How Kelly Faris is helping grow the game after WNBA retirement [Exclusive]
The 2025 WNBA All-Star Weekend was a special one for former Connecticut Sun guard Kelly Faris. For one, Faris was born in Plainfield, Indiana and starred at Heritage Christian High School in Indianapolis so All-Star Weekend was a homecoming of sorts for her. Secondly, Faris was tapped to serve as a coach during the Basketball Without Borders camp held at the University of Indianapolis.
One of the most famous basketball mottos comes from Indiana where the saying goes, 'in every other state it's just basketball, but this is Indiana.' The Indiana Fever in particular are on an upswing after snapping seven straight seasons of missing the playoffs, led by back-to-back No. 1 picks Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston.
While Kelly Faris never played for the Fever during her WNBA career, just to see the excitement and energy around the team and women's basketball in general made her All-Star homecoming special.
'Being from Indiana, it's cool for me to see and to see what it brings to the city. We just got done with the Pacers just really bringing the city together,' Faris said. 'And now to have the WNBA and Basketball Without Borders, it brings a lot of eyes here. It's a really good city because we love sports, basketball is huge. So I hope everyone had a good experience, I hope they were welcomed here. But it's been great, I've enjoyed it, it's been helpful that it's home and I can help people out and around. I love it for the city and love that people have had a chance to come here.'
Kelly Faris helping grow women's basketball
Kelly Faris last played in the WNBA in 2016 culminating a four year stint with the Sun. Since then, the game has shifted in multiple ways. In terms of style of play, it's more fast-paced with a little more emphasis on outside shooting. In terms of roster composition, there is more of an influx of international players picking up basketball with most WNBA rosters sporting multiple players with overseas backgrounds.
It's something that Faris has noticed, and is encouraged by as the women's game continues to grow.
'Talent wise, it's grown a lot. You see it, it's become a little more athletic, a little quicker. And I think there's a broader spectrum of who is interested in playing,' Faris told ClutchPoints in an exclusive interview. 'Globally, I think it's awesome to see, it's really cool for me to be a part of this and see it at this level. To see it at the beginning and see where these kids start, it's been awesome.'
The premise of the Basketball Without Borders camp was to showcase some of the top international high school age prospects, many of whom hold Division 1 college basketball interest. Campers participated in a two-day event and were coached by several former and current WNBA players.
In addition to Faris, Washington Mystics rookie guard Georgia Amoore was one of the camp coaches, as were former WNBA guards Andrea Gardner-Williams and Tonya Edwards. Seattle Storm guard Nika Mühl and two-time WNBA champion Taj McWilliams-Franklin were on hand to provide feedback for campers. And former WNBA guard and current Boston Celtics vice president of operations Allison Feaster served as camp director.
For WNBA players, the overseas game plays a crucial role in their careers, with many players playing abroad during the league's offseason. Faris herself played several years overseas with stints in Hungary, Iceland, Austria, Australia and Israel. Her team won the Austrian Basketball League championship in 2016 and she was named the MVP.
With the overseas game having such a heavy influence on WNBA players, Faris believes camps like Basketball Without Borders are crucial to growing the game and widening the pool of talent and available players.
'It's very important, all eyes are on women's sports right now which is great. I think with any sport at any level, you always want to help,' Faris said. 'For me personally, I had a lot of people in my corner helping me get that. I did USA overseas, I played overseas, I played in college and the W, and there's always people helping. I think any chance where we have an opportunity to give back and help, it's extremely important.'
As the WNBA, and women's basketball in general, continues to grow in popularity, the game itself and the talent surrounding it will grow as well. With many of the campers already drawing D1 interest, the college basketball ranks feature an international influence as well. Amoore was a standout during her high school years in her native Australia before starring at Virginia Tech and Kentucky and being drafted by the Mystics.
Growth happens over time and it doesn't always happen quickly. But whether it's quick growth or more incremental growth, Faris knows she wants to be a part of it. It's an exciting time, and continuing to host events like Basketball Without Borders helps to reach players at a young age.
'There's a lot of momentum right now and a lot of eyes on it, and just to keep that, I don't care if it's just to build a little bit every year. To keep it, it's not easy in any sport,' Faris said. 'If we can keep all eyes on it and continue to get people interested in watching and coaching and being involved, it doesn't have to be anything fast. I think if we can just keep adding a little bit every year and getting young kids interested, coaching them in the right way, making it about the kids, they'll enjoy it and they'll continue to play.'
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