University of Tennessee Athletics
1997-98 Women's Basketball Roster
Roster
Catchings, Tamika
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Jersey Number 24
Tamika Catchings
- Height:
- 6-1
- Class:
- Freshman
- Hometown:
- Duncanville, TX
Bio
One of the greatest players to ever suit up for the Lady Vols basketball program, Tamika Catchings solidified herself as a winner from early in her career. Catchings won three state championships in high school, an NCAA National Championship in 1998, a WNBA Championship in 2012 and is a four-time Olympic gold medalist with USA Basketball (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016). The Lady Vols had a record of 134-10 (.931) with four SEC regular season championships, three trips to the Elite Eight and two trips to the Final Four during Catchings' collegiate career. She was a part of Pat Summitt's undefeated, 39-0 squad in the 1997-98 season. Her USA Basketball career began while she was still in high school in 1996. After playing on junior teams, she joined the USA National Team in 2002. Held a record of 58-1 with Team USA Basketball. She was drafted by the Indiana Fever with the third overall selection in the 2001 WNBA Draft. She accumulated 8,521 points, 3,914 rebounds, 1,711 assists, 1,226 steals and 447 blocks, while shooting at a 0.413 clip from the field over the course of her professional career. On Dec. 7, 2003, she became the fifth Lady Vol to have her jersey retired, as her No. 24 was hung in the rafters of Thompson-Boling Arena. Catchings is one of just two Lady Vols to have been named four-time All-Americans. She retired from the WNBA in 2016, playing for the Fever for the duration of her career.Additional Post-Tennessee Honors: 2002 WNBA Rookie of the Year ... 2011 WNBA MVP ... 2012 WNBA Finals MVP ... Was a 12-time WNBA All-Star selection ... Was a seven-time First-Team All-WNBA selection ... Has won the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year award five times, which is the most of any player in WNBA history ... Inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 2012 ... Inducted into the Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame in 2013 ... Inducted into the Tennessee Lady Vol Hall of Fame in 2014 ... Inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015 ... Had her No. 24 jersey retired by the Indiana Fever on June 24, 2017 ... Was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020 ...
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CAREER HIGHS
- Points: 38 // vs. Florida, 2/26/1999
- Steals:Â 8Â // vs. Memphis, 2/16/1999
HONORS
- 1998 SEC Freshman of the Year
- 1998 First-Team All-SEC
- 1998 SEC All-Freshman Team
- 1998 United States Basketball Writers Association Freshman of the Year
- 1998 WBCA/Kodak/State Farm All-American
- 1998 SEC All-Tournament Team
- 1999 AP First-Team All-American
- 1999 Naismith All-American
- 1999 First-Team All-SEC
- 1999Â WBCA/Kodak/State Farm All-American
- 1999 Sporting News All-American
- 1999 Sports Illustrated All-American
- 1999Â SEC All-Tournament Team
- 2000 Naismith College Player of the Year
- 2000 AP Player of the Year
- 2000 USBWA Player of the Year
- 2000 WBCA Player of the Year
- 2000 Naismith All-American
- 2000 First-Team AP All-American
- 2000 Sporting News All-American
- 2000 Sports Illustrated All-American
- 2000 WBCA/Kodak/State Farm All-American
- 2000 First-Team All-SEC
- 2000 SEC All-Tournament Team
- 2000 SEC Community Service Team
- 2001 AP Second-Team All-American
- 2001 recipient of the ESPY award for College Women's Basketball Player of the Year
- 2001 WBCA/Kodak/State Farm All-American
- 2001 Second-Team All-SEC
2000-01Â - SENIOR
- Is fourth on the Lady Vols' all-time scoring list, with 2,113 career points
- Appeared in just 17 games as a senior, due to injury, averaging 15.2 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.8 steals on 47.7% field goal shooting
- Finished her Lady Vol career as one of just six players in program history to corral over 1,000 rebounds, standing at sixth on the all-time list with 1,004 career rebounds over her four years at Tennessee
- Her 16.6 points per game average over her four-year career is good for seventh in program history
- Catchings made 760 field goals at Tennessee, which is fourth-most in program history
- Is eighth on Tennessee's all-time blocks list, with 136 career blocks
- Finished her career third in program history in total steals and fifth in steals per game, racking up 311 steals (2.449 spg)
- She made 471 free throws during her career. which is fourth-best in program history
- Finished her career sixth in program history with 32 total double-doubles
- Her 126 career starts are the seventh-most in Lady Vol history
1999-00Â - JUNIOR
- Made 37 starts as a junior
- Logged 15.7 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists while shooting 47.5% from the floor
- Made 92 steals (2.5 spg) on the year
1998-99Â - SOPHOMORE
- Started in 34 games for the Lady Vols
- Accounted for 16.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.7 blocks while shooting 51.3% from the field
- Tallied 88 steals (2.6Â spg)
- Her 38 points against Florida on Feb. 26, 1999, are the most by a Lady Vol sophomore in program history
1997-98Â - FRESHMAN
- Started in 38 games during her first season with the Lady Vols
- Her 711 points as a freshman are the most by a Lady Vol freshman in program history
- Recorded 18.2 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.5 blocks, while shooting a career-best 53.7% from the field
- Holds the all-time Tennessee record for most points in a game by a freshman, as she totaled 35 points in a 125-46 drubbing of Depaul on Jan. 20, 1998
- Shot a career-best 36.4% clip from beyond the 3-point line
- Tallied a career-high 100 steals (2.6 spg) during her freshman campaign
- Posted nine double-doubles as a freshman
HIGH SCHOOL
- Attended Adlai E. Stevenson in Lincolnshire, Illinois, from 1993-95
- Became the first underclassman to be named Illinois Miss Basketball, receiving the honor as a 15-year-old sophomore
- Was named an All-American in 1994 and 1995
- Transferred to Duncanville High School (Duncanville, Texas) after her sophomore year
- In 1997, Catchings became the first player among all males or females in recorded basketball history to have a quintuple-double
- She won the second Miss Basketball award of her career after the 1996-97 season
- At the conclusion of her stellar high school career, she was named the 1997 Naismith National Prep Player of the Year
- Won three high school state championships (1994, 1995, 1997)
PERSONAL
- Full name is Tamika Devonne Catchings
- Born July 21, 1979, in Stratford, New Jersey
- Academic major: Sports Management
WBB | Kim Caldwell Media Availability (8.28.25)
Thursday, August 28
Lady Vol Basketball Season Attendance 2024-25
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WBB | Caldwell, Whitehorn, Spencer Postgame Presser | 3.29.25
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