Long-overdue, Tamika Catchings named WNBA MVP

I’ve never been so happy and excited about an end of the year award being handed out.

Announced today, Tamika Catchings has won the 2011 WNBA’s Most Valuable Player award for the first time of her career. Now the only thing left for her to accomplish in her illustrious career is a WNBA Championship.

Why I’m so happy–because a player and person so worthy finally got what she deserved.

Tamika Catchings is presented with her first WNBA MVP award by President Laurel Richie. (Jessica Hoffman/IndianaFever)

I began working with the team her rookie year, so we’ve been through everything. She has treated Indianapolis so well, has a house here, and calls Indy ‘home’.

Tamika has always been an MVP player and person to me, but now she has some hardware to add to her collection.

Ten years in, Tamika has won the top award that should really be named after her. She defines MVP. Every year of her career, she has finished among the top five in eight different seasons. She was the runner-up in 2003, 2009 and 2010.

The thing with Catchings is nobody works harder and nobody does more for her team and the league.

Too many times I think the award came down to the leading scorer of the league, rather than truly the “most valuable.” With Catch, it’s hard to measure her influence because it’s so great.

“With me winning this award, hopefully it will change people’s perspective and really truly looking into our game and when you think about an MVP you don’t think about whoever scored the most points, you think about the player who has the best overall game, offensively and defensively.”

Our definitions clearly align. MVP equals an all-around impact player.

She talks a lot about the importance of going 100% at every practice and shoot-around to not only get better, but also if she slacked off, her teammates would slack off as well.

Points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks–she does it all.

But more than anything, its the intangibles that stand out above the statistics. She’s an amazing player but she’s an even better person. Tamika is nice to everyone and stays very grounded.

Catchings mentors other players in the league and girls in the community. Her impact goes way beyond her time on the court, but on this day she is recognized for doing her job above and beyond–and better than anyone else.

Her job is not over. The Fever host the Atlanta Dream to Conseco Fieldhouse for game one of the Eastern Conference Finals tonight as Catchings and her teammates continue their quest for the franchise’s first title.

“Now being named the MVP is great and I’m really excited about it but my mission is still not accomplished. My mission is to win a championship and I believe as a team that is what we are all striving for.”

Catchings received 292 points (21 first place votes) from a national panel of 40 sportswriters and broadcasters. Tina Charles finished second with 209 points (six first-place votes) and Sylvia Fowles finished third with 148 points (six).

This season Catchings led the Fever to the top seed in the Eastern Conference, averaging 15.5 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.0 steals.

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