Oct. 3, 2011

HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Former Southern Miss basketball player Tanesha Washington has signed a contract to play professional basketball overseas with Hapoel Ariel women's team in Tel-Aviv, Israel.

"I am excited about the opportunity to play in Israel," Washington said. "I know it's going to be a good experience for me. I'm just excited to be able to live out my dream. To all the people who helped me along the way, I just want to say thank you for the support we got during the time I was at Southern Miss."

Washington completed her career last season with the Lady Eagles, where she tallied averages of 14.4 points and 9.1 rebounds per contest. Her rebound average ranked in the top 10 in the league and in the top 60 nationally in Division I. She registered 10 double-doubles during the year.

"I'd like to say how proud we are of Tanesha and how much she has grown, not only as a basketball player, but also as a person during her time at Southern Miss," Coach Joye Lee-McNelis said. "I truly believe that the life skills she's learned from being a part of the program are going to give her an opportunity to be able to be successful as she lives out her dream of playing basketball professionally."

The Lady Eagles went to the postseason once during her tenure, in which they reached the round of 16 in the WNIT. She finished in the top 20 on the school charts scoring (1,132), rebounding (597) and three-point field goals made (59). Washington received her degree in May.