North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State Is Well Represented In The WNBA
5/29/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
May 29, 2001
NC State women's basketball coach Kay Yow owns a number of accomplishments of which she can be proud. One of only five coaches in the history of women's college basketball to record more than 600 victories, Yow is a member of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. And along the way in her stellar career, she has also captured a number of coach of the year awards.
But perhaps nothing pleases Yow more than to see a former player take what she's learned in college and parlay that knowledge and skill into a professional basketball career. Thanks to the WNBA, several of Yow's former players are doing just that.
As it begins its fifth season, the WNBA seems to have carved a special niche among fans who appreciate women's basketball. And the league's success has also provided opportunities for former college stars to continue playing the game they love while making a living at the same time.
A total of five former NC State players dotted WNBA rosters when the league tipped off the 2001 season on Memorial Day.
Rhonda Mapp (Los Angeles Sparks), Summer Erb (Charlotte Sting), Andrea Stinson (Charlotte Sting), Tynesha Lewis (Houston Comets), and Chasity Melvin (Cleveland Rockers) will all be major contributors to their respective teams this season.
Just a few months removed from an outstanding senior season at NC State, Lewis is learning the ropes as a rookie with the Comets, who have won four straight WNBA titles.
Following an injury plagued rookie campaign, the 6-6 Erb is expected to make more of an impact with Charlotte this season. Teammate and fellow Wolfpack alum Andrea Stinson is already one of the best all-around guards in the league.
Mapp, who joined Erb and Stinson in Charlotte last season, was acquired by Los Angeles over the winter.
Now in her third year with Cleveland, Melvin is coming off a season in which she averaged 11.7 points and 5.4 rebounds per contest.
