When Sandora Irvin played organized basketball for the first time in the seventh grade, she wasn’t very good.
Dribbling was a challenge, and so was shooting the basketball.
Irvin’s quick feet made her a better-than-average defensive player, but one thing she did better than anything else was block shots.
It was the summer before seventh grade when Irvin began to make a name for herself, blocking a boy’s shot in a pickup game. But the word she uses to describe her first season of organized ball was “horrible.”
Through hard work and dedication, Irvin became a standout high school player and an All-American in 2005 at Texas Christian University.
Highlights that season for the 6-foot-3 forward were producing the school’s first triple-double (20 points, 18 rebounds and 16 blocked shots in a win against the University of Alabama-Birmingham) and becoming the NCAA’s career leader in blocked shots with 480.
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Height: 6-foot-3
College: Texas Christian University (2001-05) WNBA: Drafted in the first round (third pick overall) by the Phoenix Mercury in 2005. Played two seasons with Phoenix and one with San Antonio. Offseason: Assistant coach and director of operations at TCU the past three seasons. TCU career record holder:
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“Blocking shots is something you can’t teach -- it’s an ability you have to be born with,” said Irvin, who played three years in the WNBA before sitting out last season because of a knee injury. She hopes to return to the league this season.
“I hold a lot of records at TCU, but the one I’m the most proud of is the block record,” Irvin said. “I shocked people with my ability, and some of the credit goes to my teammates for losing their player on defense, which allowed me to go after their player on defense, too.”
Irvin’s reign as the NCAA’s career leader in blocked shots likely will end this week with Michigan State senior center Allyssa DeHaan (Grandville) needing just two blocks to surpass Irvin. Just behind DeHaan is Saint Mary’s College of California junior forward Louella Tomlinson, who is from Melbourne, Australia. She trails DeHaan by one block.
If Baylor freshman Brittney Griner stays healthy, the record likely will belong to her in three seasons. She has 133 blocks, averaging 6.0 per game.
“She will rip that record apart,” Irvin said.
The NCAA single-season record for block shots is 164, set by Brittany Pittman of Morehead State in 2008-09.
"I saw DeHaan play in person this season,” Irvin said. “She’s intimidating, and what I like about her is when she blocks a shot, she blocks it inbound, giving her team a chance to grab the ball.
“Female players are more athletic today and the game has come a long way. Soon, there will be a lot more players with big block shot numbers. When girls are called for goaltending, the game will reach a new level.”
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