2004 Olympic gold Medalist
		Won three gold medals and one silver medal on four prior USA Basketball squads, including the 2002 FIBA World Championships
		Led the 2004 Olympic team with 22 steals, second in free throw percentage (.833) and third in rebounds per game (5.4)

Tamika has quite an impressive resume both on and off the basketball court and is a true spokesperson for the WNBA. She is as active in the community as she is on the basketball court, and that combination is what makes her a very special person. During the off-season, it is not uncommon to see Catchings in local gyms, making good on promises made to her young fans that she'll show up to cheer them on. She gives countless hours of her time teaching at basketball camps and clinics and motivating youth to be all that they can be.

Following the success of her "Catch the Fever" Camps and "Catch on to Fitness Clinics" she created the "Catch the Stars Foundation Inc." in the spring of 2004. The foundation's goal is to provide academic and sports related programs for at-risk youth. She has big plans for her foundation, including an after school program, a mentoring program for young girls, book clubs and more. Tamika is very active with the NBA/WNBA "Read to Achieve" campaign. Catchings is truly a community leader and embraces being a positive role model. Her foundation is "preparing our youth to catch their dreams one star at a time”.

Tamika played college basketball for the University of Tennessee (1997-01) where she led her team in both in scoring (15.1 ppg) and rebounding (8.6 rpg). She helped Tennessee to a 16-1 record and a No. 2 national ranking in 2001. She was a Kodak All-America recipient for four consecutive seasons joining Naismith Player of the Century Chamique Holdsclaw as one of only four women ever to be named four times. She graduated with honors a semester ahead of her class with a bachelor’s degree in sport management, 12/00 and was a 2001 Academic All-SEC honoree, she earned a perfect 4.0 GPA during her final undergraduate semester. Catchings went on to earn her Master’s degree May 2005.

Drafted by the Indiana Fever in the First Round of the 2001 WNBA Draft (3rd overall), Tamika won the 2002 WNBA Rookie of the Year award. She was the runner-up in voting for the league's MVP and Defensive Player of the Year and she became the first Fever player ever to be named to the All-WNBA First Team.

Following the 2002 WNBA season, she helped lead the United States National team to a gold medal in the 2002 FIBA World Basketball Championships for Women, held in China. Catchings then headed to Seoul, South Korea and led the Woori Bank Hansae to a 14-6 record and the regular season title in the Women's Korean Basketball League (WKBL).

During her 2003 WNBA season, Tamika led the Fever in 5 statistical categories including points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. She was the WNBA All-Star game leading vote getter and started for the Eastern Conference. She was runner up for MVP as well as Player of the Year. Catchings became the Indiana Fever franchise's first 1,000 point scorer and was named a core member of the Olympic bound USA Women's National team.

In 2004, Catchings was named a three time WNBA Community Assist Award winner for her outstanding involvement in the community. She hosts several basketball camps and fitness clinics in the metropolitan Indianapolis area to provide youth with an opportunity to learn basketball skills while also focusing on the importance of sportsmanship, academics and goal setting. Due to her outstanding achievements both on and off the court, she attended the 2004 State of the Union Address by invitation.

During August of 2004, Catchings was a starter on the USA Women's Basketball team and helped bring home the gold after a perfect performance in Athens, Greece. During her 2004 WNBA season, she averaged 16.7 points per game, 7.3 rebounds per game and 3.4 assists per game.

Catchings finished the 2005 WNBA season by being named the Defensive Player of the Year as well as 3rd in MVP voting. She also led the Indiana Fever in points, rebounds, assists and steals for the fourth consecutive season.

In 2006, Tamika’s community contributions earned her the honor of being a finalist for the Coach John Wooden Citizenship Cup award, awarded by Athletes for a Better World.

She also won another WKBL Championship playing for the Woori Bank Hansae in South Korea where she earned MVP honors amongst several other awards for her hustle and hard work on the court. She managed to snag a Euro League Championship while splitting time playing for the Russian League’s Spartak.

Tamika Catchings is just getting started and has big plans for 2006, both on the court and in the community.

	Named WNBA Rookie of the Year in 2002 for the Indiana Fever and named to the All-WNBA first team and All-Star teams in 2002, 2003
	All-American standout at the University of Tennessee who helped lead the Vols to a National Championship in 1998
	Wears No. 24 because her father, Harvey Catchings, who played 11 years in the NBA, wore 42, her brother wore 21, which is half of 42 and her sister wore 12, which is opposite of 21 and half of 24
	If she could play against any NBA player it would be the Miami Heat’s Alonzo Mourning
	Purchased a block of tickets for local children to attend an Indiana Fever game and sit in the “Catchings Corner” during the 2003 season
	Honored by the WNBA in 2002 and 2003 for her community work with the Off-Season WNBA Community Assist awards
	Called upon by President 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
	Has some hearing loss and was honored during her junior season at Tennessee with the Reynolds Society Achievement Award by the world-famous Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston for her inspiration to others
	Nicknames are Mik, Mika, or Catch and considers her family as the only role models she’ll ever need
	Is an avid poetry writer and lists her favorite author as E. Lynn Harris
	Favorite ice cream flavor is bubble gum … food is French fries … car is Lexus GX 470 … musicians are Anthony Hamilton, Mary J. Blige … TV shows are Soul Food, 24 … color is purple

Click here to check out Tamika's USA Basketball Bio!