Sports Envoy
Sports Envoy Program

Sport: Basketball

Swin Cash

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2012  –  United Kingdom

Swin Cash started her basketball career as a forward at UConn. As a sophomore, she won her first career national title averaging 9.9 points and 5.3 rebounds and earning All-Big East Third Team honors. As a senior, Cash averaged 14.9 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 2.2 assists. She also earned 2002 Final Four Most Outstanding Player honors after leading the Huskies to an undefeated 39-0 season and second national title in three years.

Drafted into the WBNA by Detroit in 2002, Cash went on to spend 15 seasons with teams such as the Seattle Storm, the Chicago Sky, the Atlanta Dream, and the New York Liberty. During her WBNA career, Cash accumulated three WNBA Championships (2003, 2006, 2010). She averaged 10.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game.

Internationally, Cash won a gold medal with Team USA at the 2004 Olympic Games in Greece, a second gold medal with Team USA in the FIBA World Championships for Women in the Czech Republic in 2010, and a third Olympic gold medal at the 2012 Summer Games in London. Cash also played in Russia and the Czech Republic.

Outside of basketball, in 2005, Cash launched Cash for Kids, a charitable organization that raises money for children in need.

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.

Sheri Sam

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2018  –  Armenia
  • 2018  –  Georgia

Sheri Sam (born May 05, 1974) is a guard for the Orlando Miracle. She played college basketball at Vanderbilt.

Shameka Christon

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2005  –  Algeria

Born in Illinois, Shameka Christon began her basketball career at Hot Springs High School, guiding the team to back-to-back state championships while earning state championship MVP honors twice. She was also named Gatorade Player of the Year and earned Arkansas Player of the Year honors.

At the University of Arkansas, Christon was named SEC Player of the Year as a senior in 2004 after averaging career-highs of 21.8 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. She finished her collegial career ranked second on Arkansas’ all-time scoring list (1,951 points).

Post-graduation, Christon was selected by New York in the first round (fifth overall) of the 2004 WNBA Draft. Her 2009 season saw her named to the WNBA All-Star team with a career high average of 16.1 points and 4.9 rebounds. In 2010, she was then traded to Chicago. In 2012, Christon signed with San Antonio as a free agent. Across her 11 WNBA seasons, Christon averaged 9.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.

Internationally, Christon won a Gold Medal with Team USA at the 2002 FIBA World Championships for Women in China. She additionally spent the WBNA off-seasons playing for teams in countries such as Russia, Poland, Spain, and Israel.

Outside of basketball, Christon owns her own company, Shameka Christon Enterprises, an organization which encompasses profit and non-profit ventures, including a daycare, mentoring program, and personal basketball and fitness training academy.

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

Patricia “Ticha” Penicheiro

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2013  –  Angola
  • 2014  –  South Africa
  • 2014  –  Rwanda

Growing up in Portugal, Patricia “Ticha” Penicheiro was introduced to basketball by her father and brother when she was just five years old. Immediately hooked on the sport, Ticha spent countless hours on the playground courts proving girls can play sports too. All the teasing and blocking she received as a female playing with her older and stronger male counterparts groomed her for what was to come, which was more than she could have ever imagined.

Before long, Ticha had developed the “American Dream” and decided she wanted to come to the United States and attend a university. After being offered a few full basketball scholarships, Ticha chose to attend Old Dominion University (ODU) in Norfolk, VA and in 1994 packed her bags and left her country, her family and her friends to follow her dream.

From 1994 through 1998, Ticha grew as a woman and a basketball player while helping to position ODU back to a place of national recognition as a Top 25 team for the majority of her college career. Seeing her dreams come true before her eyes, Ticha was considered one of the top players in the United States. By 1998, Ticha was a two-time Kodak All-American player and won the prestigious Wade Trophy Award. Inspired to work toward her next career milestone, Ticha followed along with the first season of the WNBA in 1997, ready to make her move.

Upon graduating ODU in 1998, she was quickly drafted as second pick overall and headed to Sacramento, CA to begin her career playing in the best women’s professional basketball league in the world. For the next 12 years, California became Ticha’s home and before the Sacramento Monarchs folded in 2009, they were able to bring a WNBA championship to the city in 2005. Ticha’s next career move was to former rivals, the Los Angeles Sparks where she played two seasons. Then in 2012, she joined the Chicago Sky for her 15th and last season in the WNBA.

Through it all, Ticha is most grateful for the amazing friends she made and has created lifetime memories. “Being European, I loved heading to Europe and continuing to get my passport stamped visiting so many different countries through basketball.”

Ticha had a stellar professional career. Looking back, Ticha has humbly exceeded her expectations in moving across the country from Portugal to America as a young woman. Under her belt are three different WNBA teams, four-time All Star, a first team All League a few times and was able to leave her mark as one of the best passers in the league. Following such a successful and adventurous career, Ticha has finally retired and decided to follow her heart and become a sports agent, “becoming a sports’ agent is something Ive always seen myself doing because it will keep me close to the game I love and I will be able to help players make a smoother transition to the professional basketball world”, Ticha said.

Ticha is now the Director of Women’s Basketball at the Sports International Group (SIG).

Olympia Scott-Richardson

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2011  –  Dominican Republic

Olympia Ranee Scott was born the day of the closing ceremonies of the Montreal Summer Olympics, hence the name. She is the daughter of Stephan T. Scott, M.B.A. and Jacqueline Parker Scott, Ed. D., M.B.A., sister of Tres Mali Scott and Stephen Thomas Scott and proud mother of BreAzia, her only child and engaged to Rachman Crable.

A native of Los Angeles, Olympia attended St. Bernard High School where she participated in a variety of extra-curricular activities especially student government, basketball, and track and field. She held various offices such as Class President, Commissioner of Campus Communications and Commissioner of Athletic Affairs. She was also a 4-year starter for her high school basketball team and led her team to her school’s first girl’s CIF Championship and back-to-back California State Championships her junior and senior years. She set various high school records including recording 39 rebounds in a single game and triple-jumping 37 feet. Olympia was named to the California All-State team for basketball. She was also recognized as the Division IV California State Player of the Year and named a Kodak All-American.

She also received the Cheryl Miller award for being the best player in Southern California. Olympia was the youngest player ever to play in an Olympic Festival for a team sport in 1994 where she also set the single-game shot-block record of 4 while playing for the West team.
Olympia also grew up in Jack and Jill of America, Inc., a national organization for children, empowering them to excel through leadership and service in our communities. Her mother, Jacqueline Parker Scott, Ed. D., M.B.A., is a past National Program Director and Far West Regional Director as well as the founder of Jack and Jill of America’s National Teen Leadership Development Program. In high school, Olympia held office as the Far West Regional Teen President of Jack and Jill of America, Inc.

Olympia received a full athletic scholarship to Stanford University where she was a 4 year starter for the women’s basketball team. She led her team to 4 Pac-10 Conference Championships with back-to-back undefeated in conference seasons. She also helped her team to 3 NCAA Final Four Appearances in her four years. During her tenure as a Cardinal she received various accolades including Kodak All-American, All-Pac-10 conference, and was a finalist for the Naismith Player of the Year Award.

Olympia also played on the US Women’s National Basketball Team. She competed in the R. Williams Jones Cup Tournament in Taiwan, winning the bronze medal in 1995. She also won a gold medal for the USA in the World University Games held in Sicily, Italy in 1997. In 1998, Olympia became a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated and graduated from Stanford with a BA in Sociology. Also in 1998, Olympia was picked 11th overall in the WNBA draft. Since then, she has played on 6 different teams over the past 10 seasons. She played her most statistically productive seasons in Indiana for the Fever. She was the first player to grab 300 rebounds in a Fever uniform along with being the previous record-holder for most rebounds in a single-game with 17. She also had a career high in points with 31 vs. the Utah Starzz in 2002.

While playing in the WNBA, Olympia served as the Secretary-Treasurer of the Women’s National Basketball Player’s Association (WNBPA) for 2 terms. She participated in the last 2 negotiations of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the WNBA and the WNBPA as an executive committee member as well as a negotiating committee member.

Olympia was awarded the Community Assist award for excellence in community service and leadership by the WNBA and the Indiana Fever in 2002. She was also awarded the Lysik Ultimate Service Award for leadership and service in Los Angeles in 2007. Her most significant professional accomplishments, however, are her two WNBA World Championships she won with the Sacramento Monarchs in 2005 and again in 2007 with her current team, the Phoenix Mercury. She is the first player in WNBA history to win 2 WNBA World Championships with 2 different teams.

As a mother, 10 year WNBA veteran, and therefore, a role model in the community, Olympia recognizes her responsibility to give back. It is her goal to enlighten, educate, and inspire others through education, basketball, fitness, humor and just forward-thinking in general. Olympia is known for her charismatic and inspiring energy and she uses this as a means to connect people to her positive messages of hope and responsibility. Constantly providing motivational speeches, mentoring, or coaching to youths and adults alike, she keeps very busy in the community. She also provides basketball camps and clinics through various organizations as well as her own company Champions Clinics, a basketball camp and motivational speaking company she co-founded with Bridget Pettis, a former Indiana Fever teammate and the assistant coach of the 2007 WNBA World Champion Phoenix Mercury.

Previous to starting Champions Clinics, in 2002 Olympia and her mother (also a certified parenting instructor), provided unique events to the Indianapolis, IN community. Through Olympia’s fan club Olympia Hoops, they provided basketball camps that included a parenting seminar for the parents while their children participated in the basketball camp. The parenting seminars were specifically for parenting athletes.

The events were a success and from this partnership formed an even greater enterprise, Super Parenting. In 2003, Olympia and her mother decided to start a parenting education company to spread parenting wisdom everywhere. Today, Super Parenting LLC has evolved even further into an online company to reach parents worldwide. Specializing in premier online parenting classes they also provide services such as The Super Parenting Social Network; Super Parenting TV; parenting coaches; parenting workshops; motivational speakers; and books.

In her WNBA off-seasons (September through May), Olympia plays professional basketball overseas in various European countries. She has played in Italy, Greece, Turkey, Spain, and Russia for a total of 10 seasons. Her daughter, BreAzia has had the privilege of travelling with her mother to all of these places. She attends school in each country and learns a bit of the language, as well as the culture. It is an enlightening experience for both of them.

Although playing professional basketball worldwide is rewarding, it is not a family career. With the wisdom and insights attained from her parenting education expert mother, Dr. Jacqueline Parker Scott, however, Olympia has learned a delicate balancing act. Truly appreciating and understanding the value of the parenting knowledge gained for her own benefit, Olympia realizes the value in parenting education for parents worldwide. This has motivated her to join the pledge her mother has made 19 years ago, to educate parents. Together, the two women hope to be a force to be reckoned with, when it comes to disseminating parenting wisdom.

Nykesha Sales

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2009  –  Uganda
  • 2010  –  Cape Verde
  • 2011  –  Haiti
  • 2012  –  Venezuela
  • 2013  –  Ukraine
  • 2014  –  South Korea

The all-time leading scorer in Connecticut Sun history, Nykesha Sales returns to the team for her second season as the community liaison and an assistant to the coaching staff.

In 2013, Sales made numerous community relations appearances on behalf of the Sun, practiced regularly with the team and also provided color commentary on selected team broadcasts.

Sales was the first member of the Connecticut Sun franchise, which began as the Orlando Miracle prior to the 1999 season. She played with the team from 1999-2007, helping the Sun reach two WNBA Finals and four straight Eastern Conference Finals between 2003 and 2006.

A seven-time WNBA All-Star, Sales was the second player in league history to amass 3,000 points, 500 assists and 400 steals during her career – joining Sheryl Swoopes. She finished her career with 3,955 points, 683 assists and 490 steals.

Nicole Powell

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2015  –  Poland

Nicole Kristen Powell (born June 22, 1982) is a basketball player who was a standout at Stanford University and has played for several teams in the WNBA. She has also excelled on the Fenerbahçe Istanbul squad in Europe. Powell joined the coaching staff of the Gonzaga University women’s basketball team, where she coached for one year. At the end of the 2014 WNBA season, Powell joined the coaching staff on the University of Oregon women’s basketball team (assisting head coach Kelly Graves) and retired from the WNBA.

High school
Born in Sierra Vista, Arizona, Powell played for Mountain Pointe High School in Phoenix, where she was named a WBCA All-American. She also was named a 2000 Parade Magazine First Team All-American in 2000 and the Arizona Player of the Century by the Arizona Republic. She participated in the 2000 WBCA High School All-America Game where she scored fourteen points.

In addition, Powell during her high school years earned all-region selection in both tennis and track, won the state badminton singles championships in 1997, 1999 and 2000, won the state discus title in 2000, and was an Arizona 5A doubles runner-up in tennis in 2000.

College
Powell played the forward position for Stanford University women’s NCAA basketball team. During her tenure there, she broke many school records, was named an All-American three times, and won numerous awards. She majored in urban studies.

She is the only female basketball player in Pac-10 history to have achieved multiple triple-double games (that is, 10 totals or more in three different statistical categories) during the same season.

WNBA career
Powell was picked No. 3 overall by the Charlotte Sting in the 2004 WNBA Draft. She was used by the Sting as a utility player, appearing in 31 games. On March 3, 2005, she was traded to the Sacramento Monarchs in a multi-player deal. The trade greatly aided the Monarchs in the 2005 season while Powell enjoyed a breakout year and eventually was named the recipient of that year’s WNBA’s Most Improved Player award. She played a pivotal role in the Monarchs’ 2005 WNBA Finals victory over the Connecticut Sun.

Although the Monarchs struggled in subsequent years, Powell’s statistics continued to improve. In 2009, with several of her teammates hobbled by injuries, Powell averaged 16.7 points per game and was the best free throw shooter in the WNBA with 97.9% of attempts made. She also participated in the 2009 WNBA All-Star Game, where she scored 21 points off the bench.

The Monarchs ceased operations following their 2009 season. The New York Liberty selected Nicole Powell with the first pick in the ensuing dispersal draft. She was traded to the Tulsa Shock before the 2013 season and signed with the Seattle Storm before the 2014 season.

USA Basketball
Powell was a member of the USA Women’s U18 team which won the gold medal at the FIBA Americas Championship in Mar Del Plata, Argentina. The event was held in July 2000, when the USA team defeated Cuba to win the championship. Powell averaged 8.2 points per game and led the team in rebounding with 6.4 per game. Powell was named to the USA Women’s U19 team which represented the USA in the 2001 U19 World’s Championship, held in Brno, Czech Republic in July 2001. Powell scored 7.0 points per game, led the team in rebounding with 6.3 per game to help the USA team to a 6–1 record and the bronze medal.

In 2003, Powell helped the United States women’s national basketball team win a silver medal at the Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. She also helped national teams win a bronze medal (in the Czech Republic) and a gold medal (in Argentina) at two other international tournaments.

International career
During the 2008–2009 and 2009–2010 WNBA off-season, Powell contributed to Fenerbahçe’s victories each year in the Turkish women’s basketball league championship. In 2007–2008 she played for CSKA Moscow in Russia, in 2006–2007 for Perfumerias Halcon Avenida in Spain, in 2005–2006 for Fenerbahçe for the first time, also winning the country’s championship, and 2004–2005 Basket Spezia in Italy. Now Powell is a player of Polish team – TS Wisła Kraków.

Vital statistics
• Position: Guard/Forward
• Height: 6 ft 3 in (1.88 m)
• Weight: 175
• College: Stanford University
• Team(s): New York Liberty, Sacramento Monarchs, Perfumerias Avenida Salamanca, Fenerbahçe Istanbul, Charlotte Sting, TS Wisła Can-Pack Kraków
Awards and achievements
• 2009 WNBA All-Star Selection
• 2005 WNBA Most Improved Player