Cyclone Great Will Have Jersey Retired

AMES, Iowa - Angie Welle, the most decorated player in Iowa State women's basketball history, will be honored Feb. 20 during the Cyclones' 7 p.m. game vs. Missouri. The ceremony will unveil just the fourth retired women's basketball jersey to hang from the rafters of Hilton Coliseum, joining those of Megan Taylor (1998-2001), Jayme Olson (1995-98) and Tonya Burns (1982-85).

"When [athletics director] Jamie Pollard called me, it brought back so many memories," Welle said. "It's such a huge honor and it makes me proud of what we did while I was there."

There was no question that Welle's jersey would join the elite to hang in Hilton, it was just a matter of when. The timing is perfect, as the weekend's festivities also will celebrate the 10-year anniversary of ISU's first Big 12 Conference regular-season and tournament championships.

"We had a team that the pieces fit absolutely perfectly together," said head coach Bill Fennelly. "They all had things they did really well, and they fed off of each other so seamlessly. It made it look almost easy."

An unmatched career
It's no mistake that the Iowa State women's basketball program's rise to national prominence directly coincided with the progressively stellar career of Welle. The 6-4 post player was exactly what Fennelly needed, at exactly the right time.

During her four-year career (1999-2002), ISU made four NCAA Tournament appearances, including an Elite Eight finish and two Sweet Sixteen showings. The Cyclones also won two Big 12 Conference Tournament championships, a regular-season league title and racked up a record of 103-29.

Individually, Welle closed out her Cyclone career owning nearly every career and single-season scoring and rebounding record in the book. She still holds the Big 12 record for career field goal percentage, and is ISU's only 2,000-point scorer. She was a four-time all-Big 12 selection, a three-time All-American and collected countless honors on and off the court.

"She was never satisfied, she always wanted to be better," Fennelly said. "When you really look at her statistical numbers -- how she impacted the success of our program and our attendance -- it almost defies belief."

Discovering the missing piece
"It was a really easy decision to recruit her," Fennelly said. "I don't know if we've ever recruited anyone harder. She was the kind of player that we desperately needed. We had all of the pieces -- it was a perfect fit."

ISU was one of the first schools to discover Welle and got a jump on the recruiting process her sophomore year. With no Division I programs in North Dakota, luring the Fargo native out of state wasn't an issue. But recruiting against schools like Penn State and Georgia was a challenge.

Fennelly and former assistant Brenda Frese were regulars in Fargo, making the seven-hour drive to watch Welle play basketball and volleyball. Former ISU president Martin Jischke and football coach Dan McCarney set aside time to meet with Welle and her parents, Jean and Wayne, during her campus recruiting trip. From the first moment, Welle said she felt comfortable.

"Deep down, I knew all along I wanted to go to Iowa State," Welle said. "I didn't even have to make a list of pros and cons."

Once she committed to Iowa State, the women's basketball program also acquired two of its biggest fans. Now it was Jean and Wayne making the 14-hour round trip from Fargo to Ames and back again. When ISU beat top-seeded Connecticut to advance to the NCAA Elite Eight her freshman year, Welle called her parents from a pay phone to share the excitement. Within minutes, they had packed up and were headed to Cincinnati to watch the Cyclones make history.

Welle said her parents started out just making the long trek to Ames for the "big" games. Their trips became more frequent and by the time she was a senior, they didn't miss a game.

"They could not get enough of it and they still can't," Welle said. "They get emotional talking about it and the people they met. They look forward to going back just as much as I do."

Sophomore breakthrough
Welle points to her sophomore year as the turning point in her career. Despite an all-conference freshman year that ranked among the best freshmen performances in ISU history, she still felt she wasn't where she needed to be.

"I thought everything I did was wrong, I felt like I didn't even know how to play basketball," she said. "I was a mess."

Her breakthrough happened during the Cyclones' early-season loss at Drake. Struggling with confidence in her own play, Welle was shocked when Fennelly continued to focus on getting the ball in Welle's hands.

"For some reason, Coach Fennelly would keep playing me and leave me in the game," Welle said. "I realized he had confidence in me and my teammates had confidence in me. After that, I just relaxed."

Welle led the team in scoring and rebounding as a sophomore and collected another all-conference honor. She got the attention of the national media, earning honorable mention All-America recognition.

The rest is history
While home for the summer following that cathartic sophomore year, Welle dedicated herself to getting in "amazing shape" by running -- hoping to get a leg up on the incoming post players that would be vying for playing time.

Her ability to run the floor became legendary, with countless easy layups scored on fast-break passes. Coupled with her self-described "wicked scoop shot," the lefty had an unorthodox style that was nearly unstoppable.

"She came here with a very distinct basketball style and found a way to be different in her approach to the game that allowed her to be successful," Fennelly said. "There weren't many post players at the time who were as athletic as Angie was."

Welle continued to improve, averaging double-digit scoring and rebounding her last two seasons.

"There are very few players that literally get better every year," Fennelly said. "She has numbers that will never be touched. She certainly established herself as something special."

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Cyclone Great Will Have Jersey Retired

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