Class of 2019

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Valerie Still

  • WBCA All-American (1982) and a Kodak All-American (1983)
  • UK’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder (men or women) and was the SEC Champion (1982)
  • Won the bronze medal in the Jones Cup (1980) and the silver medal (1982)
  • 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
  • MVP of the ABL Finals after leading the Columbus Quest to back-to-back ABL Championships (1997, 1998)
  • 8x Italian League All-Star

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Ruth Riley Hunter

  • Olympic Gold Medalist in Athens (2004)
  • Silver Medalist in the World University Games (1999)
  • 2x WNBA champion with the Detroit Shock (2003, 2006)
  • Naismith Player of the Year, AP National Player of the Year, Sports Illustrated Player of the Year, and Big East Player of the Year (2001)
  • She was named the Defensive Player of the Year (1999, 2000, 2001)
  • Ruth Riley graduated from the University of Notre Dame where she won a national championship (2001)
  • Received the Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award

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Ticha Penicheiro

  • Graduated from Old Dominion University in 1998
  • 2x Kodak All American (1997, 1998)
  • Lifetime/Wade Trophy winner (1998)
  • Led her team to the Final Four Championship game (1997)
  • Russian League Champion and EuroLeague Champion (2007)
  • Named one of the WNBA’s Top 15 Players of All Time in 2011, in 2016, was listed on the WNBA’s Top 20@20
  • WNBA champion with the Sacramento Monarchs (2005)

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Nora Lynn Finch

  • Represented the NCAA on the U.S. Collegiate Sports Council (1988), serving as President from 1992 to 1996
  • Served as Chief of Mission for the United States World University Game delegations (1991, 1993, 1995)
  • Member of several committees, including the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Oversight and Administrative Committee, the NCAA Division I Management Council, NCAA Division I Champions cabinet chair, NCAA Division I Membership Committee, the Women’s Committee on Basketball Officiating, Chair of its Competition Committee, and the DI Women’s Basketball Issues Committee.
  • Inaugural chair of the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee (1981-1988)
  • ACC’s first female Assistant Athletics Director and named the ACC Senior Associate for Women’s Basketball (2013)
  • Inducted into the National Women’s Athletic Hall of Fame, twice into the Western Carolina University Athletic Hall of Fame, and the Peace College Athletic Hall of Fame
  • Negotiated the first women’s basketball tournament television contract with CBS

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Joan Cronan

  • Women’s Athletic Director at Tennessee (1983-2012)
  • Athletics Director at the College of Charleston for 10 years.
  • Coached the Women’s Basketball team at Tennessee and led the team to the first-ever National Invitational Collegiate Basketball Tournament (1969)
  • Inducted into LSU’s Alumni Hall of Distinction (1995) and won the WBCA leadership award (1987)
  • Women of Achievement Award: “Women who make a difference” by the International Women’s Forum (2009)
  • First recipient of the NCAA President’s Pat Summitt Award (2017)
  • Served in many organizations, including president of the NACDA, president of NACWAA, NCAA’s executive committee, US Sports Academy Board of Trustees, president of the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame and president of the Executive Women’s Association

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Carolyn Bush Roddy

  • Played in the Pan Am Games, World University Games, and the FIBA World Championships (1975)
  • Finalist for the USA Women’s Olympic team (1976)
  • 2x NJCAA All-American at Hiwassee Junior College
  • During her two seasons of play with the Flying Queens, they won the AAU Championship game and the NWIT championship.
  • Bush was featured in Sports Illustrated “Faces in the Crowd”
  • National Amateur Association of Universities Women’s Basketball team member.
  • Texas Panhandle Player of the Year (1975)
  • She graduated from Wayland as the 8th all-time scorer in Flying Queens history with 1,090 career points (1975)

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Beth Bass

  •  Executive Director of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) (1997, 1998, 1999, 2000)
  • Chief Executive Officer of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (2001-2014)
  • 4x winner of the women’s basketball letter at East Tennessee State University (1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984)
  • Worked at Nike and specialized in women’s basketball sports marketing endeavors, including coaching endorsements, the WBCA High School All-America Game, the inaugural Nike Girls All-America Camp, and the Coaches’ Extravaganza at the WBCA National Convention.
  • Worked at Converse and cultivated Converse’s women’s basketball marketing efforts, including the renowned Converse/WBCA Coach of the Year Award (1986-1995)
  • A part of the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund Board of Directors, Naismith Hall of Fame Board of Trustees, National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics Board of Director, and Atlanta Tip Off Club Advisory Board.
  • Helped launch one of the most successful grassroots marketing campaigns for breast cancer awareness with the WBCA’s “Think Pink”, now known as the WBCA Pink Zone (2007)

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