Tamika Catchings

Nickname

Mik, Mika or Catch. (WNBA, 26 Sep 2003)

Hobbies

Writing poetry. (WNBA, 26 Sep 2003)

Occupation

Athlete

Education

Sports Management - University of Tennessee , Knoxville, TN, USA

Language(s) spoken

English

Club name

Indiana Fever, Indianapolis, IN, USA

Coach

Lin Dunn [Club], Geno Auriemma [National] (USA) (layupmag.com, 08 Feb 2012, wnba.com, 19 Feb 2010, wnba.com, 13 Feb 2012, usabasketball.com, 20 Apr 2010)

Position and style

Forward (hoopfeed.com, 23 Feb 2012)

Other sports

Her father, Harvey Catchings, played in the NBA for the Los Angeles Clippers, Milwaukee, New Jersey, and Philadelphia and has served as the director for NBA Player Programs. (usabasketball.com, 22 Nov 2007)

Injuries

She tore her achilles tendon in September 2007. She returned to the court in June 2008, just in time for selection for the United States' 2008 Olympic team. (nbcolympics.com 26/07/08)

She tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee during her senior season at the University of Tennessee. She then tore the cartilage in the same knee later in the year and had to undergo surgery, missing the 2001 WNBA season. (USA Basketball, 26 Sep 2003)

Additional information

Reason for taking up this sport
Her father played basketball and she was always around the sport. "Our family nature is to be competitive. Since I can remember, we always went at it on the basketball court and all I ever wanted to do was be the best. While most kids always wanted to be like Michael Jordan, I was blessed because I always wanted to be like my father." (blackathlete.net, 03 Oct 2003)

Hero
Her family. (WNBA, 26 Sep 2003)

Awards
She was named WNBA Rookie of the Year in 2002 and received an ESPY award as the College Player of the Year in 2000. (NOC Media Guide 2004)

She suffers from a hearing difficulty, and while in her junior year of college she was honoured with the Reynolds Society Achievement Award by the world-famous Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston. The annual award is presented to an individual who has overcome hearing, vision or voice loss and who has distinguished themselves and provided inspiration to others. (NOC Media Guide 2004)

General
OVERCOMING ADVERSITY
She was born with a hearing deficiency in both ears. As a child her classmates teased her because she had hearing aids and spoke with a speech impediment. It was because of this that she discarded the hearing aids and taught herself to lip read. It was not until her freshman year of college in Tennessee that the head coach Pat Summitt noticed she was not doing everything she was told. She decided to wear the hearing aids through her sophomore year, but does not wear them on the court anymore. She does, however, wear them for public speaking engagements to help her pronunciation, and has become one of the United States' leading spokeswomen for overcoming hearing impairment. (nbcolympics.com, 26 Jul 2008)

FOUNDATION
Following the success of her Catch the Fever Camps and Catch on to Fitness Clinics, she created the Catch the Stars Foundation Inc. in 2004. The foundation's goal is to provide academic and sports related programmes for youths at risk. She has big plans for her foundation, including an after school programme, a mentor programme for young girls, book clubs and more. She is active with the NBA/WNBA Read to Achieve campaign. (catchin24.com, 22 Nov 2007)

NUMBERS GAME
She wears No.24 because her father, Harvey Catchings who played 11 years in the NBA, wore No.42. Her brother wore No.21 because it is half of 42, while her sister wore No.12, which is the reversal of 21 and half of 24. (catchin24.com, 22 Nov 2007)

PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS
She was called upon by the then president of the United States, George W. Bush, to attend the 2004 State of the Union address as a representative of all 2004 Olympians and Olympic hopefuls because of her community involvement. (catchin24.com, 22 Nov 2007)

Previous Olympics

Beijing 2008, Athens 2004