Kelly Mazzante

Last updated
Kelly Mazzante
Personal information
Born (1982-02-02) February 2, 1982 (age 42)
Williamsport, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Listed weight155 lb (70 kg)
Career information
High school Montoursville
(Montoursville, Pennsylvania)
College Penn State (2000–2004)
WNBA draft 2004: 2nd round, 18th overall pick
Selected by the Charlotte Sting
Playing career2004–2011
Position Guard
Number13, 33
Career history
2004–2006 Charlotte Sting
2007–2009 Phoenix Mercury
2011 Atlanta Dream
Career highlights and awards
Career statistics
Points 933 (4.7 ppg)
Rebounds 327 (1.6 rpg)
Assists 173 (0.9 apg)
Stats at WNBA.com

Kelly Anne Mazzante (born February 2, 1982) is an American retired professional women's basketball player who last played for the Atlanta Dream of the WNBA. After her collegiate career, she was the all-time leading scorer in Big Ten basketball history (male or female). [1] The record stood until she was surpassed on the scoring list by Rachel Banham in 2016. The record was subsequently surpassed by Kelsey Mitchell in 2018 and Caitlin Clark in 2024. [2]

Contents

Early life and college career

Mazzante attended Montoursville High School in Montoursville, Pennsylvania, which is also the alma mater of Mike Mussina, a pitcher for the New York Yankees. She scored over 3,000 points in high school and finished as the third-leading scorer in Pennsylvania girls' basketball history.

At an early age, Mazzante attended Penn State's Lady Lion Basketball Camp. She went on to attend college at Penn State, where she was a star member of the women's basketball team, mainly playing in the shooting guard position. Mazzante scored an outstanding 49 points and sank 9 three-point shots against Minnesota during her sophomore season. During her senior season, Kelly led her team to the Elite Eight, where they fell to the eventual champions, Connecticut. She earned Kodak All-American honors three times (2002, 2003, and 2004). She was the all-time leading scorer in the Big Ten Conference with 2,919 points in four seasons from 2001 to 2004. Through 133 NCAA appearances, she averaged 21.9 points per game. She also holds Big Ten records for Field Goals (1,051), Field Goals Attempted (2,403), 3 Point Field Goals (357), and 3 Point Field Goals Attempted (1,019). She was a recipient of the NCAA Top Eight Award as part of the Class of 2005. Mazzante's Penn State No. 13 jersey was retired on December 29, 2004. She completed her undergraduate degree in advertising/public relations in the off-season while assisting the women's basketball team.

Mazzante was also a member of the 2002 USA World Championship for Young Women Qualifying Team that won the gold medal.

Penn State statistics

Source [3]

Legend
  GPGames 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
2000–01 Penn State 29 529 46.836.976.3 4.2 1.6 2.5 0.5 18.2
2001–02 Penn State 3587243.7 36.7 81.4 3.9 1.7 1.9 0.4 24.9
2002–03 Penn State 35837 43.3 34.5 84.24.62.22.50.5 23.9
2003–04 Penn State 34 681 40.1 32.7 82.4 4.1 1.6 1.8 0.720.0
Career Penn State 133 2919 43.3 35.0 81.9 4.2 1.8 2.2 0.5 21.9

Professional career

Mazzante was selected in the second round of the 2004 WNBA draft by the Charlotte Sting, where she spent three seasons as a reserve guard. She scored a WNBA-career-high 18 points in an August 18, 2006, game against the Phoenix Mercury. After the Charlotte Sting folded in January 2007, Mazzante was selected in the 2007 WNBA Dispersal Draft by the Mercury. She contributed to the Mercury's victory in the 2007 and 2009 WNBA Finals, primarily as a three-point shooting specialist. During her Phoenix Mercury days, Mazzante wrote a blog for PhoenixMercury.com called "Maz's Musings."

In March 2010, Mazzante was traded to the New York Liberty as part of a three-team, multi-player deal. [4] However, she was released from the team a few weeks later, since she was in the middle of rehab for her ACL.

In the 2006–2007 WNBA offseason, Mazzante played in Slovakia for the Košice professional basketball team. In the 2007–2008 WNBA offseason, she played in Russia for Spartak. During the winters of 2008–09 and 2009–10, she played in Hungary for MiZo Pécs (PVSK). In 2011, she signed with the San Antonio Silver Stars and later the Atlanta Dream of the WNBA. On January 21, 2014, Mazzante announced her retirement. [5]

Personal

Mazzante has hosted her basketball camp for girls and boys in Phillipsburg during the fall of 2007.

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References

  1. ↑ "PSU Playbook Archive". Archived from the original on 2011-07-27. Retrieved 2007-11-18.
  2. ↑ "Caitlin Clark College Stats". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-02-16.
  3. ↑ "Women's Basketball Player stats". NCAA. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
  4. ↑ "Blockbuster Trade Changes the WNBA Landscape". Archived from the original on 2010-04-03. Retrieved 2010-04-04.
  5. ↑ "PSU's all-time leading scorer, Kelly Mazzante, to announce retirement". PennLive.com. Retrieved 2017-09-12.
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