ATLANTA, March 8, 2012 � The Atlanta Dream announced today the team has re-signed center Erika de Souza and guard Armintie Price to multi-year deals. Per team policy, further terms of the deal were not disclosed.
�It was a priority for us to keep our core group together to give us that consistency,� said Dream General Manager and Head Coach Marynell Meadors. �Having players that have been together and experienced success makes us a much better team.�
De Souza and Price helped lead the Dream to back-to-back Eastern Conference championships in 2010 and 2011. De Souza, a 6-5 center, is a member of Brazil�s national team and will not join the Dream until after the Olympic break. She averaged 11.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game last season and ranked fourth in the league with 10 double-doubles.
�Erika brings so much emotion to this team and she is a tremendous rebounder and scorer inside,� said Meadors. �She is definitely a threat that other teams have to pay attention to and I think she is going to have a great year for us. We will miss not having her until after the Olympics, but getting her back at that time will put us in the right position for playoffs.�
In her six-year WNBA career, de Souza is averaging 9.4 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. She was originally acquired by the Dream in the 2008 WNBA expansion draft from the Connecticut Sun and is entering her fifth season with Atlanta. In her first season with the Dream, de Souza suffered a fractured leg and was limited to 12 games. In the three seasons since, she has started every game she has played in for the Dream. De Souza earned her first WNBA All-Star selection in 2009.
Price, a 5-9 guard, is coming off her best season in the WNBA in 2011. She appeared in all 34 games, including 21 starts, and her insertion into the starting lineup helped spark the Dream back into playoff contention. An all-around player, Price was named to the WNBA All-Defensive second team. She averaged a career-high 8.5 points and 1.5 steals per game and also shot a career-best 51.9% from the field.
�Armintie brings passion and leadership and excitement to our team,� said Meadors. �Her defensive abilities are second to none and she is a player that makes things happen. Her presence is like having a coach out on the court and anytime you have a player like that, it is an advantage.�
Price was acquired by the Dream in 2009 via a mid-season trade with the Chicago Sky. She was originally selected by the Sky with the No. 3 pick in the 2007 WNBA Draft and earned Rookie of the Year honors.
Price played collegiately at the University of Mississippi where she now serves as an assistant coach. She finished as only the second NCAA player in history to record over 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 400 assists and 400 steals.
The Atlanta Dream tips off its fifth season this summer at Philips Arena as part of the Women�s National Basketball Association (WNBA), the world�s longest-running women�s professional sports league. The Dream, the defending two-time, back-to-back Eastern Conference Champion, opens its home schedule on May 25 against the New York Liberty. Season and group tickets are on sale now and individual tickets will be available for purchase in the spring. For more information, visit www.AtlantaDream.net or call (877) 977-7729.