Betnijah Laney

Last updated

Betnijah Laney-Hamilton
Laney 20190901.jpg
Laney in 2019
No. 44New York Liberty
Position Shooting guard / small forward
League WNBA
Personal information
Born (1993-10-29) October 29, 1993 (age 30)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Listed weight166 lb (75 kg)
Career information
High schoolSmyrna (Smyrna, Delaware)
College Rutgers (2011–2015)
WNBA draft 2015: 2nd round, 17th overall pick
Selected by the Chicago Sky
Playing career2015–present
Career history
20152016 Chicago Sky
2015–2016 Perth Lynx
2017–2018 Bendigo Spirit
2018 Connecticut Sun
2019 Indiana Fever
2019–2020Elitzur Holon
2020 Atlanta Dream
2020–2022 Elitzur Ramla
2021–present New York Liberty
Career highlights and awards
Stats at WNBA.com
Medals
Women’s basketball
Representing Flag of the United States.svg  United States
World Cup
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2022 Australia

Betnijah Laney-Hamilton (born October 29, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball for Rutgers University. [1]

Contents

Early life

Laney-Hamilton started playing basketball at 10 years old, largely due to her mother having played basketball competitively. Laney-Hamilton is the daughter of Yolanda Laney, [2] who played for Cheyney State and was also coached by C. Vivian Stringer. Her closest friends are Aiyannah Peal and Sydni Epps. [3]

High school and college career

Laney-Hamilton attended Smyrna High School in Smyrna, Delaware where she averaged 23.7 points, 10 rebounds, 4.4 steals, 4.3 assists and 1.2 blocks per game as a senior and was named a McDonald's All-American. [4]

In her four-year career at Rutgers, Laney-Hamilton played 129 games with 107 starts, and averaged 10.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.2 steals per game. [4]

College statistics

YearTeamGPMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
2011–12Rutgers3220.9.378.278.6563.90.90.60.16.0
2012–13Rutgers3031.1.364.190.6675.01.91.30.29.7
2013–14Rutgers3533.8.435.300.7478.52.91.30.311.8
2014–15Rutgers3236.2.486.395.70410.72.91.80.215.8
Career12930.642.628.969.97.12.21.20.210.9

Source: Yahoo! Sports

Professional career

Laney-Hamilton playing for the Sky in 2015 Betnijah Laney cropped.jpg
Laney-Hamilton playing for the Sky in 2015

On April 16, 2015, Laney-Hamilton was selected by the Chicago Sky with the 17th overall pick in the 2015 WNBA draft. [5] In her rookie season playing for the Sky, Laney-Hamilton averaged 2.8 points and 2.1 rebounds in 33 games (32 regular season and one playoff). [6]

On July 16, 2015, Laney-Hamilton signed with the Perth Lynx for the 2015–16 WNBL season. [7] On November 11, 2015, she was named in the WNBL's Team of the Week for Round 5 after recording 12 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists against the Adelaide Lightning on November 8. [8] On January 13, 2016, she earned Team of the Week honors for a second time. [9] On February 16, she was named WNBL Player of the Month for January. [10] She led the Lynx to a second place regular season finish with a 16–8 win–loss record, and went on to score a game-high 23 points in the team's semi-final win over the first-seeded Townsville Fire. [11] With the win, the Lynx advanced to the WNBL grand final for the first time since 1999. [12] There they were outclassed by the defending champion Townsville (who made it to the grand final via the preliminary final), losing the best-of-three series 2–0. Laney appeared in all 27 games for the Lynx in 2015–16, averaging 15.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.0 steals per game.

Laney-Hamilton returned to the Chicago Sky for the 2016 WNBA season. On June 8, she was ruled out for the rest of the season after tearing her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). The injury occurred during the second quarter of the Sky's June 3 game against the Washington Mystics. [13]

On February 7, 2018, Laney-Hamilton signed a training camp deal with the Connecticut Sun. [14]

Laney-Hamilton had a breakout season in 2020 with the Atlanta Dream; she was named to the WNBA All-Defensive Team [15] and won the Most Improved Player Award. [16] In 2021 she signed with the New York Liberty. [17]

WNBA career statistics

Legend
  GPGames played  GS Games started MPG Minutes per game RPG  Rebounds per game
 APG  Assists per game SPG  Steals per game BPG  Blocks per game PPG Points per game
 TO  Turnovers per game FG%  Field-goal percentage 3P%  3-point field-goal percentage FT%  Free-throw percentage
 Bold Career best°League leader

Regular season

YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGTOPPG
2015 Chicago 32212.8.394.000.6962.10.60.50.20.62.9
2016 Chicago 815.3.167.0001.0000.60.10.10.00.31.0
2018 Connecticut 2909.3.471.111.9091.70.70.40.00.62.7
2019 Indiana 342725.8.362.303.5814.21.71.40.11.45.6
2020 Atlanta 222233.5.481.405.8274.94.01.60.13.017.2
2021 New York 323233.4.451.312.7874.15.20.70.13.716.8
2022 New York 9628.3.422.379.8753.32.80.40.12.711.2
2023 New York 404030.0.499.392.7913.32.40.90.11.912.8
Career8 years, 5 teams20613023.6.450.349.7823.22.30.80.11.89.2

Playoffs

YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGTOPPG
2015 Chicago 102.00.00.00.00.01.00.0
2021 New York 1137.0.455.429.6674.03.01.00.02.025.0
2022 New York 3324.3.419.250.8754.03.30.70.32.311.3
2023 New York 101036.1.473.365.7334.13.00.80.02.015.2
Career4 years, 2 teams151431.5.462.365.7693.82.90.70.12.014.1

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michele Timms</span> Australian basketball coach and retired player

Michele Margaret Timms is an Australian basketball coach and former player. She played five seasons for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008 and into the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monica Wright</span> American basketball player

Monica Ashante Wright Rogers is an American basketball coach and former player. She played college basketball for Virginia and was selected second overall by the Minnesota Lynx in the 2010 WNBA draft. Outside of the WNBA, she played professionally in Poland, Turkey, Australia, South Korea and Iceland. She is currently the assistant general manager for the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tessa Lavey</span> Australian basketball player

Tessa Rose Lavey is an Australian professional basketball player for the Bendigo Spirit of the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) and an Australian rules football player with the Richmond Football Club in the AFL Women's competition (AFLW).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carley Ernst</span> Australian basketball player

Carley Monika Ernst is an Australian professional basketball player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kayla Steindl</span> American basketball player

Kayla Maria Steindl is an American professional basketball player for the Hobart Chargers of the NBL1 South. The Ellensburg, Washington native played four years of college basketball for Gonzaga before moving to Australia to play in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natalie Burton</span> Australian basketball player

Natalie Burton is an Australian basketball player and coach. She is currently the assistant coach for the Perth Lynx of the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL). She represented the Australian national team and was a regular with the Perry Lakes Hawks of the NBL1 West until 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sami Whitcomb</span> American-Australian basketball player

Samantha Allison Whitcomb is an American-Australian professional basketball player for the Seattle Storm of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball for the Washington Huskies before making a name for herself in Australia with the Rockingham Flames in the State Basketball League (SBL) and the Perth Lynx in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL). She made her debut in the WNBA in 2017 and won championships with the Seattle Storm in 2018 and 2020. She became an Australian citizen in 2018 and made her debut for the Australian Opals.

Louella Brooke Tomlinson is an Australian former professional basketball player. She retired in June 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruth Davis (basketball)</span> Canadian basketball player (born 1994)

Ruth Davis is a Canadian professional basketball player. She was drafted 18th overall by the Dallas Wings in the 2016 WNBA draft. Born in Smithers, British Columbia, she played college basketball for Oregon State.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Courtney Williams</span> American basketball player (born 1994)

Courtney Monae Williams is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Lynx of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Williams completed her high school basketball career at Charlton County High School. She signed with the University of South Florida and enrolled at the school in the fall of 2012.

Imani Trishawn McGee-Stafford is an American professional basketball player. She played college basketball for University of Texas at Austin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antonia Farnworth</span> New Zealand basketball player

Antonia "Toni" Farnworth is a New Zealand professional basketball player for the Ringwood Hawks of the NBL1 South. She has spent most of her career playing in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) in Australia and has been a long-time representative and captain of the New Zealand national team, the Tall Ferns.

Anneli Maley is an Australian professional basketball player for the Perth Lynx of the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL). She is also contracted with the Perth Redbacks of the NBL1 West. She made her WNBL debut in 2016 and then spent two seasons in the United States playing college basketball for the Oregon Ducks and TCU Horned Frogs. With the Bendigo Spirit in 2022, she was named the WNBL Most Valuable Player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alison Schwagmeyer</span> American basketball player

Alison Renee Schwagmeyer is an American professional basketball player who last played for the University of Canberra Capitals of the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL). She played college basketball for the Charleston Southern Buccaneers and the Quincy Hawks before playing in Germany, Australia, Romania, Spain, and Serbia. In Australia, she helped the Lakeside Lightning win the SBL championship in 2018 and earned three consecutive SBL Most Valuable Player awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jackie Young (basketball)</span> American basketball player (born 1997)

Jacquelyn Young is an American professional basketball player for the Las Vegas Aces of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was drafted first overall by the Las Vegas Aces in the 2019 WNBA draft. A graduate of Princeton Community High School, she played college basketball for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, reaching two NCAA finals and winning one in 2018. She won a gold medal in Women's 3x3 basketball at the 2020 Summer Olympics and a national professional WNBA championship in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marina Mabrey</span> American basketball player

Marina Mabrey is an American professional basketball player for the Chicago Sky of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Mabrey was drafted in the second round by the Los Angeles Sparks in the 2019 WNBA draft. She previously played with the United States women's national under-19 basketball team and the University of Notre Dame.

Shyla Jade Heal is an Australian professional basketball player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexandra Sharp</span> Australian basketball player (born 1977)

Alexandra Jane Sharp is an Australian professional basketball player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aari McDonald</span> American basketball player

Aarion Shawnae McDonald is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), and for the Perth Lynx of the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) in Australia. She was drafted third overall by the Atlanta Dream of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) in the 2021 WNBA draft after playing college basketball at the University of Washington and the University of Arizona.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amy Atwell</span> Australian basketball player

Amy Atwell is an Australian professional basketball player who is a free agent. She played college basketball for the Hawaii Rainbow Wahine, where she won the Big West Conference Player of the Year in 2022.

References

  1. Phillips, Carron J. (May 21, 2015). "Betnijah Laney returns to Delaware with Chicago Sky". DelawareOnline.com. Retrieved June 14, 2015.
  2. Frederick, Dave (February 8, 2010). "Betnijah and Yolanda Laney: A basketball family". capegazette.com. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
  3. "Perth Lynx - Betnijah Laney Bio". YouTube.com. December 16, 2015. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
  4. 1 2 "Betnijah Laney Bio". ScarletKnights.com. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
  5. Phillips, Carron J. (April 17, 2015). "Former Smyrna star Betnijah Laney selected 17th in WNBA Draft". DelawareOnline.com. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
  6. "Betnijah Laney-Hamilton WNBA Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
  7. "PERTH LYNX SIGN WNBA PLAYER BETNIJAH LANEY". PerthLynx.com. July 16, 2015. Archived from the original on July 19, 2015. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
  8. "BETNIJAH LANEY NAMED IN WNBL TEAM OF THE WEEK". PerthLynx.com. November 11, 2015. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  9. "WHITCOMB, LANEY NAMED IN WNBL TEAM OF THE WEEK". PerthLynx.com. January 13, 2016. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  10. "BETNIJAH LANEY NAMED WNBL PLAYER OF THE MONTH". PerthLynx.com. February 16, 2016. Archived from the original on February 20, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  11. "Fire vs Lynx". WNBL.com.au. February 28, 2016. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
  12. "LYNX SMASH FIRE, QUALIFY FOR GRAND FINAL". PerthLynx.com. February 28, 2016. Archived from the original on February 28, 2016. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
  13. "Laney Out With Torn ACL". WNBA.com. June 8, 2016. Retrieved June 8, 2016.
  14. "Romero signs with Connecticut". wnba.com. February 7, 2018. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
  15. "Williams and Laney Land All-Defensive First Team Honors". WNBA.com. September 29, 2020. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
  16. "The Dream's Betnijah Laney Chosen WNBA's Most Improved Player". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. September 24, 2020. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
  17. Valenzuela, Sarah (February 3, 2021). "Betnijah Laney, who once dreamed of playing in WNBA after watching Liberty play, now signed to very team who helped inspire her". New York Daily News. Retrieved February 5, 2021.