Sophomore guard Rachael Carney carries a legacy that most
athletes cannot claim; she comes from a short, but packed line of
female basketball players.

In 1975 — during an era when women’s sports were
beginning to gain a significant foothold in the athletic world
— Carney’s aunt, Mary Carney, set the single-game
scoring record at Wayne State University, chipping in 38 points
against Delta Community College. This record remained in place
until a mere two weeks ago, when a current senior had a 48-point
evening against Grand Valley State.

But Mary’s athletic prowess took her even farther than
college play.

“My Aunt Mary played professionally, I think in the first
pro-league,” Carney said. “And then she played over in
Europe.”

Another leaf off the basketball family tree is another of
Carney’s aunts, Irma O’Brien. Although she did not go
on to play in college, she was a standout for four years at Bishop
Foley High School in Madison Heights.

“She was really good, but she chose not to play past that
point,” Carney said.

Carney’s mother, Liz Carney, was also a natural on the
court. At Michigan State, she managed to make the team as a
walk-on.

One might argue, in fact, that Carney would not be around if not
for a serendipitous mixture of basketball and fate.

Mary Carney coached Rachael’s mother while she was in high
school, and Carney’s parents met through this connection. The
rest is history.

Although women’s sports were not overly popular while
Carney’s predecessors competed, both sets of grandparents
were quite encouraging of their daughters’ athletic
endeavors. For the most part, this carried on into Carney’s
playing days. Her maternal grandfather wanted her to play a more
prim-and-proper sport like tennis, but the damage was done. Carney
had been under the influence of her basketball-loving family since
day one. Despite this letdown, that particular set of grandparents
became some of Carney’s most avid admirers.

“(My grandfather) passed away in August,” Carney
said. “But he and my grandma were my biggest supporters. They
came to every game.”

Carney is also quick to add her father as a chief athletic
influence in her life. Basketball was not his forte in high school
— he was 4-foot-11 as a junior — but he played hockey
and coached various teams at Carney’s school when she was
young.

“When I was in kindergarten, I used to go to the gym and
go to his practices,” Carney said. “I couldn’t
even hit the rim, but then by first or second grade, I could make a
shot.”

In a family like this, one might guess that extreme pressure
would accompany being at the end of this line. Carney believes that
this is true to a certain degree, but feels that the vast knowledge
surrounding her is more of an advantage than an impediment.

“When I was younger there was a little bit more pressure,
because they wanted us to succeed,” Carney said. “Here
at Michigan I have my team, and then my family is my other
team.

“After a game, I’ll call my mom, and she’ll be
at my sister’s tournament, and then I have to call my dad.
Then I call all my aunts, and everyone gives me their tips about
the game and what our team needs to do.”