Marandola’s PC Legacy Is One for the Ages

You might not know it if you were to pass her on campus. You might not know it if you were to see her teaching at Lincoln Middle School during the day. But you would certainly know, if you were to see her in action at Mullaney Gymnasium, that Chelsea Marandola ’10 is one of the most talented women’s basketball players ever to play for Providence College.

And while her individual success shines through the statistics sheet night in and night out, Marandola’s primary concerns reside with improving a team that has transformed to a great extent in her time at PC.

"The only goal is to help the team get wins," said Marandola. "We’re .500 right now in the Big East…and I’m not as concerned with setting personal records as I am with helping the team break records."

Specifically, records for wins in a season. The Big East is notorious for crushing its young and defenseless, and the Friars have been both during most of Marandola’s tenure as a Friar guard. But Marandola’s growth on the court has steadily mirrored the Friars’ growth as a legitimate contender in the Big East.

In 2005, she joined the Friars along with Head Coach Phil Seymore, and Providence went 3-13 in conference play. Despite the disappointing results, Marandola was a standout, and it was clear that she was poised to be a star for the Friars.

But injury struck, and the Johnston native spent the 2007—08 season on the bench recovering while her teammates posted another 3-13 Big East record. It was that injury and that season spent hungering to be on the court that in many ways has shaped the Marandola that Friar fans know so well today.

"Two years ago, I was out with an injury, and I came back last season, but I wasn’t playing at the level I wanted to be at," said Marandola. "I just decided to go out there and play like every game could be my last game. And it just makes me push myself that much more."

That much more indeed. Marandola leads Providence this season in scoring, rebounding, assists, and steals. She has scored in double figures in 25 of 26 games this season. She also now in fifth place all-time in PC scoring with 1,667 points. At a modest 5-8, she is now in 17th place all-time in PC rebounding with 613 grabs. Just as important as the numbers, though, Marandola’s poise and presence on the court have been the catalyst behind Providence’s success this season.

Providence is currently 7-7 in conference, having earned more Big East wins in a single season since the 2001-02 campaign. Perhaps even more telling, with the Friars’s win over South Florida on Tuesday, they secured the program’s first winning record in 18 years.

Is it a coincidence that this women’s basketball renaissance at Providence has come about during Marandola’s time in black and white? Probably not. It is noteworthy that Marandola’s first season coincided with Coach Seymore’s first season—what you might call a kind of changing of the guard in Friartown.

And now, four years after Marandola arrived at PC, the new guard from Johnston is now the seasoned veteran who has witnessed and caused a major transformation in women’s basketball at Providence.

But Marandola herself is quick to point out that the team’s success is not due to her play, alone. The local talent on this Friar squad, in particular, is remarkable.

"We’ve got a lot of talent close by," she said. "Emily [Cournoyer ’10] is from North Attleboro, Trinity [Hull ’11] is from Cranston, Symone [Roberts ’13] is from Connecticut. It’s really good to be able to draw from so much talent from so close to us."

It is most fitting that this latest chapter in a success story about a little girl from Johnston with big dreams should close out on a local court surrounded by a team peppered with local talent. And what better way could those big dreams culminate than in the Big East—the pinnacle of women’s college basketball.

"I used to go to the men’s games when I was young," said Marandola. "And I told my parents when I was little that I was going to play at Providence one day."

Mission accomplished.

And in realizing those dreams, Marandola has left her mark on a program that was begging for someone to fill the role of floor general. Though she is a standout in her own right, Marandola is first and foremost a team player.

"I really came into this season saying that I wanted to be consistent," she said. "To become better, myself, and I made it my goal to help the team."