Sales, Nykesha

Most people know Nykesha Sales as a WNBA star, playing for the Connecticut Sun. Before that, however, there was Bloomfield High School and the University of Connecticut's Women's Basketball Team.

Nykesha Sales was named the 1993-4 USA Today High School National Player of the Year at Bloomfield High School in CT where, as a senior, she averaged 36.2 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 3.7 steals per game. In 1994, Sales was named a High School All-American by the WBCA and scored 21 points in the WBCA All-America Game.

Tabbed Big East Rookie of the Year in 1994-'95, UConn’s Nykesha Sales was the only rookie named to the Big East All-Tournament Team. As a freshman, Sales had thirteen consecutive games in double figures for the Huskies.

Nykesha repeated as a Big East All-Tournament Team selection in 1995-'96, was a Kodak Honorable Mention All-American, and a Boost/Naismith National Player of the Year candidate.

During her junior year, Sales was selected for both the Kodak All-American First Team and the All-Big East First Team in 1996-'97. Named both Big East Defensive Player of the Year and Big East Tournament Most Valuable Player, Sales ranked second in points (16.4 ppg) and assists (111) and third in rebounds (5.6 rpg). Nykesha ranked sixth in NCAA Division I steals with a school record of 143 and became the first UConn player to collect 100-plus steals three years in a row.

In her senior year at UConn, Nykesha was a seven-time Big East Player of the Week, Big East Defensive Player of the Year, Big East Player of the Year, Kodak All-America First Team, U.S. Basketball Writers' Association All-America First Team, and leading scorer on the Gold Medal-winning 1997 USA Basketball World University Games Team where she scored 18.3 points per game.

Nykesha Sales finished her career at UConn as the All-Time Leading Scorer with 2,178 points and as UConn's All-Time Steals' Leader with 447. Her 46 points against Stanford set a new UConn record for points in a single game.

As a senior at UConn, Sales was named MVP of the pre-season Women's National Invitational Tourna¬ment and was one of only four collegiate players admitted to the Women's Senior National Team Trials. She was a three-year member of the USA Basketball R. William Jones Cup Team that won the Gold in 1994 and '96.

Signed by the WNBA in 1998, Nykesha Sales was assigned to the Orlando Miracle which, in 2003, became the Connecticut Sun. She is only the second player in the League to amass 3,000 points, 500 assists, and 400 steals.

Nykesha is a seven-time WNBA All-Star and one of only three players to have competed in every WNBA All-Star Game. Sales finished her career with 3,955 points, 683 assists, and 490 steals.

Nykesha Sales continues to work with the Connecticut Sun as a Community Liaison and Assistant to the coaching staff.