Alaina Denise Coates (born April 7, 1995) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player for

Galatasaray Galatasaray Spor Kulübü (, ''Galatasaray Sports Club'') is a Turkish sports club based on the European side of the city of Istanbul in Turkey. Most notable for its association football department, the club also consists of various other de ...

in Turkey. She played college basketball for the University of South Carolina.

High School career

Coates enjoyed a stellar high school career. She was both a McDonald's and Parade All-American. She was chosen as the 2013 Gatorade South Carolina Player of the Year, South Carolina Basketball Coaches Association (SCBCA) Class 4A Player of the Year, Charlotte Observer South Carolina Miss Basketball, and became a three-time SCBCA Class 4A all-state selection. During her senior season, she posted 20.1 points, 11.6 rebounds and 3.6 blocks per game while leading her team to back-to-back state championships (including an undefeated 29-0 season in 2012-2013.)

College career

Heavily recruited by power programs, she was ranked the 28th overall player as part of a high-profile 2013 recruiting class. After receiving offers from

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

, and

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, she eventually chose

South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

to play for her hometown team. She went on to become a 4x All-SEC player, and All-American. Coates played a crucial part in helping South Carolina become a national powerhouse. In her senior season, Coates injured her ankle, which caused her to miss South Carolina's SEC Tourney & National Championship run. Coates finished the season averaging 13.4 ppg and 11.1 rpg.

Professional career

WNBA

After her senior season, Coates was drafted second overall by the

Chicago Sky The Chicago Sky are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Sky compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Eastern Conference. The franchise was founded prior to the 2 ...

in the 2017 WNBA draft. In April 2017, it was announced that Coates would miss part of the

2017 WNBA season The 2017 WNBA season was the 21st season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Its regular season began on May 13 with three games, highlighted by the defending WNBA champion Los Angeles Sparks hosting the Seattle Storm. It conclu ...

following ankle surgery. However, a timetable for her return still wasn't determined and Coates would end up missing the entire season. In February 2018, Coates officially signed with the Sky. She made her career debut on May 19, 2018, in the Sky's season opener against the Indiana Fever, she scored 5 points in 12 minutes of play in an 82-64 victory. On July 3, 2018, Coates scored in double digits for the first time with 10 points in 16 minutes of play during a 108-85 loss to the Dallas Wings. By the end of the season, the Sky finished 13-21, missing out on the playoffs. On May 21, 2019, Coates was traded to the Minnesota Lynx in exchange for a 2020 third-round draft pick. On July 14, 2019, Coates was waived by the Minnesota Lynx, then on July 17, 2019, signed by the

Atlanta Dream The Atlanta Dream are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded for the 2008 WNBA season. The team is owned by real e ...

. Coates signed with the

Washington Mystics The Washington Mystics are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Mystics compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Eastern Conference (WNBA), Eastern Conference ...

on June 29, 2020, and made her debut for the team on the opening day of the season. On June 27, 2023, Coates signed a Hardship Contract with the Phoenix Mercury. Coates appeared in 2 games for the Mercury and was released from the hardship contract on June 29, 2023.

Overseas

In October 2018, Coates signed with Zhejiang Far East of the Chinese League for the 2018-19 off-season. On 5 October 2022, she signed with

of the Turkish

Women's Basketball Super League The Women's Basketball Super League ( tr, Kadınlar Basketbol Süper Ligi, KBSL), also known as the Herbalife Nutrition Women's Basketball Super League for sponsorship reasons, is the top women's professional basketball division of the Turkish wo ...

(TKBL).

Personal life

Alaina is the daughter of Gary and Pamela Coates. She has an older brother, Gary. Her uncle, Ben Coates, is retired from the NFL and was a member of the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...

first Super Bowl. While at

, she majored in

sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of empirical investigation an ...

. In March 2018, Coates's father died of

cardiac arrest Cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. It is a medical emergency that, without immediate medical intervention, will result in sudden cardiac death within minutes. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and poss ...

Career statistics

College

Source

WNBA

Regular season

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Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

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Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

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2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...

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Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

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2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...

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Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

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Postseason

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References

External links

* *
USA Basketball bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coates, Alaina 1995 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in China American women's basketball players Atlanta Dream players Basketball players at the 2015 Pan American Games Basketball players from South Carolina Centers (basketball) Chicago Sky draft picks Chicago Sky players Indiana Fever players McDonald's High School All-Americans Minnesota Lynx players Pan American Games medalists in basketball Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States Parade High School All-Americans (girls' basketball) People from Irmo, South Carolina Phoenix Mercury players South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball players Washington Mystics players Medalists at the 2015 Pan American Games 21st-century American women Nesibe Aydın GSK players Galatasaray S.K. (women's basketball) players