LaTaunya Pollard

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Lataunya Pollard Romanazzi (born 1960) is a former college basketball player who played for Long Beach State from 1979 to 1983. With Long Beach, Pollard scored 3,001 points and was the 1983 recipient of the Wade Trophy. During this time period, Pollard played for the American team that qualified for the 1980 Summer Olympics before the United States withdrew from the event. While on the American team, Pollard won silver at the 1981 World University Games and 1983 FIBA World Championship for Women. Outside of America, Pollard played basketball in Europe from 1983 to the early 1990s. Pollard was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001 and Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 2005.

Early life and education

In 1960,Pollard was born in East Chicago, Indiana.[1] Growing up, Pollard tried out for a high school basketball team when she was in grade eight. Upon being chosen for the team, Pollard had to wait a year before she could play as she was under the age requirement.[2] While at East Chicago Roosevelt, Pollard was awarded the 1979 Indiana Miss Basketball.[3] After 93 games, Pollard accumulated 1,739 points. In 1985, Pollard was third for the most points scored by a girls basketball player in Indiana.[4][5]

Career

In 1979, Pollard started her college basketball career with Long Beach State.[6] During the 1980 AIAW National Division I Basketball Championship, her team reached the quarterfinals.[7][8] Her team also made it to the quarterfinals in the 1981 AIAW Division I event.[9][10] As part of the NCAA, Pollard's team won the Western Collegiate Athletic Association conference in 1982.[11] That year, Pollard reached 2,000 career points in women's basketball.[12] At the 1983 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament, her team reached the regional finals.[13]

During her time at Long Beach, Pollard led the season in points four times and blocks three times.[14] After ending her time with Long Beach in 1983, Pollard had appeared in 128 games and scored 3,001 points.[15] That year, Pollard held the season and career points record as part of the 16 statistics she led with Long Beach.[16] In 2022, Pollard continued to be first in career points record with Long Beach and had remained in first for almost forty years.[17]

Pollard was named most valuable player at the 1979 U.S. Olympic Festival after she scored 82 points in the event.[18][19] In international events, Pollard scored 72 points at the 1980 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament as part of the American team that qualified for the 1980 Summer Olympics.[20] Pollard did not compete at the Olympics after the United States decided to not participate in the Games.[21] While on the United States team, Pollard won a silver medal at the 1981 World University Games and 1983 FIBA World Championship for Women. In these events, Pollard scored 106 points at the World University Games and 88 points at the FIBA World Championship.[22][23] Outside of the United States, Pollard began playing basketball in Italy in 1983 and continued to play there until 1991. While competing in Italy, Pollard consistently led in points each season include a 1985 points record of 39.5.[24][25]

Long Beach State statistics

Source[26]

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 PPG FG% FT%
1979–80 Long Beach State 34 660 19.4 51.8% 74.5%
1980–81 Long Beach State 34 733 21.6 54.0% 68.6%
1981–82 Long Beach State 29 701 24.2 54.1% 76.0%
1982–83 Long Beach State 31 907 29.3 52.1% 77.1%
Career 128 3001 23.4 52.9% 74.6%

Awards and honors

From 1981 to 1983, Pollard was on the All-America Team for the Women's Basketball Coaches Association.[27] In 1982, Pollard was a co-recipient of the USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year award alongside Cindy Noble.[28] In 1983, she was nominated for the Naismith Trophy.[29] That year, Pollard won the Wade Trophy for the best women's college basketball player.[30][31]

By 1990, Long Beach retired Pollard's jersey.[32] For hall of fame inductions, Pollard was named into the Long Beach State Hall of Fame in 1988 and the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001.[33][34] In 2005, she joined the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame and the National High School Hall of Fame.[35][36]

References

  1. ^ "Ninth Pan American Games -- 1983". USA Basketball. June 10, 2010. Archived from the original on September 7, 2015. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  2. ^ Haskell, Ryann (11 January 2005). "Two of a kind enter Hall". The Times of Northwest Indiana. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  3. ^ "E. Chicago Roosevelt's Pollard Named Indiana Miss Basketball". The Courier-Journal (Indiana ed.). Louisville, Kentucky. April 10, 1979. p. D5.
  4. ^ "Austin girl top career prep scorer". The Indianapolis Star. February 21, 1985. p. 38.
  5. ^ Graves, Scott (April 25, 1979). "California State To Acquire LaTaunya Pollard". The Times. Munster, Indiana. p. 49.
  6. ^ "Pollard Scores 20 in Debut for 49ers". Los Angeles Times. 9 November 1979. Part III p. 20.
  7. ^ "Long Beach Women Out of Tourney". The Los Angeles Times. Times Wire Services. March 19, 1980. Part III p. 10.
  8. ^ McLain, Jim (March 19, 1980). "Techsters head north after quarterfinal win". The Times. Shreveport, Louisiana. p. 1-C.
  9. ^ "Old Dominion advances to AIAW semis". The Des Moines Register. Associated Press. March 25, 1981. p. 4B.
  10. ^ "Long Beach Women Lose". The Los Angeles Times. March 25, 1981. p. Part III p. 6.
  11. ^ Roberts, Rich (March 3, 1982). "Long Beach Wins Another Title — It Wasn't Easy". The Los Angeles Times. Part IIII p. 3.
  12. ^ Gruppie, Guy (March 7, 1982). "Pollard Scores 2,000 Point as 49ers Win". The Los Angeles Times. p. Part III p. 12.
  13. ^ Hirsch, Alan (March 20, 1983). "ODU Active Host In NCAA Tourney Next Year". Daily Press. Newport News, Virginia. p. 20.
  14. ^ "2022-23 Long Beach State Women's Basketball Record Book" (PDF). Long Beach State University Athletics. December 7, 2022. pp. 58, 61. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  15. ^ "Pre-NCAA Women's Basketball Records" (PDF). NCAA. p. 2. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  16. ^ Matsuda, Darryl (April 8, 1983). "Pollard Brings Wade Trophy to West". The Los Angeles Times. p. Part III p. 14.
  17. ^ Long Beach State University Athletics 2022, p. 48
  18. ^ "Women's U.S. Olympic Festival All-Tournament Teams". USA Basketball. June 10, 2010. Archived from the original on July 16, 2022. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  19. ^ "Women's U.S. Olympic Festival Records". USA Basketball. June 10, 2010. Archived from the original on July 5, 2022. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  20. ^ "1980 Women's FIBA Olympic Qualifiying Tournament". USA Basketball. June 10, 2010. Archived from the original on August 2, 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  21. ^ Guardabascio, Mike; Trevino, Chris (2015). Basketball in Long Beach. Charleston: History Press. p. 63. ISBN 9781609499754. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  22. ^ "Eleventh World University Games -- 1981". USA Basketball. June 10, 2010. Archived from the original on September 7, 2015. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  23. ^ "Ninth World Championship -- 1983". USA Basketball. June 10, 2010. Archived from the original on April 26, 2015. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  24. ^ Munoz, Theresa (14 July 1991). "Few Fast Breaks : Top Female Basketball Players Finally Have Choice of Viable Pro Career, but It Means Going Overseas". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  25. ^ McKee, Pat (1 May 2005). "Scoring another honor". Indianapolis Star. p. C10.
  26. ^ "2020-2021 Women's Basketball Record Book" (PDF). longbeachstate.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 July 2022. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  27. ^ "Women's Basketball Award Winners" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. 2023. p. 2. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
  28. ^ "USA Basketball Athlete of the Year Award". USA Basketball. Archived from the original on March 13, 2015. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
  29. ^ Davidson, David (February 17, 1983). "Green added to trophy list". The Atlanta Constitution. p. 3-C.
  30. ^ "LaTaunya Pollard, a three-time All America from California State,..." UPI. 7 April 1983. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  31. ^ "The Wade Trophy". Women's Basketball Coaches Association. 2016-02-17. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
  32. ^ Wagner, Dick (December 6, 1990). "A Number He Had Hoped Was History". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  33. ^ "LaTaunya Pollard". Long Beach State University Athletics. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
  34. ^ "LaTaunya Pollard". Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
  35. ^ "Lataunya Pollard Romanazzi". Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
  36. ^ "National High School Hall of Fame 30th Anniversary Commemorative Program 1982-2012" (PDF) (Press release). National Federation of State High School Associations. 2012. p. 16. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
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