Kara Wolters
From Hoopedia
Kara Wolters (born August 15, 1975 in Holliston, Massachusetts) was an American collegiate and professional basketball player. Standing at six feet and seven inches (2.01 m), she was appropriately nicknamed "Big Girl".
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Personal
She grew up in a basketball family. Her father, William Wolters, is in the Boston College Hall of Fame and played professional basketball for the Seattle SuperSonics in the NBA. Her brother, Ray, played at Assumption College and Eastern Connecticut State University, and her sister, Kristen, was a standout player at the University of Rhode Island.
She formed the "Kara Kares Foundation", which supports brain tumor research.
University of Connecticut
She played for the women's basketball team at the University of Connecticut from 1994 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 won-loss record.
WNBA
Wolters played for the New England Blizzard of the ABL, Wolters was selected by the Houston Comets in the third round (36th overall) during in the 1999 WNBA Draft, Fourth round pick (No. 16 overall) and then the 2000 Expansion Draft by Indiana Fever on December 15, 1999. In her four-year WNBA career, Wolters averages 50 percent in field goal shooting, 75 percent in free throw shooting, 3.2 rebounds per game, and 6.5 points per game.
Wolters was then traded to the Sacramento Monarchs for the 14th pick in the 2001 WNBA Draft on April 11, 2001. Wolter's continued to play for the Monarchs until the end of her WNBA career when on May 20, 2003 it was announced she had been released from the company. The reason put forward by the Monarchs for cutting Wolters was due to adding youth and new talent to the roster which they felt would be better for the team.
International Competition
Wolters was a member of the gold medal-winning U.S. Olympic women's basketball team during the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia.
Also, she ranks second among all-time USA World Championship competitors for the most blocked shots (11).
Wolters is one of only six women to receive a Gold Medal in the Olympics, an NCAA championship, and a WNBA Championship. The others are Sue Bird, Swin Cash, Ruth Riley, Sheryl Swoopes, and Diana Taurasi.
After the WNBA
Wolters married Sean Drinan, a banking executive, in November 2004 and currently works as a women's basketball game color commentator during games involving her alma mater, the University of Connecticut. Her first daughter, Sydney Elizabeth, was born on March 8, 2007.
