Mandy Nightingale

Position:
Guard
Height:
5-6
Class:
Senior
Hometown:
Sapulpa, Okla.
High School:
Sapulpa

Barry on Nightingale: ?Mandy is the catalyst on our team. She is a big time competitor. She scores from outside or going to the hole, making her so tough to guard.?

Big 12 All-Star Tour (August 2001): Nightingale averaged 9.4 ppg and 7.0 apg as a member of the Big 12 2001 Foreign Tour squad that went 5-0 in Austria and Germany this past summer. Earned ?Big 12 Player of the Game? honors for her performance in the first game of the tour, scoring 25 points to lead the team to an 82-78 overtime win.

2000-01 (Junior): Colorado?s ?little general? last season, Nightingale came into her own and led the Buffs in scoring (13.9), assists (3.9), assist to turnover ratio (1.49), steals (1.7) and minutes per game (33.0). Nightingale earned the first tournament honors of her career when she was named Coors Classic Most Valuable Player. The Buffs? floor general had an outstanding performance vs. Howard, perhaps the most complete of her career, notching 19 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, just shy of a triple-double. The nine assists were a new career high, while the eight boards tied her career high. Against Butler, Nightingale had 13 points, eight boards and four assists, while going 5 for 5 from the free throw line. Against Sam Houston State, Nightingale set new career highs for points (24) field goals made (9) and field goals attempted (16), and tied her career highs for assists (nine) and steals (four). Was key in CU?s tournament championship at San Diego, averaging 16 points per game on the weekend. Despite a rough outing in the first half of each game, bounced back to hit nine total threes over two games to help the Buffs get a comfortable cushion en route to the tournament victory. Hit eight of 10 free throws down the stretch to defeat Oklahoma State in Stillwater, en route to 18 points on the day. Set a new career high for rebounds (11) at Kansas to lead the Buffs to a 70-60 win. Scored 22 points, dished out five assists and grabbed five steals in 39 minutes in the semifinal loss to Oklahoma in KC. Her season honors included being named MVP of the Coors Classic, which was held from Nov. 24-25, Big 12 Player of the Week, Dec. 11-Dec. 17, Most Valuable Player of the Third Annual Masry & Vititoe Basketball Classic on Dec. 30, First Team Academic All-Big 12, Third Team All-Big 12 by the league?s coaches, and the Kansas City Star?s All-Defensive Team as well as one of the ?Furious Five.? Nightingale was ranked in six conference categories, including 13th (13.9) in scoring, 2nd in free throw percentage (84.7 percent) 7th in assists (3.9), 10th in three point field goal percentage (40.3), 4th in three pointers made (2.06) and 7th in assist to turnover ratio (1.49). She was named an alternate to the USA Basketball World University Games squad, confirming her status as one of the national elite women?s basketball players.

1999-2000 (Sophomore): Nightingale started all 29 contests as the floor general for Ceal Barry, and has a starting streak of 41 games dating back to her freshman season. She led the team in minutes played (36.8 per game), three-point field goals attempted (146) and assists (124). Nightingale was ranked among the league?s strongest players in assists (8th/4.28 per game), three point field goals made (9th/1.62 per game) and free throw percentage (6th/118-145/.814). Like Jenny Roulier, Nightingale was on the court in excess of 30 minutes (36.7) a game after CU lost both Linda Lappe and Kate Fagan to season-ending injuries. She was on the court for 40 minutes during eight games of her sophomore campaign, all against conference opponents. Although she connected for a career-high 22 points versus Texas, her then-career best 17 points and two-year best eight rebounds at Oklahoma made a bigger impact in the sophomore?s homecoming game. One of the most accurate free throw shooters on the team and in the league, she connected on 30 of her last 35 attempts to close out the season. Her tenacious play against Nebraska in Boulder kept the Cornhuskers winless in Boulder for the 16th straight game. While playing the last 6:17 with four personal fouls, her leaping deflection of an errant pass to Britt Hartshorn resulted in a CU layup to bring the Buffs within two (72-70). With seconds remaining, Nightingale managed to scramble to the floor to save a loose ball from going to the Huskers and passed it to Jenny Roulier who was fouled and converted the bonus free throws. She had one of the more impressive games for a Big 12 point guard during the 1999-2000 season when she played 40 minutes against Kansas State in Boulder without a single turnover, while dishing off five assists and also scoring 14 points. She took that momentum into Colorado?s next game against Texas, where she bettered or tied five personal marks en route to the upset win, including points scored (22), field goal attempts (14), three-point field goal attempts (9), free throws made (11) and attempted (14). A lot of self-discipline reversed her turnover trend halfway through the conference season. In Colorado?s first eight conference games, she averaged 5.4 mishaps a night. In the last eight she got them down to 3.2 (or an 11.8:1 minutes to turnover ratio). She averaged 15.5 points (going 11-14 from the line), 3.5 assists and 2.5 steals in CU?s wins over Missouri before dropping a decision to Texas Tech in the Big 12 Tournament. No surprise, she played all 80 minutes over two games.

1998-99 (Freshman): Nightingale led the team in three point field goals made (1.59), three point field goal percentage (.383) and was second in assists (2.7). She was the league?s sixth most accurate three-point field goal shooter, connecting on 38 percent of her attempts from beyond the arc and was ninth in 3fg made over the course of the season. During the conference season was ninth in both 3fg percentage (.371) and treys made (1.63). A player that, for good reason, relied on her three point range, 120 of her 152 field goal attempts were from behind the arc and in 11 games, all of her field goals made and attempted have been from three point distance while 46 of her 59 field goals made were treys. She took over starting point guard duties at Missouri (Jan. 16) and was on the court for the opening tip 13 of the last 15 games where she averaged 7.5 points and 3.9 assists in 26.9 minutes, all above her final season average, in that span. For a point guard, had an impressive freshman year with a 12.5:1 minutes to turnover mark and 2:1 assists to turnover mark. Her momentum carried through the postseason as the team?s second-leading scorer in the postseason with 8.7 points a night through the Big 12 and WNIT.

High School: An honorable mention Street & Smith?s All-American entering her senior year, Nightingale would lead Sapulpa to the 6A state championship title where she would share state tournament MVP honors. During her senior year she would also be named the top-ranked player in Oklahoma and be named co-MVP All-Metro, all-state (East Team), be and East team Hall of Fame Player and a first team Tournament of Champions with a 24-1 record. She would graduate as Sapulpa?s all-time assist leader with 642. As a junior Nightingale averaged 12.6 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds a game while leading her Sapulpa team to 26-2 record and the state runner-up title (where she set a single-game assist record with 10 dishes in the finals) while being named all-Frontier Conference, all-Tulsa Metro and all-state tournament. She became a regular starter halfway through her freshman season and was named second team all-conference after an 18-8 record and reaching the area finals, falling one shot short of the state tournament. Her sophomore year Sapulpa went 20-4, and was the Class 6A (largest class in Oklahoma) state runner-up. Following her second season she was named second team all-state tournament. Her AAU team, the Lone Star Braves, finished seventh in the 1997 national tournament. Chose Colorado over Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Tulsa, Baylor and Stephen F. Austin. Her teammate, and best friend Kara Faulk, signed with Oklahoma State and the two did their NLI signing side by side with Nightingale in a CU hat and jersey and Faulk in an OSU hat and jersey.

Off the Court: Nightingale arrived at Colorado in 1998 as the top-ranked female trick water skier in the world in the women?s open division, as well as the 1995 and ?97 world champion and ?96 runner-up. In August of 2000, she won the U.S. National Tricks Championship in the women?s open division and finished the year ranked third in the world. She has competed internationally in Canada as well as Chile and Columbia. Her younger brother Kyle is also a national champion in his age group. Born May 16, 1980, she is the daughter of Linn Nightingale and Debbie Gilbertson of Sapulpa.