Cindy Blodgett produced some of the most memorable moments in University of Maine women’s basketball history during her playing career at Alfond Arena in Orono.

Today, the former Black Bears All-American will again grace the venue that served as her stage from 1995-98.

Blodgett is home for the holidays, this time in her role as an assistant coach for Brown University, as the Bears take on host UMaine in the first round of the Dead River Co. Classic.

Clemson and St. John’s open the event today at 4:30 p.m., while UMaine and Brown square off at 7.

Blodgett expects it will be emotional to return to Alfond Arena.

“I’m sure it will tug at my heart,” said the Clinton native and former Lawrence High School standout. “Hopefully that goes away so that I can be somewhat functional.”

Even though eight years have passed since Blodgett, who turns 31 next month, last played in Orono, she looks back fondly on her college career.

“Those memories will never fade,” she said.

Blodgett is in her second season as an assistant for Brown head coach Jean Marie Burr. She also was an assistant at Boston University during the 1999-2000 season.

While she had the experience of coaching against UMaine last season in a game at Providence, Blodgett expects be a tad uncomfortable tonight.

“For this particular game, it will seem a little unsettling to sit on the visitors’ bench and not be cheering for the home team,” she admitted, professing loyalty to her alma mater.

“You do sort of have mixed feelings,” Blodgett said. “I’m always going to cheer for Maine and I always pay attention to the scores and see how they do. It’s kind of in my blood.”

While she had stepped away from basketball after her professional career ended in 2003 and studied to become a massage therapist, Blodgett couldn’t stay away from the game she loves.

“I knew coaching was the next best thing for me in terms of staying involved with the game,” she explained. “It’s also a way that you ultimately can give back. Coaching is so much more selfless than playing.”

The once shy and soft-spoken Blodgett now exhibits maturity and enjoys talking about her role as a coach.

“Coaching, it’s more about preparation and making sure that you’ve prepared your team to play,” she said.

During her UMaine career, Blodgett often had the ball in her hands and could dictate what would happen on the court. Now, she is forced to observe from the bench, without affecting the outcome, and save much of her interaction with the players for practices.

“As a player, you were so excited to play and you got the jitters out once they threw the ball up,” she said. “As a coach, you sit and you bottle up so much of that emotion. Players are looking at you and they’re watching how you react, so it’s a little more calculated.”

Blodgett, who graduated from UMaine in 1998 not only as the school’s all-time leading scorer but as the No. 3 scorer in NCAA women’s basketball history with 3,005 points, set 20 school records playing for former coach Joanne Palombo-McCallie.

She was a first-round draft pick (fifth overall) of the WNBA’s Cleveland Rockers and spent four seasons in the league before winding up her pro career in France and with the Springfield Spirit of the National Women’s Basketball League.

Now, she’s content trying to teach basketball.

Once the Dead River Co. Classic concludes Saturday, Blodgett hopes to spend Sunday at home in rural Clinton.

She yearns one day to move out of the Greater Boston area, possibly even coaching a team in Maine.

“I’m much more comfortable in a more quiet setting,” she said. “I feel like you have a little more peace of mind.”