Connecticut
Women's Basketball
 Hall Of Fame

1999 Inductee Biographies

BONNY LYNCH - High School Player
As with many of our nominees who participated in more than one sport, Bonny Lynch took part in track and cross-country for one year and volleyball and softball for her three years at Farmington High School. In volleyball and softball, they were Northwest Conference Champions for each of those three years. Bonny made the all-conference teams in each year and was voted Most Valuable Player of both conferences in her senior year.

Her statistics in basketball are as impressive with an average of 25 points, 7 assists and 4 steals per game and a total of 1211 points which set a record at Farmington High School. Bonny made AU-Conference Team in each of her three years and was voted the AU-Conference MVP in her senior year. The New Haven Register placed her on the All-State Basketball team in both her junior and senior years. A national award, Teen Magazine's Supersport of the Year, was given to Bonny in 1978.  Bonny received her bachelor's degree from Central Connecticut State University and her master's degree from Southern Connecticut State University. She is currently a teacher of Health and Physical Education for the Farmington school System. She lists her current interests as biking, camping, hiking, and plays on a women's soccer club

LAURA DEGENNARO RAFTERY - High School Player
In her senior year at Hamden High School, Laura set three records: 29 points per game average, 574 total points and 96 assists. Her three-year career as a point guard ended with a 20 point-per-game average (a record); 208 assists (a record) and 171 steals. Her figure of 1,331 total points set a new school record. .'Deeg" made the All-District Team in both her junior and senior years and the AllState Team in her senior year.

Laura was also a shortstop on the softball team, which won the District League Championship in her senior year. Also that year, she was named an All-District and All-State softball player. "Deeg" was a member of the National Honor Society in high school and the New Haven Tap-Off Club named her as All-County Scholar/Athlete. She also won the Criscuolo Scholar-Athlete Award. As a result of her efforts on the court and in the classroom, Laura received a full scholarship to Fordham University where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts Degree She continues to exercise regularly and plays tennis. She is a full-time mom to two active youngsters and is living in Monroe.

ROBIN GABY - Small College Player
Robin participated in soccer, track and basketball at Rham High School (Hebron). She was an honorable mention in soccer with C.H.S.C.A. (Connecticut High School Coaches Assoc.) and was an All Conference sprinter in track. In basketball, Robin garnered a 19-point-per-ganie average with a total of 1379 points in her four-year career. In her senior year, she set a per-game average of 23 points, 14 assists, and 6 steals. She was a two-time All Charter Oak Conference player and was a first-team selection by the Jackson Newspapers and the C.H.S.C.A.

At Eastern Connecticut State University (1987-90), Robin was the first player to score 1,000 points in a three-year period. She averaged 14 points per game and amassed a total of 1, 114 total points with 105 total steals. In 1987, Robin was named ECAC Rookie of the Year, and during 1989 season she was named MVP of four tournaments. She was nominated for Champion Products Player of the Year Award. In her senior year, she made the Division III Kodak All-American Team, was named to the AU-Tournament Team in the Northeast Regional Tournament and was selected Winter Athlete of the Year by the Connecticut Sportswriter's Alliance.

Following college, Robin played semi-professional basketball in Australia, for the Connecticut Shooting Stars and for the AAU Northeastern Storm. She received her Bachelor of Arts Degree at Eastern Connecticut State University and is currently pursuing a degree in Elementary Education. She is a graphic designer and resides in Rhode Island.

 SABRINA BRELAND - Large College Player
In her high school career at Wilbur Cross in New Haven, Sabrina set an impressive record of 29 points per game. She played on two district championship teams and was an integral member of the 1984 State Championship Team. In that year, she made all-state and all-district teams and was voted the number one high school player in Connecticut

While attending St. John's University, " Bre" was the school's fourth all-time leading scorer with 1,431 career points. Johnson accomplished this feat in just three seasons. She holds several school records, including the highest career scoring average at 16.6, most career free throws mad (339) and most free throws made in a season (I 30). She is among the all-time school leaders, rebounds (4th-661), assists (6th-390), steals (5th- 193) and field goals made (5th-535). In her first season, she led the team with a 15.3 points per game average, field goals made with 181, assists with II7 and steals with 58. She scored in double figures in 24 of the team's 30 games, including a string of I I straight. She was named the BIG EAST Tournament MVP and was selected first team ALL BIG EAST. She was named to the All-Tournament team at the Roger White Invitational at Northwestern and was crowned the MVP of the Rev. Joseph T. Cahill Tournament and was nominated for the Kodak Women's All-American basketball team.

Sabrina received both her Bachelors and Masters Degrees from St. John's University. She is now a Special Education Teacher in the New Haven school system and is the head basketball coach at Hillhouse High School. To relax, "Bre" enjoys playing chess.

MAUREEN RODGERS - High Scbool Coacb
Maureen Rodgers began the girls' varsity basketball program at East Hartford High School and served as head basketball coach for twenty-six years (1972-1997). During that period, her team has made the CIAC (Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference) Championship seventeen times, winning once in 1982-83. She coached the All-Star Game in 1985. She was a member of the Hartford Courant Coaches' Poll from 1985-97, and a member of the Connecticut High School Coaches Association from 1978-97.

Maureen is a member of the Connecticut Commission on the Arts in the East Hartford Fine Arts Commission serving as its chair for four years. She still serves as an official at track meets and volleyball games. In 1998, Maureen was named Teacher of the Year at East Hartford High School. Maureen received both her bachelors and masters degree from Central Connecticut State University. She is presently an English Teacher as East Hartford High School.

DEBORAH CHIN - Referee
In her high school and college years," Debbie" participated in volleyball, field hockey and basketball and played guard in AAU Basketball for two years. This was during the era of three players on each side of the court and statistics are generally unavailable for this period.

Her coaching experience has been in basketball, softball and especially volleyball. Her college volleyball teams have participated in numerous regional tournaments with five of them making it to the national level." Debbie" has been selected to give volleyball coaching clinics, not only in the United States but also in Costa Rica, Poland, and the People's Republic of China.

Debbie has officiated at regional and national levels of competition in volleyball. Her basketball officiating has been at the high school and college level in State high school championships, regional college championships and three national college championships.

As a result of her expertise, Debbie has served, and is still serving on numerous sports committees and has received many awards for her service to sports. These include two presidential awards; the 1993 Woman of the Ye (Connecticut Post) and the National Association for Girls and Women in Sports in 1986 and again in 1997.  In 1980 Chin was listed as one of the Outstanding Young Women of America and also received the YMCA Women in Leadership Award in 1985. She was member of the NCAA Division 11 Women's Basketball Regional Advisory Committee.  Debbie received her bachelor's degree from S.U.N.Y Cortland and a master degree from the University of North Carolina (Greensboro). She has taught at Rippowam High School in Stamford and Hillhouse High School in New Haven. She is currently the Director of Athletics at the University of New Haven.

Edna Fraser - Honorary
As with many of our nominees who participated in sports prior to Tide IX, records of their accomplishments do not exist, except in some long lost scorebooks and sometimes in memories. Edna Fraser falls under this category. Formal sports did not exist when Edna attended both West Haven High School and New Haven State Teacher College (now Southern Connecticut State University). Any sport offerings were of an informal and spasmodic nature. She did take part in the occasional games arranged between schools in field hockey, softball and basketball.
After graduation from college, Edna served on a number of Committees of the D.G.W S. (Division for Girls and Women's Sports) which set the rules for those programs which did exist. She also served as chair- man of the Bridgeport D.G.WS. and refereed in the greater Bridgeport area during this time. Edna coached basketball, softball and volleyball at Foran High School (Milford) and led the way to the adoption of varsity sports for girls in the Milford High School system. In 1991, she received an award from the New Haven Tap Off Club and was given the Connecticut Sportswriter's Alliance Gold Key Award in 1996. Edna retired in 1992 as the Director of Athletics at Foran High School. In 1997 the town of Milford named the Foran High School Gymnasium in Edna's honor and in 1998 she was the first honorary recipient selected to the Connecticut Volleyball Hall of Fame.