Stefanie Dolson


Stefanie Dolson is an American professional basketball player for the Chicago Sky of the WNBA. She was drafted 6th overall in the 2014 WNBA Draft. Dolson played Center for the UConn women's basketball team, and won back to back national championships in 2013 and 2014

High school career

Dolson played volleyball and basketball at Minisink Valley High School in Slate Hill, New York and was a member of the National Honor Society. During her junior year she averaged 18.9 points, 16.7 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 6.2 blocks. As a senior, she averaged 22.8 points, 17.6 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 5.2 blocks.
Dolson led Minisink Valley High School to four straight New York State Public High School Athletic Association Section 9 championship game appearances and finished her career at Minisink Valley with 1,951 points and 1,607 rebounds. She was a McDonald's High School All-American and participated in the All-Star game where she had 12 points and eight rebounds in the McDonald's All-American Game.

College career

Freshman year

It's rare for Dolson to start but since All-American center Tina Charles graduated, Dolson started her freshmen year at Uconn, but she struggled. She tied her career high 24 points in 2011 Big East championship game vs Notre Dame and was named to the 2010-11 BIG EAST All-Tournament Team and was named to Big East Rookie Team along with teammate Bria Hartley.

Sophomore year

In her sophomore year she led the Huskies in rebounding pulling down 6.0 grabs per game and was the leader in blocks with 57. Dolson tallied 20 double-figure performances, including four 20-plus games. Dolson opened up the season with a bang going 6-for-6 from the floor for 12 points and added seven rebounds against Holy Cross on 11/13. Recorded a team-high 20 points as she went 10-for-16 in the Final Four on April 1 against Notre Dame.

Junior year

Dolson played and started in 38 of UConn's 39 games and was third on the team with 13.6 points while leading the squad with 7.1 rebounds per game. She was third on the team at 26.8 minutes per game and led the squad with a solid.598 field goal percentage, which was the second-highest total nationally. One of three Huskies to dish at least 100 assists, Dolson was third with 117 helpers. She posted four double-double performances after entering the year with only two to her credit. Dolson had career-high 25 points twice, the first time in UConn's 87-62 win over Syracuse on January 19 and then again in the 85-51 victory over USF on March 2. She made her third-straight All-BIG EAST Tournament team with an 18-point, 14-rebound effort in the 61-59 loss to Notre Dame in the BIG EAST Championship Final on March 4. Dolson helped her team win the 2013 National Championship.

Senior year

Dolson played and started in all 40 of UConn's game, averaging 12.5 points and a team-best 9.3 rebounds per contest, while she shot 56.4 percent from the floor and was fourth on the team at 3.4 assists per game. She became only the second Husky all-time to register a triple-double with a 24-point, 14-rebound, 11-assist effort against Oregon on November 20 and she posted career highs in rebounds, assists, blocks and steals during the 2013-14 campaign. Dolson hauled in 371 rebounds, which was one shy of tying UConn's single-season rebound record held by Tina Charles. She blocked 93 shots, which was the third-highest total by a Husky senior. Dolson was named the inaugural 2013-2014 American Athletic Conference and WBCA NCAA Division I Defensive Player of the Year and 2013-2014 Lowe's Senior Class Award. Dolson helped lead her team to an undefeated 40-0 season and the 2014 National Championship, and was named to the 2014 NCAA Final Four All-Tournament team, and was later inducted into the Huskies of Honor on senior night.
Dolson led UConn to a 144-11 record over her four-year career, which included four Final Four appearances and back to back National Championships. One of only three Huskies triple-doubles in school history. One of only five Huskies, along with Tina Charles, Rebecca Lobo, Maya Moore and Jamelle Elliott, with at least 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. Dolson finished her career 12th on UConn's all-time scoring list at 1,797 career points, fourth with 1,101 career rebounds and fourth in both blocks and field goal percentage. A member of the All-Conference Tournament Team in all four years at UConn, Dolson also earned a spot on the All-NCAA Tournament Team in 2014.

College statistics

YearTeamGPPointsFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
2010-11Connecticut3838661.600.081.66.11.60.51.210.2
2011-12Connecticut3839758.600.081.06.01.70.81.510.4
2012-13Connecticut3851659.342.179.67.13.11.11.513.6
2013-14Connecticut4049856.429.679.29.33.41.02.312.5
CareerConnecticut154179758.832.780.27.22.50.91.611.7

Professional career

WNBA

Washington Mystics (2014–17)

Dolson was drafted sixth overall in the 2014 WNBA Draft by Washington Mystics. UConn teammate Bria Hartley was drafted right after her by the Seattle Storm and thereafter traded to the Mystics. On June 1, 2014, in a triple-overtime victory against the Los Angeles Sparks, the UConn duo of Dolson and Hartley combined for 34 points coming off the bench and Dolson recorded her first career double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. In her first career start on August 14, 2014, Dolson had her second career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds in a regular season loss to the Chicago Sky. The Mystics finished third place in the Eastern Conference but were swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Indiana Fever.
In the 2015 WNBA season opener against the Connecticut Sun, Dolson had a stand out dominating performance scoring 18 points and 12 rebounds in a winning effort. Later on in the season, she was selected into the 2015 WNBA All-Star Game as a reserve. Throughout the season, Dolson averaged career-highs in scoring and rebounding. The Mystics would once again reach the playoffs, with the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference, but were yet again a first round exit, losing to the New York Liberty in three games. In the 2016 season, Dolson continued to flourish as a player in the Mystics' starting lineup. In a win against the New York Liberty, she scored a career-high 23 points. During that game, she had also achieved career-highs in field goals made and three-pointers made However, the Mystics would miss the playoffs with a disappointing 13-21 record.

Chicago Sky (2017–present)

After three seasons with the Mystics, Dolson was traded to the Chicago Sky along with teammate Kahleah Copper, and the second overall pick in the 2017 WNBA draft, for Elena Delle Donne.
On May 14, 2017, in her debut with the Sky, Dolson scored 9 points along with 2 rebounds in a 70-61 loss to the Minnesota Lynx. On May 21, 2017, Dolson tied her career-high of 23 points along with 8 rebounds and a new career-high of 5 blocks in a 75-71 victory over the Atlanta Dream. Two months later, on July 28, 2017, Dolson scored a new career-high of 29 points in an 86-80 loss to the Phoenix Mercury. By the end of the season, Dolson averaged new career-highs in scoring and rebounding with 14.5 ppg and 5.8 rpg, but the Sky finished 12-22 and were eliminated from playoff contention.
In February 2018, Dolson re-signed with the Sky to a multi-year deal in free agency. In 2018, the Sky missed out on the playoffs as they finished with a 13-21 record.

Overseas

In the 2014-15 WNBA off-season, Dolson played in Russia for WBC Spartak Moscow Region. In the 2015-16 WNBA off-season, Dolson played in Turkey for Mersin Büyükşehir Belediyesi. In the 2016-17 WNBA off-season, Dolson briefly played in China for the Sichuan Whale. In 2017, Dolson signed with Dike Napoli of the Italian League for the 2017-18 WNBA off-season. In October 2018, Dolson signed with the Henan Phoenix of the Chinese League for the 2018-19 off-season.

WNBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

USA Basketball

Dolson was named to the USA Basketball U18 team. The USA team was one of eight teams from North, South and Central America, along with the Caribbean, invited to participate in the 2010 FIBA Americas U18 Championship for Women, held at the U.S. Olympic Training Center, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The 2010 USA Basketball U18 National Team that compiled a perfect 5-0, earned the 2010 FIBA
Americas Championship gold medal and qualified the US for the 2011 FIBA U19 World Championship.
Dolson was named to the USA Basketball U19 team. The 2011 USA Basketball U19 World Championship Team that posted an 8-1 record and captured the gold medal in Valdivia, Chile.

Personal life

Dolson is the daughter of Steve and Kristal Dolson. Dolson has two older sisters Ashley and Courtney and one younger brother Jake.
In 2016, Dolson publicly came out as a member of the LGBT community. She spoke out on her sexuality in an interview with ESPN Magazine by saying: "Not everyone in the WNBA needs to be out, but I feel called to lead an authentic life in the open. I know who I am and I don't care if people judge me. I am 6-5, and I dye my hair purple and experiment a lot with fashion. My motto is: If they're going to stare, they might as well stare at something fun. There are a lot of girls who struggle being who they are. We need people who are out so that those girls know it's OK to be themselves, regardless of stereotypes. By being open, I give them someone to look up to, and however they identify, I can inspire them to support equality and LGBT issues."
In 2019, Dolson played on the "Away" roster during the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game at the Bojangles' Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Awards and honors