Natisha Hiedeman (born February 10, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Lynx of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and an assistant coach for Penn State. She was drafted with the eighteenth overall pick in the 2019 WNBA draft, which is the highest of any Marquette basketball player in school history and the highest draft pick for the Big East Conference since conference re-alignment.[1]

Natisha Hiedeman
Hiedeman with the Minnesota Lynx in 2024
No. 2 – Minnesota Lynx
PositionShooting guard
LeagueWNBA
Personal information
Born (1997-02-10) February 10, 1997 (age 27)
Green Bay, Wisconsin, U.S.
Listed height5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Listed weight128 lb (58 kg)
Career information
High schoolGreen Bay Southwest
(Green Bay, Wisconsin)
CollegeMarquette (2015–2019)
WNBA draft2019: 2nd round, 18th overall pick
Selected by the Minnesota Lynx
Playing career2019–present
Career history
As player:
20192023Connecticut Sun
2021–2022Nadezhda Orenburg
2022–2023Maccabi Bnot Ashdod
2024–presentMinnesota Lynx
As coach:
2023–presentPenn State (assistant)
Career highlights and awards
Stats at WNBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Early life

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Shortly after her birth, Hiedeman had to wear a full-body harness due to a hyperextension in her left leg. Her mother had her at 19. As a child, Hiedeman also played baseball and was the only girl on her team.[2]

Hiedeman attended Green Bay Southwest High School, where she had the nickname "T-Spoon" after former WNBA star Teresa Weatherspoon. She holds school records in triple jump, high jump, long jump, and 100 meter hurdles.[3]

College career

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Hiedeman was recruited to Marquette after being the leading scorer in the Green Bay Metro area in high school while attending Green Bay Southwest High School. In her first year at Marquette, she was named to the Big East All-Freshman Team. In the 2017–18 season, she was named to the Meyers Drysdale Award Watch List.[4] Hiedeman finished her career as Marquette's third all-time leading scorer, just 27 points shy of the program record. Additionally, she was the first Marquette player to reach 300 made three-pointers and finished sixth on Marquette's all-time assist chart.[5]

 
Hiedeman in 2019

Professional career

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WNBA

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Hiedeman was drafted 18th overall in the 2019 WNBA draft by the Minnesota Lynx. During the draft, her rights were traded to the Connecticut Sun in exchange for Lexie Brown.[6] She was eventually waived by the Sun.[7] On June 19, 2019, the Atlanta Dream signed Hiedeman as a EuroBasket replacement for Alex Bentley.[8] Hiedeman did not make an appearance for the Dream before Bentley returned to the team. Upon Bentley's return, Hiedeman was waived.

Hiedeman was resigned by the Sun after her exit from Atlanta.[9] She appeared in her first WNBA game with the Sun. On July 10, 2019, she scored her first WNBA points.[10]

On January 31, 2024, Hiedeman was traded to the Minnesota Lynx in exchange for Tiffany Mitchell and the 19th pick in the 2024 WNBA draft.

International

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In 2020, Hiedeman was signed by the Israeli Female Basketball Premier League champions Maccabi Ironi Ramat Gan.[11]

Hiedeman will play for Inner Mongolia in the WCBA after the completion of the 2024 WNBA Finals.[12]

Coaching career

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In October 2022, Hiedeman joined her former collegiate coach Carolyn Kieger at Penn State as the Director of Player Development.[13] Hiedeman was promoted to assistant coach for Penn State in August 2023.[14]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game  RPG  Rebounds per game
 APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game  BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game
 TO  Turnovers per game  FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 Bold  Career best ° League leader

WNBA

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Regular season

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WNBA regular season statistics
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2019 Connecticut 20 0 10.3 .414 .464 .500 1.5 1.9 0.4 0.1 0.7 3.7
2020 Connecticut 22 4 18.5 .354 .359 .700 1.9 1.9 0.4 0.0 1.1 6.1
2021 Connecticut 32 5 20.1 .400 .398 .700 1.9 1.9 0.8 0.2 0.9 7.6
2022 Connecticut 36 31 25.0 .431 .411 .800 1.8 3.3 1.2 0.1 1.3 9.1
2023 Connecticut 40° 40° 26.7 .392 .366 .739 2.1 2.7 0.9 0.1 1.4 8.5
2024 Minnesota 40° 0 15.2 .380 .280 .735 1.6 2.4 0.8 0.2 1.1 4.9
Career 6 years, 2 teams 190 80 20.2 .397 .377 .706 1.8 2.4 0.8 0.1 1.1 6.9

Playoffs

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WNBA playoff statistics
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2019 Connecticut 7 0 5.0 .600 .667 1.000 0.6 0.7 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.6
2020 Connecticut 7 0 7.7 .538 .625 .833 0.7 1.3 0.3 0.1 0.6 3.4
2021 Connecticut 4 0 18.0 .500 .600 .714 0.8 3.0 0.8 0.5 0.5 9.0
2022 Connecticut 12 12 26.2 .419 .444 .769 2.1 3.0 0.7 0.3 1.0 8.2
2023 Connecticut 7 7 22.0 .310 .316 .750 1.9 2.3 0.1 0.1 0.6 5.4
2024 Minnesota 12° 0 14.3 .455 .222 .933 1.3 2.3 0.7 0.1 0.9 5.7
Career 6 years, 2 teams 37 19 17.0 .422 .476 .778 1.4 2.1 0.4 0.2 0.6 5.8

College

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NCAA statistics[15]
Year Team GP Points FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2015–16 Marquette 30 411 39.3% 33.7% 69.1% 4.2 2.9 2.2 0.1 13.7
2016–17 Marquette 32 444 41.4% 36.6% 74.1% 5.1 3.5 1.5 0.5 13.9
2017–18 Marquette 33 441 39.8% 33.3% 67.3% 3.6 3.0 1.9 0.5 13.4
2018–19 Marquette 35 617 43.8% 39.1% 70.3% 6.1 4.5 2.0 0.5 17.6
Career 130 1913 41.3% 35.8% 70.2% 4.8 3.5 1.9 0.4 14.7

Personal life

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Hiedeman's brother, Sandy Cohen, is a Bnei Herzliya basket player and also played at Marquette.[16]

In September 2021, Hiedeman announced her engagement to Connecticut Sun teammate Jasmine Thomas.[17]

References

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  1. ^ "Natisha Hiedeman Selected 18th Overall in 2019 WNBA Draft". gomarquette.com. Marquette University. April 10, 2019. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
  2. ^ "Talents go beyond court for Southwest's Hiedeman".
  3. ^ "Talents go beyond court for Southwest's Hiedeman".
  4. ^ "Natisha Hiedeman". gomarquette.com. Marquette University. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
  5. ^ "Natisha Hiedeman Selected #18 Overall In 2019 WNBA Draft!". anonymouseagle.com. SB Nation. April 10, 2019. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
  6. ^ "WNBA Draft: Lynx bring in Shepard, Dillard, Bell, trade for Brown". FOX Sports. April 11, 2019. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  7. ^ Felicien, Bria (June 21, 2019). "Atlanta Dream sign Natisha Hiedeman as EuroBasket replacement". highposthoops.com. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
  8. ^ Steele, Ben (June 19, 2019). "Natisha Hiedeman gets WNBA chance with the Atlanta Dream. She'll also play for another Marquette alum". jsonline.com. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
  9. ^ "Connecticut's Hiedeman has been through the hamster wheel and back". theday.com. The Day Publishing Company. July 9, 2019. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  10. ^ "Natisha Hiedeman Makes A Splash With The Connecticut Sun". anonymouseagle.com. SB Nation. July 10, 2019. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  11. ^ "בשורה למכבי תל אביב: סנדי כהן קיבל אזרחות וייחשב ישראלי בליגה". הארץ (in Hebrew). Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  12. ^ Chinese Women's Hoop Show (October 12, 2024). "Natisha Hiedeman is joining Inner Mongolia". Twitter/X. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
  13. ^ "Women's Basketball Names Natisha Hiedeman as Director of Player Development". gopsusports.com. Penn State Athletics. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  14. ^ "Natisha Hiedeman Promoted to Women's Basketball Assistant Coach". gopsusports.com. Penn State Athletics. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  15. ^ "NCAA Statistics". web1.ncaa.org. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  16. ^ "Sandy Cohen III – Men's Basketball – University of Wisconsin Green Bay Athletics". August 12, 2019. Archived from the original on August 12, 2019. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
  17. ^ "Jasmine Thomas, Natisha Hiedeman Announce Engagement". Just Women's Sports. September 15, 2021.
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