Shelly Pennefather
{{Short description|American basketball player}}
{{Infobox basketball biography
| name = Shelly Pennefather
| image =
| number =
| position = Forward
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 1
| weight_lb =
| league =
| birth_date = c. 1966
| birth_place =
| nationality = American
| high_school =
| college = Villanova (1983–1987)
| career_start =
| career_end =
| years1 = 1987–1990
| team1 = Nippon Express
| highlights =
- Wade Trophy (1987)
- Kodak All-American (1987)
- 3× Big East Player of the Year (1985–1987)
- 2x Big East Tournament MVP (1986, 1987)
- Big East Freshman of the Year (1984)
| medal_templates =
{{MedalCountry|{{USA}}}}
{{MedalSport|Women's basketball}}
{{MedalCompetition|Jones Cup}}
{{MedalSilver|1982 Taipei, Taiwan | Team Competition}}
}}
Mary Michelle Pennefather (born c. 1966), now known as Sister Rose Marie of the Queen of Angels,{{Cite web | url=http://www.catholiceducation.org/en/faith-and-character/faith-and-character/pennefather-heeds-her-calling.html |title=Pennefather heeds her calling|publisher=catholiceducation.org|date=April 6, 2003|accessdate=February 27, 2016}} 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.
High school
Pennefather 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.{{Cite web | url=http://archive.apsportseditors.org/contest/2003/writing/over250/over250.features.third.html |title=Sister of mercy |first=Clay |last=Latimer |publisher=Associated Press Sports Editors|date=|accessdate=February 27, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305085312/http://archive.apsportseditors.org/contest/2003/writing/over250/over250.features.third.html |archive-date=March 5, 2016 |via=Wayback Machine}}{{Cite web | url=http://articles.philly.com/1986-01-22/sports/26052943_1_scholarship-catholic-schools-wildcat-coach-harry-perretta | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222231156/http://articles.philly.com/1986-01-22/sports/26052943_1_scholarship-catholic-schools-wildcat-coach-harry-perretta | url-status=dead | archive-date=December 22, 2015 |title=Pennefather Keeps Trying To Duck Spotlight|publisher=philly.com|date=January 22, 1986|accessdate=February 27, 2016}}
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.{{Cite web | url=http://thecatholicsun.com/2014/04/02/history-made-and-repeated/|title=History made and repeated|publisher=Thecatholicsun.com|date=April 3, 2014|accessdate=February 27, 2016}}{{Cite web | url=http://archive.usab.com/womens/wusof_affil_roster.html| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150907054307/http://archive.usab.com/womens/wusof_affil_roster.html| url-status=dead| archive-date=September 7, 2015|title=Women's All-Time U. S. Olympic Festival Roster by Affiliation|publisher=USA Basketball|accessdate=February 27, 2016}}{{Cite web|url=http://archive.usab.com/womens/wjcup_1982.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808043844/http://archive.usab.com/womens/wjcup_1982.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 8, 2014 |title=USA Women's R. William Jones Cup|publisher=USA Basketball|accessdate=February 27, 2016}}
College
Pennefather 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.{{Cite web|url=http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/w_basketball_RB/2009/Awards.pdf|title=NCAA Basketball Award Winners|publisher=NCAA|accessdate=February 27, 2016}}{{Cite web | url=https://www.courant.com/2004/03/07/this-sister-could-bring-it/ |title=This Sister Could Bring It |first=Jeff |last=Jacobs |publisher=philly.com|date=March 7, 2004|access-date=February 27, 2016}}{{Cite web |date=2016-02-17 |title=The Wade Trophy |url=https://wbca.org/recognize/player-awards/wade-trophy |access-date=2022-04-10 |website=Women's Basketball Coaches Association |language=en}}
=Villanova statistics=
{{NBA player statistics legend}}
| class="wikitable"
!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
After graduating from Villanova, Pennefather played three seasons of professional basketball for the Nippon Express in Japan.{{Cite web | url=http://articles.philly.com/1993-03-10/sports/25951435_1_villanova-cloister-lynn-tighe |title=The World Is Her Cloister |first=Mark |last=Kram |publisher=philly.com|date=March 10, 1993|accessdate=February 27, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160513065255/http://articles.philly.com/1993-03-10/sports/25951435_1_villanova-cloister-lynn-tighe |archive-date=May 13, 2016 |via=Wayback Machine}}
Religious life
On June 8, 1991, Pennefather retired to a monastic life with the Poor Clares order at their monastery in Alexandria, Virginia. 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. 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.{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/27297631/happened-villanova-basketball-star-shelly-pennefather-made-deal-god|title=Whatever happened to Villanova basketball star Shelly Pennefather? 'So I made this deal with God.'|first=Elizabeth|last=Merrill|date=August 2, 2019|access-date=August 4, 2019|website=ESPN.com}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.greateruticasports.com/inductees/view/48/shelly-pennefather Profile] at the Greater Utica Sports Hall of Fame
- [http://www.machebeuf.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=207210&type=d&pREC_ID=448072 Profile] at Machebeuf.org
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3d_Ag5k4O30 The Former Villanova basketball star who gave up hoops to join a monastery | SC Featured] via YouTube
{{Wade Trophy}}
{{Big East Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Year navbox}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pennefather, Shelly}}
Category:20th-century American Roman Catholic nuns
Category:21st-century American Roman Catholic nuns
Category:All-American college women's basketball players
Category:American expatriate basketball people in Japan
Category:American women's basketball players
Category:Basketball players from Denver
Category:Forwards (basketball)
Category:Parade High School All-Americans (girls' basketball)