Kia Vaughn

Kia Vaughn
No. 9 – Washington Mystics
Position Center
League WNBA
Personal information
Born (1987-01-24) January 24, 1987
Bronx, New York
Nationality American
Listed height 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight 198 lb (90 kg)
Career information
High school St. Michael Academy
(New York City, New York)
College Rutgers (2005–2009)
WNBA draft 2009 / Round: 1 / Pick: 8th overall
Selected by the New York Liberty
Playing career 2009–present
Career history
2009–2012 New York Liberty
2013–present Washington Mystics
Career highlights and awards
Stats at WNBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Kia Vaughn (born January 24, 1987) is a professional women's basketball player for the Washington Mystics of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).[1] She attended high school at St. Michael's All Girls High School in New York, and later went on to star at Rutgers University.[2]

High school

Born in the Bronx, New York, Vaughn played for St. Michael Academy in New York City, where she was named a WBCA All-American. Her father Linzell "Predator" Vaughn is a noted street ball player at Rucker Park. [3] She participated in the 2005 WBCA High School All-America Game where she scored two points.[4]

College

Vaughn attended Rutgers University from 2006–2009, playing under legendary coach C. Vivian Stringer. She helped Rutgers to a perfect 16–0 record in the Big East conference her freshman year, averaging 6.3 points per game and 7 rebounds a game. During her sophomore season, she was named the All-Met Division I Women's College Basketball Player of the Year. She averaged 12.8 points per game, 9.3 rebounds per game, and 2.5 blocks per game.[5] That year, she helped lead the Rutgers women's basketball team to a Big East Conference championship. The Lady Scarlet Knights lost to the Tennessee Lady Vols in the NCAA championship game.[6]

Vaughn continued to excel in her junior season, garnering Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association All-Met First Team honors along with being named to the All Big-East second team. She averaged 10 points per game and 8.2 rebounds per game on the season. Her senior campaign was solid, but a little underwhelming as she averaged only 9.7 points per game 6.7 rebounds per game.[5] Nevertheless, she was named All-Big East Honorable Mention at the season's conclusion.[7]


Rutgers statistics

Source[8]

Legend
  GP Games 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
Year Team GP Points FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2005-06 Rutgers 32 200 53.6 - 53.5 7.0 0.2 0.6 2.1 6.3
2006-07 Rutgers 36 462 55.7 100.0 67.8 9.3 0.6 1.1 2.6 12.8
2007-08 Rutgers 34 339 54.9 - 47.5 8.3 0.8 0.9 1.7 10.0
2008-09 Rutgers 33 328 58.5 - 44.1 7.2 0.8 1.1 1.9 9.9
Career Rutgers 135 1329 55.9 100.0 55.9 8.0 0.6 0.9 2.1 9.8

USA Basketball

Vaughn was also a member of the Championship winning 2006 USA National Team FIBA Americas U20 Championship for Women in Mexico City, Mexico. Kia averaged 12 points and 3 rebounds in 5 games.

WNBA career

Kia Vaughn was picked 8th overall in the 2009 WNBA Draft. She grew steadily in skill with the passage of time. The 2011 season saw the suspension of Vaughn's teammate and mentor, Janel McCarville. Vaughn was devastated, as the role of starting Center was suddenly thrust upon her. However, she rose to the occasion, and received the honor of being named the WNBA's Most Improved Player later that year.

Litigation

On August 14, 2007, Kia Vaughn, one of the women involved in the Rutgers Women's Basketball Team controversy, filed suit against Don Imus, NBC Universal, CBS Corporation, MSNBC, CBS Radio, Viacom, Westwood One radio, and Bernard McGuirk, citing slander, libel, and defamation of character. Vaughn was the only player to pursue legal damages brought on by the controversy.[9] Vaughn dropped the lawsuit against Imus on September 11, 2007, citing her desire to "concentrate on her studies and basketball training."[10][11]

Personal

Vaughn's fiancé, Gary Ervin, is a professional basketball player himself. He has played in both the NBA Development League and the Australian NBL.[12]

Notes

  1. ↑ "Kia Vaughn Playerfile". WNBA. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
  2. ↑ Ackert, Kristie "Liberty's Kia Vaughn is feeling right at home in Madison Square Garden", Daily News (New York), May 18, 2009. Accessed August 7, 2009.
  3. ↑ http://nypost.com/2013/12/20/hoops-scion-vaughn-making-a-name-for-himself/
  4. ↑ "WBCA High School All-America Game Box Scores". Women's Basketball Coaches Association. Retrieved 29 Jun 2014.
  5. 1 2 "Prospect: Kia Vaughn". WNBA. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
  6. ↑ "Prospect: Rutgers Women's Basketball History". Rutgers University. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
  7. ↑ Mehta, Manish (March 5, 2009). "Rutgers guard Epiphanny Prince earns first-team All-Big East honors for second straight season". www.nj.com. Archived from the original on March 7, 2009. Retrieved 1 Nov 2015.
  8. ↑ "Women's Basketball Player stats". NCAA. Retrieved 24 Sep 2015.
  9. ↑ "ABC News:Rutgers' Player sues Imus, NBC, CBS". ABC News. August 2007. Retrieved August 14, 2007.
  10. ↑ "Rutgers' Vaughn withdraws lawsuit against Imus, CBS". USA Today. Associated Press. September 12, 2007. Retrieved September 12, 2007.
  11. ↑ Josh Grossberg (September 12, 2007). "Rutgers Player Drops Imus Suit". E! Online. Retrieved September 14, 2007.
  12. ↑ Take 40: Gary Ervin
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