Wherever she has been and whatever she has done in her life, Michelle Marciniak has been a leader.<\/p>\n
She certainly was one at Allentown Central Catholic where she scored a Lehigh Valley-area best 3,025 points.<\/p>\n
The nation could see her leadership skills on display when she led the University of Tennessee, coached by the legendary Pat Summitt, to back-to-back national championship games and the 1996 NCAA championship and was named the tournament\u2019s most outstanding player<\/p>\n
She played in the WNBA and then in 2007 she became the co-founder of SHEEX, a performance bedding and sleepware company.<\/p>\n
She then became the general manager of the University of Arizona women\u2019s basketball program and last week, she announced she would be returning to Tennessee.<\/p>\n
Marciniak will be the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Women\u2019s Basketball Hall of Fame, effective on July 1.<\/p>\n
The Women\u2019s Basketball Hall of Fame, which opened in 1999, is located in Knoxville.<\/p>\n
\u201cHer fierce drive and desire will no doubt carry the Hall to greatness just as she did in basketball as a player,\u201d said Hall of Fame board of governors chairman Michael Strickland. \u201cHer 1996 national championship and Most Outstanding Player award exemplifies the winning spirit the Hall will have under her leadership. Michelle is a friend and an inspiration. We welcome her and look forward to a great future.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to a release, in her new role, Marciniak will lead the long-term vision of the WBHOF and oversee the fulfillment of its mission to honor and promote the past, present and future of women\u2019s basketball.<\/p>\n
Marciniak, 52, is thrilled about the opportunity.<\/p>\n
\u201cWomen\u2019s basketball has given me everything \u2013 from lifelong relationships to opportunities I never could have imagined \u2013 and it is incredibly meaningful to return to Knoxville and lead an organization that honors those who built this game,\u201d Marciniak said in a release. \u201cAs a former Lady Vol, this community and its legacy have shaped so much of who I am.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Women\u2019s Basketball Hall of Fame holds a special place in the story of our sport, and I am deeply committed to preserving that legacy while helping to elevate and expand its future. There has never been a more exciting time for women\u2019s basketball, and I look forward to building on the Hall\u2019s impact while inspiring the next generation to see what\u2019s possible because of those who came before them. I can\u2019t wait to be part of what is next.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marciniak said her various experiences have given her an advantage when it comes to taking on an entity like the Hall of Fame.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom competing at the highest level to building a business over the past 18 years with @SHEEX, I\u2019ve been fortunate to learn what it means to lead, grow, and innovate,\u201d she said on Facebook. \u201cThank you to everyone who has been part of this journey.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dana Hart, former president of the WBHOF, will remain in a consulting role through the WBHOF Induction Ceremony in June to assist with the transition.<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s Women\u2019s Basketball Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place on June 27 at the Tennessee Theatre in Knoxville.<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s class includes four legendary players, Candace Parker, Elena Delle Donne, Amaya Valdemoro, and Isabelle Fijalkowski, two veteran coaches, Cheryl Reeve and Kim Muhl, ESPN contributor, Doris Burke, and posthumous veteran honoree, Barbara Kennedy-Dixon.<\/p>\n
The Hall of Fame is a 35,000-square-foot facility and is the only facility of its kind dedicated to all levels of women\u2019s basketball. The Pat Summitt Rotunda is located at the entrance of the WBHOF, a tribute to Summitt, who was a founding board member and Class of 1999 inductee.<\/p>\n
The Hall of Fame currently has inducted 206 Hall of Famers to this point. The first class included Carol Blazejowski, a New Jersey native who played at Cranford High School and Montclair State and also played two seasons for the Allentown Crestettes AAU program. The Crestettes played many of their games at Rockne Hall \u2013 the same place Marciniak once called home.<\/p>\n
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