Give a big Seattle Storm welcome to Blake Dietrick. Dietrick is 5’10 and a guard for Cestistica Orvieto in Italy. She has been averaging 15.9 points per game and has made 5.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game in her career. Some of Dietrick’s awards and honors include Honorable Mention All-America, Naismith Trophy Midseason 30, seven-time Ivy Player of the Week honoree and Ivy League Player of the Year.

After planning to play for the Princeton lacrosse team, she decided to instead go for the WNBA draft. Dietrick has led the Ivy League in assists per game and set a record for single assists per game. She was also fifth in the league for scoring. Seattle Storm Head Coach Jenny Boucek says that selecting Dietrick was no split second decision. “We had our eye on Blake since watching her lead Princeton on their historic NCAA run last year. Throughout her career, she has shown leadership and competitiveness. We are excited to see how her overseas experience will translate to the WNBA.”

Dietrick graduated from Princeton last year, receiving the Associated Press and Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Honorable Mention following her accomplishment. Although she originally signed on for the 2015 training camp contract with the Washington Mystics, she waived the experience; later she attended the Los Angeles Sparks’ training camp. Now the Storm welcomes her to Seattle. Princeton lacrosse coach Chris Sailer was disappointed when she chose basketball over lacrosse, saying that “she had the skills to be an all-American.”

Dietrick’s father said that one of her strengths is her ambidexterity in the game. From a young age, he had her catch with one hand and throw with the opposite, then alternate hands. This made her stronger as a player. She is also known for her ferocity in the classroom. When an advisor informed her that she should take an easier math class to get a better grade, Dietrick responded, “Why would I do that?” before acing the course. She also credits her parents for teaching her about hard work, saying that they made it seem like working hard was simply a fact of life in her house hold. She says seeing her parents work their way through college helped her develop her “never be a quitter” point of view.

 Her determination sounds like a great trait to add to the team. What do you think of the Storm’s newest player?

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia