Angel McCoughtry

Angel Lajuane McCoughtry (born September 10, 1986) is a two time gold medal Olympian and best known as an American professional basketball for the Las Vegas Aces of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). 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 is considered its franchise player. She's also played overseas in Turkey, Slovakia, Lebanon, Hungary and Russia.

Angel McCoughtry

Angel McCoughtry in 2018
No. 35 – Las Vegas Aces
Position	Small forward
League	WNBA
Personal information
Born	(1986-09-10) September 10, 1986 Baltimore, Maryland
Nationality	American
Listed height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight	160 lb (73 kg)
Career information
High school	Saint Frances Academy (Baltimore, Maryland) The Patterson School (Lenoir, North Carolina)
College	Louisville (2005–2009)
WNBA draft	2009 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1st overall
Selected by the Atlanta Dream
Playing career	2009–present
Career history
2009–2019	Atlanta Dream
2009–2010	Good Angels Košice
2010–2011	MKB-Euroleasing Sopron
2011–2015	Fenerbahçe Istanbul
2015–2016	Mersin BŞB
2016–2017	Dynamo Kursk
2017	Homenetmen Antelias
2017–2018	Dynamo Kursk
2020–present	Las Vegas Aces
Career highlights and awards
WNBA Rookie of the Year (2009) WNBA All-Rookie Team (2009) 5× WNBA All-Star (2011, 2013–2015, 2018) 2× All-WNBA First Team (2011, 2015) 4× All-WNBA Second Team (2010, 2013, 2014, 2016) 2× WNBA scoring champion (2012, 2013) 2× WNBA steals leader (2012, 2014) 2× WNBA Peak Performer (2012, 2013) 7× WNBA All-Defensive First Team (2010–2016) WNBA All-Defensive Second Team (2009) Hungarian National League champion (2011) Hungarian Cup winner (2011) 2× Turkish National League champion (2012, 2013) Turkish Cup winner (2015) 4× Turkish President Cup winner (2012–2015) EuroLeague winner (2017) Lebanese Basketball League champion (2017)
Stats at WNBA.com
Medals Women's basketball Representing  United States Olympic Games 2012 London Team 2016 Rio de Janeiro Team World Championship 2010 Czech Republic 2014 Turkey Pan American Games 2007 Brazil Team

Biography

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.[1] 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.[2] 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.[3] In addition, McCoughtry was named an All-American by several organizations as a junior.[4]

McCoughtry broke the record for career scoring by a Louisville women's basketball player during the first game of her senior year.[5] She recorded her second triple-double (points, rebounds, steals) in a December 2008 game against the University of Hartford.[6] She was selected 1st overall by the Atlanta Dream in the 2009 WNBA Draft.[7]

Louisville statistics

Source[8]

Legend

GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field goal percentage	3P%	3-point field goal percentage	FT%	Free throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high

Year	Team	GP	Points	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2005–06	Louisville	29	266	.467	.300	.554	7.4	1.6	2.0	0.8	9.2
2006–07	Louisville	35	754	.508	.370	.722	10.3	1.7	3.2	1.6	21.5
2007–08	Louisville	36	858	.467	.296	.728	8.9	1.5	4.1	1.1	23.8
2008–09	Louisville	39	901	.437	.307	.743	9.3	1.9	4.2	1.1	23.1
Career	139	2,779	.467	.319	.713	9.1	1.7	3.5	1.2	20.0

WNBA career

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 finals 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.[9] Despite the suspension, McDoughtry still won her first scoring title, averaging 21.4 ppg. McCoughtry also led the league in steals with 2.5 spg. 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.[10] In the 2013 season, McCoughtry would win her second scoring title, averaging 21.5 ppg and as well a career-high 2.7 spg. 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. The Lynx would once again sweep the Dream in the Finals, as McCoughtry had a less-than stellar performance this time, scoring under 20 points in each game throughout the series.

In the 2014 season, McCoughtry averaged 18.5 ppg ending her streak of consecutive 20+ ppg seasons, but was still voted as a WNBA all-star and also led the league in steals. With McCoughtry's contributions on both offence and defense, teammate Érika de Souza also being voted an all-star, Sancho Lyttle's prominent rebounding and the acquirement of rookie sensation Shoni Schimmel (who played with the team until 2015), the Dream finished first in the Eastern Conference for the first time in franchise history with a 19-15 record, being the only team in the Eastern Conference that season to finish above .500. However, the results weren't the same in the playoffs as they were upset 2-1 in the first round by the Chicago Sky.

In 2015, McCoughtry averaged 20.1 ppg and was voted as a WNBA all-star for the fourth time in her career, but the Dream never made it to the playoffs, making it McCoughtry's first season without playing in the playoffs. By this time, de Souza was traded to the Chicago Sky midway through the season.

In 2016, McCoughtry averaged 19.5 ppg during the season, helping the Dream to another playoff berth with a 17-17 record. With the WNBA's new playoff format in effect, the Dream were the number six seed in the league, facing the Seattle Storm in the first round. The Dream beat the Storm in the first round elimination game as McCoughtry scored 37 points in the win. In the second round elimination game, the Dream lost to the Chicago Sky.

In January 2017, it was announced that McCoughty would be resting during the 2017 WNBA season.[11]

In February 2018, it was announced that McCoughtry re-signed with the Dream to a multi-year deal.[12] On May 20, 2018, McCoughtry scored her 5,000th point in a 101-78 loss to the Dallas Wings, making her the 18th player in WNBA history to reach that milestone.[13] On June 20, 2018, McCoughtry scored a career-high 39 points along with 14 rebounds in a 79-72 loss to the New York Liberty. During the season, McCoughtry would be voted into the 2018 WNBA All-Star Game, for her fifth all-star game appearance. Towards the end of the season, McCoughtry suffered a left knee injury that would keep her out for the rest of season.[14] The Dream finished 23-11 with the number 2 seed in the league, receiving a double-bye to the semi-finals. Without McCoughry, the Dream were short-handed in the playoffs as they lost in five games to the Washington Mystics.

In 2019, McCoughtry would continue to be sidelined with a knee injury, causing her to miss the entire 2019 season.[15]

In February 2020, McCoughtry left the Dream after 12 years of being with the franchise, signing with the Las Vegas Aces in free agency.[16]

USA National Team

McCoughtry was invited to the USA Basketball Women's National Team training camp in the fall of 2009.[17] The team selected to play for the 2010 FIBA World Championship and the 2012 Olympics is usually chosen from these participants. At the conclusion of the training camp, the team travelled to Ekaterinburg, Russia, where they competed in the 2009 UMMC Ekaterinburg International Invitational.[17] McCoughtry earned most valuable player honors at the Ekaterinburg International Invitational Tournament, as she helped the USA Basketball team win the competition.[18]

McCoughtry was one of twenty players named to the national team pool. Twelve of this group will be chosen to represent the US in the 2010 World Championships and the 2012 Olympics.[19]

McCoughtry was selected to be a member of the National team representing the US at the World Championships held in September and October 2010. The team was coached by Geno Auriemma. Because many team members were still playing in the WNBA until just prior to the event, the team had only one day of practice with the entire team before leaving for Ostrava and Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic. Even with limited practice, the team managed to win its first games against Greece by 26 points. The team continued to dominate with victory margins exceeding 20 points in the first five games. Several players shared scoring honors, with Swin Cash, McCoughtry, Maya Moore, Diana Taurasi, Lindsay Whalen, and Sylvia Fowles all ending as high scorer in the first few games. The sixth game was against undefeated Australia—the USA jumped out to a 24-point lead and the USA prevailed 83–75. The USA won its next two games by over 30 points, then faced the host team, the Czech Republic, in the championship game. The USA team had only a five-point lead at halftime, which was cut to three points, but the Czechs never got closer. Team USA went on to win the championship and gold medal. McCoughtry was the second leading scorer with 11.3 ppg. She also led the team in steals with a total of 24.[20]

McCoughtry was named as one of the National team members to represent the USA Basketball team in the WNBA versus USA Basketball.[21] This game replaces the normal WNBA All-Star game with WNBA All-Stars versus USA Basketball, as part of the preparation for the FIBA World Championship for Women to be held in the Czech Republic during September and October 2010.[22]

McCoughtry was one of 21 finalists for the U.S. Women's Olympic Basketball Team Roster. The 20 professional women's basketball players, plus one collegiate player (Brittney Griner), were selected by the USA Basketball Women's National Team Player Selection Committee to compete for the final roster which will represent the US at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.[23] She was selected and was part of the US team that won the gold medal.[24]

McCoughtry played for Team USA during the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, helping the team win another gold medal as they beat Spain 101-72. McCoughtry won her second olympic gold medal with team.

Overseas career

Since being drafted in the WNBA, McCoughtry has played every off-season overseas. In the 2009–10 off-season, McCoughtry played for Good Angels Košice in the EuroLeague. In the 2010–11 off-season played for UNIQA Sopron of the EuroLeague. From 2011 to 2015, McCoughtry played four off-seasons for Fenerbahçe Istanbul of the EuroLeague. In the 2015–16 off-season, McCoughtry played for Mersin Büyükşehir Belediyesi of the Turkish League.[25][26] As of August 2016, McCoughtry signed with Dynamo Kursk of the Russian Premier League for the 2016–17 off-season.[27] Dynamo Kursk won the 2017 Euroleague. In May 2017, McCoughtry signed with Homenetmen Antelias of the Lebanese league; which she won the championship with.[28] Also in 2017, McCoughtry returned to Dynamo Kursk for the 2017-18 off-season.[29]

Personal life

McCoughtry grew up in Baltimore, Maryland and graduated from St. Frances Academy, then spent one year at The Patterson School in North Carolina while working to attain NCAA Division I academic eligibility. She is listed at 6'1" tall and wears jersey number 35. In 2015, McCoughtry confirmed her sexuality on social media when she came out as a free spirit with no labels who believes in connection and not society's labels or interpretation of sexuality. She had posted a photo of herself with her, now former fiancée on Instagram, and wrote this message, "Yes we been discriminated against! We lost friends! Family members are upset! They said I disgraced my religion! One thing I do know is that LOVE is a great feeling! My last overseas team threatened my job if i didn't write a fake letter on social media saying my relationship was a lie. But all i know, Love is a great feeling! I understand we all judge and its in human nature, but the more i speak to God i never feel judgement front he man upstairs, even tho he has all the power too! He tells me to fall, learn, and grow because thats life. But to always keep my heart pure and believe totally in him. All i know love is a great feeling and GOD is Love."[30]

Business ventures

In November 2016, McCoughtry announced that she's opening an ice cream store called "McCoughtry's Ice Cream" in Atlanta for January 2017.[31][32] In August 2019, Angel became the first WNBA athlete to host a basketball camp in Ghana.[33][34]

WNBA career statistics

Legend
GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game	RPG	Rebounds per game
APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game	BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game
TO	Turnovers per game	FG%	Field-goal percentage	3P%	3-point field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage
Bold	Career high	°	League leader

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	TO	PPG
2009	Atlanta	34	10	21.6	.476	.294	.741	3.1	2.1	2.2	0.4	2.1	12.8
2010	Atlanta	34	34	30.7	.408	.262	.803	4.9	3.1	1.9	0.6	3.1	21.1
2011	Atlanta	33	30	27.9	.424	.264	.777	5.2	2.5	2.2	1.0	3.1	21.6
2012	Atlanta	24	17	29.9	.447	.337	.800	5.0	2.9	2.5°	1.1	3.9	21.4°
2013	Atlanta	33	32	31.4	.413	.204	.824	5.3	4.4	2.7	0.7	4.0	21.5°
2014	Atlanta	31	29	31.3	.420	.295	.809	5.2	3.6	2.3°	0.3	3.7	18.5
2015	Atlanta	34	26	30.0	.413	.363	.805	5.3	2.8	2.1	0.5	3.1	20.1
2016	Atlanta	33	32	30.0	.434	.302	.788	5.7	2.8	1.5	0.7	2.9	19.5
2018	Atlanta	29	28	27.5	.420	.276	.846	6.0	3.0	1.3	0.5	2.5	16.5
Career	9 years, 1 team	285	238	28.9	.425	.286	.798	5.0	3.1	2.1	0.6	3.2	19.2

Postseason

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	TO	PPG
2009	Atlanta	2	2	29.0	.484	.571	.667	5.5	3.0	1.0	0.0	6.0	19.0
2010	Atlanta	7	7	30.9	.462	.455	.797	5.4	2.3	2.0	0.6	3.1	26.7
2011	Atlanta	8	8	29.1	.423	.300	.747	5.5	1.5	3.0°	0.8	2.7	23.1°
2012	Atlanta	3	3	33.3	.412	.250	.818	5.7	3.3	2.3	1.3	2.0	18.0
2013	Atlanta	8	8	30.8	.314	.250	.830	3.4	3.6	2.1	1.0	3.5	17.9
2014	Atlanta	3	3	35.2	.433	.444	.923	6.0	3.3	2.6	0.3	1.3	26.7°
2016	Atlanta	2	2	34.8	.548	.700	.733	4.5	8.0	0.5	0.0	3.5	32.0°
Career	7 years, 1 team	33	33	31.2	.416	.375	.794	5.0	3.0	2.2	0.7	3.0	22.8

See also

• List of NCAA Division I women's basketball players with 2,500 points and 1,000 rebounds
• List of NCAA Division I women's basketball career steals leaders

References

1. "Angel McCoughtry". WNBA player stats. WNBA.com. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
2. "Fifteenth Pan American Games -- 2007". USA Basketball. November 19, 2010. Archived from the original on September 7, 2015. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
3. Tim Farrell / The Star-Ledger. "Rutgers upset by Louisville, bounced from Big East Tournament". NJ.com.
5. "No. 9 Louisville eases by Austin Peay". USA Today. April 18, 2006. Retrieved April 25, 2010.
6. "Ex-Star Laments Comets' Demise". The New York Times. December 14, 2008. Retrieved April 25, 2010.
7. http://media.kentucky.com/smedia/2008/11/09/06/09SUA1S18.source.prod_affiliate.79.pdf
8. "Women's Basketball Player stats". NCAA. Retrieved September 22, 2015.
9. "Atlanta Dream in disarray after suspending Angel McCoughtry". USATODAY.COM. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
10. "Dream re-sign McCoughtry". www.fullcourt.com. Archived from the original on November 24, 2016. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
11. Dream’s Angel McCoughtry Plans to Rest During 2017 Season
12. Angel McCoughtry returns to Atlanta Dream on multi-year deal
13. cCoughtry scores 5,000th point in Atlanta Dream’s season opening loss
14. Dream’s McCoughtry Sidelined With Season Ending Injury
15. Dream star Angel McCoughtry will not play in season finale on doctors’ advice
16. Five-time WNBA All-Star Angel McCoughtry signs with Las Vegas Aces
17. "USA Basketball Women's National Team To Tip-Off Training Tomorrow In D.C." USA Basketball. Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved October 1, 2009.
18. "USA Women's National Team Outguns UMMC Ekaterinburg To Capture 2009 Ekaterinburg International Invitational Title". USA Basketball. Archived from the original on October 15, 2009. Retrieved October 24, 2009.
19. "Charles, Moore lead U.S. pool additions". ESPN. March 3, 2010. Archived from the original on March 6, 2010. Retrieved March 3, 2010.
20. "SIXTEENTH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FOR WOMEN -- 2010". USA Basketball. Archived from the original on April 24, 2012. Retrieved May 2, 2014.
21. "Six Olympic Gold Medalists Among 11-Member Team Set To Participate In WNBA vs. USA Basketball: The Stars at the Sun Game". USA Basketball. June 30, 2010. Archived from the original on July 7, 2010. Retrieved July 5, 2010.
22. "FIBA World Championship for Women". FIBA. Archived from the original on July 10, 2010. Retrieved July 5, 2010.
23. "Twenty-One Finalists In The Mix For Final 2012 U.S. Women's Olympic Basketball Team Roster". USA Basketball. February 13, 2012. Archived from the original on February 16, 2012. Retrieved February 13, 2012.
24. "Angel McCoughtry Bio, Stats, and Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved April 18, 2016.
25. http://www.burakcelik.com/ (January 7, 2011). "Angel McCoughtry signed for Fenerbahce". Fenerbahce.org.
26. "Fenerbahçe swoop for McCoughtry". Fibaeurope.com.
27. "2016-2017 WNBA Overseas Signings - Women's Basketball 24.7". Women's Basketball 24.7. August 22, 2016. Archived from the original on September 30, 2017. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
28. "EUROBASKET NEWS". www.eurobasket.com. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
29. Angel McCoughtry leads Dynamo Kursk to victory!
30. Bendix, Trish (April 3, 2015). "Morning Brew - WNBA star Angel McCoughtry comes out". AfterEllen. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
31. WNBA Star Angel McCoughtry To Open Castlebery Hill Ice Cream Shop
32. A Way to Extend Her W.N.B.A. Career? Opening an Ice Cream Parlor