FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 11, 2004

Mary McConnell Named Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach at Rhode Island College

Providence, RI—Rhode Island College has named Mary McConnell as an assistant women’s basketball coach. She will assist Head Coach Spencer Manning with all phases of the RIC women’s basketball program including recruiting, scouting, administering practice and game coaching.

One of the top scorers in Bryant College women's basketball history, McConnell capped an outstanding four-year career in 2003-04 by leading the Bulldogs to their first NCAA tournament appearance in eight seasons and first-ever trip to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen.

McConnell, a team co-captain in 2003-04, concluded her career ranked eighth all-time in school history with 1,182 career points at Bryant and was named Third Team All-Northeast-10 Conference this past season after averaging 10.7 points per game to go with 43 three-point field goals, 41 steals, and 4.2 rebounds per game average.  McConnell played in 29 games for Bryant, averaging over 30 minutes per game. In December, she became only the 16th player in school history to score 1,000 points in a career while leading Bryant past Saint Leo. In addition, McConnell was named the Women's Basketball Player of the Year by the Rhode Island Basketball Media for Division II this past March.

In addition to her accomplishments on the court, McConnell was a member of the Bryant S.A.A.C. (Student Athlete Advisory Committee) and worked in the Bryant Athletic Administration Office. McConnell has been a volunteer assistant coach with the Rhode Island Breakers AAU team as well as a volunteer with the 2001 Special Olympics. She has also served as a camp counselor and instructor at the Bryant Girls Basketball Camp and Nykesha Sales Basketball camp during the summer.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in management from Bryant College in 2004. She is single and resides in her hometown of Pawtucket, Rhode Island.

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