Inductees
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Valerie Still
- Still won the bronze medal in the Jones Cup in 1980 and the silver medal in 1982.
- Still was named MVP of the ABL Finals in 1997 and 1998 after leading the Columbus Quest to back-to-back ABL Championships.
- Still was an eight-time Italian League All-Star.
- She was the first female to have a jersey retired at Kentucky in any sport and was inducted in the charter class of UK’s Hall of Fame.
- Still was UK’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder (men or women) and was the SEC Champion in 1982.
- In 1982, she was named the WBCA All-American and in 1983, Kodak All-American.
Valerie Still
Still won the bronze medal in the Jones Cup in...
Alana Beard
- Kodak All-American, AP All-American, and Women’s Basketball News Service All-American at Duke in 2002,2003 and 2004
- ACC Female Athlete of the Year 2003, and 2004
- ESPN.com National Player of the Year 2003, 2004
- 2004 John R. Wooden Award-Women’s Basketball National Player of the Year, State Farm Wade Trophy-National Player of the Year, United States, Associated Press-National Player of the Year, and USBWA-National Player of the Year
- 2004 WNBA 2nd overall pick by the Washington Mystics
- 3x WNBA All-Star (2005, 2006, 2007)
- WNBA Champion (2016)
- 2x WNBA Defensive Player of the Year (2017, 2018)
- Played internationally in Poland, South Korea, Israel, and Spain from 2005-2016
- FIBA Americas Championship – USA Women’s U 18 Gold medal
- Founded the Alana Beard Foundation in 2014, a nonprofit organization working with AAU Basketball to provide resources to young women to achieve success on and off the court.
Alana Beard
Kodak All-American, AP All-American, and Women’s Basketball News Service All-American...
Alice “Cookie” Barron
- Played for Wayland Baptist College (now University) from 1954-57, playing her first year on a full scholarship at Cisco Junior College
- Member of the Flying Queens basketball team, where the team amassed a 104-0 record. Barron scored game-winning free throws against Iowa to keep the win streak alive (1957)
- 3x National AAU Champion, First-Team All-American, and co-captain during her senior year
- Named Wayland’s Outstanding Woman Athlete (1956-1957)
- Member of Team USA, where she helped win the World Tournament in Rio de Janeiro, beating Russia in the finals before 35,000 fans (1957)
- First female administrator inducted into the National High School Hall of Fame (1992)
- Inducted to the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association as part of the inaugural class
- First woman to serve on the Colorado High School Activities Association Board of Control
- Served on the NIAAA membership committee for five years and on the NIAAA Board of Directors for four years
Alice “Cookie” Barron
Played for Wayland Baptist College (now University) from 1954-57,...
Alline Banks Sprouse
- Garnered AAU All-America honors 11 consecutive years (1940-1950) and was tabbed as the Most Valuable Player at the AAU National Tournament nine times
- Earned national acclaim as an honorable mention All-American in 1939, playing in her first AAU national tournament as a 16-year old high schooler
- Played with four different teams during her basketball career including Nashville Business College (1939-42, 1949-50), Vultee Aircraft (1943-45), Nashville Goldblumes (1946), and Atlanta Sports Arena Blues (1947-48)
- Played on five AAU national championship teams (1944, 1945, 1946, 1947, and 1950)
- Turned in a legendary performance with a 56-point showing in a single game, shooting left-handed due to an injured right shoulder
Alline Banks Sprouse
Garnered AAU All-America honors 11 consecutive years (1940-1950) and was...
Amy Ruley
- Has posted a 605-158 worksheet in 25 seasons as the head coach at North Dakota State University
- Has directed the Bison to five NCAA Division II national championships, including four straight (1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, and 1996)
- Has led NDSU to 20 national playoff appearances, including nine berths in the NCAA Final Four
- Under her direction, Bison have won or shared 10 North Central Conference championships
- Has received Coach of the Year accolades 28 times on the state, regional, or national level from eight different media, coaching, or national organizations
- Accolades include being named as the first recipient of the C. Vivian Stringer Women’s Coaching Award from the United States Sports Academy and as the NCAA Division II Coach of the Year by the American Women’s Sports Federation in 1986 and 1991 and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association in 1993
- Was the head coach of the gold medalist South squad at the 1993 U.S. Olympic Festival and an assistant coach for the USA squad that claimed the silver medal at the R. William Jones Cup in Taiwan in 1995
- Has served on USA Basketball’s Select Team Committee, the NCAA Basketball Rules Committee, and the WBCA Board of Directors
- Played collegiately at Purdue University where she was the starting point guard on the Boilermakers’ first intercollegiate team in 1975-76
Amy Ruley
Has posted a 605-158 worksheet in 25 seasons as the...