Player Profile: Katie Feenstra

DREAM PLAYER PROFILE: KATIE FEENSTRA

Standing 6 feet, 8 inches tall, Dream center Katie Feenstra is often literally head and shoulders above the competition. Fortunately for Feenstra, since picking up basketball in junior high, her game has quickly caught up to her height.

Despite her late start to the game, Feenstra was highly recruited out of high school by major Division I programs such as Michigan State and Notre Dame. Instead of attending a traditional college basketball powerhouse, Feenstra instead elected to attend Liberty University, a small Christian college in Lynchburg, Virginia. In choosing to continue her basketball career at Liberty, Feenstra followed in the footsteps of her older sister Meribeth, a 6-foot-7-inch center at Liberty from 1999-2003.

Feenstra quickly emerged as one of the nation�s top post players, earning Big South Player of the Year honors three times and finishing her career as the conference�s all-time leading shot blocker. During her junior and senior seasons, Feenstra earned Associated Press All-American Honorable Mention honors. She also led the nation in field goal percentage in back-to-back seasons (2004, 2005).

After a Cinderella story senior season in which she lead the 13th seeded Lady Flames to an appearance in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA tournament, Feenstra received plenty of interest from WNBA teams. She was selected with the eighth overall pick of the 2005 WNBA draft and has played three seasons in the WNBA, most recently as a member of the Detroit Shock.

As a member of the San Antonio Silver Stars in her rookie year, Feenstra was selected to the inaugural All-Rookie Team and finished second in Rookie of the Year Voting. She played two seasons in San Antonio before joining the Detroit Shock where she helped the team to a trip to the 2007 WNBA Finals.

A solid contributor throughout her young career, Feenstra is looking to capitalize on her early success in the league. In three WNBA seasons, Feenstra is averaging 7.3 points per game and 5.4 rebounds per game. Through last season, her career field goal percentage stands at 48.1%.

Having moved around early in her WNBA career, Feenstra is excited to find a home with the Atlanta Dream. Having always chosen to carve her own path, Feenstra will yet again be a part of history as the Dream battle throughout the season.