Glenney, Marci

She was part of the fabric of the perennially successful program at Norwich Free Academy, leading the Wildcats to their first two state championships in program history as a junior and senior. That Marci Glenney went on to play in four NCAA tournaments for two of the finest Division I women's basketball teams in the nation, then, UConn and Clemson, was no surprise to those who knew her. "Marci is our most versatile player," Clemson coach Jim Davis said prior to her senior season. "Her tough, aggressive style of play and her ball-handling abilities make her a tough matchup at the small forward position. ... The intensity level at which Marci plays is contagious to her teammates."

First came Marci's impact on Connecticut high school girls' basketball. A three-time all-state pick and a 2014 inductee into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame, she graduated as NFA's all-time leading scorer with 1,653 points, lifting the Wildcats to back-to-back Class LL state championships in 1996 and 1997. In both seasons, NFA finished 27-0. Marci finished 99-6 in her high school career and was named the 1997 Gatorade Connecticut Girls' Basketball Player of the Year, the start of what would become seven state championships and four Gatorade Players of the Year for the program. She was featured by the Norwich Bulletin in 2016 as part of the newspaper's series entitled, "The Best We've Ever Seen."

"In my opinion, it is the most exciting sport to watch and play," Marci said of basketball. "I loved so many sports growing up from riding horses, gymnastics, soccer and track, but for some reason basketball touched my soul differently. ... Basketball is my dad (Daniel's) favorite sport, too; I remember watching Michael Jordan play. So there was a pride associated with it."

At UConn, Marci played in 62 career games. During the 1997-98 season, the Huskies finished 34-3 with a trip to the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament and they added a 29-5 mark in 1998-99, Marci's sophomore season, reaching the NCAA Sweet 16. UConn won the Big East Conference regular season and tournament titles both years. During the 1998-99 season, Marci played in 30 games, starting seven following the season-ending injury to then freshman point guard Sue Bird. She averaged 16.2 minutes, 4.3 points and 1.8 assists per game.

Marci transferred to Clemson, sitting out a year before playing two seasons for the Tigers. She started 24 games as a junior (9.6 points per game) and 26 games as a senior (9.7 ppg), when she was named Clemson's Leadership Award winner. The Tigers were 21-10 in 2000-01, ranked in the Top 25 in the nation and reached the second round of the NCAA tournament. They followed in 2001-02 with a 17-12 record and another NCAA tournament bid. Marci was named Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Week on Jan. 28, 2002, having averaged 20.8 points over league games against Maryland (19 points, 7 rebounds), North Carolina State (19 points, six steals) and Georgia Tech (career-high 24 points, 4 assists) and she finished as a third team ACC all-star.

Marci graduated from Clemson in 2002 with a degree in marketing. She played basketball professionally for one season in Denmark. Marci received her nursing degree in 2012 and is currently a travel emergency room nurse.

She lists her highlight in basketball as going back to her days at NFA: "The first high school LL championship," Marci said. "It was unique that it was a first for all the players and coaches, but also for the school for both the boys' or girls' programs. That is special. ... After that we were on the map."