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From WNBA.com

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Keeping It Real With Kayte
Transitions, Karma & Off-season Plans

Kayte Christensen, sensational in her rookie season with the Phoenix Mercury, showed heart, hustle and gave Mercury fans hope for the future with her play off the bench in 2002. The 6'3" forward took time to reflect on her first season in the WNBA and what kinds of adjustments she had to make in her first year of professional basketball.

"My first season in the WNBA was a little sporadic and chaotic because we had so many changes. Pregnancies, people coming in and out, you name it. So that was totally different than in college. Obviously, playing with people so much older than you is also different."

Although Kayte sometimes enjoyed having so many games because it resulted in fewer practice sessions, she was accustomed to practicing five times per week in college. Getting paid to play is also new to her. "It is the coolest thing to actually have money in the bank! When I look at my balance, I actually have money in there. It's not a real great amount since I am a rookie, but it is better than college!"

Another big change for Christensen this season was the number of losses that she experienced. At UC-Santa Barbara, Kayte was Big West Conference Player of the Year and led her team to a 26-6 record as a senior. She doesn't know how else to explain the turn of the tables other than, "It must be karma! I had dinner with Stacey Clinesmith (former UCSB teammate now with the Detroit Shock) and we talked about how it must be karma since we were the strongest team in our conference, beating up on teams by 30 and 40 points. Neither of us really won many games this season, so we think it is karma. Kind of funny that it worked out that way, but I think everyone has to pay their dues."

Kayte may be paying her dues now, but she plans on making the tides turn for next season. "I want to be much better than I was this year. My goals for 2003 are to come in a lot stronger and be able to be more versatile. After one season in the WNBA, I know better what things to work on and what skills I need to acquire."

Speaking of the off-season, Kayte headed back to Santa Barabara in order to finish her undergraduate degree in Classical Civilization, which includes classes such as Roman history, literature, philosophy, science and language. If Kayte were not in the WNBA, she would be a professional student going towards her PhD in order to teach at the college level. She will also work out with her old team, working on her game and helping the Gauchos at the same time. "I am excited to be back in Santa Barbara, helping out my old team. I plan to work out, run some camps and maybe get into some modeling stuff in the off-season."

With her rookie campaign completed, Christensen feels she experienced more than the average rookie. She was the latest pick (40th overall)in the entire draft to make a team out of training camp and stick with it. She has seen coaching and player changes. She is applauded by the fans for her all-out hustle and aggressiveness. But the thing that sticks out most in her mind are the two games she started in New York and Washington DC.

"First of all, they are great cities to visit. They have the biggest crowds that I have ever played in front of in my entire life and it was so awesome to play in that atmosphere. That is something you do not get in college."

With the help of Kayte Christensen, the Phoenix Mercury plan on getting back to their winning ways. The fact that more families and younger kids are interested and involved will help the crowds in the WNBA. According to Kayte, "It is typical of a great team to have a good following. We have great players here in Phoenix, but we need to work better together as a team. We don't have the big name players that other teams have to draw a crowd. The fans here are very dedicated and love the team no matter what."

Maybe it will be Kayte who can turn into a big name player for the Mercury down the road!

skew11 · Guest Joined: 12 Jun 2002 Posts: 372

:D Quote: "I am excited to be back in Santa Barbara, helping out my old team. I plan to work out, run some camps and maybe get into some modeling stuff in the off-season."

wasn't that Coach French that said about Kayte something like .. " Looks like Claudia Schiffer but plays like Charles Barkley" :shock: :D

Go Kayte!...

Gaucho81 · Guest Joined: 12 Jun 2002 Posts: 147 Location: Ventura, CA

Quote: "I want to be much better than I was this year. My goals for 2003 are to come in a lot stronger and be able to be more versatile. After one season in the WNBA, I know better what things to work on and what skills I need to acquire."

That's what we wanted to hear :!:

Go Kayte :!: Go Mercury :!:

When Kayte was a sophmore, I remember making a comment that Kayte was on her way to becoming an All-American. It was unfortunate that she got derailed by her hand injury in the pre-season that year. It set her back, but she is definitely back on the same track. She's got tremendous potential and such a strong work ethic.

Awesome :!: Now, how can we go about shortening this offseason :wink: