Leilani Mitchell
 Mitchell playing for the New York Liberty. |
|
| WNBA's New York Liberty – No. 5 | |
|---|---|
| Guard | |
| Born | June 15, 1985 Richland, Washington |
| Nationality |  American |
| Height | 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) |
| Weight | 128 lb (58 kg) |
| High school | Kennewick High School |
| College | Utah, Idaho |
| Draft | 25th overall, 2008 Phoenix Mercury |
| Profile | WNBA Info Page |
| WNBA Teams | |
| New York Liberty (2008–present) | |
| Awards and Honors | |
| WNBA Most Improved Player (2010) | |
Leilani Mitchell (born June 15, 1985 in Richland, Washington, U.S.) is an American basketball player in the WNBA for the New York Liberty.
Contents |
[edit] Early life
Mitchell was born to an American father, Dennis Mitchell, and an Australian mother of Asian descent (specifically Filipino, Malaysian, Singaporean, Indian, and others), Eleanor Majid. She has 5 brothers Tyler, Troy, Travis, Reggie, and Robbie.[1][2] Mitchell played high school basketball at Kennewick High School, where the team won a state 4A title.
[edit] College years
Mitchell played her first three years of college basketball at the University of Idaho. Mitchell then transferred to the University of Utah. She sat out the 2006-07 season under NCAA rules, and then played the 2007-08 season for Utah.[3]
[edit] WNBA career
Mitchell was drafted by the San Antonio Silver Stars twenty-fifth overall in the second round of 2008 WNBA Draft. Mitchell was then traded to the Phoenix Mercury. When the New York Liberty learned during the 2008 pre-season that the Mercury planned to cut Mitchell, the Liberty acquired Mitchell in a trade in exchange for a 2009 third round draft pick.[4]
Initially a bench player, Mitchell made her first professional start on June 6, 2008 in place of the injured Loree Moore. During the 2008 season she developed a strong fan following and a reputation for fearlessness in grabbing loose balls and occasionally driving to the basket.
Mitchell scored 14 points in the Liberty's narrow loss to the Detroit Shock in Game 3 of the 2008 Eastern Conference Finals.
Mitchell became the regular starting point guard in the 2010 season, after the Liberty released Moore in the offseason. Mitchell led the WNBA in 3-point percentage at 48%, scored 9.3 points per game, and had 3.8 assists per game en route to winning the 2010 WNBA Most Improved Player Award.[5]
On September 2, 2011, Mitchell scored a career high 24 points in a win against the Minnesota Lynx.
[edit] European career
Mitchell has played for ASPTT Arras in the Ligue Féminine de Basketball (LFB), a French professional league, during the WNBA off-season.[2] For the 2009-10 season, Mitchell won the Import Player of the Year Award and was named to the LFB 1st Team.[6]
[edit] Reference list
- ^ [Vandal]Profile: Leilani Mitchell
- ^ a b Heyman, Brian (August 21, 2010). "Heart Lighter and Game Honed, Point Guard Leads the Liberty". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/22/sports/basketball/22liberty.html. Retrieved September 5, 2010.
- ^ ESPN - Timing is everything for Mitchell, Utes - Women's College Basketball
- ^ http://www.newsday.com/sports/basketball/ny-splib075718291jun07,0,4672694.story
- ^ Cherwoo, Vin A. (August 26, 2010). "Liberty's Leilani Mitchell is WNBA's most improved". USA Today (Associated Press). http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/wnba/2010-08-26-1566475976_x.htm. Retrieved September 5, 2010.
- ^ LFB: Season 2009-2010
[edit] External links
|
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||
|
|||||||||||
