Top MSU Women’s Basketball Players of All Time: No. 7

Kristin Rasmussen comes in at No. 7 in the countdown of all-time Spartan women’s basketball greats due to her hustle, leadership and versatile playing ability.

Rasmussen was a huge asset to the Spartans in her three-year career at Michigan State, spanning from 1996-1999, showing leadership and boasting an impressive resume of stats on the court. The forward from Okemos High School is one of only three players in the history of Spartan women’s basketball to be named a co-captain for three consecutive years.

It was Rasmussen’s hustle, awareness and desire to constantly improve that helped the Lady Spartans win their first Big Ten Tournament title during the 1996-97 season. Following her freshman season at Michigan State, Rasmussen went on to play for the Big Ten All-Star team, traveling to Austria, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

Rasmussen’s offensive and defensive numbers during her three-year career with Michigan State are indicative of her well-rounded style of play. She started 69 of her 87 career games at Michigan State and was just the 11th Spartan to score 1,000 career points. In addition, Rasmussen ranks ninth on the all-time chart with 1,035 points, is the Spartans’ career leader in blocked shots with 141 and racked up 23 career double-doubles.

Following her career at Michigan State, Rasmussen spent considerable time in the WNBA. She was drafted in the fourth round (51st overall) by the Utah Starzz in the 2000 WNBA Draft, but was released after only one game. Rasmussen signed with the Miami Sol in 2002 and spent time with the Indiana Fever, Charlotte Sting, Phoenix Mercury, Connecticut Sun and Minnesota Lynx. She has also played in Europe with Romanian club CSS LMK BC Sepsi Sfantu Gheorghe and Greek club Panathinaikos.

Rasmussen’s dedication, professionalism and perseverance not only caught the eye of Impact Sports, but also the eye of Australian doctor Jamie Tarr, to whom she is now married.

Rasmussen has remained positive despite a considerable amount of changes during her professional career and has remained involved with the game of basketball, now serving as the head coach at Simmons College in Boston. Her days as a leader for the Spartans led her to her rightful spot as a head coach and No. 7 on our countdown.


Alex Tekip is a multimedia journalist for Impact Sports.

Photo: Nubia Buckingham/Impact Sports