Class of 2006 – Women's Basketball Hall of Fame

Barbara Stevens

The winningest coach in NCAA Division II women’s basketball history
Has compiled an overall record of 711-193 (.773) in 29 years as a collegiate coach, including six years at Clark University and three years at the University of Massachusetts, with a mark of 554-102 (.845) in 20 years at Bentley College
Has averaged better than 28 wins per season at Bentley, posting nine 30-win seasons including five straight between 1989 and 1993
Has guided Bentley to the NCAA Tournament all 19 years, winning 10 regional championships and making seven trips to the Division II Fab Four, including five consecutive, and an appearance in the 1990 national championship game
Has claimed 14 Northeast-10 Conference regular season championships
Served as president of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) in 1994-95
Tabbed as WBCA Division II National Coach of the Year three times (1993, 1999, 2001) and named Northeast-10 Conference Coach of the Year 12 times

One of the most decorated players in USA Basketball history
A two-time Kodak All-American at the University of Georgia (1986, 1987)
Ranks second on Georgia’s all-time career charts with 2,195 points (17.6 ppg) and 1,193 rebounds (9.5)
Helped the Lady Bulldogs go 116-15, win two Southeastern Conference championships, earn four NCAA Tournament berths, and reach the championship game of the 1985 NCAA Final Four during her collegiate career
Played on 11 U.S. National Teams altogether, including three Olympics (gold medals in 1988 and 1996 and bronze in 1992), three World Championships (golds in 1986 and 1990 and bronze in 1994), two Goodwill Games (golds in 1986 and 1990), two Pan American Games (gold in 1987 and bronze in 1991), and World University Games (silver in 1985)
Selected as USA Basketball’s Female Athlete of the Year in both 1988 and 1992
Played professionally for nine seasons overseas with stints in Japan, Italy, Spain, and Turkey then finished her career with the ABL’s Atlanta Glory

A two-time Kodak All-American at Louisiana Tech University (1983, 1984)
Led Louisiana Tech to a four-year (1980-1984) mark of 130-6, four Final Four appearances, and a pair of national championships with an AIAW title in 1981 and an NCAA crown in 1982
Named Most Outstanding Player in 1982 at the first-ever NCAA Final Four
Was also both a three-time NCAA All-Regional Team and NCAA Final Four All-Tournament pick as well as a two-time NCAA Regional Most Outstanding Player
Amassed 2,403 points (17.8 ppg) and 1,097 rebounds (8.1 rpg) during her collegiate career, connecting on 59.2 percent of her shots from the floor
Received National Player of the Year recognition in 1984 as Wade Trophy winner
Olympic gold medalist in 1984, averaging 9.5 ppg and 6.2 rpg in Los Angeles
Played professionally in Italy for 15 seasons, earning All-Europe honors seven times
Finished her career in the WNBA with two seasons with the Cleveland Rockers

Known as “Magic Paula” in her homeland for the offensive prowess she displayed while playing on Brazilian National Teams for 22 years
Played on her first national team at the age of 14
A two-time Olympian, helping Brazil earn a silver medal in 1996 in Atlanta after finishing 7 th in 1992 in Barcelona
Averaged 22 ppg on Brazilian National Team that captured the gold medal at 1994 World Championships
Played in six World Championships altogether from 1979 through 1998
Collected three Pan American Games medals, claiming a gold in 1991, a silver in 1987, and a bronze in 1983
Played on five teams that won South American Championship titles

Garnered National Player of the Year recognition, receiving the Naismith Award in both 1987 and 1989 and the Wade Trophy in 1989 as well as Champion, Mercedes Benz, and U.S. Basketball Writers Association Player of the Year accolades her senior year
Earned Most Outstanding Player honors as a freshman at the 1986 Final Four, leading Texas to the NCAA Championship with a flawless 34-0 mark
A two-time Kodak All-American at the University of Texas (1987, 1989)
Tallied 2,008 points during her collegiate career for an average of 19.9 ppg, placing her first in scoring average and third in total points on Texas’ all-time charts
Also ranks fourth in rebound average (8.7 rpg), fifth in field goal percentage (.539), and eighth in total rebounds (887) on the UT lists
Played on the 1992 U.S. Olympic Team, which received a bronze medal in Barcelona, and was the team’s second-leading scorer (13.0 ppg)
Also played on USA Basketball squads that collected gold medals in the 1986 World Championship, the 1986 and 1994 Goodwill Games, and the 1987 Pan American Games
Named to the “Team of the Decade” for the 1980s by both the NCAA and the Southwest Conference, earning MVP billing on the SWC squad
Played professionally for seven seasons in Turkey, Japan, and Italy before returning to the United States and finishing her career with stints in both the ABL and the WNBA

Has compiled a 589-116 worksheet for an .835 winning percentage in 21 seasons as the head women’s basketball coach at the University of Connecticut
Guided the Huskies to five NCAA Championships, including three consecutive titles, within a decade span (1995, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004)
Has registered 30-plus wins 11 times and notched two perfect seasons, going 35-0 in 1995 and 39-0 in 2002
Overall mark includes 18 NCAA tournament appearances with eight Final Four berths
Has registered 30-plus wins 11 times and notched two perfect seasons, going 35-0 in 1995 and 39-0 in 2002
Established an NCAA Division I women’s record for consecutive victories by winning 70 straight games over the course of the 2002 and 2003 seasons
Has received a total of 14 National Coach of the Year recognitions
Dominance of the Big East Conference includes 14 regular season titles, 13 tournament championships, and being tabbed as the league’s Coach of the Year six times
International coaching experience includes leading the USA to a gold medal in the 2000 COPABA Junior World Cup Qualifying Tournament and a bronze medal in the 2001 FIBA Junior World Championship as well as serving as an assistant coach for the gold medal-winning U.S. Olympic Team in 2000