Squadron Assistant Mary Andrade Honored with Custom Court in Native Portugal

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Birmingham Squadron assistant coach Mery Andrade was honored Tuesday with a custom court design in a ceremony in Carcavelos, Portugal.

The court honors Andrade for her over 20 years of service to the Portuguese Basketball Federation (PBF) and is located roughly seven miles outside Lisbon. The PBF partners with local municipalities and 3x3BasketArt, the court designer, in the creation of street basketball venues which are open to the public.

Andrade, born in the Portuguese colony of Cape Verde, played collegiately at Old Dominion from 1995-99 and was named the 1999 Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year for the Monarchs. Additionally, she was a three-time All-CAA selection and three-time CAA All-Defensive Team honoree.

Professionally, Andrade played five seasons in the WNBA and 11 internationally before beginning her coaching career at the University of San Diego in 2015. She has been on the Pelicans’ G League coaching staff since the 2019-20 season.