Having just won a state championship in her senior year, Melissa was seemingly on top of the world. She was, however, constantly plagued by a nagging decision--should she enroll at Harvard or UNC?

"We were heartbroken when she didn't come," Harvard Coach Kathy Delaney-Smith said. "She was a top recruit for us. I believe Harvard and the University of North Carolina were her final choices--I think even for a period of time, Harvard was her first choice."

In the end, she decided to accept the full athletic scholarship from UNC, a school that had already won two NCAA championships in the '90s.

"I had really great visits at both [Harvard and UNC]," Melissa said. "But when someone tells you that they'll pay for your education for four years, its pretty enticing."

Melissa's choice was a tough blow to the Harvard women's basketball program. Not only did Harvard lose a potential impact player, but also Melissa contributed four points against Harvard in the UNC's 78-53 win in the first round of the 1997 NCAA tournament.

By the end of her sophomore year, however, Melissa had realized that Chapel Hill was not the place for her. Though she had served as her team's co-captain that year and had been promised a starting role the next season, Melissa decided to leave UNC.

"I always had had Harvard in the back of my mind," she said. "And I was really disappointed with the leadership of the basketball program [at UNC]."

Despite knowing that she would have to sit out her first year at Harvard, Melissa was willing to put her career on hold. The absence from the game, however, was painful.