Candice Wiggins
Encyclopedia
Candice Dana Wiggins is American basketball guard for the Minnesota Lynx
Minnesota Lynx
The Minnesota Lynx are a professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded prior to the 1999 season...

 of the WNBA. She previously played for the Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...

 women's basketball team where she is the all-time leading scorer in Stanford women's basketball history and in the Pac-10 Conference women's basketball history. She was selected 3rd overall by the Lynx in the 2008 WNBA Draft
WNBA Draft
The WNBA Draft is an annual draft held by the WNBA through which WNBA teams can select new players from a talent pool of college and professional women's basketball players. The first WNBA draft was held in 1997...

. Her nickname is "Ice", an abbreviation of CandICE, and when she scores for the Lynx at their home court, the opening notes to the song Ice Ice Baby
Ice Ice Baby
"Ice Ice Baby" is a hip hop song written by American rapper Vanilla Ice and DJ Earthquake. The song samples the bassline of "Under Pressure" by Queen and David Bowie, who did not initially receive songwriting credit or royalties until after it had become a hit...

by Vanilla Ice
Vanilla Ice
Robert Matthew Van Winkle , best known by his stage name Vanilla Ice, is an American rapper, extreme athlete and home improvement television personality...

 can be heard.

Personal life

Candice Wiggins was born in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...

, Maryland where her father, Alan Wiggins
Alan Wiggins
Alan Anthony Wiggins was a Major League Baseball second baseman and left fielder. He was the first baseball player known to die of AIDS.-Early career:Wiggins was born in 1958 in Los Angeles, California...

 played Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

 for the Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...

. (He also played for the San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...

.) When Wiggins was 3, she was hit by a car and almost lost one of her eyes. She still has the scar under that eye. When Wiggins was in the first grade, she scored 30 points against 4th graders in basketball. By the time she was in 5th grade, she had to play on the boys' teams so she could play at a competitive level. When her father Alan
Alan Wiggins
Alan Anthony Wiggins was a Major League Baseball second baseman and left fielder. He was the first baseball player known to die of AIDS.-Early career:Wiggins was born in 1958 in Los Angeles, California...

 retired, he and his wife Angela, daughters Cassandra and Candice, and son Alan Jr. moved to San Diego, California. Wiggins' father died of AIDS soon after their move, when Wiggins was only 4 years old. "It was a scary time. No one would talk about it," Wiggins recalls. "A young girl wants to know about her Dad dying of AIDS. But it was taboo," she said. Wiggins has chosen to break the wall of silence about AIDS through a partnership with Until There’s A Cure (UTAC), a non-profit organization that raises awareness and funds to combat AIDS through the sale of The Bracelet. To date, the organization has raised over $9 million for vaccine development, care services, and youth education.

High school career

Wiggins attended La Jolla Country Day School
La Jolla Country Day School
La Jolla Country Day School is a highly selective private school in La Jolla, a community of San Diego, California. It was founded as the Balmer School by Louise C. Balmer in 1926. The school contains a lower school , a middle school , and an upper school...

 in La Jolla, California for high school. She excelled at volleyball, Track, and most of all basketball. She was a four-year letter-winner in both volleyball and basketball. In all four years of high school she was named CIF Division IV Player of the year for basketball. Wiggins was a McDonald's All-American as a Senior. She also led La Jolla Country Day to the state championship game in each of her four seasons, winning it twice. She also captained the United States Junior National Team that won gold. Many high school recruiting services listed her as the best shooting guard in the nation and a top 5 player in the Class of 2004. Wiggins chose Stanford over Duke, while UCLA came in third and USC and Arizona were 4th and 5th on her list. Tennessee, Connecticut, and Texas rounded out her final 8.

High school awards

  • 2004 USA Junior National Team Captain
  • 2004 California's Ms. Basketball
  • 2004 First Team High School All-American Student Sports
  • 2004 First Team High School All-American Parade Magazine
  • 2004 Second Team High School USA Today All-American
  • 2004 Second Team High School Street and Smith All-American
  • 2004 McDonald's All-American Game Participant
  • 2004 Cal Hi Sports Player of the Year
  • 2004 Coastal South League Player of the Year
  • 2004 Adidas Top Ten Camp MVP
  • 2004 CIF Division IV State Runner-Up
  • 2004 CIF Division IV Player of the Year
  • 2004 First All Coastal South League (Volleyball)
  • 2004 First Team All-CIF (Volleyball)
  • 2003 CIF Division IV State Runner-Up
  • 2003 Coastal South League Player of the Year
  • 2003 CIF Division IV Player of the Year
  • 2003 First All Coastal South League (Volleyball)
  • 2003 First Team All-CIF (Volleyball)
  • 2002 CIF Division IV State Champions
  • 2002 CIF Division IV Player of the Year
  • 2002 Coastal South League Player of the Year
  • 2002 First Team All Coastal South League (Volleyball)
  • 2002 First Team All-CIF (Volleyball)
  • 2001 CIF Division IV State Champions
  • 2001 CIF Division IV Player of the Year
  • 2001 Coastal South League Player of the Year

Freshman year

When Wiggins came to Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...

 she was offered a scholarship for not only basketball at Stanford but also Volleyball. She played both as a freshman and has a championship ring from the 2004–05 National Championship season. As a freshman, Wiggins led Stanford to a 32–3 record and an Elite Eight
Elite Eight
The term Elite Eight, or less commonly called "Great Eight", refers to the final eight teams in the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship or the NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship; and, thus, represents the national quarterfinals. In Division I, the Elite Eight consists of the...

 appearance. She averaged 17.5 points per game and was named both the Pac-10 Conference Freshman of the Year and Player of The Year. This was the first time in the conference history that a freshman won the Player of the Year Award. Wiggins, along with Georgia's Tasha Humphrey
Tasha Humphrey
Tasha Humphrey is a professional basketball player. She played the center position for the Washington Mystics in the WNBA until being waived 6 July 2009. Her father is former Green Bay Packers player Donnie Humphrey.-College career:Completed her career as Georgia's second all-time scorer and...

, was named National Co-Freshman of the Year. She made second team All-American and was a Kodak All-American, the only freshman on either list.

Sophomore year

During her sophomore year, Wiggins led Stanford to a 26–8 record and another Elite Eight appearance where they lost to LSU
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...

. She averaged 21.8 points per game and made 90 three-pointers over the course of the season. She was again named Pac-10 Player of The Year and Second team All-American, as well as Kodak All-American.

Junior year

As a junior, Wiggins led Stanford to a 29–5 record and a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but the Cardinal were upset in Round 2 by Florida State, 68–61. She missed 5 games due to ankle and hamstring injuries, but averaged 16.9 points per game. Devanei Hampton of Cal won the Pac-10 Player of the Year Award this season. However, Wiggins was the only Pac-10 Player to be a Kodak All-American as she again made second team.

Wiggins played for the USA team in the 2007 Pan American Games
2007 Pan American Games
The 2007 Pan American Games, officially known as the XV Pan American Games, were a major continental multi-sport event that took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from July 13 to July 29, 2007. A total of 5,633 athletes from 42 National Olympic Committees competed in 332 events in 34 sports and in...

 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The team won all five games, earning the Gold Medal for the event.

Senior year

In her senior season, Stanford started the season ranked No. 8 but moved up the polls with victories over No. 3 Rutgers (thanks to Wiggins hitting 2 free throws with 0.1 seconds left), and No. 10 Baylor
Baylor University
Baylor University is a private, Christian university located in Waco, Texas. Founded in 1845, Baylor is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.-History:...

. On December 22, Wiggins scored 21 points and led Stanford to a 73–69 overtime victory over 2007 NCAA champions
NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Women's Division I Championship is an annual college basketball tournament for women. Held each April, the Women's Championship was inaugurated in the 1981–82 season...

 Tennessee
Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball
The Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball team represents the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee in NCAA women's basketball competition...

, Stanford's first win over Tennessee since 1996. On January 31, 2008, Wiggins scored 18 points in a win over USC
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...

 at Maples Pavilion
Maples Pavilion
Maples Pavilion is a 7,392-seat multi-purpose arena in Stanford, California built in 1968. Maples underwent a $30 million renovation in March 2004, which wrapped up in time for conference play in December of that year...

 and passed Kate Starbird
Kate Starbird
Kate Starbird is a former professional basketball player in the Women's National Basketball Association and the American Basketball League ....

 as the all-time leading scorer in Stanford women's basketball history. On March 2, 2008, she scored 24 points against Washington State
Washington State University
Washington State University is a public research university based in Pullman, Washington, in the Palouse region of the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 1890, WSU is the state's original and largest land-grant university...

 to pass Lisa Leslie
Lisa Leslie
Lisa Deshaun Leslie-Lockwood is a former American professional women's basketball player in the WNBA. She is a three-time WNBA MVP and a four-time Olympic gold medal winner...

 as the all-time leading scorer in Pac-10 women's basketball history. She was named the Pac-10 Player of The Year for the 2007–2008 season, the third time she has received the award. On March 24, 2008, she scored a career-high 44 points, pulled down 10 rebounds, and made 8 assists in a 88–54 win over UTEP
University of Texas at El Paso
The University of Texas at El Paso is a four-year state university, and is a component institution of the University of Texas System. Its campus is located on the bank of the Rio Grande in El Paso, Texas. The school was founded in 1914 as The Texas State School of Mines and Metallurgy,...

 as Stanford advanced to the Sweet Sixteen of the 2008 NCAA tournament
2008 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2008 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 teams playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the 2007–08 national champion of women's NCAA Division I college basketball. It commenced on March 22, 2008, and concluded when the University of Tennessee Lady...

; a week later, her 41 points propelled Stanford to its first Final Four appearance since 1997, where they would reach the final before losing to the University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...

. In this performance Wiggins became the only player in NCAA women's basketball history to score 40-plus points in multiple NCAA Tournament
NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Women's Division I Championship is an annual college basketball tournament for women. Held each April, the Women's Championship was inaugurated in the 1981–82 season...

 games.

By the end of her career at Stanford Wiggins was a 4-time All American at Stanford. Only 7 people have been a four-time All-American in women's basketball. On April 4, 2008, Wiggins was awarded the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award
Lowe's Senior CLASS Award
The Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award is an annual college athletic award in the NCAA Division I. Qualified competitors must be seniors who have remained within their NCAA Division I college for a four-year commitment and achieved excellence in one of nine sports.....

. The following day Wiggins was awarded the Wade Trophy
Wade Trophy
The Wade Trophy is an award presented annually to the best women's basketball player in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I competition. It is named after three–time national champion Delta State University coach Lily Margaret Wade. The award debuted in 1978 as the first–ever...

 as the best women's college basketball player in NCAA Division I.

Wiggins is a member of Delta Sigma Theta
Delta Sigma Theta
Delta Sigma Theta is a non-profit Greek-lettered sorority of college-educated women who perform public service and place emphasis on the African American community. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority was founded on January 13, 1913 by twenty-two collegiate women at Howard University...

 sorority, and became a member of the Omicron Chi Chapter in Spring 2007. She graduated from Stanford with a degree in communications in the spring of 2008.

Collegiate awards

  • 2008 Pac-10 Player of the Year
  • 2008 Wade Trophy Player of the Year
  • 2008 Lowe's Senior Class Award Winner
  • 2008 First Team WBCA
    Women's Basketball Coaches Association
    The Women's Basketball Coaches Association is an association of coaches of women's basketball teams at all levels.The organization was formed in 1981, with the goal of addressing the needs of women's basketball coaches.The mission of the WBCA is:...

    /Kodak All-American
  • 2008 First Team AP All-American
  • 2008 Wooden Award Finalist
  • 2008 Pac-10 Tournament Most Outstanding Player
  • 2008 Naismith Trophy Finalist
  • 2008 All-Pac-10 Selection
  • 2007 Second Team WBCA/Kodak All-American
  • 2007 Second Team AP All-American
  • 2007 Wooden Award Finalist
  • 2007 Wade Trophy Finalist
  • 2007 Naismith Trophy Finalist
  • 2007 Pac-10 Tournament Most Outstanding Player
  • 2007 All-Pac-10 Selection
  • 2007 USA Women's Basketball Female Athlete of the Year
  • 2006 Pac-10 Player of the Year
  • 2006 Second Team WBCA/Kodak All-American
  • 2006 Second Team AP All-American
  • 2006 All-Pac-10 Selection
  • 2006 Wade Trophy Finalist
  • 2006 Bay Area's Most Dynamic Amateur Athlete
  • 2005 USABWA National Co-Freshman of the Year
  • 2005 Pac-10 Freshman and Player of the Year (first time this has happened)
  • 2005 Second Team AP All-American (only freshman)
  • 2005 Second Team Kodak/WBCA All-American (only freshman)
  • 2005 Pac-10 Tournament MVP
  • 2005 Great Alaskian Shootout MVP

WNBA

Wiggins was chosen as the third overall pick in the 2008 WNBA Draft
2008 WNBA Draft
The 2008 WNBA Draft is the league's annual process for determining which teams receive the rights to negotiate with players entering the league. The draft was held on April 9, 2008....

 by the Minnesota Lynx
Minnesota Lynx
The Minnesota Lynx are a professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded prior to the 1999 season...

.

On May 18, 2008, she played in her first ever WNBA game. She scored 15 points, pulled down 4 rebounds, had 4 steals, and dished out 2 assists as the Minnesota Lynx beat the 2006 WNBA champions Detroit Shock
Detroit Shock
The Detroit Shock was a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. They were the 2003, 2006 and 2008 WNBA champion...

 84–70.

Wiggins was named WNBA Rookie of the Month, presented by Hanns-G, for the month of June 2008.

Wiggins suffered from an injury during the first quarter of a July 24, 2008 game against the Indiana Fever
Indiana Fever
The Indiana Fever is a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the 2000 season began...

. She was removed from the court in a wheelchair. She suffered a severe lower back contusion and missed the next few weeks.

Wiggins went on to win the 2nd 2008 WNBA's 6th Woman Award.

On June 29, 2009 Wiggins was awarded the Player of the Week Award for the Western Conference, Tamika Catchings
Tamika Catchings
Tamika Devonne Catchings is an American professional basketball player for the Indiana Fever of the WNBA and Turkish team Galatasaray. She is a prolific scorer close to and far from the basket, as well as a capable rebounder, ball handler, and defender. After playing at Adlai E...

 won for the Eastern Conference.

In June of 2010, Wiggins ruptured her Achilles tendon
Achilles tendon
The Achilles tendon , also known as the calcaneal tendon or the tendo calcaneus, is a tendon of the posterior leg. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius and soleus muscles to the calcaneus bone.- Anatomy :The Achilles is the tendonous extension of 3 muscles in the lower leg:...

 with just eight seconds remaining in a game with the New York Liberty
New York Liberty
The New York Liberty is a professional basketball team based in New York City, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was one of the eight original franchises of the league...

, an injury that ended her season after eight games.

She returned to action in 2011, returning to her role as a primary backup at guard. The Lynx were much improved, and in September, Wiggins saw the first playoff action of her career and, the following month, her first championship.

U.S. National Team

Wiggins was invited to try out for the United States Senior National Team and was named as an injury replacement or alternate. Along with Candace Parker
Candace Parker
Candace Nicole Parker is an All-American basketball player for the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks and is also the younger sister of NBA player Anthony Parker. She was drafted to the team from Tennessee in 2008...

 and Courtney Paris
Courtney Paris
Courtney Paris most recently played for the Atlanta Dream of the WNBA, she was the senior starting center for the University of Oklahoma women's basketball team. Her twin sister, player Ashley Paris, was also a Sooner.-Early life:In addition to being a twin, Paris has four brothers: Wayne, David,...

 she was one of the only college players to be named to the team. She spent the summer of 2007 playing in Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...

 with different United States National teams and was eventually named United States Basketball Female Athlete of The Year for 2007. This award was previously won by Diana Taurasi
Diana Taurasi
Diana Lorena Taurasi is a professional basketball player who plays for the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA and Galatasaray Medical Park from Turkey...

.

Wiggins was invited to the USA Basketball Women's National Team training camp in the fall of 2009. The team selected to play for the 2010 FIBA World Championship and the 2012 Olympics is usually chosen from these participants. At the conclusion of the training camp, the team will travel to Ekaterinburg, Russia, where they compete in the 2009 UMMC Ekaterinburg International Invitational.

Wiggins was one of twenty players named to the national team pool. Twelve of this group will be chosen to represent the USA in the 2010 World Championships and the 2012 Olympics.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK