Connecticut
Women's Basketball
 Hall Of Fame

1991 Inductee Biographies

Marie Heady - High School Coach
Marie Heady's distinguished high school basketball coaching career at Fairfield's Roger Ludlowe, spanned 24 seasons, from 1964 to 1988, in which she posted a won/loss record of 239/154.

She received the Connecticut High School Coach of the Year Award in 1984 from her peers. Boasting an undefeated season in 1965, her team competed in eight state tournaments, two state quarter finals and four league play-offs. She coached all league players from 1980 through 1988 and all-state honorable mention players in 1984 and 1986.

In 1987, Ms Heady received the Women's Basketball Coaches Association 200 Victory Club Award, as well as the National High School Coaching Award with Scholastic Coach Magazine's Basketball Coach Gold Award. She served on the FCIAC and CIAC Basketball Committees, chairing the latter. As CIAC chair, she was responsible for starting the MVP Award in each division of the State Basketball Tournament. Ms Heady also helped initiate the first  Connecticut High School Coaches Association All Star Game. A resident of Stratford, she teaches physical education at Fairfield High School.

Dora Metrelis - Honorary
Dora Metrelis is one of the pioneers in the development and promotion of girls' and womens' sports in Connecticut. Her career as a basketball official and instructor began in 1955, before the proliferation of girls' and womens' sports teams, and prior to the institution of Title IX, and continued through the changes to 1976. She refereed Connecticut High School tournament games, up to the quarter-finals. During her career, Dr. Metrelis worked with the Central Connecticut Board of  Officials, the Suffolk County, N.Y., and Connecticut State basketball board of officials.

Along with her officiating duties, Dr. Metrelis worker tirelessly to see to it that new, highly competent, women, an eventually men, were trained to officiate high school, college and tournament level play. She was involved in rating and training officials, who have risen to the highest levels of officiating in the state. Dr. Metrelis is retired from her administrative and teaching positions at Southern Connecticut State University, and lives in Holland, Mass.

Ann Marie ODoy – High School Player
As a Masuk High School student, Ann Marie Odoy excelled in three sports, but it was in basketball that she became famous statewide. For three of her four years, she captained the Girls' Basketball team as a player on Masuk High School's all Western Connecticut Conference Team. She played on the All-State team for three years, and in 1984 was named Converse Academic and Athletic All-American. During that period Ms. Odoy was the third leading high school girl scorer in Connecticut and was named to the Danbury News-Times All Star Team. The New York Daily News Fairfield County edition selected her its Outstanding Girls High School Basketball player twice. She was named to the Coaches Prep All American Team in 1984.

At Boston College, Ms Odoy went on to become Captain of her 1987-1988 team , where she became the college's all-time leading scorer in women's basketball, helping lead them to the finals in the Big East in 1987. In 1988 she was awarded the BC's "Eagle of the Year Award" (School's top Academic/Athletic Award) and was the first Women's basketball Player selected to be a part of the Boston College Hall of Fame. Ann Marie left BC as their leading scorer, leader in assists, and leader in steals. She was a member of the First team Big East Team and was a Kodak District I All-American. In 2001 I was selected to be a member of the Springfield's Basketball Hall of Fame.  A former resident of Monroe, CT, Ms. Odoy currently resides in Bethany, CT., and is employed as a guidance counselor,  basketball and field hockey coach at Masuk High School.

Jody Racjula  - College Player Inductee
Jody Racjula, of Danbury, head Womens' Hoop Coach at Western Connecticut State University, is a Brookield High School graduate, where she was a member of its undefeated League Champions Basketball Team for four years, and was named all-league and all-state player in her senior year. Racjula gained an even higher level of achievement in her four-year college career Southern Connecticut State University as a member of the Owlettes, Southern's Women's team, when for three-yea they reigned as Northeast regional champions. Her 1,321 career points at Southern is third highest, and her rebounding  record of 763 -- 240 made in a year -- stands.

She received a Women's Newsletter Award for highest field goal percentage in the East; was Best Defensive Player 1978, and was selected most valuable player; team captain Kodak all-region team member and was a nominee for Kodak All-American. She was a EAIAW All-Region team member, and was named to the Old Dominion Optimist Classic All Star Team and the Concordia Classic All-Star Team. The New Haven Tap-off Club gave her its Large College Offensive Player of the Year Award. She is a former pro basketball player.

Judith A. Samaha  - Referee Inductee
The career of Judy Samaha, a Physical Education Instructor at Mark T. Sheehan High School in Wallingford since 1971, spanned 15 years She served as a state women's basketball official from 1968 until 1983. Officiating at five state championship finals and five shoreline finals, Ms Samaha's excellence led her to be named by the New Haven Tap-Off Club as its Outstanding Offical in 1978.

Attaining the rating of State official, she served on a number of committees for the officiating board and trained up and coming officals. Ms Samaha officiated at what is considered some of the state's best girls basketball games ever played, including five state championship final games and  five shoreline championships.

A former softball coach at Lyman Hall High School, Sheehan High School and the University of New Haven, Ms Samaha retired from women's basketball officiating in 1983. She is an alumna of Danbury High School and Southern Connecticut State University.