Mary Michelle Pennefather (born c. 1966), now known as Sister Rose Marie of the Queen of Angels,[1] is a former professional basketball player. Winner of the Wade Trophy in 1987, she went on to play premier league basketball in Japan before retiring to a monastic life.
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | c. 1966 | ||||||||||||||
| Nationality | American | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | |||||||||||||||
| College | Villanova (1983–1987) | ||||||||||||||
| Position | Forward | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| 1987–1990 | Nippon Express | ||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Medals
| |||||||||||||||
High school
editPennefather spent three years at Bishop Machebeuf Catholic High School in Denver, Colorado and one at Notre Dame High School in Utica, New York. She led Machebeuf to three consecutive state championships and a 70–0 record. She led Notre Dame to a 26–0 record, also winning the state championship making for a no loss record for her entire high school career.[2][3]
Pennefather was named to the Parade All-American High School Basketball Team. She was a U.S. Olympic Festival selection in 1981 and 1983. She turned out for the USA Women's R. William Jones Cup Team in 1982 where she earned a silver medal.[4][5][6]
College
editPennefather played her college basketball for the Villanova Wildcats at Villanova University in Radnor Township, Pennsylvania. She was the school's all-time leading scorer for both women and men with a career total of 2,408 points. She was the Big East Player of The Year three times. She was a First Team All-American selection in 1987, and the winner of the coveted Wade Trophy.[1][7][8][9]
Villanova statistics
editSource[10]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | Points | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Villanova | 26 | 504 | 53.5% | 78.0% | 9.7 | NA | NA | NA | 19.4 |
| 1985 | Villanova | 29 | 544 | 53.4% | 74.0% | 10.9 | 4.3 | 2.2 | 1.5 | 18.8 |
| 1986 | Villanova | 31 | 685 | 57.3% | 81.8% | 9.5 | 5.1 | 2.3 | 0.9 | 22.1 |
| 1987 | Villanova | 31 | 675 | 58.5% | 76.8% | 9.9 | 4.3 | 2.4 | 1.1 | 21.8 |
| Career | 117 | 2408 | 55.9% | 78.0% | 10.0 | 3.6 | 1.8 | 0.9 | 20.6 |
Professional career
editAfter graduating from Villanova, Pennefather played three seasons of professional basketball for the Nippon Express in Japan.[1][11]
Religious life
editOn June 8, 1991, Pennefather retired to a monastic life with the Poor Clares order at their monastery in Alexandria, Virginia.[12][11] On June 6, 1997, six years after entering the monastery as a novice, Pennefather, now known as Sister Rose Marie, took her final vows as a nun.[1] On June 9, 2019, Pennefather had her first physical contact with family and friends since becoming a nun; her next opportunity to do so will not happen for another 25 years, per the rule of her religious order.[12]
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Pennefather heeds her calling". catholiceducation.org. April 6, 2003. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
- ^ Latimer, Clay. "Sister of mercy". Associated Press Sports Editors. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved February 27, 2016 – via Wayback Machine.
- ^ "Pennefather Keeps Trying To Duck Spotlight". philly.com. January 22, 1986. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
- ^ "History made and repeated". Thecatholicsun.com. April 3, 2014. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
- ^ "Women's All-Time U. S. Olympic Festival Roster by Affiliation". USA Basketball. Archived from the original on September 7, 2015. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
- ^ "USA Women's R. William Jones Cup". USA Basketball. Archived from the original on August 8, 2014. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
- ^ "NCAA Basketball Award Winners" (PDF). NCAA. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
- ^ Jacobs, Jeff (March 7, 2004). "This Sister Could Bring It". philly.com. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
- ^ "The Wade Trophy". Women's Basketball Coaches Association. 2016-02-17. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
- ^ "Women's Basketball Finest" (PDF). fs.ncaa.org. Retrieved 2017-10-03.
- ^ a b Kram, Mark (March 10, 1993). "The World Is Her Cloister". philly.com. Archived from the original on May 13, 2016. Retrieved February 27, 2016 – via Wayback Machine.
- ^ a b Merrill, Elizabeth (August 2, 2019). "Whatever happened to Villanova basketball star Shelly Pennefather? 'So I made this deal with God.'". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
External links
edit- Profile at the Greater Utica Sports Hall of Fame
- Profile at Machebeuf.org
- The Former Villanova basketball star who gave up hoops to join a monastery | SC Featured via YouTube