Hall of Fame
Jennifer M. Shea McKeone 89’ – Class of 1999
Coming to play…
Classmate Antonio Eppolito’s words in the 1989 Black Robe make clear what this young woman meant to her sport at Le Moyne:
“What sets her apart is…what she left behind…a basketball program that was near anonymity when she began…has become a perennial conference contender. She left the student body with a greater awareness of the subtleties and finesses of women’s basketball; and left also, a rewritten record book that poses a large order for future players to surpass…”
Ten years later, that order still looms large. This four-year starter, three-time all-conference selection, and recipient of the Rev. John J. O’Brien Award as Female Athlete of the Year still holds Dolphin records in 14 categories, including scoring and rebounding.
She came to play. When she stepped on the hardwood self-assured but reserved demeanor was replaced by an intensity that gave her a court presence far larger than her six-foot fame. Rebounding is part art, part science and mostly determination. And she corralled 1,065 caroms in her career. She responded to a box-and-one defense designed by Colgate specifically to contain her by pouring a single-game record 36 points through the hoop. By graduation, she had accounted for 1,676 points.
She understood that teams, not individuals, win games and quickly became the squad’s most vocal cheerleader when sent to the bench for a breather. Two contemporaries – Kathy Arcaro Charboneau and Michelle Cassella Giannoni – join her in the Dolphin 1,000-point club.
The intensity she brought to the court was not without perspective and a sense of humor. She came to play because it was fun. When she set Le Moyne’s single-game record for rebounding at 24, she was quick to quip that her teammates deserved most of the credit because they missed so many shots that provided her opportunities on the offensive boards.
She came to play in the classroom as well. In 1989 she was selected conference scholar-athlete of the year and she has used her education to build a successful career in the pharmaceutical industry.
A national-caliber star who wrote the women’s basketball record book at Le Moyne, whose intensity on the court is rivaled only by the grace and class that she brings to all her endeavors,
Jennifer M. Shea McKeone ’89 is inducted to the Le Moyne College Athletic Hall of Fame
February 6, 1999
