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The Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year is an award that made its debut in 2000. Stacey Thomas won the first award, and she did so by averaging 3.4 steals that season. The year before that, she averaged 3.7.
Thomas had a solid college career, and in her four years, she averaged 13.5 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.2 steals and 1.9 assists. The Michigan player entered the WNBA after that, as she was drafted by the Portland Fire in the 2000 WNBA Draft. She played three seasons with the Fire, and after that, she spent time with the Phoenix Mercury.
Michigan’s defensive specialist played with the Mercury in 2003, and she averaged 2.4 points and 1.4 rebounds. The Mercury finished that season with a record of 8-26, and after that, they drafted a star in Diana Taurasi.
When it comes to the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, there are other winners with Mercury ties.
Tamara Moore won the award in 2001, and she did it after averaging 3.6 steals. Moore entered the WNBA a year later, and she was drafted by the Miami Sol.
Moore started the season with the Sol, but they traded her to the Minnesota Lynx later that year. She played 26 games with the Lynx, and she started in 20. She averaged a career-high 7.5 points, three assists and 2.9 rebounds.
After that season, the Lynx traded her to the Detroit Shock. She played 15 games with the Shock, and later that season, she joined the Mercury. Detroit traded her to Phoenix in exchange for Thomas.
Moore played 11 games with the Mercury that year, and she averaged three points and 1.7 rebounds. The following year, she played 32 games with the Mercury and averaged 2.6 points and 1.7 assists. Then, she would for the New York Liberty, the Los Angeles Sparks and the Houston Comets.
Years later, another Mercury player won the award, as Celeste Taylor won in 2024. She was playing for Ohio State, and she was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year by coaches. Serah Williams won the award that year as well. Taylor played for the Mercury in 2024, and she averaged 3.5 points, 1.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists and a steal.
The Big Ten has had some great defenders, and some of them brought that energy to Phoenix.
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