Sophia Witherspoon

Sophia Witherspoon
Personal information
Born	July 6, 1969 (age 55); 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: 2nd round, 11th overall pick
	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
	First-team All-SEC (1991); University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame;
	Stats at Basketball Reference
Women's basketball
Representing the United States
World University Games

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]

References

^ F Club, Hall of Fame, Gator Greats. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
^ "Nine Hall of Fame Inductees Announced," GatorZone.com (September 30, 2004). Retrieved July 22, 2011.
^ "Sixteenth World University Games -- 1993". USA Basketball. Archived from the original on September 7, 2015. Retrieved October 14, 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
^ Women's National Basketball Association, Player Files, Sophia Witherspoon. Retrieved May 24, 2010.

External links

Sophia Witherspoon – Official WNBA player profile

Template:University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame

[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.

[1993_WUG-3] "Sixteenth World University Games -- 1993". USA Basketball. Archived from the original on September 7, 2015. Retrieved October 14, 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

[wnbaprfoile-4] Women's National Basketball Association, Player Files, Sophia Witherspoon. Retrieved May 24, 2010.

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