Legendary Archbishop Mitty High girls basketball coach Sue Phillips, who has coached at the San Jose school for 30 years, was announced Thursday as part of the 2024 Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame class.
Phillips has a 789-138 record as Mitty’s coach and she’s also has been a major part of USA Basketball, coaching many of the youth teams that have won gold medals.
Phillips is joined in this year’s class by headliners Maya Moore and Seimone Augustus, both former Minnesota Lynx and USA Basketball teammates.
Congratulations to Monarch coaching legend Sue Phillips on being named to the 2024 class of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. Incredible honor for a tremendous coach who has done so much for the Monarch athletics program and the sport of basketball. #GoMonarchs pic.twitter.com/GOb4EsHU6z
— AMHS Athletics (@AMHSAthletics) December 1, 2023
Other inductees include former players Taj McWilliams-Franklin and Rita Gail Easterling; former official Violet Palmer, the first woman to referee an NBA game; and coach Mary Scovel.
The induction ceremony will be April 27 in Knoxville, Tennessee.
The Hall of Fame will also recognize Cheyney University as its recipient of the “Trailblazer of the Game.” The Afghan Resettlement Program will receive the “For the Love of the Game” award.
Moore officially retired from playing basketball in January — five years after she played her last game with the Lynx.
She went 150-4 in her career at UConn. The two-time AP Player of the Year and four-time All-American was a key part of the Huskies’ 90-game winning streak that was the longest ever until the school had an 111-game run a few years later.
Augustus was drafted first by the Lynx in 2006 after winning back-to-back AP Player of the Year awards while starring at LSU. She led the Tigers to the Final Four from 2004-06.
McWilliams-Franklin was on the 2011 Lynx team with Moore and Augustus. She also previously had won WNBA titles with the Detroit Shock in 2006 and ’08.
Easterling played for Mississippi College from 1973-77, helping the team make the 1974 AIAW national championship game. She had a short career as well in the Women’s Professional Basketball League, a precursor to the WNBA.
Scovel won six junior college national titles as coach of Gulf Coast State College in Florida. She went 646-91.
Palmer officiated at nearly ever level, including the NBA, WNBA and women’s college basketball. She officiated over 700 regular-season NBA contests, making history in 1997 when she became the first female to do so.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Source: www.mercurynews.com