From Staff Reports
ORONO, Maine - University of Maine Athletic Director Blake James announced today the hiring of Cindy Blodgett as head coach of the women's basketball program. Blodgett, who is a 1998 graduate of the University of Maine, has spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach at Brown University. She is the tenth head coach in the history of the program. Blodgett, who is widely considered the best player in America East history, is the conference's all-time leading scorer and led the Black Bears to four-straight conference titles while in Orono.
Blodgett remains the all-time leading scorer in America East history and was a four-time America East Championship Most Outstanding Player. The two-time America East Player of the Year rewrote the conference record book during her four years with Maine.
"This is a great day for the state of Maine. We are excited to have Cindy return to the University of Maine as our new head coach," said James. "I believe she is the perfect role model for our student-athletes as she has experienced success at all levels of basketball and excelled academically as a student at Maine. I am confident the program will continue to flourish academically and athletically under Cindy's leadership."
"Anyone that knows me knows that I enjoy challenges," said Blodgett. "There is a tremendous amount of support for this program and I am happy to be back home."
Blodgett just completed her second season with the Brown women's basketball program. At Brown, she was the recruiting coordinator and coordinated the daily operations of the program. One of her recruits, Lindsay Walls, was selected to the Ivy League All-Rookie team. She planned daily practices, managed the operational and recruiting budgets, implemented game strategies and monitored student-athletes academic progress. Prior to Brown, she served as an assistant coach at Boston University from 1999-2000.
A four-time All-American, Blodgett was just the second woman in NCAA Division I history to lead the nation in scoring for two consecutive seasons, averaging over 27 points per game in her sophomore and junior years at Maine. She finished her career with the Black Bears with 3,005 points, breaking a total of 20 school records. Blodgett is ranked sixth all-time in NCAA history in scoring. She led Maine to its first four appearances in the NCAA Tournament in the school's history. In both 1996 and 1998 she was the America East Player of the Year while in 1997 and 1998 she was a Pre-Season Naismith Player of the Year Candidate. She earned Academic All-American honors in 1998 as well. Blodgett earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from Maine, graduating cum laude.
"I am thrilled about Cindy being named the head coach at Maine," said former Maine head coach and current Duke University head coach Joanne Palombo-McCallie. "I can't think of a better fit and can't think of a better person to lead the way. She is gifted, she has worked very hard and understands the commitment it will take to elevate the program. This is a wonderful hire and I commend Blake, Anne Pooler and the search committee for their efforts. I am excited for Cindy in every possible way. I will be watching her closely and look forward to helping her in anyway. This is a wonderful hire that should be celebrated by everybody across the state of Maine."
After a storied career at the University of Maine, Blodgett went on to play in the WNBA from 1998-2002. Drafted sixth overall in 1998, she played for the Cleveland Rockers for one season, before going on to play with the Sacramento Monarchs for three seasons. She has also played internationally in Korea and for the National Women's Basketball League. For three years, Blodgett ran a summer skills basketball camp in Waterville, Maine.
A native of Clinton, Maine, Blodgett led Lawrence High School to four straight Class A State Championships. She is Maine's all-time leading scorer in high school basketball with 2,596 career points. She was named Maine Gatorade Player of the Year in 1992, 1993 and 1994 and was Miss Basketball in Maine in 1994. Blodgett was also the Portland Press Herald Athlete of the Year in 1994 and recipient of the Bangor Daily News Owen Osborne Award.