Class of 2000

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Kay Yow

  • One of the most admired and respected coaches on both the international and collegiate basketball scene
  • In her 38 years as a head coach at the college-level, Coach Yow was one of only six Division I head women’s basketball mentors to achieve 700 career victories
  • Played a key role in the United States winning a pair of gold medals in the Olympics, serving as the head coach of the U.S. women’s basketball squad at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul after serving as an assistant coach for the 1984 team in Los Angeles
  • Worked with seven other U.S. select teams, including Pan American, World University, Goodwill Games and World Championship squads
  • Led her North Carolina State teams to 20 of the 27 NCAA Tournaments, 11 trips to the Sweet 16, and a trip to the Elite Eight and Final Four in 1998. She also collected five ACC Regular Season Championships, four ACC Tournament titles, amassed 21, 20-win seasons and a staggering 29 winning seasons.
  • In the 2005-06 season at the helm of the Wolfpack, Yow became the first women’s basketball coach in ACC history and fifth in NCAA history to coach 900 games at the same school. Also that year, Yow became the fourth Division I head women’s coach to surpass 1,000 career games on the sideline.
  • Won the inaugural Jimmy V ESPY for Perseverance at the 2007 ESPY Awards
  • Named national Coach of the Year eight times by various organizations
  • A member of numerous halls of fame, including the Guilford County Sports Hall of Fame, the Elon University Hall of Fame, the North Carolina Softball Hall of Fame, the Women’s Sports Hall of Fame, the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Hall of Fame, the AIA Hall of Faith, the Raleigh Sports Hall of Fame, the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame and the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

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Marcy Weston

  • Considered to be one of the leaders in the evolution of NCAA women’s basketball
  • Served as the first NCAA Women’s Basketball Secretary-Rules Editor (1985-1998)
  • Currently serves as the national coordinator of women’s basketball officiating for the NCAA
  • Has officiated two NCAA Women’s Final Fours, including the first NCAA Women’s Final Four in 1982 and again in 1984
  • Has been the primary clinician of NCAA regional women’s basketball officiating clinics since 1986
  • Has served as senior associate athletics director at Central Michigan University since 1989

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Dean Weese

  • Amassed an incredible 1,207-197 record in 42-year coaching career that included stints on the high school, collegiate, and professional levels as well as on the international circuit
  • Began coaching straight out of college in 1957 in his hometown of Higgins, Texas, coaching both boys’ and girls’ teams for one season
  • Coached the next 15 years at Spearman High School, winning three state titles (1966, 1971, and 1972) and posting a 444-76 record
  • Coached six seasons at Wayland Baptist College, leading the Flying Queens to four National Women’s Invitational Tournament (NWIT) championships and four AIAW national tournament berths while notching a record of 193-30
  • Coached the Dallas Diamonds in the Women’s Professional Basketball League during the 1979-80 season
  • Returned to the high school level in the fall of 1980, spending 19 seasons at the helm of the Levelland High School program, where he won seven state championships and registered a 551-85 worksheet
  • Also served as an assistant coach for the USA squad that competed in the 1971 Pan American Games
  • Was selected as the 2000 National Girls’ Sport Coach of the Year by the National Federation Coaches Association

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Katherine Washington

  • A six-time AAU All-American, earning All-America accolades with Nashville Business College in 1952, 1956, and 1957 and with Wayland Baptist College in 1958, 1959, and 1960
  • Represented the United States in both the first and second World Championships, helping the U.S. win gold medals in both Santiago, Chile in 1953 and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1957, respectively
  • Earned a gold medal on the United States’ 1959 Pan American Games team
  • Also played on USA squads which faced Russian teams on international tours in 1958 and 1960

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Borislav Stankovic

  • Has served as the Secretary General of FIBA, basketball’s international governing body, since 1976
  • Has coordinated basketball competition in the Olympics since 1968 in Mexico City
  • Has also been responsible for eight World Championships for women’s basketball (1971, 1975, 1979, 1983, 1986, 1990, 1994 and 1998) as well as several European Championships
  • Had also previously served as Vice and Deputy Secretary General of FIBA
  • Is a member of the International Olympic Committee
  • Has been a member of the Central Board of FIBA, Yugoslavian Basketball Federation (1953-66), Yugoslavian Olympic Committee (since 1988), and the European Cup Commission (since 1958)

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Olga Soukharnova

  • A two-time Olympic gold medalist, playing for the Soviet Union team in both 1976 and 1980
  • Also received gold medals at the 1973, 1977, and 1981 World University Games as well as the 1975 and 1983 World Championships
  • A member of nine European Women’s Championship teams (1972, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1985, and 1987) and two European Junior Championship teams
  • Played for the Spartak Club, representing the Moscow region, helping her team win a USSR championship in 1978, five silver medals (1976, 1979, 1980, 1981, and 1982) and a pair of bronze medals (1975 and 1977)
  • Has also played on teams that have won five championships in France (1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, and 1993)

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Juliene Brazinski Simpson

  • Helped the United States claim the silver medal in basketball at the 1976 Olympics, serving as co-captain of the U.S. squad
  • Averaged 8.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 4.4 assists during the Olympics and shot a perfect 1.000 percent from the free throw line, connecting on all 16 of her attempts from the charity stripe
  • Also served as co-captain of the U.S. team that claimed the gold medal at the 1975 Pan American Games
  • International experience also includes a silver medal from the 1973 World University Games
  • Earned AAU All-America honors four times while helping John F. Kennedy College win a pair of AAU national championships

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Cathy Rush

  • Guided Immaculata College to three consecutive AIAW Championships, including the first AIAW title in 1972 as well as again in 1973 and 1974
  • Also directed Immaculata College to two runner-up finishes in the AIAW Championships as well as five Eastern AIAW Championships
  • List of “firsts” achieved by her Immaculata squads includes playing the University of Maryland in the first women’s collegiate basketball game to appear on national television (January 26, 1975) and playing Queens College in the first women’s collegiate basketball game to be played at Madison Square Garden (February 1975)
  • Posted a record of 149-15 for a winning percentage of .910 in seven years as the coach at Immaculata
  • Coached the United States to a gold medal at the 1975 Pan American Games
  • Continues to be actively involved with the sport of basketball as president of Future Stars USA, conducting camps for girls

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Sue Rojcewicz

  • A member of the United States’ silver-medal winning squad at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal
  • Averaged 7.2 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 3.8 assists during the Olympics
  • Also played on U.S. teams that participated in the 1975 World Championships and won the gold medal at the 1975 Pan American Games
  • Led Southern Connecticut State University to a pair of third place finishes at the 1973 and 1974 AIAW National Championships and a fourth place showing in 1975
  • Was a member of the first Kodak All-America team in 1

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Patricia Roberts

  • Earned a silver medal at the 1976 Olympics, representing the United States in the first Olympic basketball competition for women
  • Also participated in the 1978 World University Games and was captain of the 1979 U.S. National Team
  • Played professionally for three seasons (1978-1982) in the Women’s Basketball League with the Minnesota Fillies and the St. Louis Streak
  • Began her collegiate career at North Georgia College where she played for one season before transferring to Emporia State (Kansas) College for two seasons
  • Played just one season at the University of Tennessee but set nine marks which still stand as Lady Vol records, including points in a game (51), rebounds in a game (24), and points in a season (987)
  • Became the University of Tennessee’s first Kodak All-American in 1977

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