Ann Wauters
Encyclopedia
Ann Hilde Willy Wauters (born October 12, 1980 in Sint-Gillis-Waas
, Belgium) is a Belgian professional basketball player who currently plays for Ros Casares Valencia
in Euroleague Women
. Wauters played in the WNBA
from 2000 to 2009, most recently with the San Antonio Silver Stars
. Her primary position is center
.
. She was the first Belgian-born player in the WNBA. When the team selected her, she was considered a project and raw talent. Having only played basketball for 7 years prior to the draft, Wauters quickly blended in with the big-name centers.
In 2004 she was moved to the New York Liberty
. She played two seasons for the Liberty before leaving the WNBA in 2006. On February 6, 2008, Wauters was selected by the Atlanta Dream
in the expansion draft.
On April 9, 2008, Wauters, along with Morenike Atunrase
and a 2009 second round draft pick, was traded to the San Antonio Silver Stars
for Camille Little
, Chioma Nnamaka
, and the Silver Stars' first round pick in the 2009 WNBA Draft
.
Wauters played for the Silver Stars in 2009, but decided not to join with the team in 2010; she also did not join the team in 2011 as she was pregnant.
Sint-Gillis-Waas
Sint-Gillis-Waas is a municipality located in the Belgian province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of De Klinge, Meerdonk, Sint-Gillis-Waas proper and Sint-Pauwels. On January 1, 2006 Sint-Gillis-Waas had a total population of 17,908. The total area is 54.98 km² which gives a...
, Belgium) is a Belgian professional basketball player who currently plays for Ros Casares Valencia
Ros Casares Valencia
Ros Casares Valencia is a women's professional Basketball team based in Valencia, Spain. The team currently plays in league Liga Femenina de Baloncesto.-Club names:* Dorna Godella* Costa Naranja* Ros Casares Godella* Ros Casares Valencia...
in Euroleague Women
EuroLeague Women
The EuroLeague Women is the highest professional basketball league in Europe for women’s clubs.Unlike Euroleague for men, the competition is entirely organized by FIBA Europe.-Between 2004-2011:...
. Wauters played in the WNBA
Women's National Basketball Association
The Women's National Basketball Association is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. It currently is composed of twelve teams. The league was founded on April 24, 1996 as the women's counterpart to the National Basketball Association...
from 2000 to 2009, most recently with the San Antonio Silver Stars
San Antonio Silver Stars
The San Antonio Silver Stars are a professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded in Salt Lake City, Utah before the league's inaugural 1997 season began; the team moved to San Antonio...
. Her primary position is center
Center (basketball)
The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well...
.
Personal
Wauters began playing basketball at age 12. Her international professional basketball career began immediately after high school. She speaks Dutch, French and English. She wears jersey No. 12 because of her birthdate. In November 2010 her management announced that Wauters was 3 months pregnant with her first child. Her wife, Lot Wielfaert, is also pregnant and set to give birth a month before Wauters. It was immediately added that this would not mean the end of her career, as Lot will be the stay at home mother to their two children while Wauters returns to work as a professional basketball player, likely somewhere in Europe. The next year she will play in Ros Casares Valencia.WNBA career
Wauters was drafted No. 1 overall in 2000 WNBA Draft by the Cleveland RockersCleveland Rockers
This article is about the defunct WNBA team; for the American Basketball Association team, see Cleveland Rockers .The Cleveland Rockers were a Women's National Basketball Association team that played from 1997 until 2003. The Rockers were one of the original eight franchises of the WNBA, which...
. She was the first Belgian-born player in the WNBA. When the team selected her, she was considered a project and raw talent. Having only played basketball for 7 years prior to the draft, Wauters quickly blended in with the big-name centers.
In 2004 she was moved to the New York Liberty
New York Liberty
The New York Liberty is a professional basketball team based in New York City, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was one of the eight original franchises of the league...
. She played two seasons for the Liberty before leaving the WNBA in 2006. On February 6, 2008, Wauters was selected by the Atlanta Dream
Atlanta Dream
The Atlanta Dream is a professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the 2008 WNBA season began. The team is owned by Dream Too LLC, which is composed of two Atlanta...
in the expansion draft.
On April 9, 2008, Wauters, along with Morenike Atunrase
Morenike Atunrase
Morenike Olayinka Atunrase is an American basketball player who played for the WNBA's San Antonio Silver Stars during the 2008 season. She was drafted in 2008 out of Texas A&M, where she played from 2004–08.-Early years:...
and a 2009 second round draft pick, was traded to the San Antonio Silver Stars
San Antonio Silver Stars
The San Antonio Silver Stars are a professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded in Salt Lake City, Utah before the league's inaugural 1997 season began; the team moved to San Antonio...
for Camille Little
Camille Little
Camille Little is a professional basketball player. In 2007 she began her career in the WNBA with the San Antonio Silver Stars. She played college basketball at North Carolina.-High school:...
, Chioma Nnamaka
Chioma Nnamaka
Chioma Nnamaka is a professional basketball player of Swedish and Nigerian heritage and is a member of the WNBA's Atlanta Dream.-High School and college:...
, and the Silver Stars' first round pick in the 2009 WNBA Draft
2009 WNBA Draft
The 2009 WNBA Draft is the league's annual process for determining which teams receive the rights to negotiate with players entering the league. The draft was held on April 9, 2009. The first round was shown on ESPN2 at 3:00pm ET, while the second and third rounds were shown on ESPNU and NBA TV at...
.
Wauters played for the Silver Stars in 2009, but decided not to join with the team in 2010; she also did not join the team in 2011 as she was pregnant.
International career
- Wauters was named MVP of the National Youth Championship (1995, 1997).
- Member of bronze medal-winning Belgium's Cadettes National Team (1995)
- Member of U.S. Valenciennes (USVO) beginning 1998, USVO co-champion (1999, 2000)
- European player of year (2001)
- Best foreign player in France (2001), Messina Final Four MVP (2002)
- European player of year (2002)
- European highest scoring player in Final Four, Bourges, co-champion (2003)
- Co-champion of Korean league summer league (2003)
- Best center of European championship in Greece (2003), member of MVP team at FIBA World Cup in Russia (2003).
- European player of year (2004)
- European player of year (2005)
- European player of year (2008)
Vital statistics
- Position: CenterCenter (basketball)The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well...
- Height: 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
- Team(s): San Antonio Silver StarsSan Antonio Silver StarsThe San Antonio Silver Stars are a professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded in Salt Lake City, Utah before the league's inaugural 1997 season began; the team moved to San Antonio...
(WNBA)