Biography

Hi everybody and welcome to my official web page. Do you guys even know that my "real" name is Patrícia Nunes Penicheiro? But please continue to call me TICHA! :) I was born in Figueira da Foz, Portugal on September 18th of 1974, around 10.40 pm!
My father, Joao Penicheiro, and my brother, Paulo Penicheiro, introduced me to the game of basketball at the tender age of 6, and it was love at first sight!!

I remember following my brother around everywhere, so I could play with him and his friends. Most of the time I was the only girl in the playground where it was hard to be accepted. Slowly they would let me play and soon I would be the first player to be picked!
As I was growing up, I started to develop the desire to fly across the world and come to the United States to a university. I wanted to develop as a player and grow as a woman.

I was offered a scholarship from Old Dominion University and in 1994 I arrived in Norfolk, VA. I had 4 amazing years in college, winning 4 CAA championships and going to the NCAA championship game in 1997. In 1998 I was picked by the Sacramento Monarchs, of the WNBA, as the second overall pick, and I had 12 amazing seasons playing for the Monarchs. In 2005 we won the WNBA championship in front of our fans, and 'til this day that is by far the best memory of my career. Unfortunately in 2009 the team folded and I moved to Southern California to play for the LA Sparks, where I still am now, fighting for new memories, for another WNBA championship.