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The Phoenix Mercury have ties to the Big Ten, and some of their standout players came from that conference. The Mercury drafted Samantha Prahalis in 2012, and she had a solid rookie season.
Prahalis attended Ohio State, and her impressive performances caught the eye of the Mercury. She joined the team, and she averaged 11.6 points, 4.5 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.6 steals. After her successful year, she started the 2013 season with the Mercury, but ended up with the New York Liberty later on.
The Mercury guard saw success at both the collegiate and professional levels, and other players from the conference have gone on to have their share of success. Some of those players won the Big Ten Tournament Most Outstanding Player, which is an award that dates back to 1995, and Missy Masley won it in Penn State’s victory over Ohio State.
Since then, other players have won it, and the first one with Mercury ties was Shereka Wright.
Wright attended Purdue, and she won the award in 2003 and 2004. She later started her WNBA journey, and while she was drafted by the Detroit Shock, Wright started her career with the Mercury. She played two seasons, and she averaged 3.8 points and two rebounds in her second season.
Years later, another player with ties to Phoenix won, as Megan Gustafson won in 2019. She attended Iowa, and her team picked up a big win over Maryland in the championship game.
190424 Wbb Elite 041 Jpg / Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen
Gustafson had a big season, as she averaged 27.8 points, 13.4 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.7 assists in her final year. She started her WNBA journey shortly after, and she played for the Dallas Wings. Eventually, she made her way to Phoenix, and she played with them in 2022 and 2023. She had the best season of her career so far, as she averaged 7.9 points and 3.9 rebounds in a year where the Mercury struggled. Now, she is with the Las Vegas Aces, and she has a championship with them.
In between Gustafson and Wright, another player with Mercury ties won, as Shatori Walker-Kimbrough won in 2016. She played for the Mercury in 2020, and she averaged 7.3 points, 1.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.1 steals during that time.
These players represented the Big Ten, and in their time with the Mercury, they showcased their talents.
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