The University of Mississippi Athletics
Former Rebels Ross, Price Begin Playoff Push Wednesday
9/17/2009 | Women's Basketball
OXFORD, Miss. - Former Ole Miss greats Carol Ross and Armintie Price began their quest for a WNBA Championship Wednesday night as the Atlanta Dream reached the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.
Atlanta made its playoff debut Wednesday night against the No. 3 seed and defending WNBA Champion Detroit Shock at the Palace of Auburn Hills. The Dream will return home for game two Friday night at 6:30 p.m. CT and can be seen live on NBA TV. If necessary, game three of the series will take place Sunday in Atlanta at 2 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN2.
In her first season as an assistant coach with the Dream, Ross helped the team increase its win total by 14 games from its inaugural season a year ago. After posting a 4-30 record last year in the franchise's debut season, the Dream finished the 2009 season with an 18-16 record and earned the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
During her four seasons as a head coach at Ole Miss, Ross returned the program to national prominence and helped lead the Rebels to postseason appearances in each of her seasons in Oxford. In her first season back at Ole Miss, Ross led the Rebels to a 7-7 mark in the SEC and a berth in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1996 en route to winning SEC Coach of the Year accolades.
She capped her stint at Ole Miss in 2007 by leading the Rebels on an improbable run to the Elite Eight. Playing as the No. 7 seed, the Rebels knocked off defending NCAA Champion and second-seeded Maryland in the second round to reach the Sweet 16 before downing Big 12 Champion Oklahoma to reach the Elite Eight for the fifth time in school history.
Price and Ross reunited on the hardwood Aug. 12 when the Dream acquired Price from the Chicago Sky. A native of Myrtle, Miss., and a two-time team captain, Price finished her illustrious collegiate career by joining Cheryl Miller as the only two players in NCAA history to amass 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 400 assists and 400 steals.
During her senior season in Oxford, Price averaged a team-high 19.1 points, 8.8 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 3.7 steals per game in leading the Rebels to the Elite Eight. In addition, her 3.7 steals per game also led the NCAA. She had 15 double-doubles on the season, bringing her career total to a school-record 57, and also recorded the second triple-double in Ole Miss history with 34 points, 15 rebounds and 12 steals versus Illinois.
At the conclusion of the season, she was named to the ESPN.com All-American first team as well as the Kodak/WBCA All-America team. She joined 2009 Women's Basketball Hall of Fame inductee and Ole Miss great Jennifer Gillom as the only two Rebels in school history to be named to the Kodak/WBCA All-America team.
Price currently ranks third all-time at Ole Miss in career points (2,165), second in rebounds (1,198) and first in steals (403).
