Marchesano Tabbed for Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame Silver Anniversary Team
12/16/2025 12:48:00 PM | Women's Basketball
NEW CASTLE, Ind. - Purdue Fort Wayne women's basketball head coach Maria Marchesano was selected for the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame's 2026 Women's Silver Anniversary Team.
Please note selection to the Silver Anniversary Team is not induction into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame. These are separate distinctions and members of the Silver Anniversary Team should be referred to as honorees, not inductees.
The Silver Anniversary Team recognizes players from the graduating class of 25 years earlier – in this case, honorees all are 2001 high school graduates. The 2026 Silver Anniversary Team includes 11 players who were named to the 2001 Indiana All-Star squad. Seven other All-State caliber players are included to recognize the top of Indiana's high school class of 2001.
The 2026 women's Silver Anniversary Team members, the 2026 women's Center Circle Officials Award honorees and the 2026 women's induction class will be honored at the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame's 24th Women's Awards Banquet on Saturday, April 25, 2026. A mid-day reception, free and open to the public, will be held earlier on April 25 at the Hall of Fame Museum in New Castle. The evening banquet will take place at Primo Banquet Hall, 2615 National Ave., Indianapolis, IN 46227.
Marchesano totaled a school-record 1,466 points as well as 298 rebounds, 211 assists and 243 in 76 games over four seasons for Fort Wayne Elmhurst teams that went 48-37 and won a 1999 sectional and regional for coach Mark Redding. Marchesano was selected 2001 AP high honorable mention All-State, 2000 AP honorable mention All-State, 1999 AP high honorable mention All-State, three-time Fort Wayne News-Sentinel first-team All-Area and four-time first-team All-Summit Athletic Conference. She also was her class salutatorian, in National Honor Society and named 2001 IBCA honorable mention Academic All-State and 2001 ICGSA honorable mention Academic All-State.
She went on to Butler University, were she totaled 528 points, 118 rebounds, 62 assists and 43 steals in 78 games over three-plus seasons while playing for coaches Wendy Gatlin and Beth Couture. Marchesano averaged 8.1 points, 1.2 rebounds and was named to the 2002 Horizon League All-Newcomer Team and 2002 Butler Freshman Athlete of the Year in 2001-02. Marchesano stands 10th on the Butler list for career 3-pointers (142) and is 11th the BU list for career 3-point percentage (.369). She had career-best seven 3-pointers against Wright State on Feb. 27, 2002.
After college, she played four seasons of professional basketball and four seasons of professional softball in Italy. She earned a bachelor's degree in integrated communications from Butler in 2005 and a master's degree in athletic administration from North Central University in 2013. Marchesano is in her 16th season as a college women's basketball coach, currently in her fifth season as head coach at Purdue Fort Wayne. She has led the Mastodons to an 81-66 mark in her five seasons, including two WNIT berths. She is a two-time Coach of the Year at the Division I level, once in the Northeast Conference with Mount St. Mary's and once in the Horizon League with Purdue Fort Wayne.
*Portions of this release credited to Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame
Please note selection to the Silver Anniversary Team is not induction into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame. These are separate distinctions and members of the Silver Anniversary Team should be referred to as honorees, not inductees.
The Silver Anniversary Team recognizes players from the graduating class of 25 years earlier – in this case, honorees all are 2001 high school graduates. The 2026 Silver Anniversary Team includes 11 players who were named to the 2001 Indiana All-Star squad. Seven other All-State caliber players are included to recognize the top of Indiana's high school class of 2001.
The 2026 women's Silver Anniversary Team members, the 2026 women's Center Circle Officials Award honorees and the 2026 women's induction class will be honored at the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame's 24th Women's Awards Banquet on Saturday, April 25, 2026. A mid-day reception, free and open to the public, will be held earlier on April 25 at the Hall of Fame Museum in New Castle. The evening banquet will take place at Primo Banquet Hall, 2615 National Ave., Indianapolis, IN 46227.
Marchesano totaled a school-record 1,466 points as well as 298 rebounds, 211 assists and 243 in 76 games over four seasons for Fort Wayne Elmhurst teams that went 48-37 and won a 1999 sectional and regional for coach Mark Redding. Marchesano was selected 2001 AP high honorable mention All-State, 2000 AP honorable mention All-State, 1999 AP high honorable mention All-State, three-time Fort Wayne News-Sentinel first-team All-Area and four-time first-team All-Summit Athletic Conference. She also was her class salutatorian, in National Honor Society and named 2001 IBCA honorable mention Academic All-State and 2001 ICGSA honorable mention Academic All-State.
She went on to Butler University, were she totaled 528 points, 118 rebounds, 62 assists and 43 steals in 78 games over three-plus seasons while playing for coaches Wendy Gatlin and Beth Couture. Marchesano averaged 8.1 points, 1.2 rebounds and was named to the 2002 Horizon League All-Newcomer Team and 2002 Butler Freshman Athlete of the Year in 2001-02. Marchesano stands 10th on the Butler list for career 3-pointers (142) and is 11th the BU list for career 3-point percentage (.369). She had career-best seven 3-pointers against Wright State on Feb. 27, 2002.
After college, she played four seasons of professional basketball and four seasons of professional softball in Italy. She earned a bachelor's degree in integrated communications from Butler in 2005 and a master's degree in athletic administration from North Central University in 2013. Marchesano is in her 16th season as a college women's basketball coach, currently in her fifth season as head coach at Purdue Fort Wayne. She has led the Mastodons to an 81-66 mark in her five seasons, including two WNIT berths. She is a two-time Coach of the Year at the Division I level, once in the Northeast Conference with Mount St. Mary's and once in the Horizon League with Purdue Fort Wayne.
*Portions of this release credited to Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame
~ Feel the Rumble ~
WBB PFW vs Green Bay Semifinal postgame and highlights
Monday, March 09
March is for dancing
Thursday, March 05
WBB PFW vs RMU Postgame and Highlights
Thursday, March 05
WBB PFW vs Green Bay Postgame and Highlights
Saturday, February 28
