From Woodbridge, VA, Monica Wright Rogers, put a stamp on her legacy at an early age. While attending Forest Park High School in Prince William County, she led her team to two Class 3A girls’ basketball Virginia State Championships (2004, 2006). In 2006, she was a state champion in 3A girls outdoor track (400m dash), the Gatorade girls basketball Virginia Player of the Year, Washington Post All-Met Player of the Year, WBCA All American, and a McDonalds All-American. Wright Rogers continued her basketball career at the University of Virginia under Hall of Fame coach, Debbie Ryan. While at UVA, Wright Rogers was a three-time NCAA All-American, ACC Player of the Year (2010), ACC Defensive Player of the Year (2010), and WBCA National Defensive Player of the Year (2010). During her years at UVA, she proved to be one of the best two-way players in the game by becoming UVA’s all-time leading scorer, men’s, or women’s, with 2,540 total points, and ranking 4th on the all-time list with 372 steals. Additional program records include career points per game (19.1), season points per game (23.7 in 2010), career field goals made (962), and games with 25+ points (28). In 2010 she was selected second overall in the WNBA draft by the Minnesota Lynx and would make an immediate impact garnering selection to the WNBA All-Rookie Team. During her 7-seasons in the WNBA, she was a 3-time WNBA Champion (2011, 2013, 2015) with the Minnesota Lynx and Seattle Storm, and served on the WNBA Player’s Association Board of Directors in 2016. Following her playing days, Wright Rogers has stayed close to the game of basketball holding assistant coaching roles with Liberty University (2018-2019), and UVA (2019-21), International Basketball Operations with the NBA (2021-22), and her current role as the Vice President & Assistant General Manager for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury.
