Stevenson’s Catchings grabs MVP honors in WNBA
INDIANAPOLIS — Tamika Catchings of the Indiana Fever has been selected the WNBA’s most valuable player for the first time.
The versatile 32-year-old forward, who led Stevenson High School to a state title as a sophomore and was an all-American at the University of Tennessee, was MVP runner-up in 2009 and 2010. This season Catchings against showed her all-around skills as she averaged 15.5 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.0 steals.
Indiana finished with the best record in the Eastern Conference, giving the Fever homecourt advantage in the first two rounds of the playoffs. The Fever will play Atlanta tonight in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Catchings had 21 of 40 first-place votes, while Connecticut’s Tina Charles and Chicago’s Sylvia Fowles were tied for second with six first-place votes. Seattle’s Sue Bird and Minnesota’s Lindsay Whalen followed in the voting.
Catchings is a four-time defensive player of the year who has led the Fever to the playoffs seven straight years, the Eastern Conference Finals four times and the WNBA Finals once in 2009. Earlier this year, the WNBA selected her among its 15 greatest players of all time.
While the humble Tennessee product has often said she’s mostly concerned with winning a WNBA title, her teammates were vocal about their belief in her talent.
Indiana Pacers president Larry Bird, who had campaigned for Catchings, said she deserves the award.
“Everyone here at Pacers Sports & Entertainment is not only happy to have an MVP, but also a quality person who is not only great on the court, but in the community as well,” he said. “This is very deserving, as Tamika fits the true description of an MVP. It’s another in a long list of accomplishments, all of which we’re extremely proud for her.”
Fever COO and General Manager Kelly Krauskopf was emotional when she heard the news.
“I just got big tears in my eyes,” Krauskopf said. “I was so happy and thrilled for Tamika.
After Catchings tied a career high with 32 points in a win over the Liberty on Aug. 13, Fever coach Lin Dunn started an unofficial campaign.
“Catch is a multidimensional player,” Dunn said that night. “I think sometimes she’s not given enough credit for all the different things she can do. She gets assists, she gets steals, she gets rebounds, she scores and she defends like nobody else in the league. It’s unfortunate that so much emphasis is put on ‘Who’s the leading scorer?”’
Krauskopf said Catchings all-around game and work ethic deserved to be rewarded.
“I never gave up hope that at some point the media and the folks who voted on this would see the effect she has,” she said.
Pat Summitt, Catchings’ coach at Tennessee, said the forward is an MVP in every way.
“She totally symbolizes every aspect of what a most valuable player should be through her leadership and everyday excellence on the court,” Summitt said. “I am, and always have been, extremely proud of how Tamika goes about her business. I have been fortunate to coach a lot of great players but there has always been a ‘specialness’ between Catch and I because she is so real.”