Semeka Randall Lay facts for kids
| Winthrop Eagles | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Head coach | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | February 7, 1979 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
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| High school | Trinity (Garfield Heights, Ohio) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| College | Tennessee (1996–2000) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 2001 / 17th | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Selected by the Seattle Storm | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| League | Big South Conference | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| As player: | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001 | Seattle Storm | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002 | Utah Starzz | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003 | San Antonio Stars | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| As coach: | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2004 | Cleveland State (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2007 | Michigan State (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | West Virginia (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2013 | Ohio | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2016 | Alabama A&M | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2018 | Wright State (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | Cincinnati (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019–2020 | Winthrop (associate) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020–2021 | Winthrop (associate/interim) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021–present | Winthrop | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medals
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Semeka Chantay Randall-Lay (born February 7, 1979) is a talented American basketball coach and former player. She is currently the head coach for the Winthrop Eagles women's basketball team. Before becoming a coach, Semeka played basketball in college and then professionally in the WNBA.
Contents
Semeka's Early Life and High School Basketball
Semeka Randall-Lay grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. She attended Trinity High School in Garfield Heights, Ohio. During her time there, she became a basketball star.
High School Achievements
Semeka was recognized as a WBCA All-American. This means she was one of the best high school players in the country. She even scored seventeen points in the special WBCA High School All-America Game.
College Basketball Career
After high school, Semeka joined the University of Tennessee women's basketball team. They were famously known as the Lady Vols.
Winning a National Championship
In 1998, Semeka and the Lady Vols had an amazing season. They won the NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship! They had a perfect record, winning all 39 of their games. This was a huge achievement in college basketball.
The "Three Meeks" and Nicknames
Semeka was part of a famous trio on the team called "The Three Meeks." The other two star players were Chamique Holdsclaw and Tamika Catchings. Semeka was known for her strong defense. This earned her the nickname "Hard to Handle Randall." Fans at a game against UConn even booed her a lot, which led to another nickname: "Boo."
College Awards and Graduation
Semeka was named to the Kodak All-American First Team in 1999 and 2000. She was also on the Associated Press All-American Second Team in both those years. She finished college early, graduating in December 2000. She earned a degree in Speech Communications.
Playing for Team USA Basketball
Semeka also represented the United States in international basketball.
Junior National Team Success
She was part of the USA Basketball Women's Junior National Team. In 1996, they played in a tournament in Mexico. The team won a silver medal, which helped them qualify for the 1997 FIBA Junior World Championship.
In 1997, Semeka's team played in the FIBA Junior World Championship in Brazil. Even though Semeka was injured and couldn't play, her team won the gold medal! This was the first time a USA team won a medal at this championship.
Winning Gold at the Jones Cup
In 1998, Semeka played for the USA team at the William Jones Cup in Taiwan. Her team won all five of their games and took home the gold medal. Semeka was the top scorer for the team, averaging 10.6 points per game.
Professional WNBA Career
After college, Semeka Randall-Lay joined the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).
Drafted by Seattle Storm
She was chosen by the Seattle Storm in the second round of the 2001 WNBA draft. She was the 17th player picked overall.
Playing for Different Teams
Semeka played for the Storm until she was traded to the Utah Starzz in 2002. The Starzz team later moved to San Antonio, Texas, and changed its name to the San Antonio Silver Stars in 2003. Semeka continued to play for them.
Retirement from WNBA
In her last game of the 2004 season, Semeka set a Silver Stars record. She made eight steals in one game! After that game, she announced she was retiring from the WNBA. She decided to become an assistant coach at Michigan State University.
Playing Basketball Overseas
Like many WNBA players, Semeka also played basketball in other countries during the off-season.
International Leagues
In 2001–02, she played in the Israeli Professional Basketball League. She started all 16 games and averaged 19 points. The next year, she played in the Greek Professional Basketball League, also starting all 16 games. In 2003, she played for the Tennessee Fury in the National Women's Basketball League.
Coaching Career Highlights
Semeka Randall-Lay has had a long and successful career as a basketball coach.
Starting as an Assistant Coach
Her first coaching job was as an assistant coach at Cleveland State University in 2002–03. In 2004, she became an assistant coach at Michigan State University. During her time there, the team reached the NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship game in 2005. She then became an assistant coach at West Virginia University in 2007.
Becoming a Head Coach
On May 9, 2008, Semeka was named the head coach of the Ohio Bobcats women's basketball team. She was very excited to coach in her home state of Ohio. She coached the Bobcats for five years.
In May 2013, Semeka became the new head coach for the Alabama A&M Lady Bulldogs basketball team. She coached them for three years.
Currently, Semeka Randall-Lay is the head coach for the women's basketball program at Winthrop University.
Awards and Recognition
- Ohio Ms. Basketball (1996, 1997) – awarded by Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association.
Career Statistics
| 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 high | ° | League leader | ||||
WNBA Regular Season Statistics
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Seattle | 32 | 30 | 27.6 | 37.1 | 0.0 | 66.0 | 3.3 | 1.4 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 2.3 | 9.4 |
| 2002 | Seattle | 21 | 16 | 21.8 | 35.3 | 21.1 | 70.6 | 3.2 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1.7 | 6.4 |
| Utah | 8 | 0 | 16.9 | 45.0 | 0.0 | 75.9 | 2.6 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 1.3 | 7.3 | |
| 2003 | San Antonio | 33 | 1 | 10.3 | 35.6 | 0.0 | 53.3 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 1.3 | 2.7 |
| 2004 | San Antonio | 29 | 8 | 15.9 | 37.1 | 0.0 | 62.5 | 2.1 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 1.0 | 4.7 |
| Career | 4 years, 3 teams | 123 | 55 | 18.5 | 37.0 | 12.9 | 65.2 | 2.5 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 1.6 | 5.8 |
WNBA Playoff Statistics
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Utah | 5 | 0 | 12.4 | 36.4 | 0.0 | 80.0 | 2.4 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 4.0 |
| Career | 1 year, 1 team | 5 | 0 | 12.4 | 36.4 | 0.0 | 80.0 | 2.4 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 4.0 |
College Career Statistics
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997–98 | Tennessee | 38 | - | - | 48.7 | 9.1 | 72.8 | 5.3 | 1.3 | 2.7 | 0.1 | - | 15.9 |
| 1998–99 | Tennessee | 33 | - | - | 51.2 | 25.0 | 59.0 | 4.8 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 0.2 | - | 14.1 |
| 1999–00 | Tennessee | 37 | - | - | 41.8 | 25.7 | 78.5 | 5.3 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 0.1 | - | 14.0 |
| 2000–01 | Tennessee | 32 | - | - | 41.7 | 15.4 | 71.3 | 5.0 | 2.2 | 1.6 | 0.1 | - | 10.3 |
| Career | 140 | - | - | 46.0 | 20.9 | 71.0 | 5.1 | 1.7 | 2.0 | 0.1 | - | 13.7 | |
| Statistics retrieved from Sports-Reference. | |||||||||||||
Head Coaching Record
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio Bobcats (Mid-American Conference) (2008–2013) | |||||||||
| 2008–09 | Ohio | 13–18 | 7–9 | 7th | |||||
| 2009–10 | Ohio | 8–22 | 4–12 | 9th | |||||
| 2010–11 | Ohio | 9–22 | 4–12 | 8th | |||||
| 2011–12 | Ohio | 14–18 | 6–10 | 8th | |||||
| 2012–13 | Ohio | 6–23 | 1–15 | 11th | |||||
| Ohio: | 50–103 (.327) | 22–58 (.275) | |||||||
| Alabama A&M Lady Bulldogs (Southwestern Athletic Conference) (2013–2016) | |||||||||
| 2013–14 | Alabama A&M | 6–24 | 3–15 | 9th | |||||
| 2014–15 | Alabama A&M | 6–24 | 5–13 | 9th | |||||
| 2015–16 | Alabama A&M | 5–25 | 3–15 | 9th | |||||
| Alabama A&M: | 17–73 (.189) | 11–43 (.204) | |||||||
| Winthrop Eagles (Big South Conference) (2020–present) | |||||||||
| 2020–21 | Winthrop Eagles | 6–18 | 5–15 | 8th | |||||
| 2021–22 | Winthrop Eagles | 6–24 | 4–14 | 9th | |||||
| 2022–23 | Winthrop Eagles | 8–22 | 6–12 | 9th | |||||
| Winthrop: | 20–64 (.238) | 15–41 (.268) | |||||||
| Total: | 87–226 (.278) | ||||||||
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National champion Conference regular season champion Conference tournament champion |
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