The WNBA has had some talented players over the years, and a lot of them were great players in their college years. A lot of these players come from exceptional programs, and some of these schools have been tied to the WNBA since the beginning.
When the WNBA began, teams added players through three different phases. There was the allocation period, the elite draft and the 1997 WNBA Draft. There were some excellent players who entered the league during the allocation phase, and in the Phoenix Mercury’s case, they added Jennifer Gillom and Michele Timms.
May 30, 2010; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Sparks coach Jennifer Gillom during the game against the Atlanta Dream at the Staples Center. The Dream defeated the Sparks 101-82. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Vicky Bullett was the first player assigned to a team in that period, and she went to the Charlotte Sting. Then players like Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie and Rebecca Logo and others followed. These players became the first players to represent their schools, and in the case of Swoopes, she was the first Texas Tech player to make the WNBA.
Since then, there have been nine other Texas Tech players in the WNBA, and one of them was drafted by the Mercury.
Plenette Pierson was drafted by the Mercury in 2003, and she was the fourth pick of that year’s draft. The Mercury had four picks in that year’s draft, and after Pierson, one of them was in the second round, and two of them were in the third.
The Mercury drafted Petra Ujhelyi, Telisha Quarles and Marion Jones with their remaining picks, and none of them played for the Mercury. However, Pierson suited up for them, and she played with them from 2003 to 2005.
July 20, 2010; Uncasville, CT, USA; New York Liberty forward Plenette Pierson (33) and head coach Anne Donovan react from the bench as they take on the Connecticut Sun in overtime at the Mohegan Sun Arena. Liberty defeated the Sun in overtime 82-74. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images / David Butler II-Imagn Images
In her rookie season, Pierson averaged six points and 2.4 rebounds. Her best game that year was against the Los Angeles Sparks. Pierson had 26 points in that game, and she also had six rebounds, two assists and a block. She did all of this while coming off the bench.
Pierson averaged 9.4 points and 4.2 rebounds the following year, and in 2005, she played 12 games with Phoenix before she was traded to the Detroit Shock. She finished the season with Detroit, and she spent multiple seasons with the Shock before she was traded to the New York Liberty.
Texas Tech’s guard Ashley Chevalier (25) is comforted by Texas Tech assistant coach Plenette Pierson after the team’s double overtime win against West Virginia, Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023, at United Supermarkets Arena. / Annie Rice/Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK
The Mercury draft pick had a nice career, and she represent Texas Tech along the way.
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