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Michelle Marciniak ended up at a Buffalo women's basketball game on New Year's Day by happenstance.
Marciniak was at Niagara Falls for New Year's Eve when she realized how close she was to Buffalo where Becky Burke was in her third season as coach of the Bulls. The former Lady Vols star recruited Burke to South Carolina when she was an assistant from 2003-08.
Marciniak hadn't seen or talked to Burke outside of a few random messages since recruiting her. But Burke was happy to have Marciniak at the Jan. 1 game against Central Michigan.
Marciniak was as impressed by Burke as a coach – she had the same qualities that made her special as a player when Marciniak recruited her at age 15. Feisty. Passionate. Hungry for success.
"She puts her heart out there," Marciniak told Knox News. "She coaches hard. I mean, she might as well be playing."
Burke invited Marciniak to the locker room to talk to the team after the 81-55 victory, and Marciniak was struck by the the introduction.
She didn't realized the impact she make on Burke. South Carolina coach Susan Walvius resigned the spring before Burke would have arrived on campus. Burke instead committed to Louisville.
"It was a moment for me to not only realize how old I was, but to realize that the influence you have on young lives in the college game is vast," Marciniak said. "And that’s what I saw that day. It was very cool."
Now Marciniak, 51, will have the chance to impact even more players as the general manager on Burke's staff at Arizona.
Marciniak was doing her mother's taxes sitting in her home office in Knoxville when she received a phone call from Burke on April 9, a few days after Buffalo won the WNIT.
"Hey winner," Marciniak said when she picked up. "I'm really happy for you."
Marciniak had told Burke that evening in Buffalo it would take winning the conference championship to take the next step in her career. And Marciniak became one of her biggest supporters after that, following Buffalo's games and sending Burke encouragement.
Burke exceeded expectations, rebounding from a loss in the MAC tournament semifinals to win the WNIT championship. But Burke wasn't calling that day for congratulations.
"Well, I have something else to tell you," Burke said. "I’ve just been hired as the women’s basketball coach at Arizona."
Burke called Marciniak nine minutes after getting hired. She asked Marciniak to come with her, but Marciniak wasn't interested in coaching again after being a co-CEO the last 18 years. Marciniak and Walvius co-founded SHEEX, the world's first performance bedding company.
But Burke didn't give up, asking Marciniak what kind of position she'd want. Marciniak asked about becoming GM.
It was an easy decision for Marciniak.
"It caused my heart to flutter," Marciniak said. "It’s the passion I have for the game of basketball, but also the thought of bringing my business mind into a basketball environment, that got me really excited."
Marciniak and Burke talked about winning a national championship every day when Marciniak recruited her.
Burke still carries that mindset as a coach, and Marciniak doesn't know any other way after playing for the legendary coach Pat Summitt at Tennessee from 1993-96.
Marciniak watched Summitt and former women's athletic director Joan Cronan build a national powerhouse out of nothing. She talked to Cronan to gain insight on building a championship program when she was considering the job.
"It was really special for me to go over to Joan's house and have that conversation," Marciniak said. "I felt like Pat might as well have been sitting at the table with us."
PAT SUMMITT: Tyler Summitt describes emotions of kids seeing Pat Summitt statue: Hugs, tears for 'really tall' grandmother
Marciniak is excited to be on the forefront of the general manger position at the college level, blazing a new path like her former coach. It's a position she could have seen herself for the Lady Vols if the program decided to hire a GM. None of the teams at UT have GM positions.
Marciniak is also excited to dive into the current state of college athletics, because these aren't cookie-cutter jobs with the constant changes. They're jobs that require "entrepreneurial flex muscles," Marciniak said, and the ability to adapt on the fly.
There's no shortage of transferrable skills for Marciniak, from branding to fundraising to gaining new customers. She learned how to develop relationships in order to raise $25 million in capital for SHEEX.
Her role has a wide range of responsibilities in addition to fundraising, branding and NIL strategy. She'll be involved in day-to-day operations and work closely with Burke on recruiting, staff management, program structure and be a liaison between the program and both the athletic administration and external stakeholders.
Marciniak will be chief advisor to Burke, who's starting her first power conference job. She feels like she's at the perfect point in her life to be a mentor.
"This is my give-back moment in my life," Marciniak said, "where it’s about finding joy in helping someone else live out their dreams and use all of my life skills to build a champion in Becky for the University of Arizona."
Cora Hall covers University of Tennessee women’s athletics. Email her at [email protected] and follow her on X @corahalll. If you enjoy Cora’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that allows you to access all of it.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Why Arizona GM job is a 'give-back moment' for Michelle Marciniak
Continue reading...
Marciniak was at Niagara Falls for New Year's Eve when she realized how close she was to Buffalo where Becky Burke was in her third season as coach of the Bulls. The former Lady Vols star recruited Burke to South Carolina when she was an assistant from 2003-08.
Marciniak hadn't seen or talked to Burke outside of a few random messages since recruiting her. But Burke was happy to have Marciniak at the Jan. 1 game against Central Michigan.
Marciniak was as impressed by Burke as a coach – she had the same qualities that made her special as a player when Marciniak recruited her at age 15. Feisty. Passionate. Hungry for success.
"She puts her heart out there," Marciniak told Knox News. "She coaches hard. I mean, she might as well be playing."
Burke invited Marciniak to the locker room to talk to the team after the 81-55 victory, and Marciniak was struck by the the introduction.
She didn't realized the impact she make on Burke. South Carolina coach Susan Walvius resigned the spring before Burke would have arrived on campus. Burke instead committed to Louisville.
"It was a moment for me to not only realize how old I was, but to realize that the influence you have on young lives in the college game is vast," Marciniak said. "And that’s what I saw that day. It was very cool."
Now Marciniak, 51, will have the chance to impact even more players as the general manager on Burke's staff at Arizona.
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Why being a general manager excited Michelle Marciniak
Marciniak was doing her mother's taxes sitting in her home office in Knoxville when she received a phone call from Burke on April 9, a few days after Buffalo won the WNIT.
"Hey winner," Marciniak said when she picked up. "I'm really happy for you."
Marciniak had told Burke that evening in Buffalo it would take winning the conference championship to take the next step in her career. And Marciniak became one of her biggest supporters after that, following Buffalo's games and sending Burke encouragement.
Burke exceeded expectations, rebounding from a loss in the MAC tournament semifinals to win the WNIT championship. But Burke wasn't calling that day for congratulations.
"Well, I have something else to tell you," Burke said. "I’ve just been hired as the women’s basketball coach at Arizona."
Burke called Marciniak nine minutes after getting hired. She asked Marciniak to come with her, but Marciniak wasn't interested in coaching again after being a co-CEO the last 18 years. Marciniak and Walvius co-founded SHEEX, the world's first performance bedding company.
But Burke didn't give up, asking Marciniak what kind of position she'd want. Marciniak asked about becoming GM.
It was an easy decision for Marciniak.
"It caused my heart to flutter," Marciniak said. "It’s the passion I have for the game of basketball, but also the thought of bringing my business mind into a basketball environment, that got me really excited."
You must be registered for see images attach
Why this is Michelle Marciniak's 'give-back' moment
Marciniak and Burke talked about winning a national championship every day when Marciniak recruited her.
Burke still carries that mindset as a coach, and Marciniak doesn't know any other way after playing for the legendary coach Pat Summitt at Tennessee from 1993-96.
Marciniak watched Summitt and former women's athletic director Joan Cronan build a national powerhouse out of nothing. She talked to Cronan to gain insight on building a championship program when she was considering the job.
"It was really special for me to go over to Joan's house and have that conversation," Marciniak said. "I felt like Pat might as well have been sitting at the table with us."
PAT SUMMITT: Tyler Summitt describes emotions of kids seeing Pat Summitt statue: Hugs, tears for 'really tall' grandmother
Marciniak is excited to be on the forefront of the general manger position at the college level, blazing a new path like her former coach. It's a position she could have seen herself for the Lady Vols if the program decided to hire a GM. None of the teams at UT have GM positions.
Marciniak is also excited to dive into the current state of college athletics, because these aren't cookie-cutter jobs with the constant changes. They're jobs that require "entrepreneurial flex muscles," Marciniak said, and the ability to adapt on the fly.
There's no shortage of transferrable skills for Marciniak, from branding to fundraising to gaining new customers. She learned how to develop relationships in order to raise $25 million in capital for SHEEX.
Her role has a wide range of responsibilities in addition to fundraising, branding and NIL strategy. She'll be involved in day-to-day operations and work closely with Burke on recruiting, staff management, program structure and be a liaison between the program and both the athletic administration and external stakeholders.
Marciniak will be chief advisor to Burke, who's starting her first power conference job. She feels like she's at the perfect point in her life to be a mentor.
"This is my give-back moment in my life," Marciniak said, "where it’s about finding joy in helping someone else live out their dreams and use all of my life skills to build a champion in Becky for the University of Arizona."
Cora Hall covers University of Tennessee women’s athletics. Email her at [email protected] and follow her on X @corahalll. If you enjoy Cora’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that allows you to access all of it.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Why Arizona GM job is a 'give-back moment' for Michelle Marciniak
Continue reading...
