Clarissa Davis

Clarissa Davis

Davis at the 1987 Pan American Games
Personal information
Born June 4, 1967 (1967-06-04) (age 48)
San Antonio, Texas, U.S.

Clarissa Davis (born June 4, 1967 in San Antonio, Texas) is former Texas women's basketball All-American, who is also known as Clarissa Davis-Wrightsil. She is a National Player of the Year, Olympic and pro standout, and was inducted into The Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in April 2006. She was one of six inductees in the Class of 2006, which features four former players and two coaches. Davis played under coach Mike Floyd at John Jay High School in San Antonio, Texas before playing at the University of Texas. She also played basketball in Europe with Galatasaray Istanbul and Fenerbahçe Istanbul in Turkey and won Turkish Championships with both this rival clubs.

Amateur career

USA Basketball

Davis-Wrightsil's first experience with international basketball came in 1986, when she was a member of the team that won a gold medal at the 1986 World Championship.[2] She also played in the 1986 and 1994 Goodwill Games, and the 1987 Pan American Games.[3] After serving as an alternate on the 1988 U.S. Olympic Team, she played on the 1992 U.S. Olympic Team, which received a bronze medal in Barcelona, and was the team's second-leading scorer (13.0 ppg.).

WNBA career

Clarissa Davis was selected by the Phoenix Mercury in the second round (22nd pick overall) of the 1999 WNBA Draft. She played in fourteen games with the Mercury, averaging 9.3 points per game in her only season in the league.[4]

Coaching career

After her playing career, Davis-Wrightsil worked for the San Antonio Spurs organization from 1999 to 2002. She ran the Spurs' successful campaign to obtain the San Antonio Silver Stars as a WNBA franchise, and served as the Silver Star's Chief Operating Officer from 2002–2006.[5] Davis was an assistant coach for the University of Texas Longhorns women's basketball team during the 2006–2007 season. She left Texas after one season to take a similar position with C. Vivian Stringer's Rutgers University team in 2008. After helping the Scarlet Knights to their fifth consecutive Sweet Sixteen appearance in the 2008–2009 season, Davis-Wrightsil resigned to be with her ailing mother in Texas.[6] Inducted into Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in April 2006, Davis is also the founder of TEAMXPRESS, a non-profit sports-based mentoring organization for girls in San Antonio, TX.[7]

References

  1. "The Wade Trophy." Women's Basketball Coaches Association. www.wbca.org. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
  2. "Ninth World Championship for Women – 1983." www.usab.com. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
  3. "Tenth Pan-American Games – 1987." www.usba.com. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
  4. "1999 Phoenix Mercury Stats." www.basketball-reference.com. Retrieved September 30, 2013.
  5. "Rutgers Women's Basketball Assistant Coach Clarissa Davis-Wrightsil Leaves Post." www.scarletknights.com, April 2, 2009. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
  6. Mehta, Manish. "Rutgers women's assistant coaach Clarissa Davis-Wrightsil resigns." www.nj.com, April 2, 2009. Retrieved September 30, 2013.
  7. "Our Founder: Clarissa Davis-Wrightsil." www.teamexpress.org. Retrieved September 30, 2013.

Further reading

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