Jamie Carey
Encyclopedia
Jamie Leigh Carey (born March 12, 1981 in Hutchinson, Kansas
) was a professional basketball
player, playing the point guard position for the Connecticut Sun
in the WNBA
until her retirement in 2009. Jamie currently coaches high school basketball in Broomfield, CO, and works in sports marketing for Triple Crown Sports.
. She graduated as class valedictorian with a 4.0 GPA. She was named Colorado's Gatorade player of the year as well as the Gatorade National Player of the Year
. Carey was named a WBCA
All-American. She participated in the 1999 WBCA High School All-America Game, where she scored three points.
, where she earned the PAC-10 Conference
"Freshman of the Year" honors and broke Stanford's single season record for three pointers
made with 81. However, she suffered several serious ankle injuries and spent much of the season on crutches.
She had surgery on her left ankle following the season and missed the following six months with rehab.
She came back to practice in October 1999, but could not continue as pain in her ankle forced her back on crutches. She sat out the next two seasons due to her recurring left ankle injury. She was seen on her crutches cheering on her team on the bench and became a fan favorite. She continued to attend classes at Stanford, and was seen on campus limping on her crutches with her left ankle wrapped in a soft cast. She reportedly said her crutches were her best friends because she could not go anywhere without her crutches. A picture of her leaning on her crutches with an ice pack on her left ankle became the cover page of the Stanford women's basketball media guide in 2000, under the title "Courage".
She transferred to The University of Texas at Austin in 2002 and played three seasons there after successfully petitioning for a fifth and sixth year of NCAA
eligibility. During her time at Texas, the team became a national championship contender with a Final Four
appearance in 2003. She was a sociology major.
in 2005 with the 31st overall pick and played for the Connecticut Sun
until her retirement in April of 2009.
Hutchinson, Kansas
Hutchinson is the largest city in and the county seat of Reno County, Kansas, United States, northwest of Wichita, on the Arkansas River. It has been home to salt mines since 1887, thus its nickname of "Salt City", but locals call it "Hutch"...
) was a professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player, playing the point guard position for the Connecticut Sun
Connecticut Sun
The Connecticut Sun is a professional basketball team based in Uncasville, Connecticut, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded in Orlando, Florida before the 1999 season began; the team moved to Connecticut before the 2003 season...
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...
until her retirement in 2009. Jamie currently coaches high school basketball in Broomfield, CO, and works in sports marketing for Triple Crown Sports.
High School years
Carey attended Horizon High School in Thornton, ColoradoThornton, Colorado
The city of Thornton is a Home Rule Municipality in Adams and Weld counties in the U.S. state of Colorado and a suburb of the Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area. Thornton is northeast of the state's capital, Denver. The United States Census Bureau that the city population...
. She graduated as class valedictorian with a 4.0 GPA. She was named Colorado's Gatorade player of the year as well as the Gatorade National Player of the Year
Gatorade Player of the Year awards
The Gatorade Player of the Year awards are given annually to male and female high-school student-athletes in the United States. They are given for boys' baseball, boys' football, girls' softball, girls' volleyball, boys' basketball, girls' basketball, boys' cross country, girls' cross country,...
. Carey was named a WBCA
Women's Basketball Coaches Association
The Women's Basketball Coaches Association is an association of coaches of women's basketball teams at all levels.The organization was formed in 1981, with the goal of addressing the needs of women's basketball coaches.The mission of the WBCA is:...
All-American. She participated in the 1999 WBCA High School All-America Game, where she scored three points.
College years
In 1999, Carey attended Stanford UniversityStanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, where she earned the PAC-10 Conference
Pacific Ten Conference
The Pacific-12 Conference is a college athletic conference that operates in the Western United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I; its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision , the higher of two levels of NCAA Division I football competition...
"Freshman of the Year" honors and broke Stanford's single season record for three pointers
Three-point field goal
A three-point field goal is a field goal in a basketball game, made from beyond the three-point line, a designated arc radiating from the basket...
made with 81. However, she suffered several serious ankle injuries and spent much of the season on crutches.
She had surgery on her left ankle following the season and missed the following six months with rehab.
She came back to practice in October 1999, but could not continue as pain in her ankle forced her back on crutches. She sat out the next two seasons due to her recurring left ankle injury. She was seen on her crutches cheering on her team on the bench and became a fan favorite. She continued to attend classes at Stanford, and was seen on campus limping on her crutches with her left ankle wrapped in a soft cast. She reportedly said her crutches were her best friends because she could not go anywhere without her crutches. A picture of her leaning on her crutches with an ice pack on her left ankle became the cover page of the Stanford women's basketball media guide in 2000, under the title "Courage".
She transferred to The University of Texas at Austin in 2002 and played three seasons there after successfully petitioning for a fifth and sixth year of NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
eligibility. During her time at Texas, the team became a national championship contender with a Final Four
Final four
Final Four isa sports term that is commonly applied to the last four teams remaining in a playoff tournament, most notably NCAA Division I college basketball tournaments. The term usually refers to the four teams who compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final round...
appearance in 2003. She was a sociology major.
WNBA career
Carey was drafted by the Phoenix MercuryPhoenix Mercury
The Phoenix Mercury is a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began; it is one of the eight original franchises...
in 2005 with the 31st overall pick and played for the Connecticut Sun
Connecticut Sun
The Connecticut Sun is a professional basketball team based in Uncasville, Connecticut, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded in Orlando, Florida before the 1999 season began; the team moved to Connecticut before the 2003 season...
until her retirement in April of 2009.
Vital statistics
- Position: Guard
- Height: 5 ft. 6 in. / 1.68 m
- College: University of Texas at AustinUniversity of Texas at AustinThe University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
, Stanford UniversityStanford UniversityThe Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San... - Team(s): Connecticut SunConnecticut SunThe Connecticut Sun is a professional basketball team based in Uncasville, Connecticut, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded in Orlando, Florida before the 1999 season began; the team moved to Connecticut before the 2003 season...
(WNBA)