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Alyssa Thomas is one of the Phoenix Mercury’s new stars, as they acquired her in a big deal. The Mercury also brought in Satou Sabally, and both of them helped the team go on a deep playoff run.
Thomas averaged 15.4 points, 9.2 assists, 8.8 rebounds and 1.6 steals this year. She was one of the Most Valuable Player (MVP) finalists, and her triple-doubles played a big role. She had eight of them, and at one point, she had three in a row.
Phoenix’s All-Star has had an excellent WNBA career, and before that, she was doing great things in college. She attended Maryland, and she was a three-time ACC Player of the Year at that time. Thomas is one of her school’s best players, and she is not the only player representing it.
The Mercury star is one of 31 WNBA players who attended Maryland, and the school’s ties to the league dates back to 1997. Four Maryland players were a part of the league that year, and some of them were involved in the allocation round.
Jasmina Perazic-Gipe and Vicky Bullett were allocated, and two other Maryland players were drafted. Jessie Hicks was selected in the second round of the 1997 WNBA Draft. She was picked by the Utah Starzz.
Katrina Colleton was selected in the third round, and she went to the Los Angeles Sparks. In 1998, a Maryland player was drafted in the fourth round. The Sting selected Sonia Chase, who was picked right before the Mercury made their selection. They chose Karen Wilkins with that pick.
The Mercury added a player from Maryland, as they drafted Edna Campbell. She played for the Terrapins in the 1987-88 season, and she averaged nine points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists and two steals. While she started with Maryland, she played for Texas the next two years.
Campbell spent a year with the Mercury, and she averaged 9.6 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists.
Phoenix’s current star was the 15th Maryland player to be drafted, and there have been others along the way. Natasha Cloud, who spent time with the Mercury in 2024, started her college career with Maryland. Then, she transferred to Saint Joseph’s.
Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, who played for the Mercury in 2020, also attended Maryland. The Terrapins are well-represented in the WNBA, and Thomas is leading the way.
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