Michelle Marciniak - Assistant Coach

In her fourth year at South Carolina, Michelle Marciniak is a familiar name to basketball fans across the country. Joining the Gamecock women's basketball coaching staff on April 14, 2003, Marciniak works primarily with the point guards and wings with an emphasis on ballhandling and passing. She is the liaison to the strength and conditioning staff specializing in the area of fitness. Marciniak is the recruiting coordinator and is relied upon heavily to sign the best players in the country and overseas. She also shares responsibilities in the scouting of opponents including film breakdown and scouting reports.

Marciniak came to South Carolina after a six-year professional basketball career in the WNBA and ABL. Most recently a member of the Seattle Storm during the 2001 and 2002 seasons, Marciniak entered the WNBA in 2000 with the Portland Fire after competing for three seasons in the now defunct ABL.

Marciniak graduated from the University of Tennessee in 1996 with a degree in psychology after recording 1,004 points, 266 rebounds, 452 assists and 237 steals in her 104 games as a Lady Vol. With Marciniak running the team from the point, the Lady Vols won two SEC Conference Championships, finished as a runner to national champion Connecticut in 1995 and returned the next year to take home the NCAA trophy.

She culminated her three-year career by helping the Lady Vols capture the NCAA Championship in her senior year. For her efforts, she was selected as the Final Four's Most Valuable Player.

Her collegiate accolades also include two All-SEC nods, two Academic All-American honors, one Honorable Mention All-American nomination, one SEC All-Tournament Team bid and a spot on the NCAA East Regional All-Tournament Team.

Her name is still quite visible in Tennessee's records book as she ranks fourth in career assists per game (4.3), fifth in career assists (452), ninth in career three-point field goals attempted (245) and in three-point field goals made during a career (66). As a senior, Marciniak established a still-standing UT record for most steals in a game when she made 11 thefts at Kentucky on Jan. 14, 1996. Her 12 assist-performance against Georgia on February 25,1995 remain the fourth-highest total in school history.

The USA Today, Naismith, Parade, Gatorade and Converse National High School Player of the Year as a senior at Allentown (Pa.) Central Catholic High School poured in 3,025 points during her four-year career and her No. 23 jersey hangs in the rafters at the school's basketball facility.

A fan favorite for her hustle on the court and her personality off the court, the Macungie, Pa., native was very involved in community relations by serving as a motivational speaker to youth groups, staying involved with FCA and visiting children's hospitals in her spare time. Starting in 1996, Marciniak developed her own basketball clinics in Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Washington and Oregon.

Marciniak kept up with college basketball after graduation by working as the color commentator on the Lady Vol Women's Basketball Network (radio and TV). In March of 2002, she served as the analyst for ESPN Radio's broadcast of the SEC Championship Game before joining the Gamecock Radio Team in January of 2003 as a color analyst.

 

 

 

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