- Morenike Atunrase
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Morenike Atunrase Guard / Forward Born April 14, 1986
Shreveport, LouisianaNationality American Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) Weight 143 lb (65 kg) College Texas A&M Draft 24th overall, 2008
Atlanta DreamWNBA Teams San Antonio Silver Stars (2008) Morenike Olayinka Atunrase is an American basketball player who played for the WNBA's San Antonio Silver Stars during the 2008 season. She was drafted in 2008 out of Texas A&M, where she played from 2004–08.[1]
Contents
Early years
Atunrase attended Southwood High School in Caddo Parish, Louisiana, where she played basketball all four years. As a freshman and sophomore, she was named to the all-state second team. As a junior and senior, she garnered Louisiana's Most Valuable Player honor. She helped her team win the state championship both her sophomore and junior years. As a senior, she was also named Player of the Year by the Shreveport Times. She also picked up honorable mention All-America honors by Street & Smith's. Over her high school career, Atunrase averaged 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists.[2][3]
Texas A&M
As a freshman in the 2004–05 season, Atunrase was named Big 12 Rookie of the Week three times, and became the Big 12 Freshman of the Year after the regular season.[4]
As a sophomore, she was Big 12 Player of the Week for one week.[5] She was also named to the All-Big 12 First Team.[6]
In her junior year, she was named to the preseason All-Big 12 team,[7] and became a preseason Naismith Trophy candidate.[8] She also guided the team to their first-ever regular season conference championship.
Atunrase had to get surgery in October 2007 to correct a non-healing stress fracture in her tibia, causing her to miss the first nine games. She received the Big 12 Sixth Man Award her senior season.[9] In the 2008 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament, she guided the team to their first Elite Eight appearance in program history.
She became the Aggies' all-time leading shot blocker with her 175 blocks.
Professional career
WNBA
In the 2008 WNBA Draft, Atunrase was picked by the Atlanta Dream at No. 24. Immediately following the draft, she was traded to the San Antonio Silver Stars. The Stars also acquired Ann Wauters and a 2009 second round draft pick as part of the trade.[10]
Atunrase became the only rookie or free agent to become a part of the Star's team roster.[11] In her rookie season, she participated in 33 games, averaging 10.5 minutes per game. She scored a season-high of nine points against the Houston Comets on June 24, 2008. In the 2008 WNBA Playoffs, she averaged 1.3 points, 0.9 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 0.1 steals, and 0.1 blocks. Her team ended up losing to the Detroit Shock in the Finals.[12]
The Stars waived Atunrase on May 25, 2009.[13]
References
- ^ She is now a math teacher at Timberview Middle School in Fort Worth, Texas. Atunrase headed to San Antonio | ShreveportTimes | The Times
- ^ "Morenike Atunrase". Texas A&M Athletics. Archived from the original on 2008-02-28. http://web.archive.org/web/20080228105801/http://www.aggieathletics.com/bios.php?SID=WBB&PID=7356&YOS=2008. Retrieved 2008-04-09.
- ^ 2003-04 Big 12 Women's Basketball Signees :: <blank>
- ^ Phillips 66 Big 12 Women's Basketball 2004-05 All-Conference Team Announced :: <blank>
- ^ Phillips 66 Big 12 Women's Basketball Players of the Week for March 3 :: <blank>
- ^ 2005-06 PHILLIPS 66 All-Big 12 Conference Women's Basketball Awards Announced :: <blank>
- ^ Big 12 Announces Women's Basketball Preseason Individual Honors :: <blank>
- ^ Five Big 12 Women's Basketball Players Named Naismith Trophy Preseason Candidates :: <blank>
- ^ 2007-08 Phillips 66 All-Big 12 Conference Women's Basketball Awards Announced :: Patterson and Paris named Big 12 Coach and Big 12 Player of the Year, respectively
- ^ "WNBA: Silver Stars again make splash with draft-day trade". http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/stories/MYSA.041008.BKW_silver_stars_draft.EN.38a75fc.html.
- ^ "Silver Stars find gem in their lone rookie". http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/Silver_Stars_find_gem_in_their_lone_rookie.html.
- ^ "Atunrase And Franklin Turn In Solid WNBA Rookie Campaigns". http://www.kbtx.com/sports/headlines/30694964.html.
- ^ "San Antonio Silver Stars Transactions - 2009". http://sports.espn.go.com/wnba/teams/transactions?team=sas&year=2009.
External links
2008 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
- Point guards
- American basketball players
- Texas A&M Aggies women's basketball players
- San Antonio Silver Stars players
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