Essence Carson
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| No. 17 – Los Angeles Sparks | ||||||||||
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| Position | Guard / Forward | |||||||||
| League | WNBA | |||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||
| Born |
July 28, 1986 Paterson, New Jersey | |||||||||
| Nationality | American | |||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | |||||||||
| Listed weight | 165 lb (75 kg) | |||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||
| High school | Eastside (Paterson, New Jersey) | |||||||||
| College | Rutgers (2004–2008) | |||||||||
| WNBA draft | 2008 / Round: 1 / Pick: 7th overall | |||||||||
| Selected by the New York Liberty | ||||||||||
| Playing career | 2008–present | |||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||
| 2008–2016 | New York Liberty | |||||||||
| 2016–Present | Los Angeles Sparks | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||
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| Stats at WNBA.com | ||||||||||
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | ||||||||||
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Medals
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Essence Carson (born July 28, 1986) is an American basketball player for the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks .
Early life
She started playing organized sports at age 11 and attended Rosa L. Parks School of Fine and Performing Arts, while competing athletically at Eastside High School in Paterson, where she was an all-state volleyball player and state champion in the 400 meters.[1][2] Carson was named a WBCA All-American.[3] She participated in the 2004 WBCA High School All-America Game, where she was a starter and scored seven points. Carson was also a McDonald's All-American where she was also a starter and scored 5 points. Carson attended and played college basketball at Rutgers University.[4]
USA Basketball
Carson was a member of the USA Women's U18 team which won the gold medal at the FIBA Americas Championship in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. The event was held in August 2004, when the USA team defeated Puerto Rico to win the championship. Carson helped the team win the gold medal, scoring 8.7 points per game.[5]
Carson continued with the team as it became the U19 team, and competed in the 2005 U19 World Championships in Tunis, Tunisia. The USA team won all eight games, winning the gold medal. Carson scored 5.6 points per game.[6]
Carson went on to compete with the FIBA Americas U20 Championship For Women Team (Formerly the World Championship For Young Women Qualifying Team) where they won gold in 2006. In 2007, Moscow, Russia she competed with the FIBA U20 World Championship For Women Team (Formerly the World Championship For Young Women Team) where she was once again a starter and obtained gold.
Professional career
Carson was the 7th draft pick in the 2008 WNBA Draft. She is currently a member of the WNBA New York Liberty. She helped the Liberty win the first round series of the 2008 playoffs. But the Liberty just fell short of the finals in the eastern conference finals against Detroit Shock. She was one of the many rookies, including former Rutgers teammate Matee Ajavon. On June 9, 2013, Carson, during a game with the Atlanta Dream, tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee and will miss the rest of the season. In the 2013 season, she was averaging a team-high 17.7 points and 6.3 rebounds through the first three games. She has averaged 8.7 points and 2.5 rebounds in 172 career games. On March 31 2016 Carson signed with the Los Angeles Sparks [7]
All Star
In the 2011 WNBA All-Star Game, she was voted for a reserve for the east and scored 13 points.[8]
Music
On November 12, 2013, Essence released a hip-hop album, Broken Diary, under the alias, Pr3pe (Preppy). Carson, who is also a music producer, produced 70% of the debut album. Pr3pe notes her musical influences as Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson, Temptations, Otis Redding, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles Grover Washington Jr, MC Lyte, Queen Latifah, and Missy Elliot to name a few. She is most recognized for her story-telling, 90s hip-hop infused flow. Carson is said to be working on a follow mixtape to her debut album for 2014.
Personal
Carson is from Paterson, New Jersey and is one of three children. Her brother, Shaquille Thomas, currently plays basketball for the University of Cincinnati Bearcats.[9] Essence graduated with a degree in Psychology and minor in Music from Rutgers and plays the piano, saxophone, electric bass, and drums.[1]
References
- 1 2 "21 Questions with Essence Carson". wnba.com. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
- ↑ Ogle, Mike. "For Carson and Liberty, Excitement Is Mutual", The New York Times, April 22, 2008. Accessed August 1, 2008.
- ↑ "For Carson and Liberty, Excitement Is Mutual". NY Times. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
- ↑ White, Nicola M. "Paterson senior shines in many pursuits", The Record (Bergen County), April 29, 2004. Accessed August 1, 2008.
- ↑ "Fifth Women's Junior World Championship Qualifying Team -- 2004". USA Basketball. February 20, 2014. Archived from the original on 12 September 2015. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
- ↑ "Sixth FIBA Women's U19 World Championship -- 2005". USA Basketball. June 10, 2010. Archived from the original on 7 September 2015. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
- ↑ "Liberty F Essence Carson Out For Season With ACL Injury". CBS New York. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
- ↑ "Essence Carson Named 2011 WNBA All-Star Reserve". wnba.com. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
- ↑ "24 Shaq Thomas". www.gobearcats.com. Retrieved 2016-03-02.
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