Matee Ajavon
Encyclopedia
Matee Ajavon is a Liberian American
player in the WNBA
for the Washington Mystics
. A 5'8" guard, Ajavon was chosen by the Houston Comets
as the fifth overall draft pick in the 2008 WNBA Draft
.
, Liberia.
. She led the Shabazz girls' basketball team to victory in the State of New Jersey's "Tournament of Champions" in both 2003 and 2004, the first time a school had repeated as champion. Ajavon was named a WBCA
All-American. She participated in the 2004 WBCA High School All-America Game, where she scored nine points.
in 2008, having majored in Africana Studies. She was a key member of the 2006–2007 Scarlet Knights women's basketball team that reached the NCAA Championship game and subsequently found themselves caught up in media furor over racially tinged comments by radio host Don Imus
.
in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The team won all five games, earning the Gold Medal for the event.
folded in 2008, Ajavon was selected second in the dispersal draft by the Washington Mystics
.
During the 2008–2010 WNBA offseason, Ajavon played in the EuroLeague Women
for Fenerbahçe Istanbul
.
In her first season with Washington, Ajavon put up remarkably similar numbers to her first WNBA campaign. Again mainly playing as a reserve, she scored 8.0 points per game. Ajavon helped the Mystics reach the playoffs, where she played well, scoring 19 points in just 34 total minutes, but Washington suffered a two-game sweep at the hands of the Indiana Fever
.
| align="left" | 2008
| align="left" | Houston
| 34 || 2 || 17.8 || .332 || .194 || .791 || 1.8 || 1.7 || 0.9 || 0.2 || 1.59 || 8.0
|-
| align="left" | 2009
| align="left" | Washington
| 34 || 4 || 17.3 || .336 || .341 || .673 || 1.9 || 1.1 || 1.1 || 0.1 || 1.47 || 8.0
|-
| align="left" | 2010
| align="left" | Washington
| 34 || 0 || 14.6 || .346 || .184 || .773 || 1.6 || 1.4 || 1.1 || 0.1 || 1.53 || 5.9
|-
| align="left" | 2011
| align="left" | Washington
| 34 || 33 || 31.3 || .391 || .276 || .829 || 2.4 || 3.1 || 1.7 || 0.3 || 3.09 || 14.7
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |4 years, 2 teams
| 136 || 39 || 20.2 || .358 || .262 || .769 || 1.9 || 1.8 || 1.2 || 0.2 || 1.92 || 9.2
| align="left" | 2009
| align="left" | Washington
| 2 || 0 || 17.0 || .375 || .250 || .833 || 2.5 || 1.5 || 2.0 || 0.0 || 1.00 || 9.5
|-
| align="left" | 2010
| align="left" | Washington
| 2 || 0 || 17.5 || .440 || .400 || .750 || 0.0 || 1.5 || 1.5 || 0.0 || 1.00 || 18.0
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |2 years, 1 team
| 4 || 0 || 17.3 || .415 || .308 || .773 || 1.3 || 1.5 || 1.8 || 0.0 || 1.00 || 13.8
Liberian American
Liberian Americans are American citizens who are of Liberian descent. This includes Liberians who are of African American descent. It also includes the descendants of Americo-Liberian people in America. Immigration to the United States by Liberians began after the First Liberian Civil War in the...
player in the WNBA
Women's National Basketball Association
The Women's National Basketball Association is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. It currently is composed of twelve teams. The league was founded on April 24, 1996 as the women's counterpart to the National Basketball Association...
for the Washington Mystics
Washington Mystics
The Washington Mystics is a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded prior to the 1998 season. The team is owned by Monumental Sports & Entertainment , who also owns the Mystics'...
. A 5'8" guard, Ajavon was chosen by the Houston Comets
Houston Comets
The Houston Comets were a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Houston, Texas, United States. Formed in 1997, the team was one of the best original eight WNBA teams and won the first four championships of the league's existence. The Comets were the first dynasty of the WNBA and...
as the fifth overall draft 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....
.
Early life
As a child, Ajavon immigrated to the United States with her family from MonroviaMonrovia
Monrovia is the capital city of the West African nation of Liberia. Located on the Atlantic Coast at Cape Mesurado, it lies geographically within Montserrado County, but is administered separately...
, Liberia.
High school
Ajavon graduated from Malcolm X Shabazz High School in Newark, New JerseyNewark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
. She led the Shabazz girls' basketball team to victory in the State of New Jersey's "Tournament of Champions" in both 2003 and 2004, the first time a school had repeated as champion. Ajavon was named a 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:...
All-American. She participated in the 2004 WBCA High School All-America Game, where she scored nine points.
College
Ajavon graduated from Rutgers UniversityRutgers Scarlet Knights
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights are the athletic teams that represent Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey...
in 2008, having majored in Africana Studies. She was a key member of the 2006–2007 Scarlet Knights women's basketball team that reached the NCAA Championship game and subsequently found themselves caught up in media furor over racially tinged comments by radio host Don Imus
Don Imus
John Donald "Don" Imus, Jr. is an American radio host, humorist, philanthropist and writer. His nationally-syndicated talk show, Imus in the Morning, is broadcast throughout the United States by Citadel Media and relayed on television by the Fox Business Network.-Personal life:Imus was born in...
.
USA Basketball
Ajavon played for the USA team in the 2007 Pan American Games2007 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.
Professional
Ajavon played primarily off the bench during her rookie WNBA season, but averaged 8.0 points per game. When the Houston CometsHouston Comets
The Houston Comets were a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Houston, Texas, United States. Formed in 1997, the team was one of the best original eight WNBA teams and won the first four championships of the league's existence. The Comets were the first dynasty of the WNBA and...
folded in 2008, Ajavon was selected second in the dispersal draft by the Washington Mystics
Washington Mystics
The Washington Mystics is a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded prior to the 1998 season. The team is owned by Monumental Sports & Entertainment , who also owns the Mystics'...
.
During the 2008–2010 WNBA offseason, Ajavon played in the EuroLeague Women
EuroLeague Women
The EuroLeague Women is the highest professional basketball league in Europe for women’s clubs.Unlike Euroleague for men, the competition is entirely organized by FIBA Europe.-Between 2004-2011:...
for Fenerbahçe Istanbul
Fenerbahçe Istanbul
Fenerbahçe Women's Basketball is the women's basketball department of Fenerbahçe S.K., a major sports club based in Istanbul, Turkey.Fenerbahçe play their matches in the 1.500-seated Caferağa Sport Hall...
.
In her first season with Washington, Ajavon put up remarkably similar numbers to her first WNBA campaign. Again mainly playing as a reserve, she scored 8.0 points per game. Ajavon helped the Mystics reach the playoffs, where she played well, scoring 19 points in just 34 total minutes, but Washington suffered a two-game sweep at the hands of 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...
.
Regular season
|-| align="left" | 2008
2008 WNBA season
-Season Highlights:*Candace Parker becomes the second and third player in WNBA history to dunk in a regular season game.*A fight breaks out between the Los Angeles Sparks and the Detroit Shock resulting in four ejections and ten suspensions....
| align="left" | Houston
Houston Comets
The Houston Comets were a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Houston, Texas, United States. Formed in 1997, the team was one of the best original eight WNBA teams and won the first four championships of the league's existence. The Comets were the first dynasty of the WNBA and...
| 34 || 2 || 17.8 || .332 || .194 || .791 || 1.8 || 1.7 || 0.9 || 0.2 || 1.59 || 8.0
|-
| align="left" | 2009
2009 WNBA season
The 2009 WNBA Season is the 13th season of the Women's National Basketball Association. It is the first WNBA season ever without a Houston franchise, the Comets having folded in December 2008...
| align="left" | Washington
Washington Mystics
The Washington Mystics is a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded prior to the 1998 season. The team is owned by Monumental Sports & Entertainment , who also owns the Mystics'...
| 34 || 4 || 17.3 || .336 || .341 || .673 || 1.9 || 1.1 || 1.1 || 0.1 || 1.47 || 8.0
|-
| align="left" | 2010
2010 WNBA season
The 2010 WNBA season was the 14th season of the Women's National Basketball Association. The regular season began with a televised meeting between the defending champion Phoenix Mercury and the Los Angeles Sparks in Phoenix, Arizona on May 15. The Connecticut Sun hosted the 10th Annual All-Star...
| align="left" | Washington
Washington Mystics
The Washington Mystics is a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded prior to the 1998 season. The team is owned by Monumental Sports & Entertainment , who also owns the Mystics'...
| 34 || 0 || 14.6 || .346 || .184 || .773 || 1.6 || 1.4 || 1.1 || 0.1 || 1.53 || 5.9
|-
| align="left" | 2011
2011 WNBA season
The 2011 WNBA season is the 15th season of the Women's National Basketball Association. The regular season began on June 3 with the Los Angeles Sparks hosting the Minnesota Lynx, featuring 2011 WNBA Draft top pick Maya Moore, in a game televised on NBA TV...
| align="left" | Washington
Washington Mystics
The Washington Mystics is a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded prior to the 1998 season. The team is owned by Monumental Sports & Entertainment , who also owns the Mystics'...
| 34 || 33 || 31.3 || .391 || .276 || .829 || 2.4 || 3.1 || 1.7 || 0.3 || 3.09 || 14.7
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |4 years, 2 teams
| 136 || 39 || 20.2 || .358 || .262 || .769 || 1.9 || 1.8 || 1.2 || 0.2 || 1.92 || 9.2
Postseason
|-| align="left" | 2009
2009 WNBA Playoffs
The 2009 WNBA Playoffs is the postseason for the Women's National Basketball Association's 2009 season.-Format:*The top 4 teams from each conference qualify for the playoffs.**All 4 teams are seeded by basis of their standings....
| align="left" | Washington
Washington Mystics
The Washington Mystics is a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded prior to the 1998 season. The team is owned by Monumental Sports & Entertainment , who also owns the Mystics'...
| 2 || 0 || 17.0 || .375 || .250 || .833 || 2.5 || 1.5 || 2.0 || 0.0 || 1.00 || 9.5
|-
| align="left" | 2010
2010 WNBA Playoffs
The 2010 WNBA Playoffs is the postseason for the Women's National Basketball Association's 2010 season.-Format:*The top 4 teams from each conference qualify for the playoffs.**All 4 teams are seeded by basis of their standings....
| align="left" | Washington
Washington Mystics
The Washington Mystics is a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded prior to the 1998 season. The team is owned by Monumental Sports & Entertainment , who also owns the Mystics'...
| 2 || 0 || 17.5 || .440 || .400 || .750 || 0.0 || 1.5 || 1.5 || 0.0 || 1.00 || 18.0
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |2 years, 1 team
| 4 || 0 || 17.3 || .415 || .308 || .773 || 1.3 || 1.5 || 1.8 || 0.0 || 1.00 || 13.8
External links
- http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/matee_ajavon/index.html
- http://scarletknights.com/basketball-women/roster/ajavon.asp