Quick Facts
ScorpioBiography
Katharen Ruth "Katie" Mattera (born November 17, 1982 as Katharen Ruth Feenstra) is an American college basketball coach and retired player for the WNBA.
Mattera is one of the tallest players in WNBA history. At 6 feet 7.5 inches (2.02m) tall, she is the seventh-tallest person to have played professionally in the WNBA. Only Margo Dydek, Lindsay Taylor, Zheng Haixia, Maria Stepanova, Liz Cambage, and Brittney Griner at 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m), are taller than her.
College years
Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Mattera went on to star on the women's basketball team while attending Liberty University, where she majored in physical education. She was a three-time Big South Conference Player of the Year, a Wade Trophy, John R. Wooden and Naismith Award nominee. She also became the Big South Conference's all-time shot-blocker on February 14, 2005. Feenstra was the tallest player in Liberty University and Big South Conference history. She finished her career at Liberty as one of only two players in NCAA history to lead the nation in field-goal percentage in back-to-back seasons (2004, 2005)
Liberty statistics
Source
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001-02 | Liberty | 17 | 178 | 51.0 | - | 56.1 | 5.6 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 1.4 | 10.5 |
| 2002-03 | Liberty | 28 | 424 | 56.9 | - | 67.7 | 9.1 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 2.5 | 15.1 |
| 2003-04 | Liberty | 32 | 674 | 65.7 | - | 57.1 | 11.0 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 2.6 | 21.1 |
| 2004-05 | Liberty | 32 | 569 | 67.1 | - | 67.3 | 10.3 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 2.5 | 17.8 |
| Career | Liberty | 109 | 1845 | 62.2 | 0.0 | 62.9 | 9.5 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 2.4 | 16.9 |
WNBA career
Mattera was originally selected by the Connecticut Sun on April 16, 2005, during the 2005 WNBA Draft, but was quickly traded to the San Antonio Silver Stars in exchange for the Silver Stars' player Margo Dydek (the tallest player in the WNBA).
On September 14, 2005 she was named to the WNBA All-Rookie Team.
On February 22, 2007, she was traded to the Detroit Shock in exchange for Ruth Riley.
On February 6, 2008 she was selected in the expansion draft by the Atlanta Dream.
Coaching career
On May 8, 2012, Mattera was named head women's basketball coach at Cornerstone University.
Trivia and personal life
- Feenstra married Todd Mattera on November 8, 2008.
- She wears a men's size 17 (US) / 53 (EU) shoe.
- Her sister, Meribeth Anderson, also played basketball at Liberty from 1999–2003