Fever’s Tamika Catchings earns East monthly, weekly honors
From the WNBA
Tamika Catchings of the Indiana Fever has been named the Eastern Conference Player of the Month for games played from Aug. 16 (when the league resumed play following its break for the 2012 Olympic Games) through the end of the month.
Catchings also has been named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week.
This marks the first season that Boost Mobile – the leaguewide marquee partner of the WNBA – has presented the WNBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Month awards.
For Catchings, the WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Month presented by Boost Mobile award is the second of her career. She previously earned the award in July, 2010, the first year in which the league recognized monthly performance. In leading the Fever to a 6-1 record in July (tops in the East), Catchings helped Indiana clinch its eighth consecutive berth in the WNBA Playoffs presented by Boost Mobile, the longest active streak in the Eastern Conference. Along the way, the 11th-year pro shared the conference lead in steals (2.14 spg), ranked third in scoring (16.6 ppg), tied for third in both assists (4.1 apg) and blocks (1.29 bpg), and was fourth in rebounds (7 rpg). The WNBA career leader in steals and free throws made (827 and 1,541, respectively), Catchings also ranks in the top 10 all time in rebounds (fourth, with 2,551), points (fifth, 5,618), assists (eighth, 1,230), three-point field goals made (eighth, 491), and total field goals made (tenth, 1,793)
Catchings’ stellar effort during August came on the heels of her performance in the 2012 Olympics where she helped the United States Women’s Olympic Basketball Team earn a fifth consecutive gold medal (1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, and 2012), an Olympic record for traditional women’s team sports.
Highlights of Catchings’ WNBA action in August included: · Aug. 16 vs. Washington: Double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds in an 84-66 win · Aug. 18 vs. Atlanta: 17 points, nine rebounds, and five assists in an 86-72 victory · Aug. 28 vs. Washington: 17 points, five boards, five assists, two steals, and two blocks in an 83-68 win · Aug. 30 at New York: 22 points, five rebounds, four assists, and three steals in a 76-63 win · Sept. 1 vs. Chicago: Double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds, three steals in an 81-64 win.
Catchings named East Player of the Week
NEW YORK, Sept. 4, 2012 – Tamika Catchings of the Indiana Fever has been named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played Aug. 27 through Sept. 2.
This marks the first season that Boost Mobile – the WNBA’s league-wide marquee partner – has presented the WNBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week awards.
For Catchings, the reigning league MVP, her fourth Player of the Week award presented by Boost Mobile honor this season gives her 18 for her career, second most in league history behind only Seattle’s Lauren Jackson (19).
Catchings led Indiana to a 3-0 record for the week as the Fever clinched a berth in the WNBA Playoffs presented by Boost Mobile for the eighth consecutive season. Indiana improved to 17-8 overall – 1 ½ games behind Eastern Conference leader, Connecticut (19-7) – with wins over conference foes Washington, New York, and Chicago.
The 11th-year pro opened the week with 17 points, five rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks as Indiana downed the visiting Washington Mystics, 83-68. She then scored a game-high 22 points, grabbed five boards, and added four assists and three steals in a 76-63 road win over the New York Liberty. Catchings closed out the week with a double-double, her sixth of the season, with a 17-point, 10-rebound effort that also included three steals, two assists, and a pair of blocks as Indiana clinched a playoff berth.
For the week, Catchings ranked second among Eastern Conference players in both scoring (18.7 ppg) and steals (2.7 spg), tied for fifth in blocks (1.33 bpg), and finished tied for sixth in both rebounds (6.7 rpg) and assists (3.7 apg). In the process, the University of Tennessee product made 50 percent of her shots from the field (19-of-38, including three of six from three-point range) and 15-of-16 attempts from the free throw line.
