Natasha Mack
Natasha Mack is an American-Montenegrin basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association. She played for Oklahoma State University and Angelina College in her native Lufkin, Texas before being drafted by the Chicago Sky in the 2021 WNBA draft.
Early life
Mack was born in Lufkin, Texas. She played for Lufkin High School's basketball team. She was ranked as a four-star prospect after high school and was recruited to play at the University of Houston. However, she left the university shortly afterwards, after feeling burnout, a lack of fit with the team, and tensions at home. She returned to Lufkin and worked at a poultry plant, "shearing the wings off of chicken."College career
A year after graduating from high school and leaving Houston, Mack was recruited by Randy McKelvey, an assistant basketball coach at Angelina College, a local community college in Lufkin. She was initially reluctant to return to basketball, but agreed to do so a few days later. She was selected to a junior-college all-star event after her first season and was named a junior-college All-American and won the NJCAA Player of the Year Award after her sophomore season.After her senior season, she was selected to the Big-12 All-Defensive Team First-Team and was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and WBCA Defensive Player of the Year.