Helen Darling

Helen Marie Darling (born August 29, 1978[1]) is an American former professional basketball player, who played most recently for the San Antonio Silver Stars of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).

For the American country music singer, see Helen Darling (singer).

Helen Darling
Personal information
Born (1978-08-29) August 29, 1978
Columbus, Ohio, U.S.
Listed height5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Listed weight164 lb (74 kg)
Career information
High schoolBrookhaven (Columbus, Ohio)
CollegePenn State (1996–2000)
WNBA draft2000: 2nd round, 17th overall pick
Selected by the Cleveland Rockers
Playing career2000–2010
PositionGuard
Number30
Career history
2000–2003Cleveland Rockers
2004Minnesota Lynx
2005–2006Charlotte Sting
2007–2010San Antonio Silver Stars
Career highlights and awards
Stats at WNBA.com
Medals
Women's Basketball
Representing USA
World University Games
Gold medal – first place1999 Palma de Mallorca Team Competition

In her WNBA career, Darling has more than 1,000 career points, 650 assists and 250 career steals and has appeared in 19 career WNBA playoff games.[1]

Early life

Darling is the daughter of Patricia Smith and Donald Darling. She has three brothers Donald, Ronald and Dewand Darling and one sister, Alicia Smith. She is also the mother of triplets two boys Ja-Juan, Jalen and a girl Nevaeh, born on April 13, 2002.[1]

Darling attended Brookhaven High School (Columbus, Ohio) where she was named a High School All-American by the WBCA.[2] She participated in the WBCA High School All-America Game in 1995, scoring six points.[3]

Over the course of her college career at Penn State, Darling averaged 10.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 2.49 steals in 126 games and is the only player in Penn State history to amass 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 600 assists for her career. Darling is also the only player in Penn State history to earn Big Ten Player of the Year honors. A four-year starting point guard, she helped lead the Penn State Lady Lions to their first and only Final Four appearance in 2000. Darling earned her degree in education from Penn State in December 2001. She received the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award from the Women's Basketball Coaches Association as the best senior player under 5 ft 8 in (1.7 m) in 2000.[4]

Penn State statistics

Source[5][6][7]

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
Year Team GP Points FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1996-97 Penn State 27 210 30.2% 0.0% 70.9% 4.4 4.4 1.7 0.0 7.8
1997-98 Penn State 34 343 39.6% 26.7% 64.9% 5.2 4.9 0.6 0.0 10.1
1998-99 Penn State 30 373 39.1% 14.3% 76.4% 5.8 7.5 2.6 0.1 12.4
1999-00 Penn State 35 368 39.6% 28.8% 77.5% 5.7 7.8 2.9 0.1 10.5
Career 126 1294 37.7% 25.6% 72.6% 5.3 6.2 2.5 0.0 10.3

USA Basketball

Darling played on the team presenting the US at the 1999 World University Games held in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. The team had a 4–2 record and earned the silver medal. Darling scored 2.5 points per game.[8]

WNBA career

Cleveland Rockers

On April 25, 2000, Darling was drafted by the Cleveland Rockers in the second round (No. 17 overall) of the 2000 WNBA draft. In her rookie season, Darling played in all 32 regular season games recording 4.8 points, 2.0 assists and 1.15 steals. For the playoffs she averaged 5.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists in six Rockers playoff games.[9] During the 2001 WNBA season, Darling was one of only two Rockers players to start all 32 regular season games helping the Rockers earn the No.1 seed in the Eastern Conference. Darling finished the season averaging 6.1 points, 2.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.1 steals. In the three games against Charlotte during the playoffs, Darling averaged 6.0 points, 6.3 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 2.3 steals.[9]

During the 2002 WNBA season, Darling did not play due to pregnancy.[1]

During the 2003 WNBA season, Darling started all 34 games for Cleveland finishing the season with 128 assists, the second-highest single-season total in Rockers history and averaging 4.1 points, 3.8 assists, 2.6 rebounds in 24.5 minutes.[9]

Minnesota Lynx

After the 2003 WNBA season, the Cleveland Rockers decided to fold, a dispersal draft was held. The Minnesota Lynx selected Darling with their seventh pick.[1]

During the 2004 WNBA season, Darling played in 33 games and started in the last 22 games of the regular season for the Lynx averaging 4.2 points, 3.5 assists and 2.0 rebounds in 21.4 minutes. Helping Minnesota tie the Seattle Storm for 3rd seed in the Western Conference.[9]

Charlotte Sting

After only one season with the Lynx, Darling was traded by Minnesota along with the Lynx's second-round pick (24th overall) in the 2005 WNBA Draft to the Charlotte Sting in exchange for the Sting's second-round pick (17th overall) in the 2005 WNBA Draft.[1]

During the 2005 WNBA season, Darling played 31 games for Charlotte, starting the last 11, as a starter Darling, averaged 7.0 points and 4.5 assists in 31.0 minutes, compared to 1.5 points and 1.3 assists in 17.6 minutes off the bench. Missed only one game due to a left hamstring strain.[1][9]

During the 2006 WNBA season, Darling started all 29 regular season games, averaging 4.7 points, 3.0 assists and 1.13 steals per game.[9] (At 5-foot-6, Darling was the Sting's shortest player -- and three inches taller than her new coach, Charlotte basketball icon Muggsy Bogues, who was 5'3".)

San Antonio Silver Stars

After a disappointing last-place performance and poor attendance for the Sting, the team folded and a dispersal draft was held. The San Antonio Silver Stars selected Darling with their fourth pick. Reuniting Darling with Coach Dan Hughes who drafted her from Penn state for the Cleveland Rockers in 2000.[1]

During the 2007 WNBA season, Darling started 19 regular-season games and appeared in 33 recordings 103 assists and 45 steals. On August 7 Darling earned her 1,000th career point in a game against the Washington Mystics.[1]

Off the court

Darling has been very active in every community for which she plays so much so that she received the WNBA Community Assistant Award in 2003 for her participation in the community. Darling has also served as a national spokesperson for the March of Dimes.[10] Darling has recently published her first children's book entitled Hide 'n Seek Mondays. The book is the first in a series of seven.[10] Helen is a mother of three, triplets, sons JaJuan and Jalen and daughter Neveah.

WNBA career statistics

Regular season
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2000 Cleveland 32017.3.313.342.7382.02.01.20.22.14.8
2001 Cleveland 323224.3.355.329.7642.43.41.10.12.26.1
2003 Cleveland 343424.5.308.324.7322.63.81.1'0.22.24.1
2004 Minnesota 332221.4.331.218.6672.03.50.90.12.24.2
2005 Charlotte 311119.4.307.313.7411.52.71.30.01.63.5
2006 Charlotte 292921.2.370.383.6912.02.81.20.12.55.4
2007 San Antonio 331920.7.383.366.7712.13.11.40.01.64.1
2008 San Antonio 311418.7.268.200.7892.41.71.10.11.53.5
2009 San Antonio 341318.9.248.295.6731.82.90.90.11.23.1
2010 San Antonio 33111.8.300.273.6471.01.40.60.01.01.9
Career 10 years, 4 teams 32217519.8.322.302.7212.02.81.10.11.84.1

Playoffs
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2000 Cleveland 6017.7.321.385.7143.32.21.20.01.05.5
2001 Cleveland 3326.7.185.333.8333.76.32.30.31.76.0
2003 Cleveland 3327.7.154.1251.0004.04.32.00.03.33.0
2004 Minnesota 2222.0.222.667.5001.51.51.50.05.53.5
2007 San Antonio 5524.2.467.529.8333.43.81.20.02.68.4
2008 San Antonio 608.8.385.286.0001.20.80.50.01.22.0
2009 San Antonio 3011.3.200.000.5001.31.00.30.00.31.3
2010 San Antonio 207.0.500.000.0000.50.00.00.01.01.0
Career 8 years, 3 teams 301317.8.307.386.7502.52.51.10.01.84.2

Notes
  1. Helen Darling Playerfile – Bio Archived May 1, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, wnba.com, accessed May 30, 2008.
  2. "1995 WBCA High School All-Americans". WBCA. Archived from the original on February 20, 2010. Retrieved October 26, 2009.
  3. "1995 WBCA High School All-America Game". WBCA. Archived from the original on December 5, 2008. Retrieved October 26, 2009.
  4. "Frances Pomeroy Naismith". Women's Basketball Coaches Association. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved June 30, 2014.
  5. "NCAA Statistics". web1.ncaa.org. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  6. "FINAL 1998 DIVISION I WOMEN'S BASKETBALL STATISTICS REPORT" (PDF). ncaa.org. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  7. "FINAL 1997 DIVISION I WOMEN'S BASKETBALL STATISTICS REPORT" (PDF). ncaa.org. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  8. "Nineteenth World University Games -- 1999". USA Basketball. Archived from the original on September 7, 2015. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
  9. Helen Darling Playerfile – Stats Archived May 1, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, wnba.com, accessed September 6, 2011.
  10. Helen Darling Receives WNBA Community Assist Award – dimes, marchofdimes.org, accessed May 30, 2008.
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