Nancy DeNardin’s decision to stay close to home for the start of her basketball career certainly paid dividends for the SC4 women’s basketball program.

The 1975 Marysville High School graduate not only spent two years on the court as a player but remained at the college for another two seasons as an assistant coach under Hall of Fame coach Jackie Jeffery.

The talented forward led the squad in scoring (14.5 points per game), minutes played and steals as a freshman during the 1975-76 season. She landed all-conference, all-state and all-region honors as the Skippers went 19-5. SC4 was the MJCAA Eastern Conference co-champion, MJCAA state runner-up and Region 12 runner-up.

As a sophomore, DeNardin put up 14.6 points per game, was the team assist leader and again led in minutes played. She was the most valuable player of both the state and Region 12 tournaments.

In addition to the conference, state and region awards, she was a Second-Team All-American selection.

The Skippers (26-5) dominated the state by winning league, state and regional titles. They advanced to the NJCAA Nationals and placed eighth.

Following the two years as an assistant coach for the Skippers, DeNardin received a call from Emily Manwaring, who was the Jackson Community College coach. Manwaring accepted a coaching job at San Francisco State University and wanted DeNardin to finish her playing career as an SFSU Gator.

And just like her days at SC4, DeNardin continued to have success at San Francisco. As a junior, she led the team in steals and minutes played, along with averaging 12.5 points per game. She was a first-team all-conference pick and earned honorable mention All-American honors.

The Gators posted a 20-12 record, were the Golden Gate Conference runner-up, Region 8 champions and took fifth place at the AIAW Division III National championship.

During the 1979-80 season, DeNardin averaged 10.5 points per game, led the team in steals and was second-team all-conference. The Gators (19-17) played 10 games against NCAA Division I opponents – Cal, Stanford, University of San Francisco, Cal State Northridge, UC Santa Barbara. They still managed to win the Golden Gate Conference title, along with the Region 8 crown and came home with another fifth-place finish at the Nationals.

DeNardin lives in Las Vegas.