Anderson Makes WNBA 's Connecticut Sun
May 16, 2008 | Women's Basketball
Jolene Anderson , the most decorated women's basketball player in Wisconsin history, has taken her talents to the next level. Anderson will dress for her first official game as a member of the WNBA's Connecticut Sun on Saturday when their season opens at home with Atlanta.
Anderson overcame stiff competition to make the team after playing well in three exhibition games saving her best for last hitting 4-of-7 3-pointers and collecting 16 points as the Connecticut Sun defeated the Houston Comets 88-80 in their third exhibition last Friday. Anderson, who now wears No. 33, added seven rebounds and two assists.
UW's all-time leading scorer for men and women, she had eight rebounds and eight points in the previous 94-66 exhibition win over the Phoenix Mercury. She has averaged 9.0 points and 5.7 rebounds in three exhibitions since becoming the 23rd pick in the second round of the WNBA draft April 9. You can access her stats and official bio by clicking nav=page"> --> here . The Sun had Anderson complete a personal profile .
Anderson became the first Badger women's basketball player in six years in to be drafted when she was picked 23rd overall in the second round by the Connecticut Sun. She is just the third Badger ever to be drafted into the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), and follows in the footsteps of former UW players Tamara Moore and Jessie Stomski who were picked in 2002.
She is just the fifth Badger ever to play in the WNBA following Moore and Stomski plus Keisha Anderson (Washington Mystiques and Charlotte Sting-2001-2002) and Robin Threatt (Seattle Storm-2001). Keisha Anderson was the only other UW player who was ever drafted and who played in a women's professional basketball league as the 16th pick in the second round by the American Basketball League (ABL) in 1997. Barb Franke was never drafted but did play one season with the Chicago Condors of the ABL in 1998.
Jolene Anderson became UW's first Big Ten Player of the Year in 2008 as voted by the media after earning her second-straight Big Ten scoring title totaling 353 points for a 19.6 points per game average in conference only games. She was also named the 2008 Frances Pomeroy Naismith National Player of the Year for 5-8 and under and a 2008 WBCA/State Farm Regional All-American. She had a career-high 42 points vs. Iowa on Jan. 13, 2008, to surpass the UW women's career scoring record of 1,994. With 2,312 career points she has also surpassed the men's scoring record of 2,217 to become Wisconsin's all-time leading scorer for men and women. She was UW's first and the Big Ten's 12th 2,000-point scorer finished her career ranked fourth in Big Ten career scoring.
Anderson led UW all four years in scoring and rebounding and scored in double figures in 118 of her 123 career games making her the Badger leader in double-figure scoring. She started in every game as a Badger (123 straight games) and is the only UW player to rank among the top 10 in four major career categories: 1st, 2,312 points; 6th, 848 rebounds; 4th, 409 assists; 6th, 242 steals. She earned Big Ten Player of the Week honors three times this season and five times in her career.
