2019 Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Class
The Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame (WBHOF) opened June 1999 in Knoxville, TN as a way to honor all levels of women’s basketball and preserve the history of the game. The WBHOF mission statement is to “honor the past, celebrate the present, and promote the future” of women’s basketball.
The 21st class was announced on February 4th and will be inducted June 8th. With the addition of this year’s class, there will be 171 inductees. The 2019 class includes AAU, NCAA, and international players as well as pioneers and contributors who made women’s basketball what it is today.
The 2019 Class Includes Four Players:
Ticha Penichiero (International Player)
Russian League Champion (2007), EuroLeague Champion (2007), Czech League Champion (2011), and Turkish League Champion (2012).
1997 NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Team Old Dominion University
Lifetime/Wade Trophy winner 1998
4-time WNBA All Star and a 2-time All-WNBA First Team
No. 2 All -time WNBA in assists
WNBA top 15 players of all time in 2011 and 2016 WNBA’s top 20@20
WNBA champion with the Sacramento Monarchs in 2005
Hear Ticha’s thoughts on her induction on the Her Hoop Stats Podcast!
Ruth Riley (Player)
2001 National Champion and NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player at Notre Dame
Two-time WNBA champion with Detroit Shock
2003 WNBA Finals MVP
First person to win the MVP awards in both the NCAA and the WNBA championships.
Valerie Still (Player)
University of Kentucky basketball legend (1979–1983)
One of first women to receive a college basketball scholarship under Title IX
All-time Kentucky Wildcats leader (men’s or women’s) in scoring and rebounding
ABL Champion and playoff MVP 1997 and 1998 for Columbus Quest in American Basketball League (ABL)
Played for Washington Mystics in WNBA
Carolyn Bush Roddy (Veteran Player)
1973–1975 Player for Wayland Baptist Flying Queens
1979–1982 Player for Dallas Diamonds of Women’s Professional Basketball League
The 2019 Class Includes One Trailblazer:
AIAW (Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women):
At a a time when the NCAA only applied to men’s sports, the AIAW organized women’s collegiate championships in 19 different sports including basketball from 1971–1983. The association played a huge role in advocating for and promoting women’s athletics on the collegiate level at the time Title IX was started. Many of the AIAW basketball records include players and coaches who are pioneers of the women’s game and in the WBHOF: Carol Blazejowski, Cindy Brogdon, Denise Curry, Anne Donovan, Peggie Gillom-Granderson, Theresa Grentz, Sonja Hogg, Lusia Harris, Nancy Lieberman, Ann Meyers-Drysdale, Billie Moore, Pearl Moore, Inga Nissen, Cindy Noble Hauserman, LaTaunya Pollard, Cathy Rush, Bev Smith, Marianne Stanley, Margaret Wade, Lynette Woodward.
There are Three Contributors in the WBHOF 2019 Class:
Beth Bass
2001–2014 Second CEO of Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA)
2007 Assisted in launch of Think Pink campaign (now called Play4Kay) that supports Kay Yow Cancer Fund
Currently Adidas U.S Directory Women’s Sports Marketing
Joan Cronan
1983–2012 Women’s athletic director at Tennessee
1995 NACWAA Athletic Director of the Year
2017 NCAA President’s Pat Summitt Award
Nora Lynn Finch
1977–2008 NC State Senior Associate Athletic Director and Senior Women’s Administrator
1981–1988 Chair of first NCAA D1 Women’s Basketball Committee
1999 Florida Sentinel’s 12th Most Influential Person in Women’s Athletics in the 20th Century
2008–2019 ACC Senior Associate Commissioner/Women’s Basketball
2017 WBCA Jostens-Berenson Lifetime Achievement Award
Planning to go?
If you will be in the Knoxville area on June 8, there are numerous events to attend, including a free autograph session with all the inductees.
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