Four former Gamecocks have represented the University of South Carolina in the WNBA; Shannon Johnson, Jocelyn Penn and Shaunzinski Gortman and Petra Ujhelyi.

Shannon Johnson (1992-1996)

Former Gamecock Shannon Johnson will go down in history as one of most successful players to ever wear the a Carolina uniform and is one of only three players in school history to have the honor of having her South Carolina jersey retired. Her success has continued after college, as she was the starting point guard for Team USA at the 2004 Athens Olympics and helped lead the team to an undefeated run to the gold medal. In addition, Johnson was one of 30 players nominated in 2006 for a spot on the WNBA’s All-Decade team.

Originally drafted by the Columbus Quest of the American Basketball League in 1997, Johnson signed with the WNBA’s Orlando Miracle in 1998 after the ABL folded. After seven seasons playing for the Miracle, the Connecticut Sun and currently for the San Antonio Silver Stars, the four-time all star has averaged 12.1 points and 4.7 assists per game while starting 214 of 220 games played.

Playing for the Silver Stars in 2005, Johnson ranked fourth in the WNBA with 4.6 assists per game and was 12th in free throw percentage (.837).

Johnson played three seasons in Orlando before the franchise relocated to Connecticut in 2003. In her lone season as a member of the Connecticut Sun, Johnson averaged a career-best 5.8 assists per game. Her best season came in 2002 when she was named to the Eastern Conference All-Star team after averaging 16.1 points, 5.3 assists and 4.2 rebounds a game. Johnson is a three-time second-team all-WNBA honoree.

In her two seasons with the now defunct ABL, Johnson helped lead the Quest to the only two championships in the league’s two-year history.

Johnson has also competed overseas in the off-season, playing in the Polish Pro League in 2005, the Russian Pro League in 2004 and the Spanish Pro League from 2000-2003.

As a collegiate player at South Carolina (1992-96), Johnson finished her career as Carolina’s second-leading scorer with 2,230 points. She averaged 20.4 points per game and led the squad in scoring, assists, rebounds and steals in each of her four seasons with the Gamecocks. A three-time all-SEC honoree, Johnson earned SEC Player of the Week recognition three times during her career. Johnson scored in double figures in 94 games during her career and led the team in scoring in 61 games. She still holds nine USC individual records.

In 1995, The Hartsville, S.C., native was selected as the South Carolina Female Amateur Athlete of the Year and in 1998, she received the same honor but as a professional athlete.

Jocelyn Penn (1998-2003)

Jocelyn Penn was a primary factor on one of the best teams in South Carolina history, as she led the Gamecocks to a spot in the Elite Eight at the 2002 NCAA Tournament by averaging 16.4 points and 6.7 rebounds per game as a junior. Penn was an all-SEC selection in 2002 and was recognized as the 2002 South Carolina Amateur Athlete of the Year.

As a senior the next season, Penn averaged 23.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.5 steals per game in 2002-03 en route to garnering first-team all-SEC honors and second-team All-America accolades. Penn scored 50 or more points in two games during her senior campaign and finished her college career as the SEC’s all-time leader in steals with 359. As a senior, Penn was a finalist for the Naismith Player of the Year award and the Wade Trophy. The Conyers, Ga., native averaged 16.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.1 steals per game during her Gamecock career.

Penn was drafted by the Charlotte Sting with the ninth overall pick of the 2003 WNBA Draft, and has played for the Washington Mystics and the San Antonio Silver Stars during her career.

Playing in 31 career WNBA games with the Mystics and the Silver Stars, Penn averaged 2.9 points and 1.7 rebounds per game before being hampered with a right shoulder tendonitis/bursitis injury. As a rookie with the Mystics, Penn played 9.6 minutes per game in 2003-2004 before the injury limited her next season with the Silver Stars to one game.

Penn played for the Conyers (Ga.) Conquerors in the Women’s Blue-Chip Basketball League in 2005, where she averaged 8.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and a team-high 1.3 steals per game. She was named to the East All-Star team while leading her team to the league championship. As a starter for the National Women’s Basketball League’s Lubbock (Texas) Hawks in 2005, Penn was also named an all-star after averaging 16.5 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.9 steals per game.

Penn also played overseas this past year in the 2006 EuroCup, averaging 12 points and 4.5 rebounds for ZKK Croatia.

Shaunzinski Gortman (1998-2002)

Former Gamecock Shaunzinski Gortman was the first SEC player taken in the 2002 WNBA Draft as the Charlotte Sting selected the Columbia native with the ninth overall pick, then shipped her to the Minnesota Lynx as part of a draft-day trade.

Gortman left her mark at South Carolina as one of the most versatile players in school history. A four-year letterwinner, Gortman scored 1,331 points and finished 13th on the all-time South Carolina scoring list.

One of only 17 South Carolina players to score 1,000+ points and grab 500+ rebounds, Gortman started 100 of her 105 career games in a Carolina uniform. She scored in double figures 69 times, recorded nine double-double performances and added a rare triple-double in her sophomore year.

Gortman was a first-team all-SEC selection and an honorable mention All-America honoree during her senior year. She was chosen as the SEC Player of the Week after scoring 25 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in the Gamecocks’ victory over ninth-ranked Duke in November of 2002. During her junior year, Gortman earned second-team all-SEC honors.

Gortman was a leader on the 2001-02 South Carolina team that earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 11 years, then went on to advance all the way to the Elite Eight for the first time in school history.

On March 16, 2006, Gortman signed a free agent contract with the Seattle Storm, resuming her professional career in the WNBA after playing overseas for a season. Gortman previously played two full seasons from 2002 to 2003 with the Minnesota Lynx and a partial season in 2004 with the Washington Mystics, compiling career averages of 2.6 points and 1.7 rebounds per game.

Following the brief stint with the Mystics, Gortman played one game in the National Women’s Basketball League in 2005 before traveling overseas to compete for Maccabi Ashdod in the Israel Pro League, where she regularly competed against former teammate Petra Ujhelyi. In one full season with Maccabi Ashdod, Gortman averaged 16.4 points and a team-high 10.4 rebounds.

Petra Ujhelyi (1999-2003)
To date, Petra Ujhelyi is the only former Gamecock to win a WNBA title, as she was a member of the 2003 WNBA-champion Detroit Shock.

Success was nothing new to Ujhelyi, who was a key player during one of the best two-year stretches in the history of South Carolina women’s basketball. As a junior in 2001-02, Ujhelyi averaged 6.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game and led the team with 1.4 blocked shots per game in helping the Gamecocks to a 25-7 overall record and a trip to the Elite Eight at the NCAA Tournament. In her senior season, Ujhelyi scored a career-best 11.7 points per game and ranked among the SEC leaders with 9.3 rebounds per game. Her efforts were crucial to the Gamecocks finishing the 2002-03 season with a 23-8 record and a second consecutive top-20 national finish.

Originally from Budapest, Hungary, Ujhelyi was an excellent ballhandler and passer for a player her size. As a senior, she dished out a career-best 102 assists (3.3 per game.) In addition to her success on the court, Ujhelyi also succeeded in the classroom, earning a spot on the SEC’s Winter Sports Academic Honor Roll in both her junior and senior seasons.

Originally drafted as the No. 16 overall pick by the Phoenix Mercury, Ujhelyi was traded following the draft to the eventual champion Detroit Shock. Ujhelyi played in 14 games during the team’s 24-10 season, grabbing a career-high five rebounds in the season finale against the Washington Mystics.

Since the 2003 championship season, Ujhelyi has won a few titles overseas, playing as a starter for Anda Ramat Hasharon, an Israel Pro League team. In two seasons with Ramat Hasharon, Ujhelyi has won a pair of Israeli Cup titles and led the team to a third place finish in the 2006 EuroCup. She is averaging 10.3 points and 8.1 rebounds in 25 minutes played per game during her career.