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From Awkward Teen To The Hall Of Fame, Kara Wolters' Journey
By Lenny Megliola/Special to the News
For a woman who was named national college Player of the Year, won an Olympic gold medal, an NCAA title, a WNBA title and a European championship, and was a Big East Player of the Year, you'd think her basketball life had been sublimely preordained, that her growth came with relative ease.
Fine, assume that.
But for the sake of transparency, you'd have to factor in the taunting she was subjected to, the rejections, the peer pressure that nearly stigmatized her.
Insecurities? "That's just who I am," said Kara Wolters. "Insecure."
Even after all she's accomplished, the accolades, the fame, the doubt lingered.
Here's a principal example. This year's inductees into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame were announced a few days ago. Wolters' name was on it. Her reaction when she got the call was not surprising.
"I thought, 'really, the Hall of Fame? Really?' I don't know. It was almost embarrassing," she said.
So let's back up. Wolters, from Holliston, was 6-foot-3 when she was in middle school. Heck, a girl that tall just had to give basketball a fling, so let's see what happens. The only sure thing was the verbal abuse.
"I hated being tall in school," she said. "The kids were mean. I was too big. Too slow. Overweight."
It was painful watching her run the floor. This wasn't going to work.
By the time she got to Holliston High, she'd sprouted to 6-foot-7. She was still slow, too heavy. The taunts followed her. Sure, being that tall it wasn't that difficult for Wolters to pluck rebounds and block shots. Her numbers were good. But this was high school. What about the next level? "I was definitely a project." She knew.
Was there a college that would take a shot on Wolters? She hoped Boston College would give her a chance. Her dad, Willie, played so well at BC that he's in the Eagles' athletic hall of fame.
It broke her heart that BC looked the other way...
[MUCH MORE]
By Lenny Megliola/Special to the News
For a woman who was named national college Player of the Year, won an Olympic gold medal, an NCAA title, a WNBA title and a European championship, and was a Big East Player of the Year, you'd think her basketball life had been sublimely preordained, that her growth came with relative ease.
Fine, assume that.
But for the sake of transparency, you'd have to factor in the taunting she was subjected to, the rejections, the peer pressure that nearly stigmatized her.
Insecurities? "That's just who I am," said Kara Wolters. "Insecure."
Even after all she's accomplished, the accolades, the fame, the doubt lingered.
Here's a principal example. This year's inductees into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame were announced a few days ago. Wolters' name was on it. Her reaction when she got the call was not surprising.
"I thought, 'really, the Hall of Fame? Really?' I don't know. It was almost embarrassing," she said.
So let's back up. Wolters, from Holliston, was 6-foot-3 when she was in middle school. Heck, a girl that tall just had to give basketball a fling, so let's see what happens. The only sure thing was the verbal abuse.
"I hated being tall in school," she said. "The kids were mean. I was too big. Too slow. Overweight."
It was painful watching her run the floor. This wasn't going to work.
By the time she got to Holliston High, she'd sprouted to 6-foot-7. She was still slow, too heavy. The taunts followed her. Sure, being that tall it wasn't that difficult for Wolters to pluck rebounds and block shots. Her numbers were good. But this was high school. What about the next level? "I was definitely a project." She knew.
Was there a college that would take a shot on Wolters? She hoped Boston College would give her a chance. Her dad, Willie, played so well at BC that he's in the Eagles' athletic hall of fame.
It broke her heart that BC looked the other way...
[MUCH MORE]
