Women's Basketball
Sales, Nykesha
Nykesha Sales
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- nsales@sports.uga.edu
- Phone:
- 706-542-1541
Nykesha Sales — an eight-time WNBA All-Star and one of the greatest players in women’s basketball history —was named an assistant coach for Georgia women's basketball on April 12, 2022.
Sales, a two-time All-American, Big EAST Player and Defensive Player of the Year and national champion at UConn (1994-98), served as an assistant coach at UCF for six seasons, leading the Knights to unprecedented and historic success. In her first year at Georgia, that success continued as the program recorded its most wins in five seasons on its way to the NCAA tournament.
“Nykesha Sales was one of the greatest players in our sport and has become an exceptional coach over the last seven years,” Coach ABE said. “As a former WNBA All-Star and collegiate national champion, Coach Sales gives our student-athletes a unique perspective of what it takes to win at the most elite levels. She made an immediate impact on our program at UCF as she developed All-Conference players each season. I am excited for our current team here at Georgia and our recruits to learn from one of the best.”
In her first season as a collegiate coach in 2016-17, Sales helped Aliyah Gregory become the first UCF player to earn American Athletic Conference First Team accolades, while teammate Zykira Lewis also earned All-Conference honors.
In 2018-19, Kayla Thigpen was named The American Sixth Player of the Year, becoming the first Knight to earn an AAC individual award. In 2020-21, Sales helped Tay Sanders earn AAC All-Conference honors — a distinction she earned once against in 2022.
Sales herself was an outstanding player who led the Huskies through remarkable success in the 1990’s.
She played at UConn from 1994-98, and finished her career as the Huskies’ all-time leading scorer and still ranks among the top five there with 2,178 career points. She also owns the school record for steals with 447.
Sales helped UConn capture the 1995 NCAA Division I National Championship, a Final Four appearance in 1996 and two Elite 8 berths. She was a two-time WBCA and Associated Press All-American, the 1998 BIG EAST Player of the Year and was first-time All-BIG EAST in 1997 and 1998.
Sales graduated from UConn in 1998 with a degree in business management. She played for the Orlando Miracle/Connecticut Sun from 1999-2007 and was selected as an eight-time WNBA All-Star. Sales led the Connecticut Sun to two WNBA Finals and still reigns as the franchise’s all-time leading scorer (3,955 points; 14.3 ppg), which ranks among the WNBA’s all-time top 30. In addition, she finished her career with 1,157 rebounds, 683 assists and 490 steals.
In 1997, she earned a gold medal with Team USA at the Women’s World University Games in Sicily, Italy. Sales was the team’s leading scorer, averaging 18.3 points per game. Later in 2000, she was named an alternate on the 2000 USA Basketball Olympic Team.
Sales also played professionally overseas for seven seasons in Turkey, Latvia, Poland, Czech Republic and Bosnia.
Sales was a member of the inaugural class (2006) of inductees to the University of Connecticut women’s basketball “Huskies of Honor” recognition program.
From 2013-16, she worked with the Connecticut Sun as a community liaison.
Sales, a two-time All-American, Big EAST Player and Defensive Player of the Year and national champion at UConn (1994-98), served as an assistant coach at UCF for six seasons, leading the Knights to unprecedented and historic success. In her first year at Georgia, that success continued as the program recorded its most wins in five seasons on its way to the NCAA tournament.
“Nykesha Sales was one of the greatest players in our sport and has become an exceptional coach over the last seven years,” Coach ABE said. “As a former WNBA All-Star and collegiate national champion, Coach Sales gives our student-athletes a unique perspective of what it takes to win at the most elite levels. She made an immediate impact on our program at UCF as she developed All-Conference players each season. I am excited for our current team here at Georgia and our recruits to learn from one of the best.”
In her first season as a collegiate coach in 2016-17, Sales helped Aliyah Gregory become the first UCF player to earn American Athletic Conference First Team accolades, while teammate Zykira Lewis also earned All-Conference honors.
In 2018-19, Kayla Thigpen was named The American Sixth Player of the Year, becoming the first Knight to earn an AAC individual award. In 2020-21, Sales helped Tay Sanders earn AAC All-Conference honors — a distinction she earned once against in 2022.
Sales herself was an outstanding player who led the Huskies through remarkable success in the 1990’s.
She played at UConn from 1994-98, and finished her career as the Huskies’ all-time leading scorer and still ranks among the top five there with 2,178 career points. She also owns the school record for steals with 447.
Sales helped UConn capture the 1995 NCAA Division I National Championship, a Final Four appearance in 1996 and two Elite 8 berths. She was a two-time WBCA and Associated Press All-American, the 1998 BIG EAST Player of the Year and was first-time All-BIG EAST in 1997 and 1998.
Sales graduated from UConn in 1998 with a degree in business management. She played for the Orlando Miracle/Connecticut Sun from 1999-2007 and was selected as an eight-time WNBA All-Star. Sales led the Connecticut Sun to two WNBA Finals and still reigns as the franchise’s all-time leading scorer (3,955 points; 14.3 ppg), which ranks among the WNBA’s all-time top 30. In addition, she finished her career with 1,157 rebounds, 683 assists and 490 steals.
In 1997, she earned a gold medal with Team USA at the Women’s World University Games in Sicily, Italy. Sales was the team’s leading scorer, averaging 18.3 points per game. Later in 2000, she was named an alternate on the 2000 USA Basketball Olympic Team.
Sales also played professionally overseas for seven seasons in Turkey, Latvia, Poland, Czech Republic and Bosnia.
Sales was a member of the inaugural class (2006) of inductees to the University of Connecticut women’s basketball “Huskies of Honor” recognition program.
From 2013-16, she worked with the Connecticut Sun as a community liaison.
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