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PG Samantha Prahalis (B1G Champ, 2x All-American, B1G POY, B1G Career Assists Leader, OSU HOF)

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2012 WNBA Pre-Draft Conference Call: Draft Prospects

Participants

Tiffany Hayes
Guard, Connecticut

Nnemkadi Ogwumike
Forward, Stanford

Devereaux Peters
Forward, Notre Dame

Samantha Prahalis
Guard, Ohio State

Question and Answer Session

Q. Nneka, the speculation is you could go No. 1, if you could talk about what that would mean for you and how would you be able to fill full those expectations in Los Angeles?

NNEMKADI OGWUMIKE: I think it would mean a lot. This past year was great, my senior year. We had a lot of success and even though it didn't end how we wanted it to, I was just really proud of me and my teammates, and we go now to the next step.

I'm really excited. At this point I'm just really excited for the opportunity, and I will go wherever, you know, I am selected to go. I'm looking forward to Monday.

Q. Samantha and Devereaux, we see you guys, but what do you think is your biggest asset that you bring to the league?

DEVEREAUX PETERS: I think my first asset is just being able to guard multiple positions and being a force on the defense; with my length I could help wherever I end up going.

SAMANTHA PRAHALIS: And I think just my ability to pass the ball. I think there are so many good players in the league that I would be able to set whoever up and just fit into a team right away. Just for that fact of being able to pass and making other people hit shots where they are comfortable at.

Q. Nneka, if you do end up in Los Angeles, which what the speculation is, there's a lot of post players there. Are you looking forward to the chance to play with as many experienced posts as are there? And for Samantha, the coaches were on earlier talking about how important it is for players to be able to adjust to different roles once you step up and you're playing with players of all different ages, and you are not always going to play as much as you did when you were in college. Can you just talk about preparation for that adjustment?

SAMANTHA PRAHALIS: Well, yes, I think wherever I go, it's going to be different. Coach talked about that, (Ohio State) Coach (Jim) Foster, and I just want to do whatever they want me to do, I'll be able to do.

You know, I think I'm mature and I think I'm ready to go in and play a lot of minutes and do that. And if I have to go in and wait my turn and learn from the experience, I can do that, as well.

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http://www.wnba.com/draft/2012/confcall_prospects_2012_04_11.html
 
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Phoenix Mercury looking for point guard, center at No. 6 overall pick
by Odeen Domingo - Apr. 15, 2012
The Republic | azcentral.com

Despite the recent loss of All-Star forward Penny Taylor to a season-ending knee injury, Mercury coach and General Manager Corey Gaines said the team's plans aren't changing for Monday's WNBA draft.

Three-time league Sixth Woman of the Year DeWanna Bonner likely will take Taylor's place to finally find a spot in the starting lineup, which means the Mercury still are looking to select a possible starting point guard or a center with their sixth overall pick. The former looks more of a priority than the latter.

"There are only a couple of '1s' who can play our style," Gaines said of the top point guards in the draft. "One who maybe has a chance to play for us and the other one may be perfect."

That perfect player could be Ohio State's Samantha Prahalis, a 5-foot-7 speedster who averaged 19.8 points and 6.3 assists per game on her way to being named Big Ten Player of the Year.

Gaines was in attendance when Prahalis, considered the draft's top point-guard prospect, scored a school-record 42 points in an Ohio State victory in February.

"We're looking into it," Gaines said of the team's possibility of selecting Prahalis sixth overall. "But you don't know what's going to happen (in the draft).

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Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/sports/mer...g-point-guard-center-draft.html#ixzz1sCDlItvi
 
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Phoenix Mercury take point guard Samantha Prahalis in WNBA draft
by Odeen Domingo - Apr. 16, 2012
The Republic | azcentral.com

As expected, the Mercury chose Ohio State point guard Samantha Prahalis with the sixth overall pick in Monday's WNBA draft.

The 5-foot-7 Prahalis is projected to be a perfect fit for the Mercury, who traded away former starting guard Temeka Johnson to the Tulsa Shock this offseason.

Prahalis averaged 19.8 points and 6.3 assists per game on her way to being named Big Ten Player of the Year.

Mercury coach and General Manager Corey Gaines had his eye on Prahalis for a while. He was in attendance when Prahalis, considered the draft's top point guard prospect, scored a school-record 42 points in an Ohio State victory in February.

The Mercury also have the 24th overall pick (last pick in the second round) and the 30th and 33rd overall picks (both are in the third and final round of the draft).
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Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/sports/mer...lis-wnba-draft-6th-overall.html#ixzz1sEPxJ3bS
 
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Samantha Prahalis' style fits Mercury
Updated: April 16, 2012
By Andrew Lovell | Special to espnW

If you want scoring ability and highlight-reel passes, Samantha Prahalis can give you that.

If you want conformity, look elsewhere. That's something she isn't interested in providing.

Prahalis, a 5-foot-7, up-tempo point guard who was selected No. 6 overall by the Phoenix Mercury in Monday's WNBA draft, isn't sure why she was so heavily scrutinized in her four years at Ohio State. But she has her suspicions.

ncw_a_sprats_200.jpg

AP Photo/Jessica HillSamantha Prahalis' up-tempo style suits the Phoenix Mercury.

"I just feel like women's college basketball is all about the girl next door, where like, I'm going to go home and knit a blanket and then bake cookies with [my] mom," Prahalis said. "I'm not like that. I'm just not like that. ... I just feel like I was misunderstood a bit."

Maybe it's the hair -- Prahalis, a natural blonde, dyes it jet black. Or maybe it's the tattoos -- she has more than 10 now, including visible designs on both wrists, her right forearm and right index finger. Or maybe it's the personality, which Prahalis admitted can be "fiery."

"I'm not like some bad-ass kid, but I'm a little edgy," Prahalis said in her distinctive New York accent. "... It's not like I'm trying to be different, that's just how I am. I'm a little bit unique. I'm just being myself and I just felt like myself didn't exactly fit the mold of a typical women's college basketball player, for whatever reason, I don't know."

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http://espn.go.com/wnba/story/_/id/7822053/2012-wnba-draft-samantha-prahalis-ready-fit-mercury

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97h5EWWxaIo"]Samantha Prahalis - 6th Overall, Phoenix Mercury - YouTube[/ame]
 
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More to Prahalis than
By Ben York, PhoenixMercury.com

prahalis300_120418.jpg

Prahalis is the Big Ten all-time assists leader.
(Jennifer Pottheiser/NBAE/Getty Images)

Here?s something that may surprise you: Sammy Prahalis, at her core, is a shy, soft-spoken person.

Admittedly, it?s a far cry from the Prahalis we see on the basketball floor. The one with a fiery personality. The one who once garnered a standing ovation while playing at Ohio State?on an opponent?s home court. The one whose desire to win is so extreme, that a loss physically hurts her. The one who played nearly every position on her football team (including linebacker) while growing up near Long Island, New York.

Those characterizations are all aspects of Prahalis, sure, but they certainly don?t define who she is.

On the court, Prahalis has a bit of a Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde thing going on. But unlike Dr. Jekyll?s intrinsic Mr. Hyde, Prahalis?s transformational potion is the game of basketball itself.

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http://www.wnba.com/mercury/news/york_sammy_120417.html

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ts94g-0RLG4"]While You Are Asleep - YouTube[/ame]
 
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Samantha Prahalis hopes to rise with Mercury
By Dan Hop
[email protected]
Published: Tuesday, April 24, 2012

During four years at Ohio State, point guard Samantha Prahalis earned her place in the record books of women?s basketball. On April 16, Prahalis received the opportunity to continue her stardom at the professional level when she was drafted by the Phoenix Mercury with the No. 6-overall pick in the 2012 WNBA Draft.

Prahalis set Big Ten conference and OSU school records with 901 assists over her four-year career. She ranks fourth on the Buckeyes? all-time scoring list with 2,010 points, and was only the second player in Division I women?s basketball history with at least 2,000 career points and 900 career assists. She was also named the 2012 Big Ten Player of the Year, and was a first-team USBWA All-American.

Prahalis said making it to the WNBA has been a goal of hers since she ?got serious about basketball in high school.?

?To get drafted, and just to be in the room and get your name called and hold the jersey up with the commissioner,? Prahalis said. ?It was just cool. It?s reaching a dream.?

Prahalis said she was ?super excited? to be drafted by the Mercury and thinks her new team is the right fit for her.

?They?re a fast-paced team, they?re up-tempo,? Prahalis noted. ?So I think that fits me perfectly.?

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http://www.thelantern.com/sports/samantha-prahalis-hopes-to-rise-with-mercury-1.2857681

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWJJh2DlaxU"]BTN Samantha Prahalis Getting To Know You - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qC3hiolBmT4"]First Call Room: Samantha Prahalis [Boost Mobile] - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYLpnd6WSL4"]WNBA Draft 2012 - Part II - YouTube[/ame]
 
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Phoenix Mercury players to make cases for PG spot as camp opens

Then there's Samantha Prahalis, who the Mercury drafted sixth overall in the draft earlier this month and is expected to take the starting job. Prahalis averaged 19.8 points and 6.3 assists per game at Ohio State on her way to being named Big Ten Player of the Year.

"I just want to come out and show I can run a team," Prahalis said of her camp goals. "I feel like there are so many good pieces already. I just want to show that I can bring that excitement and prove to myself and others that I was the No.6 pick for a reason."
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Monday: First camp workout.

May 8: Preseason game vs. Japanese women's national team at US Airways Center.

May 11-13: Diana Taurasi participates in the USA women's national basketball team training camp in Seattle.

May 17: Roster cut down to 11.

May 20: 2012 season opener at Minnesota Lynx.

May 22: At Tulsa Shock.

May 26: Home opener vs. the Los Angeles Sparks at US Airways Center.
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Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/sports/mer...nt-guard-search-camp-opens.html#ixzz1tVr4HDxs
 
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WNBA: Prahalis hits double figures in pro debut
Monday May 21, 2012

Former Ohio State guard Samantha Prahalis had 12 points and six assists in 30 minutes during her WNBA debut with the Phoenix Mercury, a 105-83 loss to the defending champion Minnesota Lynx in Minneapolis.

Wearing No. 7, Prahalis made 4 of 7 shots from the field ? including 3 of 6 three-pointers ? and also had two rebounds, a steal and four turnovers.
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http://www.buckeyextra.com/content/stories/2012/05/21/0521-prahalis-debut.html

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtS5-45PPaQ"]Sammy Prahalis - WNBA Debut - YouTube[/ame]
 
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Prahalis lifts Mercury over Shock

Published May 22, 2012

Sports Network

Tulsa, OK ? A pair of free throws from Samantha Prahalis with 22 seconds left lifted the Phoenix Mercury to an 89-87 win over the Tulsa Shock.

With the game tied at 87-87 and just 28.7 seconds remaining Candice Dupree pulled down one of her game-high nine rebounds and called a quick timeout. The Mercury threw the ball in to Prahalis who was immediately fouled.

After Prahalis sunk the free throws, an Ivory Latta three at the buzzer missed and the Mercury held on for their first win of the season.
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Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2012/05/22/prahalis-lifts-mercury-over-shock/#ixzz1vhEeCCXQ
 
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Samantha Prahalis, DeWanna Bonner lead Phoenix Mercury over Tulsa Shock
by Odeen Domingo - Jun. 3, 2012
The Republic | azcentral.com

PHP4FCC0C4D4BDB1.jpg


There comes a moment, a play, a game when a rookie starts to figure things out. When her eyes are less enlarged by the lights and instead, her confidence revels in it.

Samantha Prahalis, the Mercury's sixth overall pick, is showing she's ready to be an WNBA player in her sixth career game. She took control of the game, the ball and what could turn out to be a special season during the Mercury's 79-72 win over the Tulsa Shock Sunday at US Airways Center in front of 7,178.

Prahalis scored a career-high 19 points but it was other things she did that were more impressive. She limited her turnovers to two and dished out six assists, the last signaling her unofficial "arrival" to the league.

The Mercury (2-4) needed a score to seal the win with a minute left. So Prahalis weaved through the Shock defense with a step to the left then a crossover to the right into the lane to draw the defense before passing to a wide open DeWanna Bonner for an easy layup.

"I think each game I'm getting a little bit better, a little bit more comfortable," Prahalis said. "My teammates are doing a good job helping me get through everything. It was a little overwhelming at first but I think I'm more comfortable as the games go by."

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Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/sports/mer...r-leads-mercury-over-tulsa.html#ixzz1wp1qtX1I
 
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Samantha Prahalis' fourth-quarter surge propels Mercury past Mystics
Associated Press

PHOENIX -- Samantha Prahalis scored seven of her 15 points in the final 2:02 and made a tiebreaking layup with 23 seconds left and the Phoenix Mercury got past the Washington Mystics 80-77 on Wednesday night.
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http://scores.espn.go.com/wnba/recap?gameId=320620011

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbkUNqDWTR0"]The rookie Prahalis saves the day! - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lwFCZNL5nI"]The Social Station AZ: The Next Big WNBA Star? - YouTube[/ame]
 
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