Tiffany Kiara Hayes (born September 20, 1989) is an American-Azerbaijani professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player for the

Connecticut Sun The Connecticut Sun are an American professional basketball team based in Uncasville, Connecticut that competes in the Eastern Conference (WNBA), Eastern Conference of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was established ...

of the

Women's National Basketball Association The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is an American professional basketball league. It is composed of twelve teams, all based in the United States. The league was founded on April 22, 1996, as the women's counterpart to the Natio ...

(WNBA). Hayes played college basketball for the

Connecticut Huskies The UConn Huskies (or Connecticut Huskies) are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Connecticut, located in Storrs. The school is a member of the NCAA's Division I and the Big East Conference. The university's fo ...

, playing for the

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

and 2010 NCAA National Champions.

Early life

Hayes was born September 20, 1989 in

Fort Polk Fort Polk is a United States Army installation located in Vernon Parish, Louisiana, about 10 miles (15 km) east of Leesville and 30 miles (50 km) north of DeRidder in Beauregard Parish. It was named to honor Leonidas Polk, the first ...

, a town in western

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

to Dorothy and Renard Hayes.

High school

Hayes played basketball for

Winter Haven High School Winter Haven High School is a four-year public high school located in Winter Haven, Florida, a city of 27,855 (2004 census). History The school opened in 1886 on the second floor of Boyd’s Hall, currently where City Hall stands. In 1890, a fr ...

Winter Haven, Florida Winter Haven is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. It is fifty-one miles east of Tampa. The population was 49,219 at the 2020 census. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2019 estimates, this city had a population of 44,955, making i ...

. The team compiled a 117–9 record during her career, and won the state championship in 2004 and 2007. She was the leading scorer on her team, scoring an average of 18.3 points per game. Hayes helped lead the AAU team Essence to the 2007 National Championship. Hayes was invited to the 2007 Youth Development Festival, a

USA Basketball USA Basketball (USAB) is a non-profit organization and the governing body for basketball in the United States. The organization represents the United States in FIBA and the men's and women's national basketball teams in the United States Olympi ...

sponsored event for elite sophomores and juniors in high school, biennially at the U.S. Olympic Training Center. The 2007 event featured three teams from the US and a team representing Brazil. Hayes was leading scorer of the White USA team, which won five of its games to clinch the gold medal. Hoopgulrz.com named Hayes the outstanding player of the Festival. Hayes participated in the 2008 Nike SPARQ Training 'My Better' Championship event. She finished the preliminary round as one of the top twenty-two out of the 3,000 high school athletes competing. The top finishers were flown to Nike World Headquarters for the finals. Hayes finished second among all females competing.

College career

Hayes played for the

University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from Hart ...

Huskies Husky is a general term for a dog used in the polar regions, primarily and specifically for work as sled dogs. It refers to a traditional northern type, notable for its cold-weather tolerance and overall hardiness. Modern racing huskies that mai ...

. She knew about the program when she was a little girl, and had interest in UConn since childhood. UConn became interested in Hayes in 2006, when an assistant coach, Tonya Cardoza, saw her playing AAU ball. Despite heavy recruitment by many other schools, UConn made an offer when Hayes was a junior, and Hayes committed to attend Connecticut. She asked to wear number 3, the number most recently worn by UConn legend

Diana Taurasi Diana Lorena Taurasi (born June 11, 1982) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was drafted by Phoenix first overall in the 2004 WNBA draft. Taurasi has w ...

. Hayes was not a starter at the beginning of the season, but after teammate

Caroline Doty Caroline Marie Doty (born August 15, 1989) is an American basketball player who played guard for the UConn women's basketball team. She won the 2009 NCAA National Championship, 2010 NCAA National Championship, and 2013 NCAA National Championsh ...

was injured, she stepped into the starting line-up. Her career high scoring game was against

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

in the regional semifinal of the

NCAA Championship The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges and ...

. Connecticut won every game of the season by double digits, but found itself in the unusual position of being eight points behind in the California game. Hayes scored 28 points to help lead the team to a victory. Hayes was invited to the tryouts for the

USA Women’s World University Games Team The USA Women’s World University Games Team is one of the teams under the auspices of the USA Basketball organization. The Universiade is an international, multi-sport event for university students, generally held every other year since 1959. ...

. She made the team, as the youngest player on the team, and the only freshman. She helped the team to a 7–0 record and a gold medal in

Belgrade, Serbia Belgrade ( , ;, ; names in other languages) is the capital and largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and the crossroads of the Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. Nearly 1,166,763 millio ...

. On the fifth of February 2011, the Connecticut Huskies beat DePaul 89–66. This game was the 100th win in Hayes' college career, and occurred in her 101st game, making her the fastest player in NCAA basketball history to reach 100 wins. Hayes scored 35 points against Syracuse on January 26, setting a career high, and followed that up with 33 points against South Florida, two days later. The 68 combined points in back-to-back games is the highest point total in consecutive game by any Connecticut player in history.

College statistics

Professional career

WNBA

Hayes was selected 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 ...

as the second pick in the second round, the 14th overall pick of the 2012 WNBA Draft. In her rookie season, Hayes played 34 games with 17 starts while averaging 8.6 PPG as a reserve on the Dream's roster. She was named to the WNBA All-Rookie team. In her second season, Hayes played 23 games with 4 starts and averaged 11.3 PPG. That season, the Dream advanced all the way to the

2013 WNBA Finals The 2013 WNBA Finals was the playoff series for the 2013 season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Minnesota Lynx, champions of the Western Conference, defeated the Atlanta ...

, but were swept by the

Minnesota Lynx The Minnesota Lynx are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team won the WNBA title in 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2017. Founded pr ...

. In the 2014 season, Hayes officially became the starting shooting guard for the Dream and averaged 12.9 PPG. In 2016, Hayes re-signed with the Dream to a multi-year deal once her rookie contract expired. During the 2016 season, Hayes averaged 15 PPG. In a loss to the

Los Angeles Sparks The Los Angeles Sparks (LA Sparks) are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Sparks compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team was foun ...

, Hayes scored a career-high 32 points. Her stellar performance continued into the playoffs, where she scored a playoff career-high 30 points in the second round elimination game against 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 20 ...

in a losing effort. In 2017, with the team's leading scorer

Angel McCoughtry Angel Lajuane McCoughtry (born September 10, 1986) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Minnesota Lynx of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and a two-time Olympic gold medalist. McCoughtry comple ...

deciding to rest during the season, Hayes took on more scoring responsibility in her absence and continued to improve offensively. She was voted into the

2017 WNBA All-Star Game The 2017 WNBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game played on July 22, 2017. The Seattle Storm hosted a WNBA All-Star Game for the first time. Starters for this year's All-Star game were selected by a combination of fan, media, and pla ...

, making it her very first all-star game appearance. By the end of the season, Hayes put up a career-high scoring average of 16.3 PPG, but the Dream finished with a 12–22 record, missing out on the playoffs. In 2018, with the return of McCoughtry, the Dream was back in the mix for a playoff spot and eventually emerged as a title contender. Hayes was voted into the 2018 WNBA All-Star Game, making it her second all-star game appearance. She finished the season with a new career high in scoring. The Dream finished 23–11 with the number 2 seed in the league, receiving a double-bye to the semi-finals. McCoughtry was sidelined with a knee injury and the Dream were eliminated by 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. The team was founded pri ...

in five games. On August 10, 2019, Hayes scored a new-career high 34 points in a 87–82 loss to the

Indiana Fever The Indiana Fever are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded before the 2000 season began. The team is owned ...

. With McCoughtry sidelined for the whole season with a knee injury, the Dream finished with a league worst 8–26 record.

Overseas

In the 2012-13 off-season, Hayes played in

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

for Hapoel Rishon LeZion. In the 2013-14 off-season, Hayes played in

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

for

Beşiktaş JK Beşiktaş () is a List of districts in Turkey, district and List of municipalities in Turkey, municipality of Istanbul, Turkey, located on the European shore of the Bosphorus strait. It is bordered on the north by Sarıyer and Şişli, on the ...

for the first portion of the off-season and spent the second portion of the off-season playing in

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

for America de Recife. In the 2015-16 off-season, Hayes played in Turkey once again for Yakin Dogu. As of August 2016, Hayes signed with Mersin BSB S.K. for the 2016-17 off-season. In 2017, Hayes signed with Maccabi Ashdod for the 2017-18 offseason. In 2019, Hayes signed with Perfumerías Avenida of the Spanish League for the 2019-20 off-season and renewed for 2020-2021.

National team career

Hayes was a part of the

United States women's national basketball team The USA Basketball Women's National Team, commonly known as the United States women's national basketball team, is governed by USA Basketball and competes in FIBA Americas. The team is by far the most successful in international women's basketbal ...

which won gold at the

2009 Summer Universiade The 2009 Summer Universiade, officially known as the XXV Summer Universiade, was celebrated in Belgrade, Serbia from July 1 to 12, 2009. The event has also been organised by a range of co-host cities mostly in Vojvodina (Serbian Autonomous Provin ...

held at Belgrade, Serbia. She also appeared in the exhibition match victory against

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

in 2018. In 2015, Hayes became an

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...

i citizen, and competed for the

Azerbaijan women's national basketball team The Azerbaijan women's national basketball team ( az, Azərbaycan qadın milli baskebol komandası) represents Azerbaijan in international women's basketball competitions. Competitive record FIBA Women's EuroBasket Women's European Championsh ...

at the

2015 European Games The 2015 European Games, also known as Baku 2015 or Baku 2015 European Games ( az, Bakı 2015 Avropa Oyunları), were the inaugural edition of the European Games, an international multi-sport event for athletes representing the National Olympic ...

held in

Baku Baku (, ; az, Bakı ) is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world a ...

during June 2015. She competed in the 3x3 basketball event, where her team progressed till the quarterfinals.

WNBA career statistics

Regular season

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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 ...

, 34 , , 17 , , 23.1 , , .390 , , .273 , , .786 , , 3.1 , , 2.1 , , 0.8 , , 0.3 , , 1.5 , , 8.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

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, 23 , , 4 , , 22.3 , , .406 , , .377 , , .745 , , 3.7 , , 1.7 , , 1.2 , , 0.1 , , 1.7 , , 11.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

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, 34 , , 32 , , 28.4 , , .464 , , .357 , , .760 , , 3.0 , , 2.5 , , 1.0 , , 0.2 , , 1.2 , , 12.9 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

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, 28 , , 27 , , 29.9 , , .392 , , .274 , , .805 , , 3.0 , , 2.2 , , 1.0 , , 0.3 , , 1.6 , , 12.9 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

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, 33 , , 33 , , 30.8 , , .441 , , .274 , , .804 , , 3.4 , , 2.4 , , 1.2 , , 0.2 , , 1.7 , , 15.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

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, 33 , , 33 , , 30.0 , , .436 , , .372 , , .854 , , 3.8 , , 2.4 , , 1.2 , , 0.2 , , 1.8 , , 16.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

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, 31 , , 29 , , 28.9 , , .441 , , .321 , , .817 , , 3.6 , , 2.7 , , 1.1 , , 0.2 , , 1.6 , , 17.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

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, 29 , , 29 , , 28.2 , , .393 , , .308 , , .764 , , 3.0 , , 2.8 , , 1.0 , , 0.2 , , 2.4 , , 14.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

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, 21 , , 19 , , 28.3 , , .438 , , .405 , , .853 , , 3.2 , , 3.0 , , 1.6 , , 0.2 , , 1.5 , , 14.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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

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, 11 , , 11 , , 27.5 , , .545 , , .429 , , .683 , , 3.6 , , 2.1 , , 0.7 , , 0.1 , , 2.0 , , 16.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", Career , style="text-align:left;", 10 years, 1 team , 277 , , 234 , , 27.9 , , .429 , , .331 , , .797 , , 3.3 , , 2.4 , , 1.1 , , 0.3 , , 1.7 , , 13.8

Postseason

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, 3 , , 0 , , 16.3 , , .364 , , .333 , , 1.000 , , 2.3 , , 1.7 , , 1.6 , , 0.3 , , 1.6 , , 4.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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, 8 , , 6 , , 28.4 , , .390 , , .353 , , .767 , , 4.5 , , 1.9 , , 0.6 , , 0.0 , , 1.3 , , 12.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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, 3 , , 3 , , 31.1 , , .481 , , .333, , .900 , , 3.0 , , 2.0 , , 0.3 , , 0.3 , , 1.3 , , 12.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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, 1 , , 1 , , 36.7 , , .588 , , .429 , , .875 , , 6.0 , , 2.0 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 2.0 , , 30.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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, 5 , , 5 , , 33.6 , , .444 , , .375 , , .800 , , 6.2 , , 3.4 , , 1.4 , , 0.2 , , 2.0 , , 16.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", Career , style="text-align:left;", 5 years, 1 team , 20 , , 15 , , 28.7 , , .435 , , .362 , , .818 , , 4.5 , , 2.3 , , 1.0 , , 0.2 , , 1.6 , , 13.1

Awards and honors

* 2007—MVP, Nike Nationals, HoopGurlz.com * 2007—First Team, All-State 5A (Florida) * 2008—McDonald's All-America * 2008—Parade Magazine All-America * 2009–10—Wade Watch * 2010–11—Wade Watch * 2011—First Team All Big East * 2012—WNBA All-Rookie Team

References

External links

*
Tiffany Hayes
at USAB
Tiffany Hayes
at EuroLeague Women
Tiffany Hayes
at

EuroCup Women The EuroCup Women (officially ''FIBA EuroCup Women'') is the second-level basketball competition with teams from associate members of FIBA Europe. It succeeds the Ronchetti Cup. System of competition As for the EuroLeague Women, the EuroCup had ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hayes, Tiffany 1989 births Living people People from Vernon Parish, Louisiana All-American college women's basketball players Atlanta Dream draft picks Atlanta Dream players American women's basketball players Azerbaijani women's basketball players American emigrants to Azerbaijan Naturalized citizens of Azerbaijan Azerbaijani people of African-American descent European Games competitors for Azerbaijan Basketball players at the 2015 European Games United States women's national basketball team players American expatriate basketball people in Turkey American expatriate basketball people in Spain Azerbaijani expatriate basketball people in Turkey Azerbaijani expatriate basketball people in Spain Beşiktaş women's basketball players Mersin Büyükşehir Belediyesi S.K. players McDonald's High School All-Americans Parade High School All-Americans (girls' basketball) Shooting guards UConn Huskies women's basketball players Universiade gold medalists for the United States Universiade medalists in basketball Medalists at the 2009 Summer Universiade Women's National Basketball Association All-Stars Azerbaijani expatriate basketball people in Israel American expatriate basketball people in Israel American expatriate basketball people in Brazil Basketball players from Florida

Early life

High school

College career

College statistics

Professional career

WNBA

Overseas

National team career

WNBA career statistics

Regular season

Postseason

Awards and honors

See also

References

External links