The dream had life years earlier, but on Nov. 7, 2011, Rachel Hollivay gave voice to the road she hoped to travel when she gave a verbal commitment to play basketball for coach C. Vivian Stringer at Rutgers.
“I think it will be great to play for coach Stringer,” Hollivay said. “I’m excited about playing for her, and I can’t wait to play for her. I think she is a great coach and that Rutgers is the place I need to be to be successful and to follow my dreams (to play professional basketball).”
Nearly five years later, Hollivay took the next step in pursuit of that dream Thursday when the Atlanta Dream used the No. 13 overall pick (first pick of the second round) to select the 6-foot-4 Hollivay in the WNBA draft.
Hollivay was one of four players the Dream selected in the three-round draft. Atlanta picked West Virginia guard Bria Holmes at No. 11 in the first round, Texas A&M guard Courtney Walker with the No. 16 pick (second round), and Baylor guard Niya Johnson at No. 28 (third round).
“I think that this is an exceptional draft class for us,” Atlanta coach Michael Cooper said in a statement on the Dream website. “It is a class that really solves all of our needs. We needed a backup wing, a backup center and we needed some scoring off the bench. I think that with these players here, along with a good point guard in Niya Johnson, we solved a lot of our problems.”
Hollivay concluded her career as Rutgers’ all-time leader in blocked shots (332). As a senior, she averaged 7.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 3.3 blocks per game. An Honorable Mention All-Big Ten Conference honoree and a member of the Big Ten’s All-Defensive Team, Hollivay became the only Scarlet Knight in program history with more than 300 career blocks. Her 112 shots this past season ranked fifth nationally and second among Rutgers’ single-season blocks leaders.
Ray Hollivay, Rachel’s father, said in a text message Thursday night that he was getting ready to go to Atlanta to be with Rachel for the start of the team’s training camp, which opens Saturday, April 23. Atlanta will play preseason games against San Antonio (May 4) and Chicago (May 5) at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.
“A blessing!” Ray Hollivay said of Rachel getting drafted. “(Atlanta coach and former Los Angeles Lakers star) Mike Cooper told her at the WNBA combine he was going to Draft (sic) her. So happy.
“She did all she needed to do this year and now to still get to keep going.”
Hollivay, 6-6 Kara Braxton, and 6-3 Elizabeth Williams are the only players listed as centers on the Dream’s 20-player preseason roster. Braxton is a 10-year WNBA veteran, while the Dream acquired Williams from the Connecticut Sun for the No. 4 pick in Thursday’s draft.
Atlanta, which went 15-19 last season and missed the playoffs for the first time in six years, is expected to have a deep and experienced returning cast that includes Angel McCoughtry, Tiffany Hayes, Sancho Lyttle, a 6-4 forward, Shoni Schimmel, and Matee Ajavon, another former standout at Rutgers.
Hollivay was ranked No. 2 post player and the No. 9 overall recruit by ESPNU HoopGurlz coming out of high school. She averaged 25 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 blocks per game as a junior at Heritage Academy. She spent two seasons at New Hope High, where she helped the Trojans to their first district championship in 18 years.
Hollivay also was invited to Colorado Springs on two occasions for the Under-16 and U-17 National Team Trials.
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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