Chelsea Newton comes to the Chicago Sky with a WNBA championship ring after just winning a world championship with the Sacramento Monarchs in her rookie year. Chelsea was drafted 22nd overall in the 2005 draft. In 2005 she averaged 4.4 points and 1.9 rebounds in 21 minutes per game.

Chelsea went to Rutgers University where she started 95 of 104 games. Averaging 9.5 points and 4.3 rebounds a game, she was a staple of the women’s basketball program at Rutgers.

Chelsea put up some pretty impressive numbers at Rutgers. In 2001-02, her first season, she played in 21 games, and had three games in which she scored 10 points or more. She also had one 20+ point game and a double-double. As a sophomore, she started every game, averaging almost 11 points and 5 rebounds and recorded 22 games with 10+ points. As a junior Chelsea was named Rutgers MVP while averaging 11 points and 3 assists per game and was ranked 13th in steals per game in the Big East. By senior year, Chelsea was named 2005 Big East Conference Defensive Player of the year, All-Big East Third Team, and All-Met First Team honoree.

Those numbers weren’t a surprise after a remarkable high school career in Monroe, La. that included being named a Nike and Adidas All-American and an Honorable Mention All-American by Street & Smith’s and USA Today. Chelsea found some spare time to compete in the high jump and long jump on the Carroll (La.) High School track team as well as be a straight-A student, class valedictorian and class treasurer.