June 5, 2011
LOS ANGELES-- Lady Monarch great Ticha Penicheiro (ODU'98) begins her 14th WNBA season and second with the Los Angeles Sparks as the league's all-time leader in steals (728), assists (2,398) and assists per game (6.0).
The four-time WNBA All-Star from 1999-2002 played in her native Portugal this offseason for Alges where she averaged 9.2 points, an impressive 8.6 rebounds and 5.8 assists which ranked first in Portugal.
In 2008 Penicheiro averaged 8.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 2.0 steals in 24.7 minutes per game She started 32 of 33 contests and became the first player in WNBA history to record 2,000 career assists as well as the WNBA's all-time leader in steals. In 2006, Ticha was named to the WNBA All-Decade Team.
She and Lady Monarch teammate Hamchetou Maiga-Ba ('02) helped lead Sacramento to the team's only WNBA Championship in 2005.
In 2002 Ticha was named All-WNBA Second Team honoree after averaging 8.0 assists per game, which still ranks as her career-high. 2.7 steals per game were her personal best in a single season. She passed the 1,000 mark in total assists in her career. She ranked first in WNBA in assists per game in 2001, 10th in steals per game, and first in WNBA with 192 total assists, despite missing eight contests.
In 2000 she led the WNBA in assists and finished fourth in steals. Ticha was named to the 2000 Western Conference All-Star Team as a starter. She was also selected First-Team All-WNBA after averaging 7.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 7.1 apg, 2.1 spg in 35.0 mpg, starting all 32 games in 1999. Penicheiro also competed in inaugural WNBA All-Star Game.
Penicheiro was selected second overall in the 1998 WNBA Draft by the Monarchs. She finished third in Rookie of the Year balloting after averaging 6.3 ppg, and led the WNBA in assists per game with 7.5...Averaged 2.2 steal per game for fourth in league. She recorded 10 or more assists eight times.
At ODU, Penicheiro led the Lady Monarchs to the 1997 NCAA Championship game...During her Lady Monarch career, collected 1,304 points, finished as ODU's all-time steal leader with 591, and ranked second all-time in assists with 939. As a senior, she earned the Wade Trophy as the nation's top player and was a two-time Kodak First Team All-American (1997 and 1998). Penicheiro completed degrees in communications and interdisciplinary studies.
Penicheiro was inducted into the ODU Sports Hall of Fame in May of 2006.
NOTELady Monarch great Hamchetou Maiga-BA gave birth to a baby boy (Mamadou Yero Ba) on May 19th. The 2008 Olympian from Mali currently lives in Sacramento, CA.with her family.
Maïga-Ba appeared in all 34 games for the Minnesota Lynx last season, averaging 3.2 points and 2.3 rebounds in 13.7 minutes per game. Originally drafted by Sacramento with the 10th overall pick of the 2002 WNBA Draft, the nine-year veteran owns career averages of 5.3 points, 2.4 rebounds and 0.9 steals in 16.6 minutes per game over 275 appearances.