Last week saw former ISU women’s basketball players Angie Welle and Tracy Gahan let go by their respective WNBA teams.

Despite ending on a sour note, both players said they enjoyed their experience.

Welle, who was chosen by the Cleveland Rockers as the 31st pick overall, said she met some great people during stint in the WNBA, including former Connecticut star and Rockers guard Jennifer Rizzotti.

“The team, they were great,” Welle said. “It was so weird for me, because the first day, I felt like I should be getting their autographs.”

Welle said she had a great time with her teammates, but admitted that she was out of her comfort zone.

“It was a great experience,” Welle said. “I am so glad that I tried it. I think once you get to that level of play, I think experience really comes into play.”

Welle, the all-time career leader in scoring and rebounding at Iowa State, was a three-time All-American and was an all-conference selection for all four years of her career.

Last season, Welle averaged 20.5 points and 11.3 rebounds per game to lead the Big 12 Conference in both categories.

Gahan had feelings similar to Welle’s about her try at a professional basketball career.

“It was definitely a great experience,” said Gahan, the third-round pick of the New York Liberty. “I was a little bit homesick.”

Gahan, who returned to Ames last Tuesday, said the stereotypes about New York City aren’t necessarily true.

Still, it was a big change after living in Ames.

“I think they’re too different to even compare,” Gahan said. “The city was awesome; the people were very friendly. There was always stuff going on.”

Gahan said it was rough to get let go right before the start of the season because she was getting to know her teammates.

She said it took about two weeks of intense training to get used to life in the WNBA.

Gahan averaged 14.9 points and 7.6 rebounds per game last season for Iowa State.

She ranks as one of the best all-around women’s basketball players at Iowa State, ending her career in the top 10 in 12 of 15 career statistical categories.

As far as what happens next, Gahan isn’t really sure.

“Right now, I have no idea,” Gahan said.

Gahan, a marketing major, still has one year of school left and hopes to graduate next May. She said that playing overseas or trying out for WNBA teams next season is not out of the question.

Welle is an elementary education major and will be back at Iowa State next fall to finish up her last semester. Then she plans to student-teach.

Welle said she is participating in a competition similar to the Iowa Games in North Dakota – her home state.

She said she doesn’t see herself going overseas to play basketball, but added that this will be the first time in quite a while she won’t have to prepare for an upcoming season.

She said life without basketball for a while might make her want to give it another shot.

“We’ll see what happens,” Welle said. “Maybe once the [ISU women’s basketball team] gets on their way in October, November, I might get that itch again.”