Ukari Figgs
Encyclopedia
Ukari Okien Figgs is a former collegiate and professional basketball
player.
Figgs then starred 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 handily 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. 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.
in the third round (28th overall) of the 1999 WNBA Draft
, and played for the Sparks for three seasons, which included a WNBA Championship
in 2001. Figgs then played one season each for the Portland Fire
and Houston Comets
.
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 151 games on three different teams.
in her hometown of Georgetown, Kentucky
, 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. On June 6, 2011 it was announced Figg's would become an assistant athletics director for women's basketball at the University of Kentucky.
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player.
High School and College years
Figgs led the Scott County girls' basketball team to a state title in 1995, and she was named Kentucky's Miss Basketball.Figgs then starred on the women's basketball team at Purdue University
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
, 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 handily 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. 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.
WNBA career
Figgs was selected by the Los Angeles SparksLos Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began...
in the third round (28th overall) of the 1999 WNBA Draft
1999 WNBA Draft
1999 WNBA Draft - 6 April 1999*On September 15, 1998, two more players were assigned prior to the expansion draft.*On April 6, 1999 a WNBA expansion draft took place.*On May 3, 1999 another round of player allocation took place....
, and played for the Sparks for three seasons, which included a WNBA Championship
WNBA Finals
The WNBA Finals is the championship series of the Women's National Basketball Association and the conclusion of the sport's postseason each fall. The series was named the WNBA Championship until 2002....
in 2001. Figgs then played one season each for the Portland Fire
Portland Fire
The Portland Fire joined the Women's National Basketball Association in 2000 as the counterpart to the NBA team the Portland Trail Blazers. They played their games at Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon. The team folded after the 2002 season, after just three seasons in the league...
and Houston Comets
Houston Comets
The Houston Comets were a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Houston, Texas, United States. Formed in 1997, the team was one of the best original eight WNBA teams and won the first four championships of the league's existence. The Comets were the first dynasty of the WNBA and...
.
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 151 games on three different teams.
Life after the WNBA
She worked as a production engineer at Toyota Motor Manufacturing KentuckyToyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky
Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky, Inc. is an automobile manufacturing factory in Georgetown, Kentucky, USA. It is part of Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America , owned by Toyota Motor Company of Japan....
in her hometown of Georgetown, Kentucky
Georgetown, Kentucky
Georgetown is a city in Scott County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 29,098 at the 2010 census. The original settlement of Lebanon, founded by Rev. Elijah Craig, was renamed in 1790 in honor of President George Washington. It is the home of Georgetown College, a private liberal arts...
, and as an assistant coach with the boys' varsity basketball team at Scott County High School
Scott County High School, Georgetown, Kentucky
Scott County High School is a public high school in Georgetown, Kentucky.-Athletics:* Basketball * Cheerleading squad * Cross country team * Football...
. Figgs was appointed as an Assistant Coach to Purdue University's women's basketball team on April 13, 2009. On June 6, 2011 it was announced Figg's would become an assistant athletics director for women's basketball at the University of Kentucky.