Kara Elizabeth Wolters (born August 15, 1975) is an American former collegiate and professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player and a current sports broadcaster. Standing at and nicknamed "Big Girl," she is the tallest player in

University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university system with its main campus in Storrs, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1881 as the Storrs Agricultural School, named after two benefactors. In 1893, ...

women's basketball history and one of the tallest women to ever play in the WNBA. During her playing career, she was an NCAA national champion (1995), FIBA world champion (1998), WNBA champion (1999), and Olympic champion (2000) becoming one of 11 women with those accolades. She also won AP College Player of the Year in 1997 Following her professional playing career, Wolters moved into broadcasting. She started as a radio color commentator for women's basketball on WTIC (AM), and since 2012 has served as the in-studio analyst for women's basketball on SNY. She also runs the Kara Wolters Dream Big Basketball Camp in Connecticut. Wolters was inducted into the

Women's Basketball Hall of Fame The Women's Basketball Hall of Fame honors those who have contributed to the sport of women's basketball. The Hall of Fame opened in 1999 in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. It is the only facility of its kind dedicated to all levels of women's bask ...

in 2017.

Personal

Wolters was born the youngest child of Liz and William Wolters and grew up in a basketball family. Her mother, Liz, once scored 50 points in one game at Wellesley High, more than any Massachusetts high school player before. Her father, known as Willie, is in the

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private university, private Catholic Jesuits, Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1863 by the Society of Jesus, a Catholic Religious order (Catholic), religious order, t ...

Hall of Fame and was an eighth-round Seattle SuperSonics draft pick in the 1967 NBA draft who later worked as an insurance lawyer. Wolters has always worn uniform number 52, the same number as her father, as a tribute. Her maternal grandfather played

Minor League Baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...

in the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

system. Already in eighth grade, Wolters continued to grow rapidly during her career at Holliston High School, where she still retains the schools scoring, rebounding and blocked shots record. She was bullied over her height and build as a youth and was ignored by some college recruiters who thought her body type was a negative attribute for basketball. Her brother Ray played basketball at Assumption College and later Eastern Connecticut State University. She has two older sisters: Kristen, who also played college basketball, at

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

, and Katie. Katie dealt with brain cancer from age six until her death in 2004, which inspired Kara to establish the "Kara Kares Foundation" in 1998 to support brain tumor research. Wolters married Sean Drinan, a financial advisor, in November 2004. They have two daughters, Sydney and Delaney.

University of Connecticut

Wolters played for the women's basketball team at the

from 1993 to 1997. She was a member of the 1995 team that won the NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship, which capped a perfect 35–0 season. Her UConn team compiled a 132–8 record (94.3%). She appeared in four NCAA Tournaments, advanced to the 1996 Final Four, the 1994 and 1997 Final Eights and won four Big East Conference Championships and four Big East tournament titles. In 1997 she was named the National Player of the Year. She finished her career as Connecticut's all-time leading rebounder (1286) and shot blocker (396). In 1997, UConn head coach Geno Auriemma referred to her as a potential Hall of Famer, while

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

head coach Pat Summitt and Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer also complimented her play and presence on the court. Wolters was a member of the inaugural class (2006) of inductees to the University of Connecticut women's basketball "Huskies of Honor" recognition program.

USA Basketball

Wolters was invited to be a member of the Jones Cup team representing the US in 1996. She helped the team to a 9–0 record, and the gold medal in the event. Wolters averaged 5.9 points per game. Wolters represented the US at the 1997 World University Games held in

Marsala Marsala (, ; ) is an Italian comune located in the Province of Trapani in the westernmost part of Sicily. Marsala is the most populated town in its province and the fifth largest in Sicily.The town is famous for the docking of Giuseppe Garibal ...

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

in August 1997. The USA team won all six games, earning the gold medal at the event. In the semi-final game against the previously unbeaten Czech Republic, Wolters scored 14 points, recorded ten rebounds and blocked five shots to hold the team win and advance to the gold medal game. Wolters averaged 11.3 points per game, second highest on the team and had 13 blocks, more than the rest of the team combined. Wolters was named to the USA national team in 1998. The national team traveled to

Berlin, Germany Berlin ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the highest population within its city limits of any city in the European Union. The city is also one of the states of ...

in July and August 1998 for the FIBA World Championships. The USA team won a close opening game against Japan 95–89, then won their next six games easily. In the semifinal game against Brazil, the USA team was behind as much as ten points in the first half, but the USA went on to win 93–79. The gold medal game was a rematch against Russia. In the first game, the USA team dominated almost from the beginning, but in the rematch, the team from Russia took the early lead and led much of the way. With under two minutes remaining, the USA was down by two points but the USA responded, then held on to win the gold medal 71–65. Wolters averaged 5.0 points per game and recorded seven blocks.

Professional

ABL

Wolters was drafted by the New England Blizzard of the ABL in 1997. She played for the team in the 1997–98 and 1998–99 seasons, the final two of the league's existence.

WNBA

Wolters was selected by the Houston Comets in the third round (36th overall) during the 1999

WNBA draft The WNBA draft is an annual draft (sports), draft held by the Women's National Basketball Association, WNBA through which WNBA teams can select new players from a talent pool of college and List of WNBA players, professional women's basketball p ...

and subsequently in the 2000 Expansion Draft by

Indiana Fever The Indiana Fever are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Fever compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) a member of the Eastern Conference (WNBA), Eastern Conference. The team was founded for ...

. Wolters was traded to the Sacramento Monarchs for the 14th pick in the 2001

on April 11, 2001. Wolters continued to play for the Monarchs until May 20, 2003, when she was released. In her four-year WNBA career, Wolters averaged 50 percent in field goal shooting, 75 percent in free throw shooting, 3.2 rebounds per game, and 6.5 points per game.

International

Wolters was a member of the

gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have b ...

-winning U.S. Olympic women's basketball team during the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

Sydney, Australia Sydney is the capital city of the state of New South Wales and the most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about 80 km (50 mi) from the Pacific Ocean ...

. She ranks second among all-time USA

World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

competitors for the most blocked shots (11). Wolters is one of only 12 women to receive a

Gold Medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have b ...

in the

Olympics The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a variety of competit ...

, an NCAA championship, and a WNBA Championship. The others are Sue Bird, Swin Cash, Tamika Catchings, Cynthia Cooper-Dyke,

Brittney Griner Brittney Yvette Griner (; born October 18, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Atlanta Dream of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She is a three-time Olympic gold medalist with the U.S. women's natio ...

Maya Moore Maya April Moore (born June 11, 1989) is an American social justice advocate and former professional basketball player. Naming her their inaugural Performer of the Year in 2017, ''Sports Illustrated'' called Moore the "greatest winner in the hist ...

, Candace Parker, Ruth Riley, Breanna Stewart,

Sheryl Swoopes Sheryl Denise Swoopes (born March 25, 1971) is an American former professional basketball player. She was the first player to be signed in the WNBA, is a three-time WNBA MVP, and was named one of the league's Top 15 Players of All Time at the 2 ...

, and Diana Taurasi.

Honors and awards

USA Basketball notes

*Gold Medal: 2000

*Gold Medal: 1999 U.S. Olympic Cup *Gold Medal: 1998

*Gold Medal: 1997 World University Games *Gold Medal: 1996 R. William Jones Cup *Silver Medal: 1995 World University Games *Bronze Medal: 1994

*Named to the 1999–2000 USA Basketball Women's Senior National Team on January 6, 2000. *Member of the gold medal-winning 1998 USA World Championship Team which finished with a perfect 9–0 record and was named the 1998 USA Basketball Team of the Year; aided the U.S. to a 12–1 record in its 13-game pre-World Championship tour. *Selected as one of the first six members to the 1998 USA Basketball Women's World Championship Team on September 4, 1997. *1996 USA Olympic Team finalist (18). *The only collegian named to the bronze medal-winning 1994 USA World Championship Team.

USA Basketball records

*Ranks second among all-time USA World Championship competitors for blocked shots (11). *Drafted by the Indiana Fever in the fourth round (16th overall) of the 2000 WNBA expansion draft. *Drafted by the Houston Comets in the third round (36th overall) of the 1999 WNBA draft. *Averaged 1.6 ppg. and 1.2 rpg. for the Houston Comets in 1999. *Prior to the ABL folding in December, 1998, ranked among league leaders 24th for scoring (11.0 ppg.), 16th for rebounding (5.3 rpg.), third for blocked shots (16) and first for field goal percentage (58.4%). *Finished the 1997–98 ABL season ranked as the league's leader for blocked shots (1.5 bpg.), fourth in field goal percentage (53.5%) and 16th in rebounds (5.2 rpg.). *Selected as the third pick in the 1997 ABL Draft by the New England Blizzard.

Collegiate notes

*During her four seasons (1993–97), UConn compiled a 132–8 record (94.3%), appeared in four NCAA Tournaments, won the 1995 NCAA championship, advanced to the 1996 Final Four, the 1997 and 1994 Final Eights, and won four Big East Conference championships and four Big East tournament titles. *Named by Associated Press 1997 All-America first team and Player of the Year. *Runner-up for the 1997 Boost/Naismith National Player of the Year. *Awarded the 1996 Victor Award as the nation's top female collegiate player. *Ranks second among all-time USA World Championship competitors for blocked shots (11). *She is one of three finalists for the 1997 Women's College Basketball ESPY award. *Named 1997 All-America by Basketball America, United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) and Kodak. *Named 1996 All-America first team by the USBWA, United Press International and the Associated Press. *Named 1997 and 1995 District I All-America by Kodak, and 1996 All-America honorable mention by Kodak. *Named to 1995 NCAA Tournament All-Final Four Team, averaged 20.5 ppg. in the Final Four. *Named to 1997 and 1996 All-NCAA Midwest Regional and 1995 and 1994 All-NCAA East Regional. *Named 1997 Big East Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Year, 1997 and 1996 All-Big East first team, 1995 All-Big East second team and 1994 Big East All-Rookie Team. *Named 1996 and 1995 Big East tournament Most Outstanding Player and Big East All-Tournament all four years.

Career statistics

WNBA

Regular season

, - , align="left" ,

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

, align="left" ,

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, 10, , 0, , 4.1, , 23.1, , 0.0, , 83.3, , 1.2, , 0.2, , 0.1, , 0.0, , 0.3, , 1.6 , - , align="left" ,

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

, align="left" ,

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

, 31, , 30, , 25.6, , 56.1, , 0.0, , 74.0, , 5.3, , 1.3, , 0.4, , 1.6, , 2.4, , 11.9 , - , align="left" ,

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

, align="left" ,

Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...

, 31, , 1, , 12.2, , 47.0, , 0.0, , 80.6, , 2.4, , 0.5, , 0.1, , 0.8, , 1.1, , 4.9 , - , align="left" ,

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

, align="left" ,

, 14, , 0, , 5.6, , 32.1, , 0.0, , 60.0, , 1.6, , 0.2, , 0.0, , 0.2, , 0.4, , 1.7 , - , align="left" , Career , align="left" , 4 years, 3 teams , 86, , 31, , 15.0, , 50.8, , 0.0, , 75.2, , 3.2, , 0.7, , 0.2, , 0.9, , 1.3, , 6.5

Playoffs

, - , align="left" ,

, align="left" ,

, 2, , 0, , 2.5, , 100.0, , 0.0, , 100.0, , 0.5, , 0.0, , 0.0, , 0.0, , 0.5, , 2.0 , - , align="left" ,

, align="left" ,

, 4, , 0, , 9.3, , 35.7, , 0.0, , 0.0, , 1.0, , 0.3, , 0.5, , 0.5, , 0.3, , 2.5 , - , align="left" , Career , align="left" , 2 years, 2 teams , 6, , 0, , 7.0, , 40.0, , 0.0, , 100.0, , 0.8, , 0.2, , 0.3, , 0.3, , 0.3, , 2.3

College

References

External links

Official SiteWNBA Player Profile
on usabasketball.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Wolters, Kara 1975 births Living people All-American college women's basketball players American people of German descent American women's basketball players Basketball players at the 2000 Summer Olympics Centers (basketball) Houston Comets players Indiana Fever players Medalists at the 2000 Summer Olympics New England Blizzard players Olympic gold medalists for the United States in basketball Sportspeople from Natick, Massachusetts Sacramento Monarchs players SportsNet New York people Basketball players from Middlesex County, Massachusetts UConn Huskies women's basketball players FISU World University Games gold medalists for the United States Summer World University Games medalists in basketball FISU World University Games silver medalists for the United States Medalists at the 1995 Summer Universiade Medalists at the 1997 Summer Universiade United States women's national basketball team players Indiana Fever draft picks 20th-century American sportswomen

Personal

University of Connecticut

USA Basketball

Professional

ABL

WNBA

International

Honors and awards

USA Basketball notes

USA Basketball records

Collegiate notes

Career statistics

WNBA

Regular season

Playoffs

College

See also

References

External links