| 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
| |||||||||||||||
Mary Michelle Pennefather (born c. 1966), now known asSister Rose Marie of the Queen of Angels,[1] is a former professionalbasketball player. Winner of theWade Trophy in 1987, she went on to play premier league basketball in Japan before retiring to amonastic life.
Pennefather spent three years atBishop Machebeuf Catholic High School inDenver,Colorado and one atNotre Dame High School inUtica, 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 theParade All-American High School Basketball Team. She was aU.S. Olympic Festival selection in 1981 and 1983. She turned out for theUSA Women's R. William Jones Cup Team in 1982 where she earned a silver medal.[4][5][6]
Pennefather played her college basketball for theVillanova Wildcats atVillanova University inRadnor 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 theBig 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]
Source[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 |
After graduating from Villanova, Pennefather played three seasons of professional basketball for theNippon Express in Japan.[1][11]
On June 8, 1991, Pennefather retired to a monastic life with thePoor Clares order at their monastery inAlexandria, Virginia.[12][11] On June 6, 1997, six years after entering themonastery as anovice, Pennefather, now known as Sister Rose Marie, took her final vows as anun.[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]
