SUZIE McCONNELL SERIO

Basketball Star

Suzie McConnell Serio received a lot of publicity as a 31 year old mother of four suddenly becoming a professional basketball player. She went on to become one of the very best players in the WNBA, and then one of their coaches.

Suzie McConnell was born July 29, 1966, in Pittsburgh, and graduated from Seton LaSalle High School in that city. She was a basketball star there, and also at Penn State, from which she graduated in1988 and received All-American status. She holds the NCAA record for 1,377 career assists. McConnell played on the Olympic basketball teams in 1988, winning a gold medal, and 1992, winning a bronze medal.

She also became the first girls' basketball coach at Oakland Catholic High School in Pittsburgh, where she continued her record of success by guiding the newly-formed team to three Pennsylvania State titles, and two times were runners-up.

After her marriage to Pete Serio, giving birth to four children (Pete Jr., Jordan, Mandy, and Madison), and going six years without playing competitive basketball, McConnell Serio was drafted by the Cleveland Rockers of the WNBA and quickly became not only a starter, but the acknowledged leader of the team. In her first year, 1998, she helped the team win the Eastern Conference title. She was also named to the all-WNBA All-Stars, won league honors for the Sportsman Award, and was named the Newcomer of the year. In 2003 she was asked to take over as Head Coach of the WNBA Minnesota Lynx at the age of 36. But first she wanted to finish out her 13th season with her high school team, when she won her third Pennsylvania State championship, their second in three years. She finished her career at Oakland Catholic with a 321-68 record. And her first season with the Lynx resulted in their best season ever, getting into the playoffs.