Erin Perperoglou
Encyclopedia
Erin Buescher Perperoglou (born June 5, 1979 in San Francisco, California
) was an American
professional basketball
player. She played most recently as a forward for the San Antonio Silver Stars
of the WNBA
.
In her WNBA career, Buescher Perperoglou played more than 2,500 minutes in 150 WNBA games, including 9 playoff games, scoring nearly 900 career points and accumulating 500 rebounds. She announced her retirement from the WNBA at the conclusion of the 2009 season.
(UCSB) for her freshman, sophomore, and junior years, helping to lead its women's basketball team (The Gauchos) to an 83-14 record during that three-year period. In each of those years Buescher Perperoglou was named the Big West Conference Player of the Year, UCSB won the Big West Conference
title, and the team appeared in the NCAA
tournament.
Buescher Perperoglou also played on the 1998 Jones Cup team, which consisted of select highly-ranked female collegiate basketball players, and traveled to Beijing, China and Taipei, Taiwan.
In September 2000, Buescher Perperoglou, a devout Christian
, transferred to The Master's College, a small Christian college in Santa Clarita, California
.
During her senior year at Master's, Buescher Perperoglou helped lead their team (The Lady Mustangs) to a 26-3 record and a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
(NAIA) tournament appearance. She was an NAIA first-team All-American and was voted the National Christian College Athletic Association player of the year.
in the second round (No. 23 overall) of the 2001 WNBA Draft
. She spent her rookie year with the Lynx, playing in all of the team's 32 games that year and starting 19 times. She led the Lynx team with 29 blocked shots
.
from the Lynx in exchange for Shaunzinski Gortman and Charlotte's No. 9 overall selection in the 2002 WNBA Draft.
During the 2002 WNBA season, Buescher Perperoglou averaged 3.3 points per game in 29 games with Charlotte, but had to miss the final 3 games of the regular season due to a sprained left ankle. During the 2003 WNBA season she only averaged 0.6 points per game in 14 games with the Sting and missed the 11 remaining games of the regular season due to a strained lower back.
Buescher Perperoglou took a hiatus from the WNBA in 2004 but played in New Zealand for the Harbour Breeze and in Greece for Akademia during the 2004-05 WNBA off-season. She returned to the WNBA in 2005.
and Olympia Scott-Richardson, to the Sacramento Monarchs
in exchange for Tangela Smith
and a second-round draft pick in the 2006 WNBA Draft
.
The Monarchs off-season trades paid off and they finished with a franchise-best 25-9 record. They won their first WNBA Finals by defeating the Connecticut Sun
three games to one in a best-of-five playoff series, which brought Sacramento its first major championship in a professional sport. Buescher Perperoglou averaged 3.3 points per game in 23 games with the Monarchs but missed 11 games due to lumbar strain.
During the early part of the 2006 WNBA season, the Monarchs played Buescher Perperoglou more often after teammate DeMya Walker
went on maternity leave. Buescher Perperoglou went on to lead the WNBA in field goal percentage
(.537) during the regular season and was awarded the 2006 WNBA Most Improved Player Award
.
as a restricted free agent
. During the 2007 season she averaged 11.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.2 assist and 1.9 steals per game. She was the reigning Western Conference Player of the Week when she suffered a season-ending knee injury less than a minute into a game against the Phoenix Mercury on July 11.
, who plays basketball for the Greek A1 League
team Panathinaikos. Buescher Perperoglou also started a Healthful Hints column for fans on the Silver Stars' website.
Buescher Perperoglou is an avid surfer
and belongs to a Christian surfers' organization. She has said in interviews that she is interested in missionary work after her playing career ends. In a Sacramento Bee article in 2006, Buescher Perperoglou revealed she purchased land near a beach in Costa Rica
and said that she dreamed of owning a coffee shop
in the area. Buescher Perperoglou speaks fluent Spanish
and is learning Greek
.
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
) was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player. She played most recently as a forward for the San Antonio Silver Stars
San Antonio Silver Stars
The San Antonio Silver Stars are a professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded in Salt Lake City, Utah before the league's inaugural 1997 season began; the team moved to San Antonio...
of the WNBA
Women's National Basketball Association
The Women's National Basketball Association is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. It currently is composed of twelve teams. The league was founded on April 24, 1996 as the women's counterpart to the National Basketball Association...
.
In her WNBA career, Buescher Perperoglou played more than 2,500 minutes in 150 WNBA games, including 9 playoff games, scoring nearly 900 career points and accumulating 500 rebounds. She announced her retirement from the WNBA at the conclusion of the 2009 season.
Early life
Buescher Perperoglou is the daughter of Jim and Margie Buescher. She has two sisters, Jenny and Emily, and a brother, James. From 1997 to 2000 she attended University of California, Santa BarbaraUniversity of California, Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara, commonly known as UCSB or UC Santa Barbara, is a public research university and one of the 10 general campuses of the University of California system. The main campus is located on a site in Goleta, California, from Santa Barbara and northwest of Los...
(UCSB) for her freshman, sophomore, and junior years, helping to lead its women's basketball team (The Gauchos) to an 83-14 record during that three-year period. In each of those years Buescher Perperoglou was named the Big West Conference Player of the Year, UCSB won the Big West Conference
Big West Conference
The Big West Conference is an NCAA-affiliated Division I mid-major college athletic conference. When the conference began in 1969, its name was the Pacific Coast Athletic Association . After nineteen years, in 1988, its name was changed to the Big West Conference. The conference stopped...
title, and the team appeared in the NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
tournament.
Buescher Perperoglou also played on the 1998 Jones Cup team, which consisted of select highly-ranked female collegiate basketball players, and traveled to Beijing, China and Taipei, Taiwan.
In September 2000, Buescher Perperoglou, a devout Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
, transferred to The Master's College, a small Christian college in Santa Clarita, California
Santa Clarita, California
Santa Clarita is the fourth largest city in Los Angeles County, California, United States and the twenty-fourth largest city in the state of California. The 2010 US Census reported the city's population grew 16.7% from the year 2000 to 176,320 residents. It is located about northwest of downtown...
.
During her senior year at Master's, Buescher Perperoglou helped lead their team (The Lady Mustangs) to a 26-3 record and a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...
(NAIA) tournament appearance. She was an NAIA first-team All-American and was voted the National Christian College Athletic Association player of the year.
Minnesota Lynx
On April 11, 2001, Buescher Perperoglou was drafted by the Minnesota LynxMinnesota Lynx
The Minnesota Lynx are a professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded prior to the 1999 season...
in the second round (No. 23 overall) of the 2001 WNBA Draft
2001 WNBA Draft
2001 WNBA Draft - 20 April 2001*On April 20, 2001 the regular WNBA draft took place.-College draft:-Round 1:-Round 2:-Round 3:-Round 4:...
. She spent her rookie year with the Lynx, playing in all of the team's 32 games that year and starting 19 times. She led the Lynx team with 29 blocked shots
Block (basketball)
In basketball, a block , not to be confused with blocking, occurs when a defensive player legally deflects a field goal attempt from an offensive player. The defender must not touch the offensive player's hands or otherwise a foul is called. In order to be legal, the block must occur while the shot...
.
Charlotte Sting
In a 2002 WNBA multi-player draft-day deal, the Charlotte Sting acquired Buescher Perperoglou and teammate Maylana MartinMaylana Martin
Maylana Lynn Martin is an American former professional women's basketball player and currently a collegiate coach.Although born in Hawaii, she grew up in Southern California...
from the Lynx in exchange for Shaunzinski Gortman and Charlotte's No. 9 overall selection in the 2002 WNBA Draft.
During the 2002 WNBA season, Buescher Perperoglou averaged 3.3 points per game in 29 games with Charlotte, but had to miss the final 3 games of the regular season due to a sprained left ankle. During the 2003 WNBA season she only averaged 0.6 points per game in 14 games with the Sting and missed the 11 remaining games of the regular season due to a strained lower back.
Buescher Perperoglou took a hiatus from the WNBA in 2004 but played in New Zealand for the Harbour Breeze and in Greece for Akademia during the 2004-05 WNBA off-season. She returned to the WNBA in 2005.
Sacramento Monarchs
The Charlotte Sting traded Buescher Perperoglou, along with teammates Nicole PowellNicole Powell
Nicole Kristen Powell is a basketball player who was a standout at Stanford University and now plays for the New York Liberty in the WNBA...
and Olympia Scott-Richardson, to the Sacramento Monarchs
Sacramento Monarchs
The Sacramento Monarchs were a basketball team based in Sacramento, California. They played in the Women's National Basketball Association from 1997 until folding on November 20, 2009...
in exchange for Tangela Smith
Tangela Smith
-External links:***...
and a second-round draft pick in the 2006 WNBA Draft
2006 WNBA Draft
On November 16, 2005, the Women's National Basketball Association held an expansion draft for the Chicago Sky. It was the first expansion draft since the 2000 season, when the WNBA welcomed the Miami Sol, Portland Fire, Indiana Fever, and Seattle Storm into the league.On April 5, 2006, the WNBA...
.
The Monarchs off-season trades paid off and they finished with a franchise-best 25-9 record. They won their first WNBA Finals by defeating the Connecticut Sun
Connecticut Sun
The Connecticut Sun is a professional basketball team based in Uncasville, Connecticut, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded in Orlando, Florida before the 1999 season began; the team moved to Connecticut before the 2003 season...
three games to one in a best-of-five playoff series, which brought Sacramento its first major championship in a professional sport. Buescher Perperoglou averaged 3.3 points per game in 23 games with the Monarchs but missed 11 games due to lumbar strain.
During the early part of the 2006 WNBA season, the Monarchs played Buescher Perperoglou more often after teammate DeMya Walker
DeMya Walker
DeMya Chakheia Walker is a professional basketball player from the United States.-High school:...
went on maternity leave. Buescher Perperoglou went on to lead the WNBA in field goal percentage
Field goal percentage
Field goal percentage in basketball is the ratio of field goals made to field goals attempted. Its abbreviation is FG%. Three-point field goals are included in this percentage. Instead of using scales of 0 to 100%, the scale .000 to 1.000 is commonly used. A higher field goal percentage denotes...
(.537) during the regular season and was awarded the 2006 WNBA Most Improved Player Award
WNBA Most Improved Player Award
The Women's National Basketball Association's Most Improved Player Award is an annual Women's National Basketball Association award given since the 2000 WNBA season, to the most improved player of the regular season. The winner is selected by a panel of sportswriters throughout the United States,...
.
San Antonio Silver Stars
In March 2007, Buescher Perperoglou signed with the San Antonio Silver StarsSan Antonio Silver Stars
The San Antonio Silver Stars are a professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded in Salt Lake City, Utah before the league's inaugural 1997 season began; the team moved to San Antonio...
as a restricted free agent
Restricted free agent
A restricted free agent is a professional athlete who plays in the KHL, NFL, NHL, or NBA. Such players have special restrictions on the terms under which they can retain or change employment status with their athletic club teams.- NFL :...
. During the 2007 season she averaged 11.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.2 assist and 1.9 steals per game. She was the reigning Western Conference Player of the Week when she suffered a season-ending knee injury less than a minute into a game against the Phoenix Mercury on July 11.
Off the court
Buescher Perperoglou was a local broadcast commentator for Silver Stars games during her convalescence from an Anterior Cruciate Ligament rupture and reconstructive surgery. She had recently married Stratos PerperoglouStratos Perperoglou
Efstratios "Stratos" Perperoglou is a Greek professional basketball player. He is 2.03m tall and he plays at the small forward position. His current team is Panathinaikos.-Pro career:...
, who plays basketball for the Greek A1 League
A1 Ethniki
The Greek Basket League , commonly referred to as the Greek Basketball League or Greek Basketball Championship, is the highest professional basketball league in Greece. It is run by HEBA...
team Panathinaikos. Buescher Perperoglou also started a Healthful Hints column for fans on the Silver Stars' website.
Buescher Perperoglou is an avid surfer
Surfing
Surfing' is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a surfboard on the crest and face of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore...
and belongs to a Christian surfers' organization. She has said in interviews that she is interested in missionary work after her playing career ends. In a Sacramento Bee article in 2006, Buescher Perperoglou revealed she purchased land near a beach in Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
and said that she dreamed of owning a coffee shop
Café
A café , also spelled cafe, in most countries refers to an establishment which focuses on serving coffee, like an American coffeehouse. In the United States, it may refer to an informal restaurant, offering a range of hot meals and made-to-order sandwiches...
in the area. Buescher Perperoglou speaks fluent Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
and is learning Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
.
WNBA career statistics
- Correct as of May 2008
| Regular season | Team | G | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | OFF | DEF | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 2001 WNBA season -External links:**... |
Minnesota | 32 | 19 | 22.7 | 0.348 | 0.276 | 0.618 | 1.3 | 2.4 | 3.7 | 1.9 | 5.7 |
| 2002 2002 WNBA season -External links:***... |
Charlotte | 29 | 0 | 13.5 | 0.402 | 0.364 | 0.694 | 1.1 | 2.0 | 3.1 | 0.6 | 3.3 |
| 2003 2003 WNBA season -External links:***... |
Charlotte | 14 | 0 | 3.1 | 0.375 | 0.000 | 0.750 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.6 |
| 2005 2005 WNBA season -External links:***... |
Sacramento | 23 | 0 | 9.1 | 0.700 | 0.000 | 0.588 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 0.6 | 3.3 |
| 2006 2006 WNBA season -External links:*******... |
Sacramento | 34 | 12 | 19.6 | 0.537 | 0.000 | 0.750 | 2.3 | 1.6 | 3.9 | 1.0 | 9.7 |
| 2007 2007 WNBA season -External links:* * * * * * * *... |
San Antonio | 18 | 11 | 27.7 | 0.462 | 0.265 | 0.816 | 1.8 | 4.2 | 6.1 | 2.2 | 11.3 |
| 2008 2008 WNBA season -Season Highlights:*Candace Parker becomes the second and third player in WNBA history to dunk in a regular season game.*A fight breaks out between the Los Angeles Sparks and the Detroit Shock resulting in four ejections and ten suspensions.... |
San Antonio | 3 | 0 | 26.0 | 0.417 | 0.429 | 0.889 | 2.7 | 1.7 | 4.3 | 3.3 | 10.3 |
| Career | 153 | 42 | 17.1 | 0.459 | 0.289 | 0.719 | 1.4 | 1.9 | 3.3 | 1.2 | 6.1 |