Women’s Basketball: Cajuns Great Anna Petrakova Headed for London Olympics + communication links

• London Olympics Women’s Basketball Home Page

(Athletic Network Footnote: Please see communication links below this story by Matt Hebert)

LAFAYETTE – Former Ragin’ Cajuns women’s basketball great Anna Petrakova will compete in the London Olympics for the Russian women’s basketball team.
 
Petrakova, who lettered at the University of Louisiana from the 2001-02 through 2004-05 season, will become the first Cajuns women’s basketball player to compete in the Olympic games.
 
Petrakova officially made the squad on July 13 when Russian National Team head coach Boris Sokolovsky announced the 12 athletes that would be headed to London.
 
For Petrakova, this will be her debut in a major tournament with the Russian National Team.
 
Russia has been drawn in Group B with Australia, France, Brazil, Canada and Great Britain. The squad’s first contest in group play is set for Saturday, July 28 against the Canadian National Team. The top four teams from each group move on to the quarterfinal stage which starts on Tuesday, Aug. 7.
 
Petrakova arrived at UL in January 2002 and played her rookie campaign under the direction of head coach Gay Nix. The Moscow, Russia native’s career flourished her final three seasons with guidance from the late-J. Kelley Hall.
 
Her development under Hall led to a pair of All-Sun Belt honors and Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year distinction following the 2003-04 season. Petrakova finished the 2003-04 season ranked in the Top 50 nationally in points (18.6 ppg), rebounds (9.5 rpg) and blocks (2.3 bpg).
 
Petrakova scored 500-plus points her final two seasons as a Cajun and became just the 10^th player in school history to amass 1,000 career points, finishing with a career accumulation of 1,252 points. Her career numbers include a freshman season that saw her play only 75 minutes over 15 contests.
 
She is the school’s all-time career leader in blocks and free throw percentage, ranks third in rebounds and free throws made and fourth in points, field goals made and field percentage. Petrakova is still the only player in school history to record a triple double (17 points, 13 rebounds and 10 blocks vs. Prairie View A&M on Dec. 13, 2004).
 
In her senior season (2004-05), Petrakova helped guide UL to a school-record tying 22 victories and a Sun Belt West Division title. The Cajuns 10 conference victories and 13 home victories that season were a school record.