'Q' SELECTED WITH NINTH OVERALL PICK IN WNBA DRAFT BY THE MINNESOTA LYNX
Hollingsworth joins former teammate Krystal Vaughn as WNBA draftees
RICHMOND, Va. – Senior Quanitra Hollingsworth (Chesapeake, Va.) will always go down as one of the legends in Virginia Commonwealth University women’s basketball history.
The legend grew just a little more on Thursday afternoon when Hollingsworth became the first ever Ram selected in the first round of the WNBA Draft. The frontcourt standout was chosen ninth overall by the Minnesota Lynx. It is the highest-ever selection in any professional draft by any VCU athlete.
”It’s really an honor and I’m excited about the opportunity that I have at the next level,” Hollingsworth said. “This is not just about me though. It’s about all my teammates and coaches that have molded me into the basketball player I am today.”
It marks the second straight season that a Ram has been taken in the WNBA Draft with former VCU standout Krystal Vaughn being selected in the third round of last year's draft. She is currently a member of the Washington Mystics.
Hollingsworth led the Black & Gold to it’s first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance this season after posting a 26-6 mark in the regular season, which tied a school-record for wins. ‘Q’ and the Rams dropped a heartbreaker to Big East power, Rutgers, in the first round, 57-51.
She finished her career with a school record 55 double-doubles, a mark that also ranks in the top-25 in NCAA history. Her 18 double-doubles during the 2008-2009 season tie a school record set by Niamh Darcy in 1994-95.
”I’m really excited for Q and proud of what she’s been able to do here at VCU. It’s really a testament of how she’s developed not only as a student-athlete, but also a person,” Head Coach Beth Cunningham said. “I’m thrilled about how high she was selected and it says a lot about how hard she worked to put herself into this position. She was really the cornerstone of this program for the past four years and this is a well-deserved accolade.”
She goes down as the only women’s basketball player in VCU history to accumulate over 1,000 points (1,588) and 1,000 rebounds (1,103). Her offensive output was at a high in 2008-09, finishing with 14.8 points per game, while grabbing 9.4 rebounds per contest.
On senior night against Northeastern, Hollingsworth saw her jersey hang from the rafters, becoming only the third women’s basketball player in school history to have that distinquished honor.