University of North Carolina Athletics
Atkinson Drafted Ninth Overall By Indiana
April 5, 2006 | Women's Basketball
April 5, 2006
BOSTON - North Carolina senior La'Tangela Atkinson has been selected by the Indiana Fever with the ninth pick of the 2006 WNBA Draft, held Wednesday afternoon at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. Atkinson is the 10th Tar Heel to be selected in the WNBA draft since 1998 and is the fifth to go in the first round. She is UNC's highest pick since Nikki Teasley went with the fifth overall pick in 2002.
"Playing in the WNBA is something I've dreamed of and it was so good to hear my name called," Atkinson said. "I felt like a kid in a candy store - it was just so sweet."
Atkinson, a guard/forward from Bishopville, S.C., finished her college career in Boston on Sunday when top-ranked North Carolina fell to eventual-champion Maryland 81-70 in an NCAA national semifinal game. As a senior, she averaged 9.1 points and 6.6 rebounds and was named to the ACC All-Defensive team. She also was an Associated Press All-America honorable mention selection and was voted to the ACC All-Tournament second team.
The versatile Atkinson became the first player in ACC history to score 1,000 points, grab 1,000 rebounds and hand out 350 assists in her career. She ranks sixth in UNC history and 13th in ACC history in rebounds (1,012), 10th in school history in assists (374) and 22nd in school history in scoring (1,235). During her career at UNC, she did not miss a single game, playing in 134 and starting 118. She was part of ACC championship teams in her junior and senior seasons and served as one of three team captains in 2005-06, when the Tar Heels made the program's first Final Four trip since 1994 and tied the school record for most wins in a season, finishing 33-2.
"La'Tangela is 6-2 and she's very long," Fever coach Brian Winters said. "She's got long arms, a nice wing span, and she is a very good defender and rebounder. We think she can develop and really grow with us down the road.
"She has not been a big scorer in college, but having watched her over time, I think she has good technique and is someone that can become a fine player in the WNBA. If she is the good teammate and hard worker that I think she is, we think she can be someone special."
"I'm so excited for Tangie," said UNC coach Sylvia Hatchell, who was with Atkinson and her family at Wednesday's draft. "I knew she'd get the chance to play at the next level, and I think Indiana will be a great place for her. She's such a versatile, athletic player and can fill so many roles for a team. We'll certainly miss her in Chapel Hill, but I look forward to watching her continue to develop as a player as she moves on to the WNBA."
In Indiana, Atkinson will join several former Tar Heels. Coretta Brown, who lettered for UNC from 2000-03, has been with the Fever since the organization acquired her in a draft-day trade in 2003, when she was a first-round pick by San Antonio. Charlotte Smith-Taylor, a UNC assistant coach who played for the Tar Heels from 1992-95, signed with the Fever as a free agent in the offseason after playing for the Washington Mystics last year.
"I'm so excited to be going to Indiana and to be playing with people like Charlotte and Coretta and Tamika Catchings," Atkinson said. "They're all veterans who I feel like I can learn a lot from."
Additionally, Nikita Bell (UNC 2002-05) has signed a training camp contract with Indiana. Bell was a second-round pick in the 2005 WNBA Draft and has played overseas during the past year. Leah Metcalf, a classmate of Bell's who has served as an undergraduate assistant coach for the Tar Heels this season, has signed a training camp contract with the Seattle Storm.
