Lady Grooms

Last updated
Lady Grooms
Personal information
Born (1970-09-12) September 12, 1970 (age 54)
Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S.
Listed height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Listed weight160 lb (73 kg)
Career information
College Georgia (1989–1992)
WNBA draft 1997: Initial allocation round
Selected by the Utah Starzz
Playing career1997–2004
Position Guard
Number27
Career history
1997 Utah Starzz
19982004 Sacramento Monarchs
Career highlights and awards
  • 2x First-team All-SEC (1990, 1992)
  • SEC All-Freshman team (1989)
Stats at Basketball Reference   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Lady Grooms (born September 12, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player, who was one of the 16 original WNBA players allocated to the teams in the new league's Initial Player Allocation draft (as Lady Hardmon). After a college career at the University of Georgia, she played 8 WNBA seasons and had career averages of 4.6 points and 2.1 rebounds per game, scoring over 1,000 career points and 500 career rebounds. [1]

Contents

WNBA career

Grooms was selected in the initial player allocation of the 1997 WNBA draft by the Utah Starzz on January 22, 1997. Her debut game was played on June 21, 1997, in a 61–73 loss to the Sacramento Monarchs where she recorded 6 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds. Grooms would only play for the Starzz for one season, playing in 28 games and averaging 5.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists.

On May 5, 1998, Grooms was traded to the Monarchs for Chantel Tremitiere and she would play for the Monarchs for the remainder of her career. For the Monarchs, Grooms played 217 games and averaged 4.6 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists.

Her final WNBA game ever was Game 1 of the 2004 Western Conference First Round on September 24, 2004, in a 72–52 win over the Los Angeles Sparks. Grooms played for 3 minutes and recorded no stats in that game. [2] She would also not play for the remainder of the playoffs, and the Monarchs would get eliminated in the Western Conference Finals 2 - 1 by the Seattle Storm.

Grooms is currently the director of basketball operations, director of diversity and head coach of the varsity girls' basketball team at the Sharpsburg Campus of Trinity Christian School in Georgia. [3] She was formerly the director of basketball operations and the head girls basketball coach at Landmark Christian School in Fairburn, Georgia. Grooms was also the former head coach of the girls basketball team at Greater Atlanta Christian in Norcross, Georgia and she previously coached the varsity girls basketball team at Arlington Christian School in Fairburn, Georgia. In her first two seasons coaching the team, it won the state title each year in the GISA.

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

College

Source [4]

YearTeamGPPointsFG%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
89Georgia3021448.5%63.4%4.01.50.80.27.1
90Georgia2941049.8%69.7%5.73.92.00.114.1
91Georgia3241346.8%64.7%4.43.01.90.012.9
92Georgia3036143.1%63.6%3.86.02.00.212.0
CareerGeorgia121139746.9%65.6%4.43.61.70.111.5

WNBA

Source [5]

Regular season

YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGTOPPG
1997 Utah 28°2424.7.347.100.6553.02.4.8.12.85.5
1998 Sacramento 30°2926.4.487.167.6702.71.6.7.11.77.1
1999 Sacramento 32°114.1.357.000.6981.71.2.3.11.13.1
2000 Sacramento 30313.4.443.000.7541.5.4.3.1.74.1
2001 Sacramento 31017.5.430.7412.51.2.5.3.84.5
2002 Sacramento 32°2626.6.431.000.8553.11.2.7.31.47.1
2003 Sacramento 34°913.8.402.000.8081.4.9.5.1.63.3
2004 Sacramento 2808.4.288.917.6.4.3.1.11.8
Career8 years, 2 teams2459218.1.409.095.7412.11.2.5.11.14.6

Playoffs

YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGTOPPG
1999 Sacramento 1025.0.4295.01.01.0.02.06.0
2000 Sacramento 2011.5.5001.0001.0.0.0.0.51.5
2001 Sacramento 506.2.286.833.8.2.0.0.61.8
2003 Sacramento 6010.8.583.500.8.5.2.0.21.5
2004 Sacramento 103.0.000.0.0.0.0.0.0
Career5 years, 1 team1509.8.448.7781.1.3.1.0.52.2

References

  1. "Lady Grooms - WNBA.com - Official Site of the WNBA". WNBA.com - Official Site of the WNBA. Retrieved 2017-09-07.
  2. "Los Angeles Sparks at Sacramento Monarchs, September 24, 2004".
  3. "Trinity Christian hires former UGA star Lady Grooms". 11 April 2023.
  4. "Georgia Media Guide". 26 October 2016. Retrieved 2017-09-07.
  5. "Lady Grooms WNBA Stats". Basketball Reference . Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved 2 December 2023.