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Ticha Penicheiro

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Ticha Penicheiro
Penicheiro in 2019
Personal information
Born (1974-09-18) September 18, 1974 (age 50)
Figueira da Foz, Portugal
NationalityPortuguese
Listed height5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Listed weight146 lb (66 kg)
Career information
CollegeOld Dominion (1994–1998)
WNBA draft1998: 1st round, 2nd overall pick
Selected by the Sacramento Monarchs
Playing career1998–2012
PositionPoint guard
Number21
Career history
1998–2009Sacramento Monarchs
2000–2001Lotos Gdynia
2001–2002Basket Parma
2003–2004UMMC Ekaterinburg
2004–2005Valenciennes
2005–2007Spartak Moscow
2008TTT Riga
2009–2010Geas Basket
2010–2011Los Angeles Sparks
2010PF Umbertide
2010–2011Sport Algés e Dafundo
2011USK Praha
2012Galatasaray
2012Chicago Sky
Career highlights and awards
Stats at WNBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference
Women's Basketball Hall of Fame

Patrícia "Ticha" Nunes Penicheiro OIH (September 18, 1974) is a Portuguese sports agent and former basketball player. She played for the Sacramento Monarchs of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) for most of her professional career.[1] She was a four-time WNBA All-Star and a three-time All-WNBA selection. Regarded as one of the best point guards of all time, she ranks third all-time in career assists and led the league in assists seven times. She won a WNBA championship with the Monarchs in 2005. She was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019.[2]

College years

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Penicheiro was born and raised in Figueira da Foz, Portugal. Penicheiro played for several professional clubs through her teenage years, though she did not play at the senior level until after she starred for Old Dominion University college basketball team. She played at Old Dominion from 1994 to 1998 and helped lead the Lady Monarchs to the 1997 NCAA Championship game. In 1997, Penicheiro was named to the Final Four All-Tournament team.[3] During her playing time at ODU, Penicheiro collected 1,304 career points and finished her career as ODU's all-time steal leader with 591. She is second all-time at ODU on the career assist list to another ODU great, Nancy Lieberman, with 939. She is the Colonial Athletic Association's all-time leader in both assists and steals.

Penicheiro is a two-time Kodak All-American, selected in 1997 and 1998. She became ODU's second winner of the prestigious Lifetime/Wade Trophy and the first international player to win the honor. A four-time All-CAA honoree, Ticha was named the conference's Player-of-the Year in 1995-96 and 1996-97 while also claiming the Rookie of the Year award in 1994–95. She graduated from Old Dominion in 1998 with degrees in communications and interdisciplinary studies, and was inducted into the ODU Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.[4]

Old Dominion statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
Year Team GP Points FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1995 Old Dominion 33 283 .427 .333 .552 4.8 6.2 4.0 0.2 8.6
1996 Old Dominion 32 284 .491 .289 .671 4.6 7.1 4.3 0.3 8.9
1997 Old Dominion 36 393 .443 .310 .649 4.5 7.5 4.5 0.3 10.9
1998 Old Dominion 32 344 .408 .328 .629 5.1 7.5 5.0 0.2 10.8
Career 133 1,304 .440 .316 .628 4.7 7.1 4.4 0.3 9.8

Source[5]

WNBA career

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In 1998, Ticha Penicheiro commenced her professional basketball career with the Sacramento Monarchs, marking her debut as a rookie in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Notably, she secured the third position in the voting for the WNBA Rookie of the Year award. Throughout her tenure, Penicheiro distinguished herself as a four-time WNBA All-Star player, achieving prominence for her adeptness on the court. She notably equaled the WNBA's record for the highest number of assists in a single game on two occasions, further solidifying her reputation as a proficient playmaker.

In 1999, Penicheiro's exceptional performance led to her selection as a WNBA first-team player. During this season, she achieved a personal milestone by attaining her highest scoring output in the WNBA, netting 27 points against the Minnesota Lynx. In subsequent years, she maintained her stature in the league, earning a place on the WNBA's second team in 2001.

By June 19, 2003, Penicheiro had amassed notable career statistics, including 1,027 points, 1,121 assists, 615 rebounds, and 322 steals in the WNBA. Her remarkable averages of 6.8 points, 7.5 assists, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.15 steals per game underscored her significant contributions to the sport.

Penicheiro retired as the all-time WNBA leader in total assists and assists per game. Penicheiro's legacy in the WNBA is distinguished by her remarkable playmaking abilities, characterized by her consistently flashy style on the court. Notably, she played a pivotal role in leading the Sacramento Monarchs to their inaugural WNBA championship title in 2005.

Following the dissolution of the Monarchs franchise, Penicheiro transitioned to the Los Angeles Sparks. In recognition of her stellar career, fans voted her among the Top 15 players in the WNBA's fifteen-year history in 2011.[6] Despite signing with the Chicago Sky in February 2012, injuries hampered her performance, prompting her decision to retire from the WNBA at the conclusion of the 2012 season.[7]

Penicheiro's contributions to the sport were further acknowledged with her induction into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 2014. Her enduring impact on women's basketball culminated in her inclusion in the WNBA Top 20@20 list in 2016, commemorating the league's twentieth anniversary. Additionally, she was honored as a member of The W25, the WNBA's 25th anniversary team, in 2021, solidifying her status as one of the league's most influential figures.

WNBA career statistics

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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 best ° League leader
† Denotes seasons in which Penicheiro won a WNBA championship

Regular season

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
1998 Sacramento 30 30 36.0° .333 .233 .642 4.7 7.5° 2.2 0.1 3.87 6.3
1999 Sacramento 32 32 35.0 .320 .158 .664 4.8 7.1° 2.1 0.2 4.22 7.3
2000 Sacramento 30 30 31.2 .368 .200 .579 3.0 7.9° 2.3 0.2 2.37 6.9
2001 Sacramento 23 22 32.3 .339 .262 .766 3.7 7.5° 1.7 0.4 2.78 6.3
2002 Sacramento 24 24 35.5 .377 .250 .728 4.3 8.0° 2.7 0.0 2.88 8.5
2003 Sacramento 34 34 32.0 .302 .250 .579 3.5 6.7° 1.8 0.0 2.38 5.4
2004 Sacramento 32 32 29.4 .354 .338 .714 3.1 4.9 1.9 0.1 2.18 6.0
2005† Sacramento 34 33 27.3 .314 .195 .790 2.9 4.4 1.4 0.2 1.97 5.7
2006 Sacramento 34 34 24.9 .339 .194 .792 2.7 3.4 1.7 0.1 1.97 5.4
2007 Sacramento 32 32 23.7 .314 .214 .822 2.6 4.5 1.5 0.0 1.88 5.7
2008 Sacramento 33 33 25.9 .374 .286 .809 3.0 5.2 2.0 0.1 2.64 8.6
2009 Sacramento 30 28 24.1 .324 .111 .814 2.7 5.2 1.0 0.1 2.13 4.9
2010 Los Angeles 32 30 26.3 .410 .111 .819 4.0 6.9° 1.3 0.1 2.25 4.9
2011 Los Angeles 34 23 23.7 .486 .417 .868 2.8 4.8 0.8 0.1 2.09 6.0
2012 Chicago 18 5 12.8 .375 .200 .545 1.3 2.1 0.4 0.2 2.00 1.8
Career 15 years, 3 teams 453 422 28.2 .351 .248 .731 3.3 5.7 1.7 0.1 2.50 6.1

Postseason

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
1999 Sacramento 1 1 20.0 .200 .000 1.000 4.0 3.0 1.0 0.0 2.00 4.0
2000 Sacramento 2 2 38.5 .250 .500 .833 3.5 7.0° 2.0 0.0 3.00 8.0
2001 Sacramento 5 5 32.6 .250 .368 1.000 3.8 6.6° 0.6 0.8 1.80 6.2
2003 Sacramento 6 6 23.8 .333 .250 .875 2.3 3.0 1.0 0.5 1.17 4.2
2004 Sacramento 6 6 32.2 .222 .133 .688 3.3 5.3 2.5 0.3 3.17 4.2
2005† Sacramento 6 6 27.0 .323 .000 .800 4.0 5.2 1.0 0.2 2.33 5.3
2006 Sacramento 9 9 23.8 .294 .286 .647 2.3 3.8 1.2 0.0 1.22 5.0
2007 Sacramento 3 3 23.0 .273 .000 .600 2.3 5.0 2.3 0.0 3.33 6.0
2008 Sacramento 3 3 31.3 .486 .750 .667 4.0 6.3° 2.3 0.3 1.67 13.7
2010 Los Angeles 2 2 29.5 .455 .000 1.000 2.5 2.5 2.5 0.0 3.00 6.0
Career 10 years, 2 teams 43 43 27.7 .314 .288 .747 3.1 4.7 1.5 0.3 2.07 5.8

International career

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Penicheiro was a member of Portugal's national women's basketball team. She was also on the Spartak Moscow Region team, with Tina Thompson, Sue Bird, and Diana Taurasi. She played for Galatasaray Medical Park of Turkey in the 2011–12 season.[8]

Later career

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When inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019, she was an active agent with about 30 clients, among them current WNBA players Kayla McBride and Courtney Vandersloot.[2]

Personal life

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Penicheiro is a supporter of the Special Olympics. She also supports ovarian cancer research in honor of one of her close friends who was diagnosed with the disease. Besides her native Portuguese, she speaks English, Spanish and conversational Italian. Her father, João, is a former basketball player and now coaches her older brother, Paulo, who plays professionally in Portugal. She became an aunt when her brother and sister-in-law gave birth to their son João Miguel in 2009. Penicheiro also enjoys listening to R&B music and Hip-Hop and is an avid collector of watches and clothes.[9][10]

On February 20, 2013, Penicheiro became an American citizen, taking the oath with 1,200 others at the Sacramento Convention Center.[11]

References

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  1. ^ "Ticha Penicheiro Bio at wnba web site". Archived from the original on September 21, 2007. Retrieved January 9, 2008.
  2. ^ a b Megargee, Steve (June 7, 2019). "Penicheiro's new career has Hall of Famer focusing on future". Yahoo Sports. Associated Press. Retrieved June 15, 2019.
  3. ^ Nixon, Rick. "Official 2022 NCAA Women's Final Four Records Book" (PDF). NCAA. Retrieved April 22, 2012.
  4. ^ "Old Dominion University Hall of Fame Members". Old Dominion University. Archived from the original on May 21, 2011. Retrieved July 30, 2009.
  5. ^ "Women's Basketball Finest" (PDF). fs.ncaa.org. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
  6. ^ "WNBA.com: AllStar 2011". www.wnba.com. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
  7. ^ "Great Penicheiro to retire after season". Daily Press. Hampton Roads, VA. September 19, 2012. Archived from the original on August 22, 2016. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  8. ^ "GALATASARAY.ORG". www.galatasaray.org. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
  9. ^ "Ticha Penicheiro, Portugal ...player profiles by Interbasket".
  10. ^ "WNBA.com: Ticha Penicheiro Playoff Mailbag". www.wnba.com. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
  11. ^ Chang, Richard (February 21, 2013). "Ex-Sacramento Monarch Ticha Penicheiro adds citizenship to All-Star status". The Sacramento Bee. Archived from the original on February 24, 2013. Retrieved February 22, 2013.
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