Scinto, Laura

It was a defining moment for Laura Scinto.

Actually it was a trademark type that was typical of the way the Shelton native played, whether on the soccer field as a goalie, a third baseman on the softball diamond or on the hard court as a guard.

During the second half of the 1985 CIAC Class LL state championship game with Southington, a see-saw matchup, eventually won by Shelton 54-52 in overtime, the Gaels’ guard collided with another player and went sprawling face-first to the floor.

“I felt like I was on a carousel, ” recalled Scinto. “I lost a tooth, I was dazed and was swallowing blood. But there was no way that I was coming out of the game. I went to the bench to get a towel and then tried to check myself back into the game.”

But legendary head coach Howie Gura knew that wasn’t going to occur, at least not right away, and put in an immediate substitute.

“Laura had the ‘audacity’ to say that she couldn’t believe that I was taking her out as she had blood down her towel, ” recalled Gura, who had no doubts about Scinto’s return in the pivotal game “I just wanted to clean her up before she went back into the game.”

Scinto’s resolve was clear-cut: The Gaels had lost to Wilbur Cross of New Haven in the 1984 Class LL title game, something that didn’t sit well with her.

“I remember that I didn’t speak to anyone for a few days after that 1984 game, ” said Scinto. “We were not going to allow that to happen again, no ifs, ands or buts. It was a mindset and we willed it.”

What else made a difference in her comeback? Clearly it was her ailing dad, Fred’s presence. “Nothing ever stopped my dad from showing up for one of my games, ’ said Scinto. “My mother (Dorothy) would check him out of the hospital and they would show up before a game. I would look at my mom in the stands and she would give me a high sign that everything was OK.

“If my dad could do that, there was nothing that was going to stop me from playing. Absolutely nothing.”

Even after losing a tooth and needing emergency dental work in the days that followed.

Scinto and senior teammate Chris D’Andrea and then up-and-coming star Kim Sperry would go on to help the Gaels to the elusive title.

Scinto, a 1985 Shelton High School graduate, scored 1,338 career points (there was no 3-point line back then), the second most in Gaels' history, and became the most decorated Shelton athlete and the first to graduate with 12 varsity letters while playing soccer, basketball and softball.
What made her versatile and such a clutch performer?

“Laura was tenacious, ” said Gura. “Laura didn’t talk a lot. It was all about her actions. She never stopped/ was always in motion. And she was the best defensive player, too. I saw her play in eighth grade (for Joe Sedlock) and yes, I knew she would be an impact player right away on the varsity.”

Gura called Scinto a great teammate and a great role model for others.”
Just like at Bryant College, now Bryant University, where the guard eclipsed 1,175 career points and led the Bulldogs to three NCAA appearances. In her senior year at Bryant in 1989, Scinto went coast-to-coast, hitting a 10-foot jumper at the buzzer to lift the team to a 71-70 win over Bentley College in the Northeast-10 Conference championship game in Waltham, Mass.

“There were about nine seconds left when I got the ball, ” noted Scinto in a Mark Jaffee story that appeared in the New Haven Register on March 16, 1989 story. “I really don’t know how much time was left when I shot the ball. All I saw was the scoreboard clock change from one (second) to zero. I felt comfortable with the shot. I said to myself, ‘It was my dream. It has to go in.’”

The shot had special significance for her considering her dad died on Feb. 5. Bryant had defeated Quinnipiac College, 90-85, and Scinto went home to visit with her family that night. The next day Fred Scinto died.
“My dad was only able to see one game that season, but I would call him after every game, ” she said. “My father wanted us to get to the NCAA Tournament so badly. As soon as the game was over, I went over to my mom and I said I did it for him.”

Scinto paused, and said “It was like my dad helped the shot go in.”
Scinto’s game-winner lifted Bryant into the Division II New England Regional, where it lost 94-71 to the University of New Haven in West Haven. She had nine points, five assists and five steals. In her final game of her career.

Scinto credits her dad for helping to prevent cuts in town recreation programs and middle school programs.

Her parents were instrumental in getting her older sister Diane, and her twin brother Paul involved in youth sports. Her siblings and mom will join her April 26 when Laura Scinto is inducted into the CT Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.

“Growing up from grammar school to high school age, I constantly played in our neighborhood streets and parks late into the night with my brother and his friends (Pete Kiman and Jim Hunyadi), which helped me get my competitive side.”

Her post playing career took a few twists, in the business world and a stint as a nurse until Scinto gained the coaching bug, thanks to her future boss, Shelton native Joe Frager.

“Joe was looking for an assistant coach in the AAU program, ” said Scinto. “I didn’t know who he was. I was about 25 and was told that there was a trip to Arizona on the horizon and I say, ‘Oh.’”

Frager would add Scinto to his staff at Seymour High, where they won back-to-back titles in 1997 and 1998.

When Frager moved on to Southern Connecticut State University and Fairfield University, Scinto remained as a top assistant.

“Everything happens for a reason, ” said Scinto. “Everything fell into place. Initially I had no interest or desire in coaching. But the competitive nature took over. It was never stale and I was always learning. It was a great experience.”

Scinto is in her third year as assistant athletic director/compliance director at the University of Bridgeport.