Ukari Figgs

Last updated
Ukari Figgs
Personal information
Born (1977-03-31) March 31, 1977 (age 47)
Georgetown, Kentucky, U.S.
Listed height5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Career information
High school Scott County
(Georgetown, Kentucky)
College Purdue (1995–1999)
WNBA draft 1999: 3rd round, 28th overall pick
Selected by the Los Angeles Sparks
Position Point guard
Number5
Career history
1999–2001 Los Angeles Sparks
2002 Portland Fire
2003 Houston Comets
Career highlights and awards
Stats at Basketball Reference   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Ukari Okien Figgs (born March 31, 1977) is an American former collegiate and professional women's basketball player.

Contents

Early life and college

Born in Georgetown, Kentucky, Figgs led the Scott County girls' basketball team to a state title in 1995, and she was named Kentucky's Miss Basketball. [1]

Figgs then went to school on a scholarship, starring on the women's basketball team at Purdue University, averaging 11.6 points and 3.3 assists in her four-year career. In her senior season, Figgs averaged 16.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists. Purdue handily won the NCAA Championship that year (winning all of its tournament games by a margin of at least 10 points) and Figgs was named Most Outstanding Player of the 1999 NCAA Final Four. [2] Figgs' other accomplishments while at Purdue included making the 1999 All-Big Ten team and the 1998 and 1999 NCAA Regional All-Tournament Teams and winning the 1997 Best Defensive Player award. Figgs graduated from Purdue in 1999 with a degree in mechanical engineering, taking full advantage of her scholarship. [3]

Purdue statistics

Source [4]

Legend
  GPGames played  GS Games started MPG Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage 3P%  3-point field goal percentage FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game APG  Assists per game SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game PPG Points per game Bold Career high
YearTeamGPPointsFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
1995–96Purdue3011737.0%29.8%80.0%2.31.90.80.23.9
1996–97Purdue2725833.9%34.4%76.1%3.53.11.00.19.6
1997–98Purdue3351043.5%36.4%85.9%5.13.71.80.415.5
1998–99Purdue3557039.7%34.2%86.3%4.54.21.70.216.3
CareerPurdue125145539.4%34.4%84.1%3.93.31.40.211.6

WNBA career

Figgs was selected by the Los Angeles Sparks in the third round (28th overall) of the 1999 WNBA draft, [5] and played for the Sparks for three seasons, which included a WNBA Championship in 2001. [6] Figgs then played one season each for the Portland Fire and Houston Comets. [7]

Prior to the start of the 2004 season, Figgs retired from the WNBA; she had averaged 6.5 points, 3.1 assists, 2.3 rebounds, and had played in 15 games on three different teams. [6]

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
1999 Los Angeles 221015.036.629.887.51.61.50.70.01.44.3
2000 Los Angeles 323225.143.135.483.11.74.00.70.11.36.7
2001 Los Angeles 322929.142.546.281.03.13.91.30.11.78.0
2002 Portland 313127.935.832.590.82.63.40.80.11.48.5
2003 Houston 343028.041.937.786.42.42.40.80.01.74.4
Career5 years, 3 teams15113225.739.937.285.42.33.10.90.11.56.5

Playoffs

YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGTOPPG
1999 Los Angeles 104.00.00.00.01.00.00.00.00.00.0
2000 Los Angeles 4426.530.436.4100.04.04.80.50.02.86.0
2001 Los Angeles 7734.134.027.875.02.15.90.60.60.98.3
2003 Houston 3327.040.071.40.02.02.30.30.01.05.7
Career4 years, 2 teams151428.733.734.581.82.54.50.50.31.36.6

Life after the WNBA

Figgs worked as a production engineer at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky in her hometown of Georgetown, Kentucky, [3] and as an assistant coach with the boys' varsity basketball team at Scott County High School. Figgs was appointed as an assistant coach to Purdue University's women's basketball team on April 13, 2009. [8] On June 6, 2011, it was announced Figgs would become an assistant athletics director for women's basketball at the University of Kentucky. [9]

On November 1, 2013, Figgs announced that she was leaving UK to return to Toyota in Georgetown as an engineer. She cited the need to spend more time with her family as the reason for this move. [10]

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References

  1. ↑ "Ukari Figgs". Kentucky High School Basketball Hall Of Fame. 2018-02-08. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
  2. ↑ Nixon, Rick. "Official 2022 NCAA Women's Final Four Records Book" (PDF). NCAA. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  3. 1 2 "Ukari Figgs: Basketball Champion and Mechanical Engineer". Mechanical Engineering - Purdue University. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
  4. ↑ "Purdue Media Guide" (PDF). Retrieved 2017-09-05.
  5. ↑ "SPARKS: Where Are They Now: Ukari Figgs". www.wnba.com. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
  6. 1 2 "Ukari Figgs – Women's Basketball". Big Ten Conference . Archived from the original on May 8, 2023. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
  7. ↑ "Ukari Figgs Announces Her Retirement". OurSports Central. 2004-04-26. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
  8. ↑ "Former Boilermaker Ukari Figgs Named Assistant Coach". April 13, 2009. Purdue University . Retrieved 1 November 2013.
  9. ↑ "Figgs Named Assistant AD for UK Hoops". University of Kentucky Athletics. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
  10. ↑ "Figgs Accepts Engineering Position at Toyota". 1 November 2013. University of Kentucky. Archived from the original on 28 December 2014. Retrieved 1 November 2013.
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