Marciniak to Work with Women's Basketball
August 28, 2002 | Women's Basketball
Aug. 28, 2002
Louisville, Ky. - Michelle Marciniak, the 1996 Final Four Most Valuable Player while a student-athlete at Tennessee, will work with the University of Louisville women's basketball team during her off-season from the WNBA. Marciniak will work help the team with their preseason workouts and conditioning during the season.
"We are extremely excited to have someone of Michelle's caliber and background working with our team," said head coach Martin Clapp. "She has played the highest level of basketball and will gain immediate respect from our players. Her Tennessee and WNBA background along with her personal training will help improve our team's training."
Marciniak is currently playing for the Seattle Storm. This past season she played in 23 games and averaged 3.1 points per game. During the 2001 season, she played in 27 games and averaged 4.9 points per game. She started her WNBA career with the Portland Fire in 2000, playing in 32 games and averaging 5.5 points per game.
Marciniak's professional career began in 1996 with the American Basketball League. She played for the Portland Power, then the Philadelphia Rage in 1997 and finished her career in the ABL with the Nashville Noise in 1998. She played in the ABL All-Star game in 1997.
In just three seasons at Tennessee, Marciniak ranks fifth on the career assists list with 452 and fifth on the career steals list with 237. She holds the single game steal record with 11 steals against Kentucky in 1996.
She was named All-SEC her junior and senior seasons. She was named to the SEC All-Tournament team her senior year. She was named the Final Four MVP after leading the Volunteers to the national title in 1996.
Marciniak also played in the 1999 Pan American games, earning a bronze medal. She played for the World Championship Qualifying team in 1996, earning a silver medal. She was a member of the gold medal Jones Cup team in 1995.
Along with her playing experience, Marciniak served as the color commentator for the University of Tennessee Women's Basketball team during the 1999-2000 season. She also holds basketball camps and clinics in Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, Oregon and Washington.
"We are thrilled to have Michelle working at the University of Louisville in her off-season," said Senior Associate Athletic Director Julie Hermann. "We are glad to have an athlete, coach and professional of this magnitude join our efforts in women's basketball. She will be a phenomenal role model and coach to these young ladies."
