Alberta Auguste, Shannon Bobbitt, Alexis Hornbuckle and Candace Parker prior to tip-off.
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In their four years playing in an orange uniform, Anosike and Hornbuckle have guided the Lady Vols to a combined 118-15 record entering tonight???s game at Alabama. During that time, the Lady Vols have claimed two SEC tournament championships (2005, 2006), the SEC regular season championship (2007) and the program???s seventh NCAA championship (2007).
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Anosike needs one point to reach the 1,000-point plateau for her career and with four more steals, Hornbuckle will break Bridgette Gordon???s 19-year old school record (333) for career thefts. Bobbitt and Auguste joined the Tennessee program prior the 2006-07 campaign, becoming the first two junior college players to play for Pat Summitt since Zandra Montgomery in 1977.
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Parker, a junior in eligibility after red-shirting her freshman season, announced Wednesday that she has decided to forego her senior year of basketball and graduate with the classmates with whom she came to Tennessee.
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???This was the most difficult decision I???ve ever had to make, but my family and I think this is the best choice for me,??? said Parker. ???I greatly appreciate the opportunity that the University of Tennessee and Pat Summitt allotted me during my four years in college. I???ve been blessed with great coaches and teammates, an outstanding education and the best women???s basketball crowd support in the country. I will miss Tennessee, but I am eager to take this next step in my career.???
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On Feb. 7, Tennessee used a come-from-behind effort to defeat Mississippi State in Starkville, 87-69. The Bulldogs are 15-11 entering tonight???s matchup at South Carolina.
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The Big Orange routed Florida, 80-58 last season, but it was the Gators who spoiled senior night in 2006, winning in overtime, 95-93. Under new head coach Amanda Butler, Florida is 16-10 this season and hosts South Carolina on Sunday.
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The Tennessee women???s basketball team leads the nation in attendance by almost 5,000 fans per game, with an average of 15,397 people attending the 13 home tilts this season. For tickets to either of the final two home contests, contact the UT ticket office at 865-656-HOOP or visit www.UTLadyVols.com. Doors will open at 1:00 p.m. for the 2:30 p.m. game with Mississippi State.
PARKER TO PURSUE OLYMPICS AND PRO CAREER
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- All-American forward Candace Parker will skip her senior season at Tennessee.
The redshirt junior will graduate at the end of this season and wants to participate in the Summer Olympics and pursue a professional career, coach Pat Summitt said Thursday.
Candace Parker, with an eye on the Olympics and the pros, is one of six women to have dunked in a college game.
"Obviously we'd love to have her another year," Summitt told The Associated Press. "Who wouldn't?"
Parker will be honored as part of the third-ranked Lady Vols' senior night activities before the Feb. 28 game against Florida.
She was unavailable for comment Thursday morning while the team traveled to Alabama.
Parker redshirted her freshman season to recover from surgeries to repair a torn knee ligament.
The 6-foot-4 star from Naperville, Ill., leads the team in scoring with 20.6 points per game and rebounds with 8.8 per game. She also is one of six women to have dunked in the college game. She made her seventh career dunk earlier this month against Kentucky.
After leading the Lady Vols to their 2007 national championship, Parker played with the U.S. national team during her summer break, helping the team earn an Olympic berth in the 2008 Summer Games. She also won the women's 2007 John R. Wooden Award.
By skipping her final year of eligibility, Parker has the chance to enter the WNBA draft in April. She would likely go as the top pick.
The Los Angeles Sparks hold the top pick, which would give Parker the opportunity to play alongside Lisa Leslie and former teammates Sidney Spencer and Tye'sha Fluker.
