Former UMaine women’s basketball coach Joanne Palombo-McCallie returned to Maine for a November game, where her nationally ranked Duke Blue Devils took on the Black Bears, coached by her former star guard Amy Vachon ‘00. Maine came within three four points of pulling off an upset, falling to Duke 66-63.
The occasion brought together dozens of former members of the women’s basketball team, who gathered for a pre-game reception and later on the court for a group photo. Also honored on the court was the family of Stacey Porrini Clingan ‘97, who was a leader of the Black Bears during the mid-1990s. Clingan, 42, died earlier this year as a consequence of breast cancer.
McCallie coached at UMaine from 1992 – 2000, later at Michigan State, and has coached the Duke University women’s basketball for the past 12 years.
“It’s great to be home, and I have so much respect for the job Amy has done,” McCallie told the Bangor Daily News.