Angel McCoughtry

Angel Lajuane McCoughtry (born September 10, 1986) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Minnesota Lynx of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and a two-time Olympic gold medalist.

McCoughtry was born in Baltimore on September 9, 1986, to Roi and Sharon McCoughtry.

Her father had played the forward position at Coppin State University in west Baltimore.

She first played basketball at the Northwood recreation center in northeast Baltimore and later became a standout in high school at the St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, Maryland) in east Baltimore.

McCoughtry also attended The Patterson School in Lenoir, North Carolina before entering college at the University of Louisville.

McCoughtry led the Big East Conference in scoring, rebounding, and steals, while breaking school records for most steals in a season, most points in a season, and most points in a game.

She was named Big East Player of the Year during her sophomore year in 2006–2007.

In the summer of 2007, McCoughtry represented the United States on the Pan American Games women's basketball team.

During her junior year at Louisville, McCoughtry broke her own records for points and steals on the season, and tied her own single-game scoring record.

She played a key role in Louisville's upset of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in the 2008 Big East tournament.

In addition, McCoughtry was named an All-American as a junior, by organizations including the WBCA, USBWA, ESPN.com.

McCoughtry broke the record for career scoring by a Louisville women's basketball player during the first game of her senior year.

She recorded her second triple-double (points, rebounds, steals) in a December 2008 game against the University of Hartford.

McCoughtry completed her college career at the University of Louisville in 2009.

She was selected first overall by the Atlanta Dream in the 2009 WNBA draft and was considered its franchise player during her tenure with the team.

McCoughtry has also played overseas in Turkey, Slovakia, Lebanon, Hungary and Russia.

She was selected 1st overall by the Atlanta Dream in the 2009 WNBA draft.

Source

Upon joining the Atlanta Dream, McCoughtry soon made a name for herself as an outstanding scorer with excellent penetration and a penchant for drawing the foul.

In her debut season, McCoughtry won Rookie of the Year honors, averaging 12.8 ppg.

The following season, McCoughtry's stats significantly improved as she averaged 21.1 ppg, helping the Atlanta Dream to a 19–15 record and the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference.

Despite the number four seed, The Dream were still a championship contender as their starting line-up had consisted of star center Érika de Souza, all-star power forward Sancho Lyttle, Izi Castro Marques as the starting shooting guard, along with McCoughtry at small forward, quickly developing into an all-star caliber player.

The Dream advanced all the way to the WNBA Finals, facing the Seattle Storm.

En route to the finals, McCoughtry set a WNBA playoff record with 42 points in game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the New York Liberty.

With the Dream down 2–0, McCoughtry had a historic performance in game 3 of the WNBA finals, scoring 35 points, but the Dream fell short losing to the Storm and being swept 3–0.

McCoughtry averaged 26.7 ppg throughout the playoffs.

McCoughtry would have the best season of her career in the 2011 season, as she averaged a career-high 21.6 ppg, helping the Dream to a 20–14 record and the number three seed in the Eastern Conference.

McCoughtry was also voted as a WNBA all-star for the first time in her career.

The Dream would once again make it back to the WNBA Finals, this time against the Minnesota Lynx.

Despite another historic Finals performance, the Dream were swept 3 games to 0.

In Game 2 of the Finals, McCoughtry had set Finals records for most points in a quarter (19) and most points in a game (38).

During the 2012 season, McCoughtry was suspended by the Dream indefinitely for unspecified reasons.

Despite the suspension, McCoughtry still won her first scoring title, averaging 21.4 ppg.

McCoughtry also led the league with 2.5 steals per game.

McCoughtry was also still able to play in the playoffs once her suspension expired, but the Dream were eliminated 2–1 in the first round by the Indiana Fever who won the championship that year.

In 2013, McCoughtry re-signed with the Dream to a multi-year deal once her rookie contract expired.

In the 2013 season, McCoughtry would win her second scoring title, averaging 21.5 ppg and as well a career-high 2.7 steals per game.

It was the fourth consecutive season where McCoughtry averaged 20+ ppg in a regular season.

The Dream finished second in the Eastern Conference with a 17–17 record.

The Dream would sweep the first and second rounds, making it back to the finals for a rematch against the Minnesota Lynx.