| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1978-11-18)18 November 1978 (age 47) Chickasha, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Listed height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Fort Cobb-Broxton High School (Fort Cobb, Oklahoma) |
| College | Arkansas (1997–2001) |
| WNBA draft | 2001:undrafted |
| Drafted by | Los Angeles Sparks |
| Playing career | 2001–2001 |
| Position | Guard |
| Career history | |
| 2001 | Los Angeles Sparks |
| Career highlights | |
Stats atBasketball Reference  | |
Wendi Wells (néeWillits; born November 18, 1978) is an American basketball coach and former player. Before coaching, Wells had 3,345 points while playing high school basketball inFort Cobb, Oklahoma. With theArkansas Razorbacks women's basketball team from 1997 to 2001, Wells had 1574 points and set an Arkansas career record with 316three-pointers. As part of the Razorbacks, Wells and her team reached thefinal four during the1998 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament and won the 1999Women's National Invitation Tournament. After joining theLos Angeles Sparks in 2001, Wells and the team won the2001 WNBA Championship. As an assistant coach, Wells worked for theUniversity of West Georgia and Shawnee High School in the early to late 2000s. She has been girls basketball high school head coach inShawnee, Oklahoma since 2008.
Wendi Willits was born inChickasha,Oklahoma on November 18, 1978.[1] During her childhood, she started playing basketball as a toddler and grew up inFort Cobb, Oklahoma.[2] At Fort Cobb-Broxton, she played in 128 girls basketball games and scored 3,345 points. During her final year in high school, Wells was named player of the year byThe Oklahoman in 1997.[3] For her post-secondary education, she went to theUniversity of Arkansas to studyexercise physiology.[2]
While at Arkansas from 1997 to 2001, Wells played on theArkansas Razorbacks women's basketball team.[4] In college tournaments, she and the Razorbacks made it to thefinal four at the1998 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament and won the 1999Women's National Invitation Tournament.[5][6] During her 131 games with the Razorbacks, she had 1574 points overall. Leading up to the 2020-2021 season, Wells was seventh in all-time career points for Arkansas.[7] With 316three-pointers, she has held the Arkansas career record for almost twenty years.[8] She also received the Ed Steitz Award in 1999 for having the highest three point percentage inNCAA Division I schools.[9]
In 2001, Wells started herWNBA career when she joined theLos Angeles Sparks.[10] During her only season with the Sparks, she played in thirteen regular season games and had seventeen points.[11] That season, she played in four playoffs games and scored zero points.[12] Of her playoff games, Wells played in the2001 WNBA Championship where she and the Sparks defeated theCharlotte Sting.[13][14] After being let go by the Sparks, she moved toFlorida for employment.[15]
After leaving the WNBA, Wells started her assistant coaching tenure with theUniversity of West Georgia in 2003. After leaving for Shawnee High School in 2006, she continued her assistant coaching tenure until 2008.[16] In December 2008, Wells became the girls basketball head coach at Shawnee.[17] During her head coach tenure, Wells won her hundredth game in 2013.[18] Leading up to the 2020-2021 season, Wells had 194 wins and 50 losses with Shawnee.[19]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game | RPG | Rebounds per game |
| APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game | BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
| TO | Turnovers per game | FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| Bold | Career best | ° | League leader |
| † | Denotes season in which Willits won aWNBA championship |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 † | Los Angeles | 13 | 0 | 3.6 | .300 | .154 | .750 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 1.3 |
| Career | 1 year, 1 team | 13 | 0 | 3.6 | .300 | .154 | .750 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 1.3 |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001† | Los Angeles | 4 | 0 | 2.3 | .000 | .000 | — | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
| Career | 1 year, 1 team | 4 | 0 | 2.3 | .000 | .000 | — | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | Min | MPG | Points | PPG | RBS | RPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | APG | SPG | BPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997–98 | Arkansas | 33 | 5 | 622 | 18.8 | 223 | 6.8 | 66 | 2.0 | 34.3% | 35.6% | 76.7% | 1.2 | 0.7 | 0.0 |
| 1998–99 | Arkansas | 33 | 32 | 1001 | 30.3 | 470 | 14.2 | 110 | 3.3 | 46.0% | 46.0% | 80.5% | 1.6 | 0.8 | 0.2 |
| 1999–00 | Arkansas | 32 | 30 | 1108 | 34.6 | 451 | 14.1 | 96 | 3.0 | 40.3% | 39.7% | 85.1% | 2.3 | 0.7 | 0.3 |
| 2000–01 | Arkansas | 33 | 30 | 1056 | 32 | 430 | 13 | 101 | 3.1 | 37.9% | 40.5% | 83.3% | 1.8 | 0.9 | 0.2 |
| Career | 131 | 97 | 3787 | 39 | 1574 | 12 | 373 | 2.8 | 40.1% | 41.0% | 81.8% | 1.7 | 0.8 | 0.2 | |
Wells is married and has one child.[15]