Senior forward Alex Anderson became the first women’s basketball player in Chattanooga history to be selected in the WNBA draft. Anderson, a two-time Southern Conference Player of the Year and tournament MVP, was selected 39th overall by the San Antonio Silver Stars in a live telecast Wednesday afternoon.
“She’s worked so hard,” UTC Head Coach Wes Moore said. “She’s so passionate about the game. I couldn’t be happier for her for all she’s put into it. This is a great thrill for her and our program.”
Anderson led the Southern Conference in scoring and rebounding each of the last two seasons and is fifth all-time in scoring at UTC with 1,732 points. She became just the second player in Chattanooga women’s basketball history to grab over 1,000 rebounds and holds the school record for blocked shots with 221.
Anderson was selected the SoCon Player of the Month seven times in her career and earned 15 Player of the Week honors with six in each of the last two seasons. In her junior year, the Stone Mountain, Ga., native set the UTC Division I scoring record with 677 points. She drained a career-high 39 points on February 4 this season at the McKenzie Arena and had career-best 18 rebounds against both Alabama and Clemson last year in road contests.
Anderson is the first professional draft pick for Chattanooga since Johnny Taylor was selected in the NBA draft in 1997. He was the 17th pick overall. She is also the first player in Southern Conference history to be drafted by the WNBA.
“Our program has gained some national attention over the years,” Moore said. “Damita [Bullock] was selected to the USA basketball camp and Alex got invited last year to the Pan-Am games try-out. I’m just so happy for her.”
Anderson is the daughter of former NBA standout Willie Anderson who was drafted out of college by the San Antonio Spurs.
“I don’t think any of it has sunk in just yet,” Anderson said “This means a lot and I’d like to thank all my teammates and the UTC fans who have all made this possible.”
