ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Naval Academy Director of Athletics Chet Gladchuk announced on Monday that Courtney (Davidson) O'Brien's No. 21 women's basketball jersey will be retired by the Naval Academy Athletic Association. The ceremony recognizing O'Brien will be held Jan. 25, 2020, as part of the nationally televised Army-Navy women's (11 a.m.) and men's (1:30 p.m.) basketball doubleheader in Alumni Hall.
 
O'Brien, a member of the United States Naval Academy's Class of 2004, will become the second Navy women's basketball player to have her number retired after Becky (Dowling) Calder saw her uniform raised to the rafters in January of 2014.
 
"Today is a wonderful day for all of women's basketball," remarked Gladchuk. "To have Courtney now join Becky Dowling as our two most celebrated players is another step forward in acknowledging the impact she and others have made toward the advancement of women in sport at the Naval Academy. I remember Courtney as a skillful three-point shooter who simply controlled the game and motivated all in Blue and Gold around her. Her career at the Academy set the bar for her peers and it came as no surprise she is doing the same in the Fleet. Courtney remains an inspiration and now her number in the rafters will be a constant reminder to all that a legacy of excellence as a student-athlete at Navy is truly achievable and it is reflected in one of our greatest."
 
"I am honored beyond belief to have been selected to have my jersey retired in Alumni Hall," exclaimed O'Brien. "Deciding to play basketball at the Naval Academy shaped the course of my life, opened the door to a career in the Marine Corps, and gave me lifetime friends in the teammates with whom I shared those long days of practice, tough losses and rewarding wins. I am proud to be a Navy Women's Basketball Alumni, to have shared an experience with such a great group of women, and see the conduct of the current program on and off the court in making future Navy and Marine Corps officers."
 
"Courtney's success on the court came from that rare and special combination of hard work, humility and reliability over multiple years," said Stefanie Pemper, Navy's head women's basketball coach. "She is a story of how a little girl with a basketball and a hoop in small town America, can one day represent possibility and achievement for all women in the Armed Services. Her ability to perform under pressure and be a great teammate no doubt serves her as a pilot and officer. I am grateful for Mr. Gladchuk's support of women's athletics, and his recognition of basketball excellence. Let's get a great turnout January 24th and 25th to celebrate with Courtney and her extended Navy and Marine Corps family!"
 
A four-year standout for the Midshipmen from 2000 through 2004, O'Brien graduated as just the second player in Patriot League history (now one of seven) to have earned all-league honors in all four seasons. An All-Patriot League Second Team honoree following her freshman season in 2000-01, she improved to All-Patriot League First Team status in each of her next three campaigns.
 
Hailing from New Oxford, Pa., O'Brien made an immediate impact as a plebe at the Naval Academy. A member of the Mids' starting lineup from the first game of her freshman campaign, it didn't take long for O'Brien to assert herself as an offensive weapon as she reached the 20-point plateau in just her third game on Nov. 26, 2000 against Columbia. That was the beginning of a strong freshman season that saw her average 11.6 points and 2.8 rebounds a game on her way to spots on the Patriot League All-Rookie Team and All-PL Second Team.
 
Navy's leading scorer as a freshman, O'Brien came back as a sophomore in 2001-02 and improved on rookie campaign as she added over six points and two rebounds to each of her per game averages. With 12 games of 20 or more points in a game, O'Brien completed her sophomore season averaging 17.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game, while shooting 41.0 percent from the field, 40.5 percent from three-point range and 89.7 percent (122-136) from the foul line. That last statistic ranked her eighth overall in the entire NCAA Division I for the season and still ranks number one in the Navy program record books. She earned her first All-Patriot League First Team honoree in recognition of her efforts.
 
O'Brien started cementing her legacy during her junior season as she led the Mids to a 16-win campaign on the strength of a school-record 530 total points. Posting a 45.2 percent field goal percentage, a 39.2 percent mark from three-point range and an 83.0 percent free throw percentage, O'Brien averaged 18.9 points over 28 games. In 13 games, the sharpshooter tallied 20 or more points, including seven games with 25 or more. A threat both inside and out, she went to the foul line nearly six times a game, while hoisting up over five three-point attempts per contest. The highest scorer on that Navy team by 8.7 points, O'Brien was selected to the All-Patriot League First Team for the second consecutive season.
 
In her final season wearing the Blue and Gold, O'Brien once again led the Mids in scoring as she netted 525 points over 30 games for a 17.5 scoring average. That cumulative point total still stands as the second-highest single-season mark by a Navy women's basketball player. All-time, O'Brien's sophomore, junior and senior point totals rank ninth, first and second, respectively in the program's record book. The team captain for the 2003-04 season, she capped her career with a third straight nod on the All-Patriot League First Team.
 
For her four-year career, she finished with 1,857 points for a 16.4 scoring average with 245 made three-point field goals, while shooting .832 percent from the foul line and recording 160 steals. O'Brien's point and made three-point field totals, as well as free throw percentage all sit number one in Navy's program record book, while her steal total was tied for tenth overall before being recently passed and dropped to 11^th all-time. She ranks fifth on the Patriot League's all-time scoring and three-point field goals made lists.
 
A high achiever in the classroom as well, O'Brien, a political science major, was selected as a CoSIDA Academic All-American following her junior and senior seasons. Additionally, her academic prowess saw her recognized as the Patriot League Women's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year in both 2003 and 2004. A recipient of an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, O'Brien received the NAAA Sword for Women for the USNA Class of 2004 for her excellence in athletics during her four years at the academy, as well as the Senator Margaret Chase Smith Leadership and Excellence Award, given to the female midshipman of the graduating class who is determined to have the highest level of conscience-driven leadership, dedicated service to the greater good and personal independence and integrity, while displaying the highest standards of professionalism and personal conduct as an exemplary role model.
 
Most recently, her playing career and academic accolades earned her a spot on the Patriot League's Silver Anniversary Team that was announced in the summer of 2015.
 
O'Brien was commissioned into the United States Marine Corps following her graduation in May of 2004 and has prospered in the fleet as a KC-130J Super Hercules pilot, totaling over 3,000 flight hours. She earned her Naval Aviator wings and completed KC-130J training in 2007. She then served on two combat deployments to Afghanistan and the Horn of Africa with Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 352 based out of Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California, while earning the designation of Weapons and Tactics Instructor. O'Brien was then assigned to Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One in Yuma, Arizona and subsequently served as Operations Officer for the Sumos of Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 152 at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan. 
 
She is currently a major, assigned to Headquarters Marine Corps, The Pentagon, as the Aviation Readiness Officer and has recently been selected for the rank of lieutenant colonel. O'Brien holds the highest flight leadership and instructor designations in the KC-130J and has earned the Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal with 6 Strike/Flight Awards, and 2 Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals.
 
O'Brien is married to Lieutenant Colonel Michael O'Brien (USNA '03, a Marine F-35 pilot), and they have a daughter, Brooklyn (6), and son, Jadon (3). 
 
The Naval Academy Athletic Association has an entire weekend of events surrounding O'Brien's jersey retirement planned. First on the docket is a reception and dinner at Akerson Tower at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium to celebrate O'Brien and her legacy on Friday, Jan. 24. The reception is set for 6 p.m. with dinner starting at 7 p.m. The following day, Navy hosts Army in a service academy basketball doubleheader at Alumni Hall. The women's game is set for an 11 a.m. tip-off before the men's game at 1:30 p.m. At halftime of the women's game, O'Brien will see her jersey raised to the rafters. Tickets are available for both events. For more information or to purchase tickets click here: Dinner/Reception / Army-Navy Game (Promo Code: "Davidson").