Iziane "Izi" Castro Marques (born March 13, 1982) is a retired Brazilian professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player. Castro Marques played for the Brazil women's national basketball team and played for the

Miami Sol The Miami Sol were a professional women's basketball team that was based in Miami and entered the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) in 2000. They played their games at American Airlines Arena as the sister team to the Miami Heat of the ...

, Phoenix Mercury, Seattle Storm,

Atlanta Dream The Atlanta Dream are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded for the 2008 WNBA season. The team is owned by real e ...

Washington Mystics The Washington Mystics are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Mystics compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Eastern Conference (WNBA), Eastern Conference ...

and the

Connecticut Sun The Connecticut Sun are an American professional basketball team based in Uncasville, Connecticut that competes in the Eastern Conference of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was established as the Orlando Miracle in ...

of the

Women's National Basketball Association The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is an American professional basketball league. It is composed of twelve teams, all based in the United States. The league was founded on April 22, 1996, as the women's counterpart to the Natio ...

(WNBA). Castro Marques also played overseas in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, Latvia,

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

and

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

. Following her retirement, Castro Marques became the technical director of Sampaio Basquete of the Brazilian Women's Basketball League.

WNBA career

After playing in the Paulista League in Brazil for BCN Osasco in 2001 and leading the league in scoring, Castro Marques was invited to the

's training camp. After training camp, she would make the final cut for team and signed with the Sol. In her rookie season, Castro Marques was the second-youngest player in the WNBA at the time (20 years, 1 month, 12 days). At the end of 2002 season, the Miami Sol folded and Castro Marques would sign with the Phoenix Mercury in 2003. The Mercury would waive Castro Marques at the end of the season. Castro Marques chose not to play in the WNBA in 2004 to focus on the Brazilian national team for the Summer Olympics that year. In 2005, Castro Marques returned to the WNBA and signed with the Seattle Storm, becoming a starter for the first time in her career. In the early part of the 2006 season, her erratic play got her benched in favor of rookie Barbara Turner, but Castro Marques came back strong after eight games in reserve, and never relinquished the starting job during that season. In the 2007 season, Castro Marques started in all 34 games while averaging 12.3 ppg, making it the first time she averaged double-digits in scoring. Castro Marques had also gained some playoff experience for the first time in her career in her three-year stint with the Storm. On February 6, 2008, Castro Marques was traded by Seattle to the

along with the Storm's first round pick in exchange for Roneeka Hodges and the fourth overall pick in the 2008 draft. In her four-year stint with the Atlanta Dream from 2008 to 2011, she played with fellow Brazilian Érika de Souza, whom she played with in high school back in Brazil. Castro Marques had the best years of her career in Atlanta, especially in the 2010 season where she averaged a career-high 16.9 ppg and had also helped Atlanta reach the WNBA Finals twice in 2010 and 2011. In 2012, Castro Marques sat out the first half of the season to focus on the Brazilian National Team for the Summer Olympics. Castro Marques signed with the

halfway through the season and played 11 games. In 2013, Castro Marques signed with the

, it would be her final year playing in the WNBA.

Overseas career

During her basketball career, Castro Marques has played overseas on many occasions. In the 2002-03 off-season, Castro Marques played in France for Aix Basket. In the 2003-04 off-season, Castro Marques played in

for Perfumerias Avenidas. In the 2004-05 off-season, Castro Marques played in

for B.C. Euras Ekaterinburg. In the 2005-06 off-season Castro Marques played in

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

for

USK Praha USK Praha, ( cs, Univerzitní Sportovní Klub Praha, University Sports Club Prague), formerly known as Slavia VŠ Praha ( cs, Slavia Vysoké Školy Praha), is a Czech professional basketball club that was founded in 1953 in the city of Prague ...

. In the 2006-07 off-season, Castro Marques played for

TTT Riga TTT Rīga is a professional women's basketball club based in Riga, Latvia. "TTT" means Tram and Trolley Trust. The team held its first official game on 5 November 1958. The next 25 years are known as the ''First Golden age'' of the club. Internati ...

of the Euroleague. In the 2007-08 off-season, Castro Marques played for Hondarribia-Irun in

and for Ourinhos in

. During the 2008-09 WNBA off-season, Castro Marques played for

Villeneuve d'Ascq Villeneuve-d'Ascq (; pcd, Neuvile-Ask) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. With more than 60,000 inhabitants and 50,000 students, it is one of the main cities of the Métropole Européenne de Lille and the largest in area ( ...

, Extragusa Vilagarcia in the Spanish League and

Spartak Moscow Spartak Moscow may refer to the following teams based or formerly based in Moscow, Russia: * FC Spartak Moscow, an association football club * HC Spartak Moscow, a professional ice hockey team * Spartak GM Moscow, a semi-professional rugby club * WB ...

in Russia. In the 2009-10 off-season, Castro Marques signed a contract with Wisła Can Pack Kraków in

. In the 2010-11 off-season, Castro Marques played for

Beşiktaş JK Beşiktaş () is a List of districts in Turkey, district and List of municipalities in Turkey, municipality of Istanbul, Turkey, located on the European shore of the Bosphorus strait. It is bordered on the north by Sarıyer and Şişli, on the ...

. From 2011 to 2013, Castro Marques played a couple off-seasons in Brazil for her hometown team Maranhao Basquete. In 2015–16, Castro Marques played for Sampaio Basquete in Brazil Castro Marques continued to play for Sampaio Basquete in 2016-17 before retiring from professional basketball.

International competitions

Her national team has finished fourth in two consecutive international competitions, the 2004 Summer Olympics and the

2006 FIBA World Championship for Women The 2006 FIBA World Championship for Women took place in Brazil from September 12 to September 23, 2006. It was co-organised by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and Confederação Brasileira de Basketball, the Brazilian national fe ...

, which Brazil hosted. Star of the squad, she was not included in the roster for the 2008 Summer Olympics due to her refusal to enter a quarterfinal game in overtime after a verbal altercation with her coach during the

FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Women 2008 The FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2008 for women took place from June 9 to June 15, 2008. On December 9, 2007, FIBA announced that Spain would host the wildcard tournament. Through this tournament, the final five qualifying berths for ...

. During preparation for the 2012 Summer Olympics, Castro Marques was again cut from the Olympic team due to "an act of indiscipline", namely bringing her boyfriend to concentration. She was a member of the team which competed for Brazil at the

2011 Pan American Games The 2011 Pan American Games, officially the XVI Pan American Games, was an international multi-sport event that was held from October 14–30, 2011, in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Some events were held in the nearby cities of Ciudad Guzmán, ...

, winning a bronze medal. Castro Marques also played for Brazil in the 2016 Summer Olympics as the team captain. It would be her last olympics before retiring from the team.

WNBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2002 , style="text-align:left;",

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

, 19 , , 1 , , 9.6 , , .333 , , .059 , , .680 , , 0.9 , , 0.4 , , 0.3 , , 0.0 , , 0.9 , , 3.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2003 , style="text-align:left;",

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

, 16 , , 0 , , 11.1 , , .352 , , .296 , , .611 , , 0.8 , , 0.6 , , 0.3 , , 0.0 , , 0.6 , , 4.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2005 , style="text-align:left;",

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

, 33 , , 32 , , 26.6 , , .384 , , .333 , , .808 , , 2.9 , , 1.5 , , 0.5 , , 0.1 , , 1.7 , , 8.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2006 , style="text-align:left;",

, 34 , , 26 , , 19.3 , , .469 , , .385 , , .661 , , 2.1 , , 1.4 , , 0.6 , , 0.0 , , 1.4 , , 7.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2007 , style="text-align:left;",

, 34 , , 34 , , 28.3 , , .420 , , .385 , , .802 , , 2.0 , , 2.8 , , 1.0 , , 0.1 , , 1.8 , , 12.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, style="text-align:left;",

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, 29 , , 20 , , 23.1 , , .353 , , .309 , , .814 , , 2.2 , , 1.8 , , 0.9 , , 0.2 , , 1.9 , , 9.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2009 , style="text-align:left;",

, 34 , , 33 , , 26.9 , , .413 , , .345 , , .780 , , 2.2 , , 2.0 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 2.4 , , 14.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2010 , style="text-align:left;",

, 34 , , 34 , , 28.9 , , .444 , , .295 , , .659 , , 1.7 , , 2.6 , , 0.8 , , 0.0 , , 2.7 , , 16.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2011 , style="text-align:left;",

, 34 , , 14 , , 19.8 , , .360 , , .213 , , .620 , , 2.9 , , 1.7 , , 0.3 , , 0.1 , , 1.5 , , 7.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

, style="text-align:left;",

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, 11 , , 0 , , 12.0 , , .264 , , .167 , , .714 , , 2.9 , , 0.7 , , 0.2 , , 0.0 , , 0.7 , , 3.1 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

, style="text-align:left;",

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

, 28 , , 9 , , 15.7 , , .352 , , .326 , , .725 , , 1.7 , , 1.0 , , 0.4 , , 0.1 , , 1.3 , , 6.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", Career , style="text-align:left;", 11 years, 6 teams , 306 , , 203 , , 21.8 , , .399 , , .319 , , .726 , , 2.0 , , 1.7 , , 0.7 , , 0.0 , , 1.8 , , 9.4

Postseason

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2005 , style="text-align:left;",

, 3 , , 3 , , 28.7 , , .333 , , .167 , , 1.000 , , 1.0 , , 1.3 , , 0.6 , , 0.0 , , 2.6 , , 5.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2006 , style="text-align:left;",

, 3 , , 3 , , 29.3 , , .389 , , .222 , , .867 , , 2.7 , , 2.7 , , 0.6 , , 0.3 , , 2.0 , , 9.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2007 , style="text-align:left;",

, 2 , , 2 , , 25.5 , , .400 , , .308 , , .000 , , 2.0 , , 2.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.5 , , 2.0 , , 10.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2009 , style="text-align:left;",

, 2 , , 2 , , 25.5 , , .500 , , .500 , , .706 , , 1.5 , , 4.5 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 2.0 , , 16.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2010 , style="text-align:left;",

, 7 , , 7 , , 32.1 , , .471 , , .407 , , .478 , , 2.4 , , 2.0 , , 0.1 , , 0.1 , , 2.0 , , 16.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2011 , style="text-align:left;",

, 8 , , 3 , , 25.6 , , .453 , , .536 , , .444 , , 4.0 , , 1.0 , , 0.6 , , 0.0 , , 0.8 , , 13.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", Career , style="text-align:left;", 6 years, 2 teams , 25, , 20 , , 28.2 , , .446 , , .407 , , .623 , , 2.9 , , 2.0 , , 0.4 , , 0.1 , , 1.7 , , 13.0

References

External links