Rutgers Athletics Hall of Fame
Paterson, New Jersey native Essence Carson led the Rutgers women's basketball team to the 2007 National Championship game and parlayed her Scarlet Knight success into a 13-year career in the WNBA. A 2008 First Round WNBA Draft selection, Carson went on to play in two WNBA Finals, winning the WNBA Championship in 2016 with the Los Angeles Sparks.
Carson totaled 1,262 points and 707 rebounds during her four seasons with the Scarlet Knights, which posted a .796 winning percentage and made three NCAA regional title games with Carson on the court. Her standout seasons "On the Banks" were a preview of the success that Carson would cultivate during her professional and international basketball career. Following the 2007 Big East Championship crown, Carson and the Scarlet Knights appeared in the program's second NCAA Final Four and reached the National Championship game. That year, she was named an AP Honorable Mention All-American, Kodak/WBCA Regional All-American, First Team All-Big East and a Wade Trophy candidate as one of the top players in the nation.
In addition to standout offensive numbers, Carson was a staple in Rutgers' signature defensive schemes that put the program at the top of the women's basketball national scene. She closed her career with three consecutive Big East Defensive Player of the Year honors. Carson added prestigious accolades following her senior season, including another AP All-America Honorable Mention and candidacy for the Wade Trophy, the Naismith National Player of the Year and the Senior CLASS Award for excellence in character, classroom, community, and competition.
Her Scarlet jersey was interchangeable with the Red, White and Blue as Carson represented her country with Team USA throughout her amateur career. She was a four-time gold medalist with the Team USA U18 team at the 2004 FIBA America Championships, the U19 team at the 2005 U19 World Championships, the U20 team at the 2016 FIBA Americas Under-20 Championship for Women and the U21 team at the 2007 FIBA Under-21 World Championship for Women.
The 2011 WNBA All-Star stayed sharp in-between seasons overseas, playing pro ball with teams in Latvia, Italy, France, Hungary, Spain and Turkey and is currently suiting up for the 2020 season with the Washington Mystics.
