Nicole Kaczmarski
Encyclopedia
Nicole Kaczmarski is a former professional basketball
player. A standout player in high school
, she received a Gatorade Player of the Year award
, was named Miss New York Basketball
and earned a spot on the 1999 USA Today All-USA high school basketball team
. Heavily recruited by colleges, Kaczmarski eventually enrolled at UCLA
, but took time off during her sophomore year to deal with health issues and personal problems. She then transferred to the University of Georgia
, but left the school before the team’s first practice.
Kaczmarski then left college basketball altogether and enrolled at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Afterward, she had brief stints with two WNBA
teams, the New York Liberty
and the Los Angeles Sparks
. In 2011, she became an analyst for the television network MSG Varsity
.
Kaczmarski’s high school career and college recruitment were chronicled in the documentary film
Running Down a Dream.
native, Kaczmarski first gained national recognition at Longwood High School
, where she was named women's high school basketball Freshman of the Year by ESPN RISE. Kaczmarski, also known by her nickname "Kaz" had a brief stint playing for Christ The King Regional High School
alongside future University of Connecticut
and WNBA star Sue Bird
. She played most of her high school basketball at Sachem High School
, where she set a Long Island women's high school basketball record with 2,583 career points. During her high school career, she was named both Gatorade Player of the Year and Miss New York Basketball and was a selection to the 1999 USA Today All-USA high school basketball team. Kaczmarski was highly recruited and after fielding other offers from Stanford University
, the University of Virginia
and the University of Florida
, she decided to attend UCLA
. One of the last games she played as a high school player was the Women's Basketball Coaches Association
All-America game. Kaczmarski's high school career and entrance into college basketball were documented in the 1999 film Running Down a Dream.
early in the season due to an injury to regular starter Erica Gomez. Eventually, she was shifted to the shooting guard
position. She averaged 11.7 points per game and set a school record by hitting seven three pointers
during a game at Washington State University
. Kaczmarski was also named Pac-10 Player of the Week and was a selection to the conference all-freshman team.
Despite finding success in her freshman season, Kaczmarski did not return to UCLA for her sophomore year, opting to stay in New York instead. She had been suffering from lyme disease
, as well as plantar fasciitis
due to an injury she suffered at trials for the USA Basketball
World University Games
team. In addition, Kaczmarski had also been experiencing difficulty adjusting to life away from home. It was also reported that Kaczmarski had enrolled at UCLA against her father's wishes. In December 2000, Kaczmarski formally requested a letter of release so she could transfer to another school. Copies of the letter were sent to Duke University
, the University of Florida, the University of Georgia and the University of Virginia. Kaczmarski enrolled at Georgia and her father assisted her with the transition. However, after staying several months and before the team's first practice, she notified Lady Bulldogs
coach Andy Landers
that she would not return to the team.
Kaczmarski returned to school at the State University of New York at Stonybrook, but never returned to college basketball. With two years of eligibility
left, she moved in with her mother and took a job waiting tables at a local Outback Steakhouse
. An article in USA Today
attributed her hiatus to the rift between her divorced parents over her life focus on basketball.
In 2003, Kaczmarski was drafted in the 3rd round of the 2003 WNBA Draft
as the final pick of her hometown WNBA
team, the New York Liberty
. She was unaware that she had been drafted until a friend called to congratulate her. Kaczmarski did not make the Liberty's regular season roster but started playing professionally in Europe. She then had a brief stint with the Los Angeles Sparks
in 2005 before she was waived by the team.
. As of March 2011, she ranks second behind Bethany Leseur for most career points scored in Long Island women's high school basketball.
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player. A standout player in high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
, she received a Gatorade Player of the Year award
Gatorade Player of the Year awards
The Gatorade Player of the Year awards are given annually to male and female high-school student-athletes in the United States. They are given for boys' baseball, boys' football, girls' softball, girls' volleyball, boys' basketball, girls' basketball, boys' cross country, girls' cross country,...
, was named Miss New York Basketball
Miss New York Basketball
The Miss New York Basketball honor recognizes the top high school basketball player in the state of New York. The award is presented by the Basketball Coaches Association of New York, Inc, which consists of basketball coaches at the scholastic and collegiate levels from throughout the entire...
and earned a spot on the 1999 USA Today All-USA high school basketball team
USA Today All-USA high school basketball team
Each year, USA Today, an American newspaper, awards outstanding high-school basketball players with a place on its male and female All-USA high school basketball teams. The newspaper names athletes whom it believes to be the best basketball players from high schools around the United States...
. Heavily recruited by colleges, Kaczmarski eventually enrolled at UCLA
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
, but took time off during her sophomore year to deal with health issues and personal problems. She then transferred to the University of Georgia
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
, but left the school before the team’s first practice.
Kaczmarski then left college basketball altogether and enrolled at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Afterward, she had brief stints with two WNBA
Women's National Basketball Association
The Women's National Basketball Association is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. It currently is composed of twelve teams. The league was founded on April 24, 1996 as the women's counterpart to the National Basketball Association...
teams, the New York Liberty
New York Liberty
The New York Liberty is a professional basketball team based in New York City, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was one of the eight original franchises of the league...
and the Los Angeles Sparks
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began...
. In 2011, she became an analyst for the television network MSG Varsity
MSG Varsity
MSG Varsity is a high school sports television network focused on the New York metropolitan area, that covers schools from Connecticut, New Jersey, Long Island and New York City. Owned and operated by Madison Square Garden, Inc. the network is advertised as "another Optimum exclusive" and only...
.
Kaczmarski’s high school career and college recruitment were chronicled in the documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
Running Down a Dream.
High School career
A Long IslandLong Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
native, Kaczmarski first gained national recognition at Longwood High School
Longwood Central School District
Longwood Central School District covers in central Brookhaven Town, Suffolk County, New York, United States. It serves the hamlets of Ridge, Middle Island, Coram, and Yaphank, and parts of Shoreham, Shirley, Medford, Miller Place, Mount Sinai, and Upton...
, where she was named women's high school basketball Freshman of the Year by ESPN RISE. Kaczmarski, also known by her nickname "Kaz" had a brief stint playing for Christ The King Regional High School
Christ The King Regional High School
Christ the King Regional High School is a Catholic high school located in Middle Village, Queens, New York, USA and established in 1962. Often referred to as 'CK' among its students, it is located within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn.-History:...
alongside future University of Connecticut
University of Connecticut
The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...
and WNBA star Sue Bird
Sue Bird
Suzanne Brigit "Sue" Bird is an American professional women's basketball player for the Seattle Storm and WBC Spartak Moscow Region....
. She played most of her high school basketball at Sachem High School
Sachem School District
Sachem Central School District is one of the largest school districts by population on Long Island and among all suburban school districts in New York, United States. Founded in 1955, the district now encompasses residents of the Census-Designated Places of Holbrook, Holtsville and Farmingville, as...
, where she set a Long Island women's high school basketball record with 2,583 career points. During her high school career, she was named both Gatorade Player of the Year and Miss New York Basketball and was a selection to the 1999 USA Today All-USA high school basketball team. Kaczmarski was highly recruited and after fielding other offers from Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
and the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
, she decided to attend UCLA
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
. One of the last games she played as a high school player was the Women's Basketball Coaches Association
Women's Basketball Coaches Association
The Women's Basketball Coaches Association is an association of coaches of women's basketball teams at all levels.The organization was formed in 1981, with the goal of addressing the needs of women's basketball coaches.The mission of the WBCA is:...
All-America game. Kaczmarski's high school career and entrance into college basketball were documented in the 1999 film Running Down a Dream.
College and WNBA career
At UCLA, Kaczmarski started at point guardPoint guard
Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...
early in the season due to an injury to regular starter Erica Gomez. Eventually, she was shifted to the shooting guard
Shooting guard
The shooting guard , also known as the two or off guard, is one of five traditional positions on a basketball team. Players of the position are often shorter, leaner, and quicker than forwards. A shooting guard's main objective is to score points for his team...
position. She averaged 11.7 points per game and set a school record by hitting seven three pointers
Three-point field goal
A three-point field goal is a field goal in a basketball game, made from beyond the three-point line, a designated arc radiating from the basket...
during a game at Washington State University
Washington State University
Washington State University is a public research university based in Pullman, Washington, in the Palouse region of the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 1890, WSU is the state's original and largest land-grant university...
. Kaczmarski was also named Pac-10 Player of the Week and was a selection to the conference all-freshman team.
Despite finding success in her freshman season, Kaczmarski did not return to UCLA for her sophomore year, opting to stay in New York instead. She had been suffering from lyme disease
Lyme disease
Lyme disease, or Lyme borreliosis, is an emerging infectious disease caused by at least three species of bacteria belonging to the genus Borrelia. Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto is the main cause of Lyme disease in the United States, whereas Borrelia afzelii and Borrelia garinii cause most...
, as well as plantar fasciitis
Plantar fasciitis
Plantar fasciitis is a painful inflammatory process of the plantar fascia, the connective tissue on the sole of the foot.Longstanding cases of plantar fasciitis often demonstrate more degenerative changes than inflammatory changes, in which case they are termed plantar fasciosis. The suffix...
due to an injury she suffered at trials for the USA Basketball
USA Basketball
USA Basketball is a non-profit organization and the governing body for basketball in the United States. The organization represents the United States in FIBA and the men's and women's national basketball teams in the United States Olympic Committee...
World University Games
Universiade
The Universiade is an International multi-sport event, organized for university athletes by the International University Sports Federation . The name is a combination of the words "University" and "olympiad"...
team. In addition, Kaczmarski had also been experiencing difficulty adjusting to life away from home. It was also reported that Kaczmarski had enrolled at UCLA against her father's wishes. In December 2000, Kaczmarski formally requested a letter of release so she could transfer to another school. Copies of the letter were sent to Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
, the University of Florida, the University of Georgia and the University of Virginia. Kaczmarski enrolled at Georgia and her father assisted her with the transition. However, after staying several months and before the team's first practice, she notified Lady Bulldogs
Georgia Lady Bulldogs basketball
The Georgia Lady Bulldogs basketball team represents the University of Georgia in basketball. The Lady Bulldogs are a member of the Southeastern Conference . The "Lady Dawgs," as they are sometimes called, play in Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Georgia...
coach Andy Landers
Andy Landers
- External links :* * - Notes :...
that she would not return to the team.
Kaczmarski returned to school at the State University of New York at Stonybrook, but never returned to college basketball. With two years of eligibility
Redshirt (college sports)
Redshirt is a term used in American college athletics that refers to a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen his or her period of eligibility...
left, she moved in with her mother and took a job waiting tables at a local Outback Steakhouse
Outback Steakhouse
Outback Steakhouse is an American casual dining restaurant chain based in Tampa, Florida with over 1200 locations in 22 countries throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. It was founded in February 1988 in Tampa by Bob Basham, Chris T...
. An article in USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
attributed her hiatus to the rift between her divorced parents over her life focus on basketball.
In 2003, Kaczmarski was drafted in the 3rd round of the 2003 WNBA Draft
2003 WNBA Draft
The 2003 WNBA Draft, both the dispersal draft and the regular WNBA draft, took place on April 24. The dispersal draft involved players from the rosters of the Portland Fire and Miami Sol teams which had both folded after the 2002 season....
as the final pick of her hometown WNBA
Women's National Basketball Association
The Women's National Basketball Association is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. It currently is composed of twelve teams. The league was founded on April 24, 1996 as the women's counterpart to the National Basketball Association...
team, the New York Liberty
New York Liberty
The New York Liberty is a professional basketball team based in New York City, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was one of the eight original franchises of the league...
. She was unaware that she had been drafted until a friend called to congratulate her. Kaczmarski did not make the Liberty's regular season roster but started playing professionally in Europe. She then had a brief stint with the Los Angeles Sparks
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began...
in 2005 before she was waived by the team.
Post-playing career
After being waived by the Sparks, Kaczmarski reportedly continued to pursue a career in healthcare. In 2011, she returned to basketball as an analyst for the Cablevision channel MSG VarsityMSG Varsity
MSG Varsity is a high school sports television network focused on the New York metropolitan area, that covers schools from Connecticut, New Jersey, Long Island and New York City. Owned and operated by Madison Square Garden, Inc. the network is advertised as "another Optimum exclusive" and only...
. As of March 2011, she ranks second behind Bethany Leseur for most career points scored in Long Island women's high school basketball.