#WCW: Essence Carson

 

(*photo credit: Lindsay Adler Photography*)

 

We’ve decided to bring the infamous Instagram tradition of #WCW (woman crush Wednesday) here to Beyond The W!! Each Wednesday, we will hand pick one of the league’s amazing players who embody what Beyond The W is all about: talent, style, great role models, and uniqueness. To kick things off, we’ve selected New York Liberty guard Essence Carson as this week’s #WCW! Let’s take a look at why:

On-The-Court Prowess

(*photo credit: ESPN*)

 

Since her days playing for one of the nation’s best programs at Rutgers University, Essence has been a dominating and effective force on the court. After being drafted by the Liberty in 2008, she has had a strong career as a guard, with a career high of 14.3 PPG, 5.5 rebounds,, and 1.8 assists. Things looked like they took a turn for the worst after tearing her left ACL in a 2013 game against the Atlanta Dream, but she persevered, trained hard, remained patient, and returned the following season making significant strides. Currently, she is playing for the Israeli team, Bnot Hertzeliya , where she is averaging 20pts, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.6 assists.

Signature Style

When playing for a city like New York, style and swag are a must, and Essence brings it each and every time. If she isn’t dressed down in some fly J’s and cargo shorts, you can catch her donning all-black, covered in bold jewelry and soft makeup, topped off with confidence. Here some of our fave looks by her so far:

 

Budding Music Mogul

Essence is one of the multi-talented players in the league. Before falling in love with basketball, she was first exposed to music at the young age of nine, where she went on to attend a performing arts high school, and then on to Rutgers as a music major. In addition to being a instrumentalist on the drums, piano, saxophone, and bass guitar, she is also a hip-hop artist and producer! Pr3pE (her alias, pronounced “preppy”) released her debut album, “Broken Diary“, in 2013. You can catch the video to her first single released in 2012, “Love Letter, below:

Big Heart
Underneath the big on-the-court game, big style, and a big musical talent is an even bigger heart. She is an active partner with WNBA Cares and Madison Square Garden’s “Garden of Dreams Foundation“, where she and other members of the Liberty, New York Knicks, and New York Rangers work together to make a lasting impact all across NYC. She is also an ambassador for Health Equity Initiative (H.E.I.), a nonprofit which promotes equal health care and health education for minority populations. She also remains active and close to her roots in Paterson, NJ.

(photo credit: New York Liberty)

Whether she’s launching a clutch 3 during a tight game, walking down 5th Ave with some fly kicks, laying a quick 16 over a self-produced beat, or granting a sick child’s wish, Essence “Pr3pe” Carson isn’t only our #WCW for this week, but one of our #WCE (woman crush everyday)!
(*style section photos taken from Essence’s Instagram account*)