During ESPN’s recent broadcast of the Notre Dame-Louisville game, the finalists for the 2018 Class of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame were announced.
Ten finalists were announced, and among those finalists were Katie Smith. As a collegiate player at The Ohio State University, she broke the Big Ten scoring record for most points scored either in women’s or men’s basketball. Smith led her team to the NCAA championship game in her freshman campaign and had her number retired at OSU. As a professional, she won two WNBA titles with the Detroit Shock and three Olympic gold medals.
Honored and Humbled to be a finalist☺️ https://t.co/Q1dmSw0Ggo
— Katie Smith (@katiesmith30) January 12, 2018
Photo Credit: Neil Enns/Storm Photos
Also among the finalists is Tina Thompson – one of the WNBA’s original players. After playing collegiately at the University of Southern California, she went on to be a key piece in the W’s first dynasty – winning four championships with the Houston Comets in the WNBA’s early days. Along with the four championships won with the Comets, Thompson also made the All-Star Game on nine occasions and also claimed a pair of Olympic gold medals.
Photo Credit: Getty Images
The list of notable finalists also includes Chamique Holdsclaw, whose career spanned four teams – the Washington Mystics, the Los Angeles Sparks, the Atlanta Dream, and San Antonio Silver Stars. After winning the WNBA’s Rookie of the Year Award in 1999, she made six All-Star teams and also was part of the 2000 Olympic team that won a gold medal in Sydney.
Other players among the finalists include Vickie Orr, Yelena Baranova, and Valerie Still. Ceal Barry, Rose Marie Battaglia, Christine Dailey, and Mickie DeMoss are also finalists as coaches.
The 2018 Hall of Fame Class will be announced on February 12 – during the broadcast of the Louisville/UConn game. They will then be introduced during the Women’s Final Four, which this year will be in Columbus, Ohio. The induction in Knoxville will take place in June.
By: Akiem Bailum (@AkiemBailum on Twitter, Instagram)
