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Thursday, January 18, 2001
'Catch' our drift: Meek will be missed
By Melanie Jackson
ESPN.com
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| 20 QUESTIONS |
 If you could be any super hero or cartoon character, who would you be? See what Tennessee's Tamika Catchings had to say about that and why she wears No. 24 as the 6-foot-1 senior forward shares her answers to our 20 Questions. |
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Monday, Tamika Catchings suffered a torn ACL in her right knee. Tuesday, the all-everything senior forward said she is going to try and come back in time for the NCAA Tournament.
Until No. 24 returns -- which might not happen until she's wearing a WNBA uniform -- we take a look at 24 reasons we'll miss having Catchings on the court the rest of the way.
1. No one else has made wearing a head band look so cool since Cliff Robinson.
2. When Chamique Holdsclaw graduated, many wondered who would replace the Lady Vols' inspirational leader. Guess what? Catchings did.
3. Along with Holdsclaw, Catchings helped give us anti-Denver Broncos fans something to smile about when we see the color orange.
4. Sure, Semeka Randall hit the game-winning shot that lifted Tennessee to a 72-71 victory over Connecticut in February 2000. But it was Catchings' 3-pointer with 2.2 seconds to play in the first half that cut UConn's lead to six points and gave the Lady Vols momentum after the break.
5. Talk about the epitome of the student-athlete. In addition to graduating ahead of her class in December 2000, Catchings also was awarded an academic summer internship with the WNBA following her junior season.
6. Who can forget her first appearance in an NCAA title game? Catchings tallied seven rebounds and a game-high 27 points (Holdsclaw scored 25) as the Lady Vols beat Louisiana Tech 93-75 for the 1998 national championship.
7. The honors have come often, but not many can claim being a three-time Kodak All-American. Catchings also is just the second Lady Vol to earn the honor as a freshman.
8. Who else can win the Naismith, Rawlings/WBCA, Associated Press, U.S. Basketball Writers, State Farm/Frontier and Victor player of the year awards as Catchings did in 2000? And oh yeah, she also was named to the All-NCAA Final Four, the SEC All-Tournament and the All-SEC teams last season.
9. Through Monday's win over Mississippi State, Catchings has scored in double-figures in 113 of 127 career games.
10. Catchings' seven double-doubles so far this season bring her career total to 33.
11. With a 24-point performance against Arizona State on Dec. 27, Catchings became just the third Lady Vol to score 2,000 points, joining Holdsclaw and Bridgette Gordon. Her 17 points Monday left her with 2,113 career points.
12. Catchings also is just the second Tennessee player -- along with Holdsclaw -- to have more than 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. Her 13 rebounds Monday pushed her career total to 1,004. She had seven double-doubles this season.
13. The assault on the Tennessee record books continues: Through Monday's game, Catchings had tallied 31 steals this season, and is just 28 shy of Gordon's career steals record of 338.
14. Catchings' career highs: 38 points (Feb. 26, 1999 vs. Florida), 18 rebounds (Dec. 22, 2000 vs. Texas).
15. You want heart? Catchings has it. After suffering a severely sprained ankle against Texas Tech in the first half of last season's Mideast Regional final, Catchings came back after the break to finish with seven points, 16 rebounds and six assists en route to being named the region's Most Outstanding Player and leading Tennessee to its fifth Final Four berth in six seasons.
16. Including 17 games this season, Catchings has shot 50.5 percent (760-for-1,506) from the field over her Tennessee career.
17. Catchings reached 1,000-point plateau at Tennessee in just 58 games, second only to Holdsclaw, who needed 57 games to reach the mark.
18. When asked what hurts most about her injury, Catchings didn't complain about her throbbing knee. Instead, she replied, "Not being on the court with my teammates."
19. Catchings has overcome adversity before. Because of her inability to hear certain high-frequency tones, she wear hearing aids. Catchings has been honored by several organizations, including the Eleanor Roosevelt League for the Hard of Hearing. She also has been the recipient of the Reynolds Society Achievement Award, which goes to an individual who has "overcome hearing, vision or voice loss and who has distinguised themselves and provided inspiration to others."
20. Dating back to her freshman year, Catchings has started 120 consecutive games for the Lady Vols. She has started every game except for two, both during the 1997-98 season (vs. Mississippi in the season-opener and vs. Texas in the seventh game of the season).
21. For her career, Catchings has notched a 16.6 scoring average (2,113 points in 127 games).
22. Anybody remember that 25-point, 10-rebound performance against Mississippi State last March as the Lady Vols won the SEC tournament for the third straight year?
23. Catchings' 711 points as a freshman in 1997-98 still stands as a Tennessee rookie record.
24. As coach Pat Summitt said Tuesday, "I don't believe you can replace Tamika Catchings."
| QUOTE OF THE WEEK |
| Despite a torn ACL, Houston Comets coach/general manager Van Chancellor still projects Tamika Catchings as a top-three pick in the upcoming WNBA draft. "She's a 12- to 15-year player," Chancellor said in the Knoxville News-Sentinel. "Why is that going to change over one year? This is going to be an outstanding player in the WNBA. Take her and wait a year."
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| DID YOU KNOW? |
| Prior to her torn ACL, Catchings has, for the most part, avoided the injury bug. "This is the only injury I've ever had," she said Tuesday. "Well, I've twisted my ankle and I had a broken nose once, but that's it." When asked what hurts most about her injury, Catchings said, "Not being on the court with my teammates. ... I hate watching practice." |
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| SUMMITT SAYS |
| "I have tremendous respect for (Catchings) and how hard she works. Tamika is very tenacious and plays with high-energy which makes her a coaches' dream to work with. ... We're not asking one player to step up and try to replace Tamika but rather to try as a team to collectively put up more numbers. I don't believe you can replace Tamika Catchings." -- Tennessee coach Pat Summitt |
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