Class of 2019 – Women's Basketball Hall of Fame

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.

In 2004, Riley won an Olympic Gold Medal in Athens
In 1999, she won the Silver Medal in the World University Games
She is a 2-time WNBA champion with the Detroit Shock in 2003 and 2006
In 2001, she was the recipient of Naismith Player of the Year, AP National Player of the Year, Sports Illustrated Player of the Year and Big East Player of the Year
Ruth Riley graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2001, where she won a national championship
Riley received the Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award
She was named the best defensive player of the year in 1999,2000 and 2001

She graduated from Old Dominion University in 1998 and was a 2-time Kodak All American in 1997 and 1998.
She was the winner of the Lifetime/Wade Trophy in 1998
Penicheiro led her team to the Final Four Championship game in 1997.
She was the Russian League Champion and EuroLeague Champion in 2007.
Penicheiro was named one of the WNBA’s top 15 players of all time in 2011 and in 2016 was listed on WNBA’s top 20@20
She won a WNBA championship with the Sacramento Monarchs in 2005.

Finch has represented the NCAA on the U.S. Collegiate Sports Council since 1988, serving as President from 1992 to 1996
In 1991, 1993 and 1995 she served as Chief of Mission for the United States World University Game delegations.
She has been a member of several committees, including NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball oversight and administrative committee, NCAA Division I Management Council, NCAA Division I Champions cabinet chair, NCAA Division I membership committee Women’s committee on Basketball Officiating and chair of its’ competition committee, and DI Women’s Basketball Issues committee.
From 1981 to 1988, Finch was the inaugural chair of the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee.
Finch was the ACC’s first female Assistant Athletics Director and named the ACC Senior Associate for Women’s Basketball in 2013.
Finch was 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.
Nora Lynn Finch negotiated the first women’s basketball tournament television contract with CBS.

Cronan worked 29 years as the Women’s Athletic Director at Tennessee from 1983 to 2012. Also, was the Athletics Director at the College of Charleston for 10 years.
In 1969, she coached the Women’s Basketball team at Tennessee and led the team to the fi rst-ever National Invitational Collegiate Basketball Tournament.
She was the fi rst recipient of the NCAA President’s Pat Summitt Award in 2017
Joan Cronan won the Women of Achievement Award: “Women who make a difference” by the International Women’s Forum in 2009.
She 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.
Cronan was inducted into LSU’s Alumni Hall of distinction in 1995 and won the WBCA leadership award in 1987.

In 1975, Bush played in the Pan Am Games, World University Games and the FIBA World Championships.
She was a finalist for the USA Women’s Olympic team in 1976.
Roddy was a two-time 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” and was a National Amateur Association of Universities Women’s Basketball team member.
In 1975, she received the Texas Panhandle Player of the Year
She graduated from Wayland in 1975 as the number 8 all-time scorer in Flying Queens history with 1,090 career points.

Bass was the executive director of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) from 1997 to 2000, and the chief executive officer of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association from 2001 to 2014.
She was a four-year winner of the women’s basketball letter at East Tennessee State University from 1980 to 1984.
Bass 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.
In 1986 to 1995, she worked at Converse and cultivated Converse’s women’s basketball marketing endeavors including the renowned Converse/WBCA Coach of the Year Award.
Bass was 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.
In 2007, Bass 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.