Sports Envoy
Sports Envoy Program

Region: Middle East

Debra Belkin Rademacher

Soccer

Served as envoy

  • 2022  –  Israel

Debbie Belkin Rademacher, was the head coach of the women’s soccer team at the University of Michigan from 1994-2007. From 1986-1991 she was a mainstay on the US women’s National Team, and was a key member of the 1991 U.S. team that won the inaugural FIFA Women’s World Championship. In August 2001, the U.S. National Soccer Hall of Fame awarded the 1991 U.S. Women’s World Cup champions, the prestigious National Soccer Medal of Honor.

In 2000, Soccer America named her to the Women’s College Soccer Team of the Century. She is a member of the Massachusetts State Hall of Fame, a member of the University of Massachusetts Athletic Hall of Fame, and a member of the National Jewish Hall of Fame.

An outstanding defender from 1984-1988, Rademacher was a three-time All-American at the University of Massachusetts, and led the team to four consecutive Final Four appearances. Named All-New England from 1985-1987, Rademacher helped the Minutewomen achieve a No. 1 ranking during the 1986 season and led them to the NCAA championship game in 1987. Named the Defensive MVP of the 1987 Final Four, Rademacher also received honors from Soccer America, who named her to its MVP teams in 1986 and 1987, and to the All-Decade team (1980s).

Over Rademacher’s four-year career at UMass, the Minutewomen had an overall record of 65-9-4. It was in 1986, during her junior season at Massachusetts, Rademacher joined the U.S. National Team.

In 1992, Rademacher became the head coach at Fairfield University after serving as an assistant at Tufts (1988), and New Hampshire (1989-91). After an record of 6-8-1 in her first season, Rademacher led Fairfield to a 12-4-3 record and the MAAC (Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) regular season and tournament championship in 1992 as she was named MAAC Coach of the Year. The following year, Rademacher became the head coach at the University of Michigan in the school’s inaugural season of NCAA women’s soccer.

Rademacher led Michigan to a second place regular season finish in 1997. They then won the conference tournament and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the next nine years. Rademacher was named Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year that year. Michigan won the Big Ten tournament for a second time in 1999, and advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals in 2002. In 2003, the Wolverines advanced to the third round of the NCAA tournament. They finished the season ranked No. 16 in the country. Through her final season, in 2007, Rademacher amassed a career coaching record of 178-120-41.

Edniesha Curry

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2022  –  Palestinian Territories

Edniesha Curry is currently an assistant coach for the Trail Blazers in 2021-22. Curry joins the coaching staff from the University of Maine where she was an assistant coach with the men’s basketball team from 2018-21. She previously served as a player development and assistant coach for the Maine women’s basketball program from 2015-17. Curry is a graduate of the NBA Assistant Coaches’ Program where she gained experience working at the NBA Draft Combine and the NBA G League Showcase. In 2019, Curry served as a guest coach for San Antonio’s summer league team and assisted with Minnesota’s pre-draft workouts. She has also coached and done player development work internationally in Vietnam, China, Israel, and Palestine. As a player, Curry played in the WNBA for Phoenix and Los Angeles along with teams overseas in Greece, Poland, Israel, and Hungary from 2002-09. Curry is a graduate of University of Oregon, where she played the final two seasons of her college career. She is the proud daughter of Edward and Bertha Curry and Jenoah Haywood-Curry and sister to five siblings.

Over her long coaching career, Curry has consistently delivered leadership, training, and mentoring to student athletes as well as former professional NBA and WNBA athletes. This experience comes from Curry’s work with FIBA, NCAA, and NBA programs. Curry’s expertise on collaborating business and basketball has afforded opportunities to interface with key marketing and leadership staff within these organizations. Curry is a dedicated advocate for the physical, mental, and social development of sport organizations, people, and athletes all over the world.

Tucker Dupree

Swimming (para)

Served as envoy

  • 2021  –  Qatar

Four-Time Paralympic Medalist Three-Time Paralympian Hometown: Raleigh, North Carolina

Disability: Blind/ Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy

At 17, Tucker began to lose his vision and was diagnosed with a rare disease – Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON). In a short period of time, he lost 75% of his central vision in both eyes.

Tucker currently holds 9 American and Pan-American records.
At the 2016 Paralympic games in Rio, Tucker won a Bronze medal in the 100 meter backstroke.

At the 2012 London Paralympic Games, Tucker won a silver medal in the 100m backstroke and bronze medals in the 50m freestyle and 100m freestyle.

Tucker has been able to swim his way into over 10 world championship titles.

Tucker currently works for an energy company in Chicago and has a passion for accessibility, technology, plays piano, does yoga, and loves cooking.

Johnny Collins

Soccer

Served as envoy

  • 2018  –  Philippines
  • 2018  –  Vietnam
  • 2019  –  Burma
  • 2019  –  Ethiopia
  • 2019  –  Kuwait
  • 2022  –  Kyrgyzstan

Johnny Collins is an “A” licensed soccer coach who has been coaching all over the world for the past 25 years. He has coached at all levels but prefers working in youth development. An orphan himself, he loves working with underprivileged kids and he has an 18 year old daughter so empowering young women is also a passion of his.

Tamika Catchings

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2013  –  Thailand
  • 2014  –  United Arab Emirates

Tamika Catchings began her basketball career as a Forward at the University of Tennessee. During her four years at Tennessee, UT posted a 134-10 overall record (.931), collected four Southeastern Conference regular season crowns, three SEC Tournament titles, competed in four NCAA Tournaments, won the NCAA title in 1998, advanced to the NCAA Final Four in 2000 and made the 1999 Elite Eight and 2001 Sweet Sixteen.

Drafted No. 3 in 2001 by the Indiana Fever, Catchings helped the Indiana Fever advance to the playoffs 13 times in 15 seasons, while capturing the WNBA title in 2012 and advancing to the WNBA Finals in 2009 and 2015. In 2010 became the first player to earn a fourth Defensive Player of the Year award and is the only player to be named to the All-Defensive first team all eight years.

Internationally, Catchings honed her game internationally in China, South Korea, Russia and Turkey and won four Korean titles with Woori Bank Hansae (2002, 2003, 2006, 2007). Since joining the USA National Team in 2002, Catchings has aided the USA to a combined 58-1 record in major international events, winning four-straight Olympic golds, two FIBA World Championship golds, and one World Championship bronze medal.

Outside of basketball, in addition to hosting camps and clinics and raising money to enable disadvantaged youths to attend basketball camps, Catchings created the Catch the Stars Foundation in 2004. Taking advice from Dawn Staley, the foundation is targeted towards at-risk youths, and its goal is to provide both academics and athletics programs. In 2008 Catchings was awarded the Dawn Staley Community Leadership Award.

Sue Wicks

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2009  –  Philippines
  • 2010  –  Indonesia
  • 2011  –  Dominican Republic
  • 2013  –  Malaysia
  • 2016  –  Cambodia
  • 2017  –  Jordan

Sue Wicks was a first-round selection by the New York Liberty in the WNBA’s inaugural draft in 1997. Wicks went on to play six seasons with the Liberty, earning an All-Star selection in 2000. She also was the recipient of the Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award in 2000. Wicks finished her WNBA career in eighth place all-time in blocked shots.

Wicks played collegiately at Rutgers University, where she was a three-time All-American and the 1988 National Player of the Year. She was inducted into Rutgers’ Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in June 2013.

Ruthie Bolton

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2008  –  Saudi Arabia
  • 2013  –  Kazakhstan
  • 2014  –  Moldova
  • 2015  –  Bangladesh
  • 2018  –  Armenia
  • 2018  –  Georgia
  • 2019  –  Kosovo
  • 2019  –  Albania

Two-time Olympic Gold Medalist and WNBA All-Star.

Scored over 2,000 career points, is fourth of the WNBA’s all-time 3-pointer list, and is the only player in the history of the Sacramento Monarchs to have her number retired.

First WNBA Player of the Week in July of 1997, a member of the 1999 First Team All WNBA, and a two-time WNBA All-Star in 1999 and 2001
The 1991 USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year.

Played with the 1995-96 US Women’s National Team that compiled a perfect 60-0 record.

In four seasons at Auburn, she led her team to a combined record of 199-13, which included three Southeastern Conference Championships (1987-1989), four NCAA Tournament appearances and two runner-up finishes in 1988 and 1989.

She was named to the 1988 NCAA Women’s Final Four All-Tournament Team.

A 1st Lieutenant in the United States Army.

2011 Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame inductee.

Ruth Riley

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2014  –  Morocco
  • 2014  –  Democratic Republic of Congo
  • 2014  –  Spain
  • 2015  –  Mozambique
  • 2015  –  Botswana
  • 2015  –  South Africa
  • 2015  –  Saudi Arabia

Person Info/Academic
-Born: August 28, 1979
-University of Notre Dame 1997-2001
-Summa Cum Laude, BA in Psychology
-Recipient of an NCAA postgraduate scholarship
-2001 Recipient of the NCAA Today’s Top VIII Award recognizing athletics, academic achievement, character and leadership
-First Vice President of the WNBA Players Association since 2005
-A 2010 inductee into Notre Dame’s prestigious Ring of Honor
-Inducted into the 2012 Capital One Academic All-America Hall of Fame
-Wrote a children’s book “Spirit of Basketball” for the WNBA’s Detroit Shock
-13 year WNBA veteran currently playing for the Atlanta Dream

In the Community
-Spokesperson for “Nothing But Nets” established by the UN Foundation to combat Malaria in Africa (#1 killer of children on the continent)
-Spokesperson for Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry initiative.
-Co-Founder of Inspire Transformation (and NGO that does HIV/AIDS awareness & prevention through leadership and sports training in South Africa)
-4 time recipient of the WNBA’s Community Assist Player
-Appointed in 2009, by President George W. Bush to the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.
-Recipient of the Henry P. Iba Citizen Athlete Award in 2010
-Recipient of the 2011 Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award presented by the WNBA
-NBA/WNBA Cares Ambassador for the NBA since 2013

USA Basketball
-2004 Gold Medal Olympic Games (Athens)
-1999 Silver Medal World University Games

WNBA
-2006 WNBA Champions (Detroit)
-2005 WNBA All-star (Detroit)
-2003 WNBA Champions (Detroit)
-2003 WNBA Finals MVP
-2003 No. 1 Overall WNBA Dispersal draft pick by Detroit
-2001 No. 5 Overall WNBA draft pick by Miami Sol

College Basketball Awards and Honors
-2001 NCAA Finals MVP
-2001 NCAA Champions
-2001 Naismith Player of the Year
-2001 Big East Player of the Year
-2001 NCAA Verizon Academic All-American of the Year
-2001 Big East conference Silver Anniversary Women’s Basketball Team
-three-time Big East All-Tournament Team (1999- 2001)
-three-time Big East Conference Defensive Player of the Year (1999-2001)
-two time Associated Press All-American First Team (2000, 2001)
-1998 Big East All-Rookie Team

Lynette Woodard

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2008  –  Saudi Arabia

Considered one of basketball’s greatest female players, Lynette Woodard excelled in the sport during her professional career in the 1980s and 1990s. A two-time Olympic Game basketball player, Woodard served as co-captain of the United States’ gold medal team in 1984. She became the first female member of the famed Harlem Globetrotters in 1985, and was named Big Eight Player of the Decade for the 1980s. In 1996 Woodard was named best female player in Big Eight Conference history, having set career records for scoring and rebounding. After a four-year retirement in the mid-1990s, Woodard returned to join the new Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), playing for the Cleveland Rockers and the Detroit Shock. A worldwide basketball star, Woodard is known equally well in her native United States as in Italy and Japan, where she has also played professionally.

Edwina Brown

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2007  –  Israel

Edwina Brown was born in Dallas, TX and shortly after moved to Lockhart, TX. As a natural athlete, Edwina grew up playing all sports but developed a love for basketball at an early age. In her senior year, she was named the Texas Class 4A Player of the Year and was awarded a basketball scholarship to The University of Texas at Austin.

Edwina had four successful seasons at The University of Texas. She holds a number of UT records including 1,705 career points, 517 career assists and 257 career steals, which is the only player to have at least 1,500 points, 500 assists, and 250 steals. She remains the only individual in school history to lead the team in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals in the same year, an accomplishment she achieved in both her junior and senior years.

As the 3rd overall pick in the 2000 WNBA Draft, Edwina played five years in the WNBA: Detroit Shock (2000-2002), Phoenix Mercury (2003-2004), Houston Comets (2006 post-season).

Her international experience includes playing in Austria (2001),
Lebanon (2002), Israel (2003-2005, 2007-2010), Spain (2005), and France (2006).

Her NCAA coaching experience includes her positions at the University of Texas (2011) as Strength & Conditioning Coach, at the University of Texas (2011-12) as Assistant Coach, at the University of New Mexico (2012-2014) as Assistant Coach, at the Texas Christian University (2014-2016) as Recruiting Coordinator, and at the Southern Methodist University (2016-2017) as Recruiting Coordinator.

Off the court, Edwina is pursuing her passion of giving back to the community and recently founded a non-profit, MAP’D Out (Mentoring Athletes and Providing Dreams). Raised by her mother and grandmother in Lockhart, TX, Edwina realizes the importance of an inspirational mentor and started MAP’D Out to lend a helping hand to youth in the community that exemplify sportsmanship, integrity and the desire to “MAP OUT” their future goals.

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Edwina also acts as a consultant to coaches that aspire in growing their knowledge and platform in their specific craft. She recently grounded the idea of “Whiteboard Exchange” in which she relays and mentors those with the same vision of growing our community through sport.