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Hall of Fame
honors 3rd
Lady Clipper
hoopster
By Ron P. Coderre
In comparison to most high schools in Connecticut, Putnam High School is very small. Over the years the quality of its athletics programs have often surpassed the stature of the school with their success.
A perfect example of this quality can best be measured by the success enjoyed by the women’s basketball program of the late ‘70s and ‘80s. During that time period, the Lady Clippers, coached by Pam Childs, were consistently in the mix for conference and state championships.
A stalwart of the early Childs’ teams was Kim Belliveau who, during her four-year varsity career, scored more than 1,000 points. She started the parade of All-State and All Conference players who regaled the local fandom with some outstanding seasons for many years. Now, almost 35 years since she graduated in 1977, Belliveau’s name is returning to local prominence with the announcement of her selection into the Connecticut Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.
Belliveau, who currently happily resides in Aptos, Calif., on the sunny coast of the Golden Gate state, has accepted the announcement the same way she’s accepted accolades throughout her storied basketball career, with humility.
“When I initially received the call I thought it was a prank being pulled by one of my friends. After realizing it was real, my reaction was one of surprise. I wondered ‘why me’,” said Belliveau.
“Since I’ve had time to reflect on my selection, it’s been very emotional. I’ve been thinking back on my career and realizing how many people have had a positive influence on me. This is a true gift that is very meaningful the more I think about it,” she concluded.
The road to Belliveau’s selection to the Hall moved from Putnam to William Penn University in Iowa. Penn’s interest in the Putnam guard was well warranted. Prior to her high school graduation she was selected All-State and All-Quinebaug Valley Conference in basketball. In addition she also excelled in softball and ran cross country.
“Basketball made me,” said Belliveau, thinking about her past.
Moving on the William Penn she connected with coach Bob Spencer, who would be her coach for four years. She and Spencer would also reconnect through basketball later in life. But while they were together for four years in Iowa they enjoyed success that would eventually lead to a National Championship.
As a four-year starter for the Lady Statesmen Belliveau led the team in her senior year to the AIAW Division II title, beating Francis Marion University in the finals. The victory was most satisfying to Belliveau, who, in her junior year, took the team to the National semifinals. In her first two seasons the team also enjoyed success winning state and regional titles.
Belliveau concluded her career with a school record 152 games played, a record that stands to this day. Her 1,264 points currently ranks her 16th on the school’s all time list and her 258 free throws made ranks her seventh all time. Among her other career achievements were 734 assists and 486 steals.
Following her graduation from William Penn, Belliveau returned to the Nutmeg State where she earned a master’s degree in sports management at UConn. While at UConn she served as a second assistant coach for the Huskies under a young coach named Geno Auriemma and his first assistant Chris Daley. To this day she maintains periodic contact with the pair.
“The last time I saw Geno and Chris we had a great time reminiscing about the early days. The three of us shared a cramped office in the old field house and my desk was a small coffee table. Sitting in the plush women’s basketball office at the Gampel, we laughed as we thought back to those early days and the coffee table,” said Belliveau with a tinge of nostalgia.
After a two-year stint in Storrs she reunited with Spencer as his first assistant at Division I Fresno State in California. From Fresno it was on to another first assistant job at another D 1 program, San Jose State.
Seeking a head coaching position of her own, Belliveau landed in Aptos at Cabrillo Community College, where she led her own program for 11 years until resigning in 2001. She remains at Cabrillo today in a faculty position as a kinesiology instructor, teaching golf, yoga and self defense for women.
“I’ve pushed myself for many years because of basketball. It’s been a great life but this area of the country now affords me the lifestyle that I enjoy. I love the community; it has plenty of sunshine, warm weather, the beach and great people. I can’t ask for much more,” said Belliveau.
Belliveau is the third Putnam High School women’s basketball person to enter the Connecticut Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. She joins her coach Pam Childs, who will give the induction speech, and her teammate Laurie St. Jean, who will also be present at the ceremony, representing the many teammates Belliveau had in Putnam.
“Pam was a wonderful mentor and teacher. She taught me so much, not only about basketball but also about myself. Although Laurie and I were only teammates for one year we developed a bond through basketball,” said Belliveau.
As she prepares for her induction Belliveau notes that this honor is one that she feels she shares with the teammates who were all part of the fabric of Putnam basketball and her life. Names such as Joan Herlihy, St. Jean, Diane Denomme, her sister Sandy Belliveau-McNally, Elizabeth Chase, Barbara and Chris Altmier, Mary McEvoy, Paula Fall, Debbie Walker, Tammie Lacoille and especially her co-captain Wendy Rondeau give her and Putnam women’s basketball fans an opportunity to go back to the glory days.
Days when Kim Belliveau carried the torch that lit the way for many years of greatness for Putnam High School women’s basketball.