Sophia Witherspoon

Sophia Witherspoon
Personal information
Born (1969-07-06) July 6, 1969
Fort Pierce, Florida
Nationality American
Listed height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Listed weight 145 lb (66 kg)
Career information
High school Fort Pierce Central (Fort Pierce, Florida)
College Florida (1988–1991)
WNBA draft 1997 / Round: 2 / Pick: 11th overall
Selected by the New York Liberty
Playing career 1997–2009
Position Guard
Number 13
Career history
1997–1999 New York Liberty
2000–2001 Portland Fire
2002–2003 Los Angeles Sparks
Career highlights and awards
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals
Women's basketball
Representing the  United States
World University Games
1993 Buffalo, New York Team competition

Sophia L. Witherspoon (born July 6, 1969) is a former American college and professional basketball player who was a guard for seven seasons in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Witherspoon played college basketball for the University of Florida, and was selected in the second round of the 1997 WNBA Draft. She played professionally for the New York Liberty, Portland Fire and Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA.

Early years

Witherspoon was born in Fort Pierce, Florida. Her older brother introduced her to basketball when she was 6 years old. She attended Fort Pierce Central High School, where she was a standout high school basketball player for the Fort Pierce Central Cobras.

College career

Witherspoon accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where she played for coach Carol Ross's Florida Gators women's basketball team from 1988 to 1991. In three seasons as a Gator, she scored 1,381 points, made 445 rebounds, and was a first-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) selection in 1991. She graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in health and human performance in 1991, and was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 2005.[1][2] In her honor, the Florida Office of Student Life awards the Sophia Witherspoon Award for Overall Excellence each semester to two Gator athletes "who exemplify the positive attitude and strong work ethic in the classroom that they display on the playing field."

USA Basketball

Witherspoon was named to the USA team for the 1993 World University Games competition in Buffalo, New York. The team had a 6–2 record and won the bronze medal. Witherspoon averaged 1.8 points per game.[3]

Professional career

The New York Liberty selected Witherspoon in the second round (seventh pick overall) of the 1997 WNBA Draft. She played for the Liberty from 1997 to 2000, the Portland Fire from 2000 to 2001, and the Los Angeles Sparks from 2001 to 2003.[4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ F Club, Hall of Fame, Gator Greats. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Nine Hall of Fame Inductees Announced," GatorZone.com (September 30, 2004). Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  3. ↑ "Sixteenth World University Games -- 1993". USA Basketball. Archived from the original on September 7, 2015. Retrieved October 14, 2015.
  4. ↑ Women's National Basketball Association, Player Files, Sophia Witherspoon. Retrieved May 24, 2010.
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