By Sammie Hill–

Exemplifying the caliber of the University of Louisville women’s basketball program, former Cardinal Angel McCoughtry earned a gold medal this summer at the London Olympics as a forward for the USA women’s basketball team.

The 6’1”, 154 pound Baltimore native majored in Communications at the University of Louisville, graduating in 2009. McCoughtry not just competed but excelled in Division I athletics, validated by the accumulation of many accomplishments throughout her collegiate career.

In 2007, 2008 and 2009, McCoughtry was named to the All-Big East first team; she earned Big East All-Tournament Team honors in 2008 and 2009. In 2009, she received the honor of Big East Conference Defensive Player of the Year, and the Associated Press, U.S. Basketball Writers Association, ESPN.com and CBSSportsline.com selected her as a member of the All-America first team.

In 2007, she set Louisville’s all-time single-season scoring record with 747 points, shattering the previous record of 620; she then broke the record again as a junior with 858 points and senior with 901 points.

She also became Louisville’s first 2,000 point scorer. McCoughtry concluded her collegiate career as Louisville’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder with a career total of 2,779 points and 1,261 rebounds.

In 2009, the WNBA drafted McCoughtry as the first overall pick to the Atlanta Dream. She dons the number 35 and serves as a guard and forward for the team. The WNBA deemed her Rookie of the Year in 2009, earning her a place on the All-Rookie Team. She improved from the All-WNBA second team in 2010 to the All-WNBA first team in 2011.

In 2010, she led the Atlanta Dream to the WNBA Finals, where they fell to the Seattle Storm. She continued to improve into 2011, where she finished as the WNBA’s second-leading scorer, averaging 21.6 points per game. Her contribution helped the Dream achieve a 20-14 record and reach the WNBA Finals.

Her performance in the WNBA caught the attention of the USA Olympic team. She served as a player on the 2010 USA Basketball World Championship Team that qualified the U.S. for the 2012 Olympic Games. While playing fewer than 19 minutes a game, she had the second-best scoring average on the team with 11.3 points per game and a team-high 24 steals. This solidified her place on the U.S. Olympic Team, to which she was officially named on March 30, 2012.

The USA women’s basketball team won their fifth consecutive gold medal in the 2012 London Olympics. With McCoughtry as a forward, the team defeated Croatia, Angola, Turkey, the Czech Republic, China, Canada and Australia to advance to the finals where USA defeated France 86-50.

The fact that Angel McCoughtry possesses the outstanding talent and ability required to compete at the Olympic level reflects positively on the University of Louisville. Cardinals remain proud not only of their country but also of their former basketball star that continues to exceed expectations and achieve excellence.

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Logo courtesy Olympics 2012