Kayte Christensen

Infobox WNBA Player


imagewidth = 300px
caption = Kayte Christensen on November 1,2007
position = Forward
nickname =
height_ft = 6
height_in = 3
weight_lb =170
nationality = USA
number = 20:WNBA
birth_date = birth date and age|1980|11|16
birth_place = Lakeview, Oregon
highschool = Modoc High School
college = UC Santa Barbara
draft = 3rd round, 40th pick overall
draft_year = 2002
draft_team = Phoenix Mercury
career_start = 2002
career_end = 2005
March, 2006 - May, 2008
former_teams = Phoenix Mercury
Houston Comets
Chicago Sky
awards =

*2001 - Big West Player of the Year
*1999 - Big West All-Freshman Team"See Career highlights below for further details"

Kayte Lauren Christensen (born November 16, 1980 in Lakeview, Oregon) is an American professional basketball player who has competed internationally and for the Phoenix Mercury and Chicago Sky in the WNBA.

Her bio on the Mercury website describes Christensen as aggressive and describes typical play for her as "diving for loose balls and generally sacrificing her body for the good of the team." [ [http://www.wnba.com/mercury/news/girl_thing_christensen.html MERCURY: It's a Girl Thing: Get 2 Know Kayte Christensen ] ]

Biography

Kayte Lauren Christensen was born on Sunday November 16, 1980 in Lakeview, Oregon to Randy and Cathy Christensen. She grew up on her family's ranch in the Modoc County sawmill ghost town of Likely, California, with two sisters and a younger brother.

High school and college

Christensen attended South Fork Elementary School, then Modoc High School in Alturas, California and graduated in 1998. She started playing basketball in sixth grade and it wasn’t until her junior season in high school that she realized she had potential to have basketball pay for her college education. Christensen averaged 17.4 points per game and 9.8 rebounds per game as a senior. She was named the California Division V Player of the Year in 1998 as well as the Shasta Cascade League MVP in her sophomore, junior and senior seasons.

As a junior, Christensen scored 17.4 points per game and grabbed 11.1 rebounds per game. Her 470 points scored as a junior and 1,557 points in her career are both Modoc High School records. She blocked 80 shots as a junior and 59 as a senior. During her junior year, Christensen and her Modoc teammates were the Division V state runners-up. The next year, they won the California Interscholastic Federation state Division V championship.

In her spare time, Christensen tutored younger girls at basketball. She also competed in Volleyball and Track. [ [http://ucsbgauchos.cstv.com/sports/w-baskbl/mtt/christensen_kayte00.html Player Bio: Kayte Christensen :: Women's Basketball ] ]

Christensen later attended college at UC Santa Barbara as a classmate of fellow WNBA player Lindsay Taylor. She is Santa Barbara's all-time career field goal leader. She also ranks among the top ten in rebounds and blocked shots.

Christensen's first season playing at UCSB was (1998-1999). She scored in double figures nine times during her first season, including twice scoring a career-high 18 points. She finished her first season averaging 8.0 points and 5.6 rebounds a game in 16.9 minutes of play. Christensen was named to the Big West's All-Freshman team and finished 12th (out of 15)in the Big West with 0.6 blocks per game. She capped her final season as the Big West Player of the Year.

Her second season was from (1999-2000). Christensen played in 18 games before breaking her wrist on January 25,2000 forcing her to miss the remainder of the season.

Her final season was (2000-2001) and is considered her finest season as a Gaucho, earning All-Big West First Team honors. In league games, Christensen improved dramatically and averaged 15.6 points per game and also topped the team in rebounds at 7.6 per game. She was twice named the conference Player of the Week, on February 5,2001 and March 5,2001.

WNBA

Christensen was selected by Phoenix Mercury in the third round (40th overall) of the 2002 WNBA Draft.In her first four seasons in the WNBA, Christensen averaged 3.8 points, 2.9 rebounds and 0.75 steals per game. During her rookie year in Phoenix, she shot .505 from the field, second among all WNBA rookies. Her 2.7 rebounding average was sixth among rookies. She averaged 4.0 points and 0.8 assists in 30 games. [http://www.wnba.com/comets/news/Comets_Add_Kayte_Christensen-173320-222.html] [ [http://www.wnba.com/sky/news/sky_signs_kayte_christensen.html SKY: Sky Signs Kayte Christensen ] ]

She signed with the Houston Comets for her third WNBA season on March 24,2006, but was waived on May 19, 2006 when she failed to make the regular-season roster. She rejoined the Mercury later one month later on June 15. She played in six games, averaging 3.0 points and 3.2 rebounds in 14.7 minutes per game. [http://www.wnba.com/mercury/news/christensen_060615.html]

After the 2006 season ended, Christensen became a free agent until March 2007, when she signed a contract with the Chicago Sky. She played in 23 games and scored 48 points for the Sky during the 2007 season. She was released from the Chicago Sky after missing the the 2008 season opener due to a recurring back injury.

Christensen has twice been the recipient of the WNBA Offseason Community Assist Award, first in 2003 and second in 2004.

Career highlights

*Big West Conference Player of the Year (2002)
*All-Big West First Team (2001-2002)
*Big West All-Freshman Team (1999)
*Holds school record in career field-goal percentage
*Twice named the college conference Player of the Week

Quotes

Christensen on WNBA fans. [http://www.wnba.com/mercury/news/draft_reaction_040417.html]

Trivia

*Enjoys playing beach volleyball, hiking and camping
*Her favorite TV shows are Golden Girls and Friends
*Wears a size 12(US)/44(EUR) shoe. [http://www.wnba.com/mercury/news/christensenchronicles_8.html]
*Currently a Halftime Analyst for the Sacramento Kings. (Comcast Sports Network; Also a co-hosts for the show 'House Party Live' which is a pre/post-game show for the Sacramento Kings)

References

External links

* [http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/kayte_christensen WNBA Player Profile]
* [http://www.azcentral.com/sports/mercury/kaytesdiary.html Kayte's Diary]
* [http://ucsbgauchos.cstv.com/sports/w-baskbl/mtt/christensen_kayte00.html UCSB Profile]