Sheri Sam

Last updated
Sheri Sam
Personal information
Born (1974-05-05) May 5, 1974 (age 50)
Lafayette, Louisiana, U.S.
Listed height5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Listed weight178 lb (81 kg)
Career information
High school Acadiana (Scott, Louisiana)
College Vanderbilt (1992–1996)
WNBA draft 1999: 2nd round, 20th overall pick
Selected by the Orlando Miracle
Playing career1999–2008
Position Forward / guard
Number55, 2
Career history
As player:
1999 Orlando Miracle
20002002 Miami Sol
2003 Minnesota Lynx
2004 Seattle Storm
20052006 Charlotte Sting
2007 Indiana Fever
2008 Detroit Shock
As coach:
2014–2017 Eastern Illinois (assistant)
Career highlights and awards
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals
Women's basketball
Representing Flag of the United States.svg United States
Jones Cup
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1995 Taipei Team Competition
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1996 Taipei Team Competition

Sheri Lynette Sam (born May 5, 1974) is an American professional women's basketball coach and player who played in the WNBA. She was born and raised in Lafayette, Louisiana as the youngest of eight siblings, and where she was a standout at Acadiana High School. She graduated from Vanderbilt University in 1996. She was an assistant coach at Eastern Illinois University.

Contents

Vanderbilt statistics

Source: [1] [2] [3] [4]

Ratios
YEARTeamGPFG%3P%FT%RBGAPGBPGSPGPPG
1992-93Vanderbilt2452.5%-48.1%2.080.460.250.293.21
1993-94Vanderbilt3352.1%50.0%68.0%6.241.940.151.399.21
1994-95Vanderbilt3553.7%32.0%74.6%8.313.600.232.0015.54
1995-96Vanderbilt3057.1%31.7%75.5%7.173.500.171.7020.40
Career12254.6%33.3%71.7%6.252.510.201.4312.60
Totals
YEARTeamGPFGFGA3P3PAFTFTAREBABKSTPTS
1992-93Vanderbilt24326100132750116777
1993-94Vanderbilt3312524036517520664546304
1994-95Vanderbilt3522441782588118291126870544
1995-96Vanderbilt302444271341111147215105551612
Career12262511452472263367762306241741537

USA Basketball

She competed with USA Basketball as a member of the 1995 Jones Cup Team that won the Bronze in Taipei. [5]

Sam was also invited to be a member of the Jones Cup team representing the US in 1996. She helped the team to a 9–0 record, and the gold medal in the event. Sam averaged 13 points per games, the highest scoring average on the team, and was named to the All-Tournament first team. [6]

Professional

ABL

After her college graduation, Sam played three years for the San Jose Lasers in the now-defunct American Basketball League (ABL), a professional women's league.

WNBA

Shortly after the ABL ceased operations in 1999, Sam was selected by the Orlando Miracle in the WNBA draft and became one of the Miracle's most productive players that year. Sam was waived by the Miracle just before the 2000 season began, but was signed as a free agent by the Miami Sol. She played three seasons (2000, 2001, and 2002) with the Sol until the team folded due to financial difficulties. After the Sol ceased operations, the 2003 Dispersal Draft was held, and the Minnesota Lynx selected Sam, and she played for the Lynx that season.

During the annual WNBA draft on April 15, 2004, Sam and Lynx teammate Janell Burse were traded to the Seattle Storm in exchange for Amanda Lassiter and a first-round draft pick. The trade was engineered as part of the Lynx' plan to draft the highly touted (and local favorite) Lindsay Whalen. Unfortunately for the Lynx, the Connecticut Sun had already selected Whalen. Sam spent the 2004 season with the Seattle Storm, as the team won the WNBA Finals by defeating, ironically, the Connecticut Sun, two games to one. After the 2004 season ended, Sam became an unrestricted free agent. On February 14, 2005, Sam signed with the Charlotte Sting. She would be involved in yet another dispersal draft in 2007 after the demise of the Sting. This time, she was selected by the Indiana Fever. On May 7, 2008, Sheri signed with the Detroit Shock. Her 2008 season with the Detroit Shock was the last of her 10-year WNBA career. [7]

During the 2007-08 WNBA off-season, she played for Ashdod in Israel. [8] She played for Panionios in Greece during the 2008-09 WNBA off-season. [9]

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
Denotes seasons in which Sam won a WNBA championship

Regular season

YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGTOPPG
1999 Orlando 323234.0.388.328.6884.62.41.30.32.011.4
2000 Miami 312729.2.387.292.6704.32.11.10.22.412.8
2001 Miami 323234.4.432.276.7504.32.81.70.32.713.9
2002 Miami 323233.5.434.342.6184.82.62.20.22.214.5
2003 Minnesota 342828.0.383.329.7054.22.61.10.21.411.0
2004 Seattle 343229.9.412.262.8554.12.41.60.21.99.1
2005 Charlotte 343331.6.387.321.7134.32.71.30.12.911.4
2006 Charlotte 343429.1.399.269.6275.12.61.60.12.110.6
2007 Indiana 33417.9.339.273.6902.91.30.90.21.25.0
2008 Detroit 321514.9.309.286.6922.81.20.60.11.02.9
Career10 years, 7 teams32826928.3.397.302.6984.12.31.30.22.010.2

Playoffs

YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGTOPPG
2001 Miami 3336.3.323.222.8183.31.31.70.02.710.3
2003 Minnesota 3024.7.357.000.7505.32.72.00.02.78.7
2004 Seattle 8831.0.329.250.6675.53.51.30.03.17.4
2007 Indiana 6530.8.373.500.5005.32.21.00.20.88.0
2008 Detroit 605.0.286.0001.0000.50.00.20.00.01.0
Career5 years, 5 teams261624.8.342.273.6904.02.01.10.01.86.5

Later life

Sam served as the assistant coach of women's basketball for Eastern Illinois University from 2013 to 2017. From 2017 to 2019 she was director of athletics, advancement officer, for Mercy High School in San Francisco, and from 2019 to 2020 director of athletics for athletic advancement at the Bay School of San Francisco.

In September 2020 Sam was named the managing director of the Northern California PGA Foundation. [10]

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References

  1. "FINAL 1993 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL STATISTICS REPORT" (PDF). ncaa.org. Retrieved 2021-07-21.
  2. "FINAL 1994 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL STATISTICS REPORT" (PDF). ncaa.org. Retrieved 2021-07-21.
  3. "FINAL 1995 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL STATISTICS REPORT" (PDF). ncaa.org. Retrieved 2021-07-21.
  4. "FINAL 1996 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL STATISTICS REPORT" (PDF). ncaa.org. Retrieved 2021-07-22.
  5. "1995 WOMEN'S R. WILLIAM JONES CUP". Archived from the original on August 8, 2014. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  6. "1996 Women's R. William Jones Cup". USA Basketball. June 10, 2010. Archived from the original on 7 September 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  7. "Vanderbilt Official Athletic Site - Athletics". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04.
  8. "WNBA.com: Offseason 2007-08: Overseas Roster". www.wnba.com. Retrieved 2021-05-25.
  9. "WNBA.com: Offseason 2008-09: Overseas Roster". www.wnba.com. Retrieved 2021-05-25.
  10. "Former WNBA All-Star, Sheri Sam, Named Managing Director of Northern California PGA Foundation". www.pga.com. Retrieved 2021-07-08.