Ryneldi Becenti
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | August 11, 1971 Fort Defiance, Arizona | |||||||||||||
| Nationality | American | |||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||
| High school | Window Rock (Fort Defiance, Arizona) | |||||||||||||
| College |
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| Position | Guard | |||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||
| 1997 | Phoenix Mercury | |||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | ||||||||||||||
Medals
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Ryneldi Becenti (born August 11, 1971) is a retired American professional basketball player. She became the first Native American to play in the WNBA when she played for the Phoenix Mercury in 1997.[1]
High school[]
Becenti attended Window Rock High School in Fort Defiance, Arizona, and in 1989, Scottsdale Community College in Phoenix. She was the country's top junior college point guard in 1990–91, and left Scottsdale a two-time NJCAA All-American.[1]
College[]
Becenti was an All-Pac 10 First Team selection in both her seasons at Arizona State University, and a two-time honorable mention All-America honoree. She also turned out for the US at the 1993 World University Games in Buffalo, New York, where her team won the bronze medal.[1][2][3]
Professional career[]
In 1994, Becenti was playing professional basketball in Sweden. She also played in Greece and, briefly, Turkey. In 1997, she signed with the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA as a free agent and played in their inaugural season. In 1998, she was drafted by the Chicago Condors in the American Basketball League.[4][5][6]
Honors[]
In 1996, she became the first and only woman to be inducted into the American Indian Athletic Hall of Fame.[1]
in 2013, she was the first women's basketball player to have her jersey (No. 21) retired by ASU.[2]
References[]
- ^ a b c d "Prominent American Indian Athletes:Ryneldi Becenti". Mesa Community College. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
- ^ a b "ASU women's basketball will honor Ryneldi Becenti". AZ Central. December 21, 2013. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
- ^ "Sixteenth World University Games – 1993". USA Basketball. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
- ^ "Arizona State retires Becenti's number". AZ Central. December 21, 2013. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
- ^ "Native American Women in the WNBA; Schimmel to Join Elite Company". nativenewsonline.net. April 9, 2014. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
- ^ "History of The American Basketball Leange: ABL Drafts 1996 - 1998". apbr.org. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
External links[]
- Career statistics and player information from WNBA.com
and Basketball-Reference.com - 2013 Interview for Indian Country Today
- Profile at the American Indian Athletic Hall of Fame
- 1993 Article from the Sports Illustrated vault
- 1971 births
- Living people
- 20th-century Native American women
- 21st-century Native American women
- American expatriate basketball people in Greece
- American expatriate basketball people in Sweden
- American expatriate basketball people in Turkey
- American women's basketball players
- Arizona State Sun Devils women's basketball players
- Basketball players from Arizona
- Guards (basketball)
- Medalists at the 1993 Summer Universiade
- Native American basketball players
- Native American sportspeople
- Navajo sportspeople
- People from Fort Defiance, Arizona
- Phoenix Mercury players
- Scottsdale Community College alumni
- Universiade bronze medalists for the United States
- Universiade medalists in basketball
- United States women's national basketball team players