Stephanie Courtney Watts (born April 12, 1997) is an American professional basketball player. She played briefly for the Chicago Sky of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).[1] She was drafted by the Los Angeles Sparks in the first round of the 2021 WNBA draft and was traded to Chicago during the 2021 season.[2][3][4]
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 12, 1997 |
| Listed height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Weddington (Matthews, North Carolina) |
| College | North Carolina (2015–19), (2020–21) USC (2019–20) |
| WNBA draft | 2021: 1st round, 10th overall pick |
| Selected by the Los Angeles Sparks | |
| Position | Guard |
| Number | 5 |
| Career history | |
| 2021 | Chicago Sky |
| 2021–present | Sydney Uni Flames |
| 2023-present | Tokomanawa Queens |
High School career
editWatts is from Wesley Chapel, North Carolina and attended Weddington High School. She was named a McDonald's All-American and was North Carolina's Gatorade Player of the Year.[5] She was a five-star recruit going into college and was ranked the No. 21 player overall in her recruiting class.[6][7]
College career
editShe started her college career at the University of North Carolina before transferring to the University of Southern California as a graduate. She returned to UNC as a sixth-year transfer to finish a graduate degree.[8][9]
Watts was a three-year starter during her first stint at UNC, when she was named ACC Freshman of the Year. She was also named to the All-ACC second team that year. She also set a UNC freshman record for three pointers made. She crossed the 1,000 career points mark as a junior.[10]
North Carolina and Southern California statistics
editSource[11]
| YEAR | Team | GP | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RBG | APG | BPG | SPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | North Carolina | 32 | 36.0% | 29.2% | 71.3% | 7.22 | 2.50 | 1.38 | 1.41 | 14.72 |
| 2016-17 | North Carolina | 26 | 39.2% | 32.5% | 65.1% | 7.89 | 2.19 | 1.19 | 2.04 | 16.85 |
| 2018-19 | North Carolina | 27 | 41.5% | 37.3% | 66.0% | 5.48 | 3.11 | 1.00 | 1.89 | 15.22 |
| 2019-20 | Southern California | 4 | 39.4% | 31.6% | 90.0% | 6.00 | 1.50 | 1.75 | 1.00 | 10.25 |
| 2020-21 | North Carolina | 23 | 38.5% | 30.5% | 85.9% | 5.39 | 3.09 | 0.83 | 1.74 | 11.96 |
| Career | 112 | 38.7% | 32.4% | 72.8% | 6.54 | 2.66 | 1.14 | 1.72 | 14.61 |
| YEAR | Team | GP | FG | FGA | 3P | 3PA | FT | FTA | REB | A | BK | ST | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | North Carolina | 32 | 159 | 442 | 76 | 260 | 77 | 108 | 231 | 80 | 44 | 45 | 471 |
| 2016-17 | North Carolina | 26 | 158 | 403 | 81 | 249 | 41 | 63 | 205 | 57 | 31 | 53 | 438 |
| 2018-19 | North Carolina | 27 | 147 | 354 | 82 | 220 | 35 | 53 | 148 | 84 | 27 | 51 | 411 |
| 2019-20 | Southern California | 4 | 13 | 33 | 6 | 19 | 9 | 10 | 24 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 41 |
| 2020-21 | North Carolina | 23 | 92 | 239 | 36 | 118 | 55 | 64 | 124 | 71 | 19 | 40 | 275 |
| Career | 112 | 569 | 1471 | 281 | 866 | 217 | 298 | 732 | 298 | 128 | 193 | 1636 |
Professional career
editWatts became the highest UNC player selected in the WNBA Draft since La'Tangela Atkinson in 2006. She is the 21st player from the program to be selected and the fourth Top Ten pick.[12]
WNBA career statistics
edit| 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 best | ° | League leader |
Regular season
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Chicago | 6 | 0 | 14.0 | .211 | .100 | .750 | 3.7 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 1.3 | 2.5 | |
| Career | 1 year, 1 team | 6 | 0 | 14.0 | .211 | .100 | .750 | 3.7 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 1.3 | 2.5 |
References
edit- ^ VERNON, JEREMY. "WNBA: Watts waived less than a month after being traded". The Enquirer Journal. Retrieved 2021-06-28.
- ^ "Sky acquire Stephanie Watts; rights to Leonie Fiebich from the Los Angeles Sparks". Chicago Sky.
- ^ "Five under-the-radar WNBA players to keep an eye on during 2021 season". CBSSports.com.
- ^ "UNC guard Stephanie Watts drafted 10th overall to LA Sparks". April 16, 2021.
- ^ "Stephanie Watts earns Gatorade Player of the Year honors". March 12, 2015.
- ^ Luck, Quierra. "Former Tar Heel Standout Stephanie Watts Returns to Chapel Hill". Sports Illustrated North Carolina Tarheels News, Analysis and More.
- ^ "Stephanie Watts' High School Timeline". MaxPreps.com.
- ^ "Tar Heels welcome back Stephanie Watts after transfer to USC". USA TODAY.
- ^ "UNC Women's Basketball Welcomes Stephanie Watts Back To Chapel Hill". Tar Heel Times.
- ^ "Stephanie Watts Returns to UNC Women's Basketball for Final Year of Eligibility". June 29, 2020.
- ^ "NCAA Statistics". web1.ncaa.org. Retrieved 2021-06-28.
- ^ "UNC's Stephanie Watts Drafted No. 10 by Los Angeles Sparks". InsideCarolina.com.