Helen Cristina Santos Luz (born November 23, 1972 in Araçatuba, Brazil) is a Brazilian professional basketball player. A starting guard on the great Brazilian women's national teams of the 1990s and early 2000s, she played for the Washington Mystics in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) in 2001-2003. She currently plays for Hondarribia-Irun in the Spanish Liga Femenina, having previously played for Cadi La Seu (2007-8), Rivas (2006-7), Barcelona (2004-6), and Zaragoza (2003) in that league. Helen recently told an interviewer that after she completes her obligation to Hondarribia-Irun, she hopes to finish her career playing in Brazil.

[edit] Brazilian national team career

Helen played on the Brazilian women's national teams that competed in the Olympics in Barcelona in 1992 (7th place), Sydney in 2000 (bronze medal), and Athens in 2004 (4th place), and in the World Championships in Australia in 1994 (Gold medal), Germany in 1998 (4th place), China in 2002 (7th place), and Brazil in 2006 (4th place). Her teams were South American Champions in 1991, 1993, 1997, 1999, 2005 and 2006. She was MVP in the 2001 Copa América in Brazil and 2005 in Paraguay.

Helen retired from the national team after the 2006 World Championship games, but returned in 2009 to help lead the team to victory in the FIBA Americas Championship. In the 4 games of the tournament she led the Brazilian team in points per game (12.0, 10th in the tournament) and was second on the team in assists per game (3.6, 3rd in the tournament).

[edit] WNBA career

Helen signed as a free agent with the Washington Mystics prior to the start of their 2001 training camp. She averaged 13.4 minutes per game over three seasons, usually coming off the bench as a 3-point specialist. She was a fan favorite for her enthusiasm and intelligent, unselfish play; the moment she stood up to approach the scorer's table, the MCI Center would resound with shouts of "Luz!" (A story in the Washington Post reported that she initially thought she was being booed, and wondered why.) She finished her WNBA career with a quite respectable .377 3-point shooting percentage -- .500 in 4 playoff games.

[edit] Pro League career

Helen played in the Brazil Pro League from 1994 through 2002, with her clubs winning several championships. In 2004 she played with Novosibirsk in the Russian Pro League. In 2003 and then from 2004 through the present she has played in the Spanish Pro League, winning a championship with Barcelona in 2004-5 and Supercopa in 2005 before moving to Cadi in 2007. She currently plays for Hondarribia-Irun in the Spanish Liga Femenina.

[edit] Vital statistics

Helen Luz

• Position: Point Guard/Shooting Guard
• Height: 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
• Weight 144 lbs. (65 kg)
• Born 23-11-1972

[edit] External links

• WNBA Player Profile
• Irmãs Luz
• Sportalents Sports Management Agency
• Hondarribia-Irun team in Spanish Liga Femenina
• “Mystics' Luz Plays Name Game; Brazilian Lets Court Work Talk as She Handles Language, Cultural Barriers”
• Interview with Photos (in Portuguese)
• Helen, Alessandra and outcast Iziane return for Brazil
• Helen planeja encabeçar retorno de jogadoras brasileiras ao país
• FIBA Americas Championship 2009