- Matee Ajavon
-
Matee Ajavon 
WNBA's Washington Mystics – No. 22 Guard Born May 7, 1986 Nationality Liberian Height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) Weight 160 lb (73 kg) College Rutgers Draft 5th overall, 2008
Houston CometsProfile WNBA Info Page WNBA Teams Houston Comets (2008)
Washington Mystics (2009–present)Medal recordWomen's Basketball Competitor for USA Pan American Games Gold 2007 Brazil Team Competition Matee Ajavon (born May 7, 1986) is a Liberian American player in the WNBA for the Washington Mystics. A 5'8" guard, Ajavon was chosen by the Houston Comets as the fifth overall draft pick in the 2008 WNBA Draft.
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Early life
As a child, Ajavon immigrated to the United States with her family from Monrovia, Liberia.[1]
High school
Ajavon graduated from Malcolm X Shabazz High School in Newark, New Jersey. She led the Shabazz girls' basketball team to victory in the State of New Jersey's "Tournament of Champions" in both 2003 and 2004, the first time a school had repeated as champion. Ajavon was named a WBCA All-American.[2] She participated in the 2004 WBCA High School All-America Game, where she scored nine points.[3]
College
Ajavon graduated from Rutgers University in 2008, having majored in Africana Studies. She was a key member of the 2006–2007 Scarlet Knights women's basketball team that reached the NCAA Championship game and subsequently found themselves caught up in media furor over racially tinged comments by radio host Don Imus.
USA Basketball
Ajavon played for the USA team in the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The team won all five games, earning the Gold Medal for the event.[4]
Professional
Ajavon played primarily off the bench during her rookie WNBA season, but averaged 8.0 points per game. When the Houston Comets folded in 2008, Ajavon was selected second in the dispersal draft by the Washington Mystics.
During the 2008–2010 WNBA offseason, Ajavon played in the EuroLeague Women for Fenerbahçe Istanbul.[5]
In her first season with Washington, Ajavon put up remarkably similar numbers to her first WNBA campaign. Again mainly playing as a reserve, she scored 8.0 points per game. Ajavon helped the Mystics reach the playoffs, where she played well, scoring 19 points in just 34 total minutes, but Washington suffered a two-game sweep at the hands of the Indiana Fever.
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 high League leader Regular season
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG 2008 Houston 34 2 17.8 .332 .194 .791 1.8 1.7 0.9 0.2 1.59 8.0 2009 Washington 34 4 17.3 .336 .341 .673 1.9 1.1 1.1 0.1 1.47 8.0 2010 Washington 34 0 14.6 .346 .184 .773 1.6 1.4 1.1 0.1 1.53 5.9 2011 Washington 34 33 31.3 .391 .276 .829 2.4 3.1 1.7 0.3 3.09 14.7 Career 4 years, 2 teams 136 39 20.2 .358 .262 .769 1.9 1.8 1.2 0.2 1.92 9.2 Postseason
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG 2009 Washington 2 0 17.0 .375 .250 .833 2.5 1.5 2.0 0.0 1.00 9.5 2010 Washington 2 0 17.5 .440 .400 .750 0.0 1.5 1.5 0.0 1.00 18.0 Career 2 years, 1 team 4 0 17.3 .415 .308 .773 1.3 1.5 1.8 0.0 1.00 13.8 Notes
- ^ http://www.frontpageafrica.com/newsmanager/anmviewer.asp?a=6400
- ^ "2004 WBCA High School All-Americans". WBCA. http://www.wbca.org/education/wbca-events/wbca-high-school-all-america-game/past-hsaa/. Retrieved October 31, 2009.
- ^ "2004 WBCA High School All-America Game". WBCA. http://www.wbca.org/education/wbca-events/wbca-high-school-all-america-game/box-scores/. Retrieved October 31, 2009.
- ^ "FIFTEENTH PAN AMERICAN GAMES – 2007". USA Basketball. http://www.usabasketball.com/news.php?news_page=wpag_2007. Retrieved August 8, 2009.
- ^ http://www.fibaeurope.com/default.asp?cid={5179A822-D4B1-4476-AD04-EDBC445D6DC6}&playerID=61663&teamID=2025&roundID=6469&compID={B751A3B2-1D28-42B5-8BDE-9D01F3BD1F23}&season=2009
External links
- http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/matee_ajavon/index.html
- http://scarletknights.com/basketball-women/roster/ajavon.asp
East: ATL • CHI • CON • IND • NY • WAS |
West: LA • MIN • PHO • SA • SEA • TUL2008 WNBA Draft First Round Candace Parker • Sylvia Fowles • Candice Wiggins • Alexis Hornbuckle • Matee Ajavon • Crystal Langhorne • Essence Carson • Tamera Young • Amber Holt • Laura Harper • Tasha Humphrey • Ketia Swanier • LaToya Pringle • Erlana LarkinsSecond Round Shannon Bobbitt • Nicky Anosike • Erica White • Olayinka Sanni • Quianna Chaney • Lindsey Pluimer • Chioma Nnamaka • Allie Quigley • Jolene Anderson • Morenike Atunrase • Leilani Mitchell • Khadijah Whittington • Wanisha Smith • Natasha LacyThird Round Sharnee’ Zoll • Charde Houston • Crystal Kelly • Danielle Hood • Angela Tisdale • Krystal Vaughn • Alberta Auguste • Kimberly Beck • Lauren Ervin • A'Quonesia Franklin • Alex Anderson • Izabela Piekarska • Marscilla Packer • Valeriya Berezhynska • Charel AllenCategories:- 1986 births
- Living people
- African American basketball players
- American women's basketball players
- American expatriate basketball people in Turkey
- American people of Liberian descent
- Basketball players at the 2007 Pan American Games
- Basketball players from New Jersey
- Fenerbahçe basketballers
- Houston Comets players
- Liberian basketball players
- Liberian emigrants to the United States
- Liberian sportswomen
- Naturalized citizens of the United States
- People from Monrovia
- People from Newark, New Jersey
- Washington Mystics players
- African American women's basketball players
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