April 1, 2003
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – University of Notre Dame senior guard Alicia Ratay (Lake Zurich, Ill./Lake Zurich H.S.) has been chosen to participate in the 2003 State Farm Women’s Three-Point Shootout, which will take place Thursday at 7 p.m. (CST) at the Alario Center in Westwego, La. (just outside of New Orleans). The event is being taped for television and will air on ESPN2 Thursday at 10:30 p.m. (EST). It also will be rebroadcast on ESPN Saturday from 3-5 p.m. (EST). This year’s competition is being held as part of the Mountain Dew Slam Dunk and Three-Point Championships, which are conducted annually at the site of the NCAA Men’s Final Four.
Ratay is one of eight college seniors from around the country who have been tapped to compete in this “made-for-television” event, which is produced by Intersport, a Chicago-based media company. Ratay also is one of two BIG EAST Conference players in this year’s field, joining Katie Davis of Villanova. The BIG EAST is the only conference to have more than one player battling for the three-point crown this year. The other competitors in the 2003 three-point event are: Ashley Bastian (Nevada), Coretta Brown (North Carolina), Ashley McElhiney (Vanderbilt), Amy Waugh (Xavier) and Lindsey Wilson (Iowa State). The eighth competitor is still to be announced.
The winner of the women’s three-point competition then will take on the men’s three-point champion in the Kia Three-Point Challenge. This year’s male contestants are: Matt Bonner (Florida), Tom Coverdale (Indiana), Willie Deane (Purdue), Kyle Korver (Creighton), Hollis Price (Oklahoma) and Kent Williams (Southern Illinois).
Ratay is the fourth Notre Dame basketball player, and the second women’s cager to be selected for Intersport’s three-point event. Sheila McMillen (1999), Martin Inglesby (2001) and David Graves (2002) all represented the Irish in the long distance competition, but none advanced beyond the semifinal round.
The State Farm Women’s Three-Point Shootout is the first of two postseason appearances for Ratay. She also is scheduled to play in the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) All-Star Challenge Friday at 8 p.m. (EST) at Alexander Memorial Coliseum on the Georgia Tech campus in Atlanta. That event is being held in conjunction with the NCAA Women’s Final Four, which will be played April 6 & 8 at the Georgia Dome, and the annual WBCA convention.
Ratay recently completed her Notre Dame career as the holder of numerous Irish records, including all-time marks for three-point field goal percentage (.476), three-point field goals made (262), free throw percentage (.872) and games started (129). She also stands fourth on the Notre Dame career scoring list (1,763 points) and is one of only five players to school history to record 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 200 assists in her career. Furthermore, her three-point percentage is the best in NCAA history and her free throw percentage is sixth-best in NCAA annals, making Ratay the only player in NCAA history to rank in the top 10 in both categories.
This season, Ratay led the BIG EAST and ranked 12th nationally with an .881 free throw percentage. She also stood second on the team in three-point percentage (.463), and third in scoring (12.1 ppg.) and rebounding (4.9 rpg.). In addition, she averaged a team-high 16.0 ppg. and posted a .500 three-point percentage in this year’s NCAA Tournament, helping lead the Irish (21-11) to their fifth Sweet Sixteen appearance in the last seven seasons.
Tickets for the 2003 Mountain Dew Slam Dunk and Three-Point Championships are available by calling Ticketmaster (504-522-5555) or visiting its website (www.ticketmaster.com).
— ND —