Catchings a Rising Star

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "18855504",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17105533",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18349797",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17105532",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18349797",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17105535",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

Tamika Catchings is one of Richie Whitt's favorite ball players, and not just because they went to the same high school.

She might not be the best women's basketball player in America, but she's officially the most popular. And the coolest thing about Tamika Catchings? She hails from good ol' Duncanville High School. (Shout out to the Class of '82, you geezers.) Catchings, DHS Class of '97, finished as the leading vote-getter for this summer's WNBA All-Star Game. As a member of the Indiana Fever--so named because, apparently, it's either so hot in Indy or everybody's just sickly--Catchings is the WNBA reigning Defensive Player of the Year, a five-time All-Star and the fastest woman to reach 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 400 assits and 300 steals. She's president of the Player's Association, has two Olympic gold medals and last year was invited to the White House by Laura Bush for her charitable work in the Indy community. (Where's Dale Hansen and his "for a good kid like Tamika Catchings" line when you finally need it?). Most important, did I mention she went to Duncanville? --Richie Whitt