Sports

Nicole Kaczmarski Inside the Numbers and Honors

An in-depth look at Kaz's basketball resume.

Nicole Kaczmarski played four seasons at Sachem between 1994-1999 and has one of the most impressive basketball resumes of any player in the history of girls hoops.

Here's a look at some interesting highlights:

*Was a 5x All-League, All-County and All-State selection

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*As an eighth grader she helped lead Sachem to a New York State title where she was voted Tournament MVP.

*She won two straight AAU national titles with the Philadelphia Bells. Kaz was voted MVP of an AAU tournament that her team won in France and was an AAU All-American.

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*She was a record four-time winner of the Newsday Charles H. Clark "Player of the Year" honor in eighth, 10th, 11th and 12th grades.

*Averaged 25.9 points, 5.2 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game.

*As a senior she averaged 26.0 points, 3.6 assists and 6.0 rebounds per game.

*She scored a career-high and program-record 45 points in the Suffolk County championship against Bellport in 1999, also recording 18 rebounds, 7 assists and 6 steals.

The Kaz Timeline

  • Kaz played her first varsity basketball game at Sachem as an eighth grader on Dec. 9, 1994 vs. Bay Shore. She recorded 10 points and was 0-for-1 from the foul line. Sachem won, 58-43. (Check out the gallery above to see the original score sheet from that game.)
  • She Helped lead Sachem to state title over Lockport in March 1995. She scored 10 points in the title game. Sachem won, 63-47.
  • During the 1995-1996 season she transferred to Christ the King, but eventually wound up playing at Longwood High School for the year. The Sachem boys team, however, filled the winning void and won the only boys basketball county title in school history.
  • On Jan. 16, 1997 she scored 30 points in a game for the first time at Sachem when she dropped 33 in a 61-43 win over Brentwood.
  • On Feb. 6, 1998 she scored 40 points in a game for the first time at Sachem when she dropped 43 in a 65-51 win over Longwood. Sachem lost to Massapequa in the Long Island championshop that year, 51-49.
  • In a showdown against Garden City and Bethany LeSueur on Jan. 9, 1999, Sachem lost, 85-53. Kaz scored 24, while LeSueur had 30.
  • On March 3, 1999, Kaz scored a program and career record 45 points, grabbed 18 rebounds and had 7 assists and 6 steals against Bellport in Suffolk County Class A title game. (Check out the gallery above to see the original score sheet from that game.) Sachem won, 64-49, and Kaz was on the cover of Newsday the following morning. Sachem beat Baldwin to win a Long Island title 10 days later, but lost in the New York State semifinals a week after that.
  • Signed with UCLA, played one season in 2000-2001 and was selected to the All-Pac 10 Rookie Team.
  • In December 2000 she requested a letter to transfer and opted to play at the University of Georgia. She never played a game there and came home, eventually attending Stony Brook.
  • In 2003 she was selected by the New York Liberty in the WNBA Draft. Does not make the team out of tryouts and plays in Europe for six months before retiring.
  • In 2011 resurfaced in the game as an analyst with MSG Varsity.

Career Totals

  • 2,583 points - School and Suffolk record and 2nd all-time on Long Island
  • 581 rebounds
  • 253 assists
  • 128 steals
  • 95 blocks 

Honors and accolades

  • Named Miss Basketball for New York State in 1999
  • Rated the No. 1 prospect in the nation by Women's Basketball Journal
  • Named First Team All-American by All-Star Girl's Report, Street & Smith's, Parade Magazine and USA Today
  • Played in the Phoenix/WBCA All-American Game
  • Named Gatorade National High School Player of the Year in 1999
  • First female to have her jersey retired in any sport at Sachem

Did you know? After not touching a basketball for two years, Kaz was drafted by the New York Liberty of the WNBA. She did not make the team out of tryouts, went to Europe to play for six months and gave it one last try with the Los Angeles Sparks before finally retiring from her playing career. She was the first basketball player out of Sachem since Jeff Ruland was selected by the Golden State Warriors (2nd round, 25th overall in 1980) to be drafted by a professional basketball team.

What does she do now? Kaczmarski is a color analyst for MSG Varsity, broadcasting during high school basketball games and occasionally filling in for sideline reporting at football games. She also works at Stony Brook University Medical Center in the cardiac center. She graduated from Stony Brook with a degree in health science.

What's next? When Sachem starts inducting athletes and coaches into its Hall of Fame again, she's a lock. The school district has only had one induction ceremony and it was in 2003. She should also be a lock for the Suffolk County Sports Hall of Fame as well.

Sachem's Retired Jerseys

  • , Basketball No. 43
  • , Football No. 75
  • , Baseball No. 16
  • , Lacrosse No. 26
  • , Basketball No. 23

Who could be the next person to have their number retired? Considering the honor only comes around when someone of legend status is recognized, it's slim pickings.

  • Sachem East alum is still living her basketball dreams at Boston College and padding her resume, but she certainly had a captivating career and led her team to a state title, while scoring more than 2,200 points.
  • played Major League Baseball for the Cardinals and has spent time with the Cubs and Dodgers organizations. 
  • Sachem East alum played two seasons in the Detroit Tigers organization and is still in the pro ball mix in lower leagues. He led Sachem East to its first Long Island title in 2005.
  • Sachem East alum is a goalie in the New Jersey Devils organization and played briefly with the Sachem Hockey program. That program is not directly affiliated with the school district, however.


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