#MizzouMadeMonday: Amanda Lassiter
2/4/2019 1:32:00 PM | General, Women's Basketball
Former Mizzou Women's Basketball player Amanda Lassiter holds many firsts to her name. She was the first Tiger to be selected in the WNBA Draft - a first round pick by the Houston Comets - and led Missouri to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 1982 during to 2000- 01 season. Recognized as an SEC Legend in March of 2018, Lassiter helped propel the Tigers to a 40-22 record over the course of her two seasons in Columbia.
"It's crazy that my team was able to do some amazing things during my time with the program," Lassiter said after her SEC Legend ceremony. "We had everybody talking about women's basketball again in Columbia, Missouri."
After two years at Central Arizona College, Lassiter earned the opportunity to play for Mizzou and was a key contributor in both her junior and senior seasons, averaging 13.9 and 19.1 points per game, respecitvely. She and former Central Arizona teammate Denise Cardenas both arrived in Columbia prior to 1999 season. The San Francisco native envisioned herself playing for the Tigers throughout the course of her pre-collegiate career as a standout talent at George Washington High School, and ultimately achieved her goal.
"I was so glad I made the decision to go to Mizzou because I couldn't see myself at any other university at all. For a little girl to have big dreams and for those dreams to actually come true, it's amazing."
Her decision to come to Columbia proved to benefit Lassiter greatly, as she registered 1,028 career points and became a reliable option defensively as well. In her two seasons, Lassiter landed in the Mizzou career top-10 in multiple categories; three-pointers made (3rd), blocked shots (3rd), points per game (4th), 3-point field goal percentage (7th) and currently ranks 33rd on the Mizzou all-time scoring list.
"I was just so humbled, and I couldn't stop thanking Mizzou for even considering me. I'm still loving the fact that I did some work for Missouri and they wanted me to be acknowledged for it. I can't think of anything else to say, I'm just absolutely blessed."
Outside of reaching the Sweet Sixteen, Lassiter's peak Missouri moment was recording an active single-game program record 11 steals against San Diego State. Her defensive prowess pushed her to 10th all-time in steals (184) amongst other Mizzou legends like RaeShara Brown and Kerensa Barr.
"She's one of the all-time greats at Missouri," Head Coach Robin Pingeton said during the 2018 SEC Tournament.
In addition to her recognition among the SEC's most distinguished student athletes last March, Lassiter was inducted into the Mizzou Hall of Fame in 2009. The class included the 1964 national runners-up baseball team, fellow women's basketball great Sandie Prophete, former dual-position football player Jim Johnson, offensive weapon Ryan Fry of the 1998 baseball class and the longtime voice of Mizzou Athletics Mahlon Aldridge.
"One of the most positive influences in my life was my grandmother," Lassiter said in an interview with the Chicago Sky. "Always encouraging me for me to just be me. Know that I love to play basketball and it wasn't really the thing for little girls to go out and play basketball and stuff like that. My grandmother always said, "it's OK to play basketball, it's OK to do that."
Among Lassiter's other notable honors are being named to Real Sports Magazine second-team All-American, 2001, Full Court Press third-team All-American, 2001, Women's Basketball News Service fourth-team All-American, 2001, Women'sCollegeHoops.com All-Underrated Team, 2001 and First-team All-Big 12, 2001.
After reaching the WNBA, the San Francisco native was able to reach to reach the postseason in three of her six seasons in the league. As a rookie with the Houston Comets, Lassiter filled the shoes of WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes, who suffered a knee injury before the season began, ranking third on the team in points per game during that period and helped a contending Houston side reach the playoffs.
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#MIZZOUMADE MONDAY
What does it mean to be #MizzouMade? That moniker has been a staple for Mizzou student-athletes for years. It is often associated with athletes who have excelled at the highest levels of their respective sports, but the true meaning runs much deeper.
While there are certainly examples of former Tigers excelling in professional athletics, there is a much larger contingent of Mizzou student-athletes thriving in today's fast-paced, competitive work environment. What each of those student-athletes learned at Mizzou has prepared them for life beyond sports.
The mission of Mizzou Athletics remains to prepare champions for life through a personal enhancement model that emphasizes academic and athletic excellence, social responsibility, career development and leadership in order to help each student athlete become a prepared professional in any field upon earning their degree.
#MizzouMade Monday aims to tell those stories of student athletes who are bringing those values and ideals of Mizzou into the real world every day.
