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Regular Session, 2012 ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 17
BY SENATORS DORSEY-COLOMB, WHITE, ADLEY, ALARIO, ALLAIN, AMEDEE,
APPEL, BROOME, BROWN, BUFFINGTON, CHABERT, CLAITOR,
CORTEZ, CROWE, DONAHUE, ERDEY, GALLOT, GUILLORY,
HEITMEIER, JOHNS, KOSTELKA, LAFLEUR, LONG, MARTINY,
MILLS, MORRELL, MORRISH , MURRAY, NEVERS, PEACOCK,
PERRY, PETERSON, RISER, GARY SMITH, JOHN SMITH,
TARVER, THOMPSON, WAL SWORTH AND WARD
A RESOLUTION
To commend Seimone Augustus upon her receipt of the Most Valuable Player award
presented by the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) for the 2011
Championship Finals.
WHEREAS, it is altogether fitting and proper to acknowledge the athletic prowess,
mental agility, and physical determination of star guard/forward, Seimone Augustus, No. 33,
a six-year veteran of the Minnesota Lynx professional women's basketball team; and
WHEREAS, in 2011, Seimone Augustus led her team to clinch a first place victory
in the Western Conference and to garner the coveted WNBA Championship title; and
WHEREAS, Seimone Augustus is a Baton Rouge native and the daughter of proud
parents, Seymore and Kim Augustus; and
WHEREAS, it is to understate the obvious that Seimone Augustus is an exceptional
athlete; she is an athletic phenomenon of the highest caliber, whose extraordinary abilities
emerged at an early age while shooting hoops with her father, who coached her to play her
very best at all times; and
WHEREAS, notice of her talents began early on even before she entered Capitol
High School when a teenaged Seimone appeared on the magazine cover of Sports Illustrated
for Women; even then she was touted as "the next Michael Jordan" and interest in her
stunning abilities on the basketball court continued to escalate throughout her collegiate
career as a Lady Tiger at Louisiana State University, her status as the Number One Draft
Pick in the WNBA in 2006 with the Minnesota Lynx, and continues to the present with her
ranking as perhaps one of the most exceptional athletes, male or female, of all time; and SR NO. 17 ENROLLED
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WHEREAS, it would be futile to attempt to name all of her accolades, awards,
recognitions, and scoring records, for those honors are more numerous than stars in the sky,
and many titles were won multiple times; and
WHEREAS, while she attended LSU, the Lady Tigers made five straight NCAA
Final Four appearances; Seimone thrived under the tutelage of legendary women's basketball
coach, the late Sue Gunter, and athletic director, Skip Bertman, proclaimed her, "The single
most important recruit in the history of LSU athletics"; and
WHEREAS, Seimone Augustus set a high standard of performance, both
scholastically and athletically, for young athletes to emulate by maintaining a 3.0+ grade
point average and establishing both collegiate and professional sports records that may stand
for decades or may never be surpassed; and
WHEREAS, Seimone Augustus made "lightening strike" twice when on January 24,
2010, her LSU Lady Tiger jersey, No. 33, was retired, the first woman athlete in the school's
history to receive such recognition, and in September 2011, she was enshrined in the LSU
Athletic Hall of Fame; and
WHEREAS, in the off season, she maintained her edge with play in the international
basketball circuit, playing for Dynamo Moscow in Russia, Galatasaray in Turkey, and as a
gold medalist on the 2008 United States Women's Olympic Team (Beijing); and
WHEREAS, Seimone Augustus has proved to be made of "all the right stuff," to
overcome and rehabilitate from what could have been a career-ending knee injury with the
determination and drive that has become her trademark - she is unstoppable; and
WHEREAS, Seimone Augustus remains a kind, friendly, and gracious person with
a quick smile and a warm demeanor, who continues to be close to her family and teammates,
and remains humbled and grateful for her abundant blessings and success; and
WHEREAS, Seimone Augustus is the "perfect storm" of basketball artistry, skill, and
understanding of the game that has established her legacy as one of the greatest athletes in
the history of the NCAA and women's professional sports.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
does hereby commend and congratulate Seimone Augustus for her extraordinary
accomplishments, and on leading her team , the Minnesota Lynx to capture the 2011 WNBA SR NO. 17 ENROLLED
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Championship title and for receiving the Most Valuable Player award, and hereby thank her
for her many contributions to women's athletics and for bringing great pride to her home
state of Louisiana.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be presented to
Seimone Augustus.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE