Stefanie Dolson

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Stefanie Dolson
Stefanie Dolson (cropped).jpg
Dolson in 2019
No. 31 – New York Liberty
PositionCenter
LeagueWNBA
Personal information
Born (1992-01-08) January 8, 1992 (age 30)
Port Jervis, New York
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight231 lb (105 kg)
Career information
High schoolMinisink Valley
(Slate Hill, New York)
CollegeUConn (2010–2014)
WNBA draft2014 / Round: 1 / Pick: 6th overall
Selected by the Washington Mystics
Playing career2014–present
Career history
2014–2016Washington Mystics
2014–2015WBC Spartak Moscow Region
2015–2016Mersin Büyükşehir Belediyesi
2016Sichuan Whale
2017–2021Chicago Sky
2017–2018Dike Napoli
2018–2019Henan Phoenix
2022-presentSopron Basket
2022-presentNew York Liberty
Career highlights and awards
Stats at WNBA.com
Medals
Women's 3x3 basketball
Representing  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2020 Tokyo 3x3 Team

Stefanie Dolson (born January 8, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).[1] She was drafted sixth overall in the 2014 WNBA draft.[2] Dolson played center for the UConn women's basketball team and won back-to-back national championships in 2013 and 2014. She won a gold medal in Women's 3x3 basketball at the 2020 Summer Olympics.[3][4]

High school career[]

Dolson played volleyball and basketball at Minisink Valley High School in Slate Hill, New York and was a member of the National Honor Society. During her junior year she averaged 18.9 points, 16.7 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 6.2 blocks. As a senior, she averaged 22.8 points, 17.6 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 5.2 blocks.

Dolson led Minisink Valley High School to four straight New York State Public High School Athletic Association Section 9 championship game appearances and finished her career at Minisink Valley with 1,951 points and 1,607 rebounds. She was a McDonald's High School All-American and participated in the All-Star game where she had 12 points and eight rebounds in the McDonald's All-American Game.[5]

College career[]

Stefanie Dolson holding the championship trophy at the 2014 UConn men and women's national championship parade

Freshman year[]

Following the graduation of All-American center Tina Charles, Dolson earned a starting spot during her freshman year at UConn. She tied her career high of 24 points in the 2011 Big East championship game vs Notre Dame. Dolson was subsequently named to the Big East Rookie Team alongside teammate Bria Hartley.[6]

Sophomore year[]

In her sophomore year she led the Huskies in rebounding pulling down 6.0 grabs per game and was the leader in blocks with 57. Dolson tallied 20 double-figure performances, including four 20-plus games. Dolson opened up the season with a bang going 6-for-6 from the floor for 12 points and added seven rebounds against Holy Cross on 11/13. Recorded a team-high 20 points as she went 10-for-16 in the Final Four on April 1 against Notre Dame.

Junior year[]

Dolson played and started in 38 of UConn's 39 games and was third on the team with 13.6 points while leading the squad with 7.1 rebounds per game. She was third on the team at 26.8 minutes per game and led the squad with a solid .598 field goal percentage, which was the second-highest total nationally. One of three Huskies to dish at least 100 assists, Dolson was third with 117 helpers. She posted four double-double performances after entering the year with only two to her credit. Dolson had career-high 25 points twice, the first time in UConn's 87–62 win over Syracuse on January 19 and then again in the 85–51 victory over USF on March 2. She made her third-straight All-BIG EAST Tournament team with an 18-point, 14-rebound effort in the 61–59 loss to Notre Dame in the BIG EAST Championship Final on March 4. Dolson helped her team win the 2013 National Championship.

Senior year[]

Dolson played and started in all 40 of UConn's game, averaging 12.5 points and a team-best 9.3 rebounds per contest, while she shot 56.4 percent from the floor and was fourth on the team at 3.4 assists per game. She became only the second Husky all-time to register a triple-double with a 24-point, 14-rebound, 11-assist effort against Oregon on November 20 and she posted career highs in rebounds, assists, blocks and steals during the 2013-14 campaign. Dolson hauled in 371 rebounds, which was one shy of tying UConn's single-season rebound record held by Tina Charles. She blocked 93 shots, which was the third-highest total by a Husky senior. Dolson was named the inaugural 2013-2014 American Athletic Conference and WBCA NCAA Division I Defensive Player of the Year and 2013-2014 Lowe's Senior Class Award. Dolson helped lead her team to an undefeated 40–0 season and the 2014 National Championship, and was named to the 2014 NCAA Final Four All-Tournament team, and was later inducted into the Huskies of Honor on senior night.

Dolson led UConn to a 144–11 record over her four-year career, which included four Final Four appearances and back to back National Championships. One of only three Huskies triple-doubles in school history. One of only five Huskies, along with Tina Charles, Rebecca Lobo, Maya Moore and Jamelle Elliott, with at least 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. Dolson finished her career 12th on UConn's all-time scoring list at 1,797 career points, fourth with 1,101 career rebounds and fourth in both blocks (254) and field goal percentage (58.8 percent). A member of the All-Conference Tournament Team in all four years at UConn, Dolson also earned a spot on the All-NCAA Tournament Team in 2014.[6]

College statistics[]

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
Year Team GP Points FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2010-11 Connecticut 38 386 61.6 00.0 81.6 6.1 1.6 0.5 1.2 10.2
2011-12 Connecticut 38 397 58.6 00.0 81.0 6.0 1.7 0.8 1.5 10.4
2012-13 Connecticut 38 516 59.3 42.1 79.6 7.1 3.1 1.1 1.5 13.6
2013-14 Connecticut 40 498 56.4 29.6 79.2 9.3 3.4 1.0 2.3 12.5
Career Connecticut 154 1797 58.8 32.7 80.2 7.2 2.5 0.9 1.6 11.7

[7]

Professional career[]

WNBA[]

Washington Mystics (2014–17)[]

Stefanie Dolson at the 2015 All-Star game

Dolson was drafted sixth overall in the 2014 WNBA Draft by Washington Mystics.[8] UConn teammate Bria Hartley was drafted right after her by the Seattle Storm and thereafter traded to the Mystics.[9] On June 1, 2014, in a triple-overtime victory against the Los Angeles Sparks, the UConn duo of Dolson and Hartley combined for 34 points coming off the bench and Dolson recorded her first career double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.[10] In her first career start on August 14, 2014, Dolson had her second career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds in a regular season loss to the Chicago Sky.[11] The Mystics finished third place in the Eastern Conference but were swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Indiana Fever.

In the 2015 WNBA season opener against the Connecticut Sun, Dolson had a stand out dominating performance scoring 18 points and 12 rebounds in a winning effort. Later on in the season, she was selected into the 2015 WNBA All-Star Game as a reserve. Throughout the season, Dolson averaged career-highs in scoring and rebounding. The Mystics would once again reach the playoffs, with the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference, but were yet again a first round exit, losing to the New York Liberty in three games. In the 2016 season, Dolson continued to flourish as a player in the Mystics' starting lineup. In a win against the New York Liberty, she scored a career-high 23 points. During that game, she had also achieved career-highs in field goals made and three-pointers made[12] However, the Mystics would miss the playoffs with a disappointing 13–21 record.

Chicago Sky (2017–present)[]

After three seasons with the Mystics, Dolson was traded to the Chicago Sky along with teammate Kahleah Copper, and the second overall pick in the 2017 WNBA draft, for Elena Delle Donne.[13]

On May 14, 2017, in her debut with the Sky, Dolson scored 9 points along with 2 rebounds in a 70–61 loss to the Minnesota Lynx.[14] On May 21, 2017, Dolson tied her career-high of 23 points along with 8 rebounds and a new career-high of 5 blocks in a 75–71 victory over the Atlanta Dream.[15][16] Two months later, on July 28, 2017, Dolson scored a new career-high of 29 points in an 86–80 loss to the Phoenix Mercury.[17] By the end of the season, Dolson averaged new career-highs in scoring and rebounding with 14.5 ppg and 5.8 rpg, but the Sky finished 12-22 and were eliminated from playoff contention.

In February 2018, Dolson re-signed with the Sky to a multi-year deal in free agency.[18] In 2018, the Sky missed out on the playoffs as they finished with a 13–21 record.

Overseas[]

In the 2014-15 WNBA off-season, Dolson played in Russia for WBC Spartak Moscow Region. In the 2015-16 WNBA off-season, Dolson played in Turkey for Mersin Büyükşehir Belediyesi. In the 2016-17 WNBA off-season, Dolson briefly played in China for the Sichuan Whale.[19] In 2017, Dolson signed with Dike Napoli of the Italian League for the 2017-18 WNBA off-season.[20] In October 2018, Dolson signed with the Henan Phoenix of the Chinese League for the 2018-19 off-season.[21]

WNBA career statistics[]

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game  RPG  Rebounds per game
 APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game  BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game
 TO  Turnovers per game  FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 Bold  Career high ° League leader
† Denotes seasons in which Dolson won a WNBA championship

Regular season[]

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2014 Washington 34 1 18.4 .492 .000 .811 4.4 1.2 0.4 1.1 1.7 6.0
2015 Washington 34 33 24.7 .495 .476 .871 5.6 1.6 0.5 1.1 1.9 10.6
2016 Washington 34 31 22.5 .482 .300 .843 4.7 1.1 0.4 0.9 1.1 9.3
2017 Chicago 33 33 29.3 .561 .437 .870 5.8 2.6 0.5 1.3 2.5 14.5
2018 Chicago 27 25 27.6 .467 .346 .938 4.6 3.0 0.6 0.9 1.8 9.7
2019 Chicago 34 34 25.0 .519 .361 .898 5.6 2.2 0.6 1.0 1.9 9.3
2020 Chicago 15 8 18.2 .486 .375 .737 3.5 1.7 0.4 0.9 1.0 6.3
2021† Chicago 24 15 20.0 .486 .404 .947 3.5 1.3 0.3 0.8 1.3 7.5
Career 8 years, 2 team 235 180 23.6 .504 .381 .865 4.9 1.8 0.5 1.0 1.7 9.4

Playoffs[]

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2014 Washington 2 0 18.8 .300 .000 1.000 1.5 0.5 0.0 1.0 2.5 5.0
2015 Washington 3 3 22.0 .480 .000 .750 5.3 1.0 0.3 1.3 0.3 9.0
2019 Chicago 2 2 28.0 .600 .571 1.000 7.0 3.0 0.5 1.0 1.0 14.5
2020 Chicago 1 0 16.0 .250 .000 2.0 3.0 0.0 1.0 0.0 2.0
2021† Chicago 10 0 16.8 .512 .294 1.000 2.8 1.1 0.2 0.7 1.1 4.9
Career 5 years, 2 teams 18 5 19.1 .490 .321 .909 3.5 1.3 0.2 0.9 1.1 6.5

USA Basketball[]

Dolson was named to the USA Basketball U18 team. The USA team was one of eight teams from North, South and Central America, along with the Caribbean, invited to participate in the 2010 FIBA Americas U18 Championship for Women, held at the U.S. Olympic Training Center, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The 2010 USA Basketball U18 National Team that compiled a perfect 5–0, earned the 2010 FIBA Americas Championship gold medal and qualified the US for the 2011 FIBA U19 World Championship. [5]

Dolson was named to the USA Basketball U19 team. The 2011 USA Basketball U19 World Championship Team that posted an 8–1 record and captured the gold medal in Valdivia, Chile.

In 2021, Dolson was part of the USA team that won the first Olympic gold medal in 3x3 basketball. They defeated the Russian Olympic Committee in the gold medal game.[4]

Personal life[]

Dolson is a descendant of the 17th century Minisink, NY-area settler and beaver-pelt trader James Dolson, for whom a major commercial roadway is now named; he had five sons, one of which died in the American Revolution. The daughter of Steve and Kristal Dolson. Dolson has two older sisters Ashley and Courtney and one younger brother Jake.[5]

In 2016, Dolson publicly came out as a member of the LGBTQ community. She spoke out on her sexuality in an interview with ESPN Magazine by saying: "Not everyone in the WNBA needs to be out, but I feel called to lead an authentic life in the open. I know who I am and I don't care if people judge me. I am 6-5, and I dye my hair purple and experiment a lot with fashion. My motto is: If they're going to stare, they might as well stare at something fun. There are a lot of girls who struggle being who they are. We need people who are out so that those girls know it's OK to be themselves, regardless of stereotypes. By being open, I give them someone to look up to, and however they identify, I can inspire them to support equality and LGBT issues."[22]

In 2019, Dolson played on the "Away" roster during the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game at the Bojangles' Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina.[23]

Awards and honors[]

  • Two-Time BIG EAST Freshman of the Week
  • 2010–11 BIG EAST All–Rookie Team
  • 2010–11 BIG EAST All–Tournament Team
  • 2011–12 Wooden Award Preseason Top–30
  • 2011–12 Preseason Wade Watch List
  • 2011–12 Preseason All–BIG EAST Honorable Mention
  • 2011–12 Preseason Naismith Award Watch List
  • 2011–12 BIG EAST All–Tournament Team
  • 2011–12 All–BIG EAST Honorable Mention
  • 2011–12 NCAA All–Kingston Regional Team
  • 2012–13 Wooden Award Preseason Top–30
  • 2012–13 Naismith Award Preseason Watch List
  • 2012–13 BIG EAST All–Tournament Team
  • 2012–13 All–BIG EAST First Team
  • 2012–13 Associated Press All–America Third Team
  • 2012–13 USBWA All–America Team
  • 2012–13 WBCA/State Farm All–America Team
  • 2013–14 Senior Class Award
  • 2013–14 AAC Defensive Player of the Year
  • 2013-14 WBCA National Defensive Player of the Year [24]

References[]

  1. ^ "Player Bio - Stefanie Dolson". Chicago Sky. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  2. ^ P, Nate (April 14, 2014). "Round 1, Pick 6: Mystics select Stefanie Dolson". Swish Appeal. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  3. ^ "Sky's Stefanie Dolson Helps USA Win Gold in 3×3 Olympics Debut". NBC Chicago. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
  4. ^ a b Costabile, Annie (July 28, 2021). "Sky's Stefanie Dolson helps USA make Olympic basketball history". Chicago Sun Times.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ a b c "Stefanie Dolson". USA Basketball. Retrieved April 20, 2014.
  6. ^ a b "Stefanie Dolson". Retrieved June 2, 2014.[permanent dead link]
  7. ^ "NCAA Statistics". web1.ncaa.org. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  8. ^ P, Nate (April 14, 2014). "Round 1, Pick 6: Mystics select Stefanie Dolson". Swish Appeal. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  9. ^ Altavilla, John (April 14, 2014). "Dolson, Hartley To Play Together For Mystics". Hartford Courant. Tribune Company. Retrieved April 18, 2014.
  10. ^ Stef Dolson, Bria Hartley Continue Smooth Transition To WNBA
  11. ^ Washington Mystics fall to Chicago Sky, fail to clinch WNBA playoff berth
  12. ^ Dolson scores career-high 23 as Mystics top Liberty
  13. ^ ELENA DELLE DONNE TO MYSTICS: LATEST TRADE DETAILS, COMMENTS AND REACTION
  14. ^ Stefanie Dolson Game Log
  15. ^ McCamish Pavilion Sunday, May 21, 2017
  16. ^ Stefanie Dolson Career Highs
  17. ^ Stefanie Dolson scores career-high 29 points but Sky fall 86-80 to Mercury
  18. ^ WNBA News: Chicago re-signs 3, plus adds veteran free agent
  19. ^ 2016-2017 WNBA Overseas Signings
  20. ^ WNBA Players Playing Overseas
  21. ^ Stefanie Dolson signs at Henan
  22. ^ Zeigler, Cyd (May 11, 2016). "WNBA center Stefanie Dolson comes out". Outsports. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
  23. ^ release, Official. "ESPN and NBA announce celebrity rosters and coaches for 2019 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game presented by Ruffles exclusively on ESPN". NBA.com. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
  24. ^ "WBCA NCAA Division I Defensive Player of the Year". Women's Basketball Coaches Association. Retrieved July 1, 2014.

External links[]

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