RECOGNITION

Alaina Coates has found a new home in the WNBA.

The former Dutch Fork state champion and University of South Carolina national champion was signed by the Atlanta Dream Thursday. The acquisition came days after Coates was released by the Minnesota Lynx, who acquired her from a trade with the Chicago Sky.

“We are thrilled to add a player with the size and athleticism of Alaina,”Dream head coach Nicki Collen said. “We have struggled at times with defensive rebounding and scoring efficiently around the rim this season, and we believe she can help us in those two areas now and in the future.”

The 6-4 Coates played in 14 games with Minnesota this season, averaging Alaina Coates 2.4 rebounds and 2.5 points per game. Ironically, her top performance in 2019 came against Atlanta on July 2 when she set a career-high with 10 points and added nine rebounds.

Coates was drafted 2nd overall in 2017 by the Chicago Sky, but missed a season with an ankle injury. After her 2018 rookie campaign, she was traded by the Sky to the Lynx for a 2020 3rd-round draft pick.

Coates played the 2018-2019 offseason in China after averaging 3.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 11.4 minutes per game in her first WNBA season. As a Gamecock, she was a 4-time All-SEC center and holds the program record for field goal percentage in a career and a season.

She is also USC’s second all-time leading rebounder and one of only six Gamecocks ever to record a triple-double. In high school, she led the Silver Foxes to 2 Class 4A titles.

There are currently 4 former Gamecocks on a WNBA roster.