On Saturday, April 27th, the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted the Class of
2024 at the historic Tennessee Theatre. The seven new inductees include former
LSU stand-out Seimone Augustus; Women’s Professional Basketball League
legend Rita Gail Easterling; WNBA legend Taj McWilliams-Franklin; former
UCONN Husky Maya Moore-Irons; legendary WNBA/NBA official Violet Palmer;
ArchBishop Mitty High School coach Sue Phillips; and former Gulf Coast State
Junior College coach Roonie Scovel.
Along with the Class of 2024, we presented the Trailblazers of the Game to the
1981-82 Cheyney State Women’s Basketball Team. This team is the only Historical
Black College/University (HBCU) to appear in the NCAA Final Four. Fueled by a
roster of eight high school All-Americans and 2001 WBHOF Coach C. Vivian Stringer,
they earned a record of 28-3 and a number 2 national ranking.
The “For the Love of the Game” award was presented to the Afghan Resettlement
Program. This group of Afghanistan female basketball players and coaches sought
refuge in the United States to escape the tyranny of the Taliban. With the assistance
of the University of Tennessee Center for Sport, Peace and Society and the US State
Department, they have resettled in Knoxville. They are currently working on securing
scholarships to continue their education.
With this class, there are 205 inductees who are members of the Women’s Basketball
Hall of Fame family. The Induction Ceremony was hosted by Hall of Famer Debbie
Antonelli where it was presented on ESPN. The ceremony can be viewed on the
WBHOF YouTube page.
The Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2025 will be announced on November
30, 2024