Val Whiting Explained

Val Whiting
Number:52
Position:Power forward / center
Height Ft:6
Height In:3[1]
Birth Date:9 April 1972
Birth Place:South Orange, New Jersey
Nationality:American
High School:Ursuline Academy
(Wilmington, Delaware)
College:Stanford (1989–1993)
Draft League:WNBA
Draft Year:1999
Draft Round:2
Draft Pick:17
Draft Team:Detroit Shock
Years1:1996–1997
Team1:San Jose Lasers
Years2:1997–1998
Team2:Seattle Reign
Years3:1999
Team3:Detroit Shock
Years4:2001–2002
Team4:Minnesota Lynx
Highlights:
Bbr Wnba:whitiva01w
Letter:w

Valeria Olivia Whiting (born April 9, 1972) (also known as Val Whiting-Raymond) is a former collegiate and professional basketball player. She played center for the Stanford Cardinal women's basketball during her four years of pre-med study at Stanford. Among other collegiate honors, she was named Pac-10 Women's Basketball Player of the Year two years in a row. She also played for several USA National teams as well as professional women's basketball teams.

Early life

Whiting grew up in Wilmington, Delaware.[1] For high school, she attended Ursuline Academy[2] where, according to the Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame, she "led her team to four Delaware scholastic basketball titles and was a multi-year All-State performer."[3] [4]

Whiting was a pre-med student at Stanford, where she earned a BS in Biological Sciences. She deferred her acceptance to University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine in order to play basketball in Brazil and Italy.[5]

Basketball career

College years (Stanford 1989-1993)

Whiting played for the Stanford Cardinal women's basketball team all four years of her time at Stanford. In 1990, at the end of her rookie (freshman) season, she was named Freshman of the Year both by the Pac-10 Conference and by the Women's Basketball News Service.[6]

Also in 1990, Whiting was on the USA team for the U.S. Olympic Festival, an amateur multi-sport event that used to be held in the years between Olympic Games by the United States Olympic Committee, which took place in Minneapolis that year.[7]

Whiting won two NCAA championships and went to the Final Four three years. Stanford also won four Pac-10 championships. She graduated as the school's all-time leading scorer and all-time leader in rebounds and blocks. She also left as the all-time leading scorer and rebounder in Pac-10 history. Including high school, Val has won 10 championships in total.[8]

Post-college basketball

After graduating from Stanford, Whiting postponed going to medical school in order to play more basketball. She spent a year playing in Italy, followed by two years in Brazil.[9]

Whiting was one of twelve players on the USA National team that trained at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs for the 1995 Pan American Games. Because only four international women's teams registered for the event, however, the women's basketball event was cancelled.[10]

Whiting was an alternate for the 1995-1996 US Olympic women's basketball team. In 1996, the US team won the gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.[5]

American Basketball League

In 1996, the American Basketball League (ABL) was the first independent professional basketball league for women in the United States. They recruited both Whiting and her Stanford teammate Jennifer Azzi for the San Jose Lasers.[5] Whiting was also chosen for to play on the "West" All-Star team in the December, 1996 ABL All-Star Game.[11]

After one season with the Lasers, during which she was their leading rebounder, Whiting was traded to the Seattle Reign in 1997.[12] In order to get Whiting, the Reign traded to the Lasers another player plus $20,000 and a third-round draft pick.[13] At the end of the 1997–1998 season, Whiting was the Reign's second in scoring (15.4) and in rebounding (7.2)[14] She played with the Seattle Reign from 1997 until, in 1998, the ABL folded.[15]

Women's National Basketball League

Whiting was drafted to the Women's National Basketball Association in 1998. She played the 1999 season for the Detroit Shock. After taking a year away from basketball, she played for two years (2001-2002) for the Minnesota Lynx.[16]

Career statistics

WNBA

Regular season

|-| align="left" | 1999| align="left" | Detroit|31||20||24.6||.380||0.0||.455||6.7||1.6||1.3||1.0||1.5||6.5 |-| align="left" | 2001| align="left" | Minnesota| 26 || 15 || 17.8 || .267 || .000 || .741 || 3.2 || 0.6 || 0.6 || 0.5 || 1.3 || 3.4|-| align="left" | 2002| align="left" | Minnesota| 6 || 3 || 8.7 || .308 || .000 || .417 || 1.5 || 0.8 || 0.3 || 0.3 || 0.7 || 2.2|-| align="left" | Career| align="left" | 3 years, 2 teams| 63 || 38 || 20.3 || .343 || .000 || .540 || 4.7 || 1.1 || 0.9 || 0.7 || 1.3 || 4.8

Playoffs

|-| align="left" | 1999| align="left" | Detroit| 1 || 1 || 27.0 || .286 || .000 || .600 || 6.0 || 1.0 || 2.0 || 1.0 || 2.0 || 7.0|-| align="left" | Career| align="left" | 1 year, 1 team| 1 || 1 || 27.0 || .286 || .000 || .600 || 6.0 || 1.0 || 2.0 || 1.0 || 2.0 || 7.0

College

|-| style="text-align:left;" | 1989–90 | style="text-align:left;" | Stanford|32||-||-||54.7||33.3||71.4||7.4||1.3||1.2||1.8||-||12.4 |-| style="text-align:left;" | 1990–91| style="text-align:left;" | Stanford|32||-||-||45.9||0.0||71.1||9.7||2.0||1.3||1.5||-||14.7|-| style="text-align:left;" | 1991–92 | style="text-align:left;" | Stanford|33||-||-||51.3||0.0||75.3||9.1||2.0||1.6||1.4||-||18.5|-| style="text-align:left;" | 1992–93 | style="text-align:left;" | Stanford|32||-||-||51.3||38.5||70.4||8.9||1.5||1.8||1.5||-||18.7|-| style="text-align:center;" colspan=2 | Career|129||-||-||50.7||26.1||72.2||8.8||1.7||1.5||1.6||-||16.1 |- class="sortbottom"|style="text-align:center;" colspan="14"|Statistics retrieved from Sports-Reference.[17]

Awards and honors

College

· 2,077 career points

o Currently 6th all-time at Stanford and 16th in the Pac-12o Both Stanford and conference leader at the time she graduated

· 16.1 career PPG

o Currently 7th all-time at Stanford and was 2nd when she graduated

· 481 career FT made

o Currently 4th all-time at Stanford and was 1st when she graduated

· 1,134 career rebounds

o Currently 6th all-time at Stanford and 14th in the Pac-12o Both Stanford and conference leader at the time she graduated

· 8.8 career RPG

o Currently 3rd all-time at Stanford and 15th in the Pac-12o Both Stanford and conference leader at the time she graduated

· 201 career blocks

o Currently 3rd all-time at Stanford and 10th in the Pac-12o Stanford's leader and second in conference history at the time she graduated.

Professional

Hall of Fames

USA Basketball

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 52: Val Whiting . GoStanford.com . Position Center. Height 6-3..High School Ursuline Academy. Hometown Wilmington, Del. . August 6, 2020.
  2. Web site: Bullied as a child, former pro helps girls gain self-esteem through basketball . Johnson . Derek . The Woodinville Weekly . Some of the best days were the journey,' she said. 'Working hard every day at practice with my teammates. Being so exhausted we couldn’t walk. But knowing that we were sowing the seeds for what we’d see down the road as success. That’s what I try to pass along to the kids.' . July 24, 2018 . August 6, 2020.
  3. Web site: Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame 2007 Inductees . Delaware Sports Museum . She was inducted into the Stanford Athletic Hall of Fame in 2000, then the third woman to achieve this distinction. She was also a two-time participant in the U.S. Olympic Festival. At Ursuline Academy, Val led her team to four Delaware scholastic basketball titles and was a multi-year All-State performer.. 2007 . August 8, 2020.
  4. Book: Gelbert, Doug . The Great Delaware Sports Book . Cruden Bay Books . In Delaware Val led the Ursuline Raiders to four straight state girls' basketball titles. She was the Delaware Player of the Year in her sophomore, junior, and senior years. After averaging 30.1 points and 16.1 rebounds in her last season at Ursuline, Whiting went west to Stanford where she won another championship in her freshman year.. 0964442701 . 1995 . August 9, 2020.
  5. Web site: Whiting courts health, success in new league . Eymer . Rick . Palo Alto Online . She finished her pre-med degree at Stanford following her playing career (1990-93) there, where she remains the leading scorer (2,077 points) and rebounder (1,134) in school history. She also played on two national championship teams, and was an alternate for the 1995-96 U.S. National Team, which went on to win the Olympic gold medal in Atlanta. Whiting went through the process to begin medical school in 1994, and was accepted to UC San Francisco. . October 18, 1996 . August 6, 2020.
  6. Web site: Kodak First-Team All-American . Stanford Women's Basketball Tradition . Val Whiting was a two-time Kodak First-Team All-American, and a two-time James Naismith Player of the Year Finalist in 1992 and 1993. She began her career for the Cardinal by being named Pac-10 Freshman of the Year and National Freshman of the Year by Women’s Basketball News Service in 1990. She was an NCAA All-Final Four selection in 1992, and AllPac-10 in 1992 and 1993. During her career, Stanford accumulated a 114-16 record and won four-consecutive Pac-10 Championships and two NCAA Championships in 1990 and 1992. At the time that she finished her career, she was Stanford’s all-time leading scorer with 2,077 points and the top-rebounder with 1,134 rebounds.. 2007 . 122. August 6, 2020.
  7. News: US Olympic Festival . Washington Post . In the other opening-round game, Val Whiting of NCAA champion Stanford scored her team's first 10 points and ended up with 22 to lead the West past the South, 87-76. . July 7, 1990 . August 7, 2020.
  8. Web site: Top 25 players of past 25 years . Jackson . Melanie . ESPN . After a rookie season that included Pac-10 and national freshman of the year accolades, as well as Stanford's first national championship, how could Whiting get any better? Two years later, as a junior, she guided the Cardinal to the 1992 NCAA title. Along the way, Whiting twice earned Kodak All-American honors, led Stanford to four consecutive Pac-10 championships and a 114-16 mark (.877 winning percentage). Whiting wrapped up her career as Stanford's all-time leading scorer (her 2,077 points now rank second overall) and rebounder (her 1,134 career boards now rank second), and still holds career marks in blocked shots and free throws. In 16 career NCAA Tournament games (which included three trips to the Final Four), Whiting averaged a double-double of 15.6 points and 10.1 rebounds. . January 9, 2006 . August 4, 2020.
  9. Web site: Val Whiting Recovers From Car Crash . Kettman . Steve . San Francisco Chronicle . She averaged 16.1 points and 8.8 rebounds per game over her four-year Stanford career, ending in 1993, and played one season in Italy and two in Brazil since. . October 17, 1996 . August 6, 2020.
  10. Web site: Twelfth Pan American Games . https://web.archive.org/web/20150929045436/http://www.usab.com/history/pan-am-womens/twelvth-pan-american-games-1995-1.aspx . dead . September 29, 2015 . USA Basketball . One of the most talented American women's basketball teams in Pan American Games history was denied a chance to win the gold medal when the 1995 Pan American Games women's basketball competition was cancelled just weeks before its scheduled start...USA Basketball conducted trials for the women's Pan Am Games Team at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, February 25–27. Following trials, the 12-member USA squad trained together in Colorado Springs until the cancellation was announced. . June 10, 2010 . August 6, 2020.
  11. Web site: Stanford Vs. Tennessee Now And Forever . Greenberg, Mel . Sullivan, Tara . Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service . Meanwhile, some prominent former players of Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer and Tennessee coach Pat Summitt will play in the first American Basketball League All-Star Game, in Hartford, Conn...The Stanford players include Portland’s Katy Steding and San Jose’s Sonja Henning and Val Whiting. . December 8, 1996 . August 9, 2020.
  12. Web site: WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Lasers' ABL opener a Stanford reunion . Eymer . Rick . Palo Alto Online . Of all the former Cardinal stars on the court Wednesday night, the biggest cheers were for Seattle's Val Whiting, a former San Jose Laser, and for Jennifer Azzi, the current Laser...Whiting was involved in a trade with Seattle that brought Charlotte Smith to San Jose. Whiting was San Jose's leading rebounder last year. . October 17, 1997 . August 6, 2020.
  13. Web site: Abl Draft -- Reign Leaves Its Trade Mark -- Deals, Picks Make Seattle Team Quicker . Rockne . Dick . Seattle Times . The Reign packaged the just-acquired Smith with its third-round choice and traded them and $20,000 to San Jose for front-liner Val Whiting, who averaged 12.5 points and 6.5 rebounds last season, and the Lasers' fourth-round pick. That is the same Val Whiting who tormented the Washington Huskies for four years at Stanford. . May 6, 1997 . August 7, 2020.
  14. Web site: Smiling through the Reign . Wallingford . John . Kitsap Sun . "I never thought I'd be playing in U.S. or on television and have the opportunity to have endorsements," said Whiting, who was second on the team in scoring (15.4) and rebounding (7.2). Whiting, who played for San Jose last year, plans to attend medical school after her basketball career ends. . February 21, 1998 . August 9, 2020.
  15. Web site: THE ABL: Reign remains unbeaten . Kitsap Sun . The Reign (3-0), who handed the Lasers (2-2) their first loss a week ago in Seattle, are one of two unbeaten teams in the ABL...Val Whiting had her third consecutive double-double (12 points, 11 rebounds) for the Reign, who were led by Kate Starbird's 18 points. . November 16, 1998 . August 6, 2020.
  16. Web site: Stanford University – Hall of Fame . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304131411/http://gostanford.com/fls/30600/halloffame/profile-vwhiting.html . 2016-03-04 . dead. Stanford University . In 1995, Whiting was named to the USA Basketball Pan-American Games Team that would end up being denied a chance to play for a gold medal as the tournament was cancelled after only four teams were confirmed to play. Professionally, Whiting played domestically in the ABL for the San Jose Lasers (1996-97) and Seattle Reign (1997-98), then in the WNBA for the Detroit Shock (1999) and Minnesota Lynx (2001-02). . 2016 . August 7, 2020.
  17. Web site: Val Whiting College Stats. Sports-Reference. July 7, 2024.
  18. Web site: The Stanford Athletic Hall of Fame To Induct Class of 2000 Friday Night . Stanford University . The 13-member Stanford University Athletic Hall of Fame class of 2000 will be inducted tonight in a ceremony at the Stanford Faculty Club. ...Val Whiting, Women's Basketball: Lettered at Stanford from 1990-93, and led the Cardinal to two NCAA titles, three Final Four appearances and four Pac-10 championships . October 27, 2000 . August 7, 2020.
  19. Web site: SOL: SOL�s Ruth Riley Honored with WNBA Community Assist Award. www.wnba.com.
  20. Web site: Cape Gazette - Google News Archive Search. news.google.com.
  21. Web site: Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame in Wilmington, Delaware - 2007. February 25, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240225052438/http://www.desports.org/inductees/2007/ . 2024-02-25 .
  22. Web site: 1991 WOMEN'S R. WILLIAM JONES CUP. September 11, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150911233712/http://www.usab.com/history/additional-usa-basketball-history/r-williams-jones-cup-team/1991-womens-r-william-jones-cup.aspx . 2015-09-11 .

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Val Whiting".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.