Basketball Hall of Fame Announces 2014 Class - East Idaho News
Sports

Basketball Hall of Fame Announces 2014 Class

  Published at

halloffame?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1396950176644Tom Pennington/Getty Images(DALLAS, Texas) — The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced its Class of 2014, set to be inducted on August 8 in Springfield, Mass. The inductees were announced at a press conference at the site of the 2014 Final Four on Monday.

Among those being enshrined are NCAA Championship coaches Nolan Richardson and Gary Williams, NBA All-Star’s Mitch Richmond and Alonzo Mourning as well as Immaculata University’s AIAW National Championship teams.

Richardson was the 1994 Naistmith and NABC Coach of the Year, leading the University of Arkansas to a national title. During his time with the Razorbacks, Richardson made three Final Four appearances (1990, 1994, 1995) while also being named the SEC Coach of the Year in 1998. Prior to arriving in Fayetteville, Richardson coached Tulsa to an NIT championship in 1981 and compiled an career coaching record of 509-207.

Spending 22 years at the University of Maryland, Williams won a National Championship with the Terrapins in 2002 and added an ACC Tournament title to his resume in 2004. He served as the head coach from 1990-2011, winning 25 games or more in seven seasons. Williams earned an overall record of 668-380 and 22 postseason appearances.

A six-time NBA All-Star, Richmond began his career with the Golden State Warriors winning the 1989 Rookie of the Year award. He was a part of the 1996 Olympic Gold Medal team as well as earning a bronze in the 1988 Games. Richmond was also a member of the Los Angeles Lakers’ NBA Championship team in 2002.

Mourning was a seven-time All-Star, winning an NBA title in 2006 with the Miami Heat. He was a two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, winning in both 1999 and 2000, while leading the league in blocked shots (1998-99, 1999-2000) and blocks per game (1998-99, 1999-2000) in consecutive seasons. Mourning still ranks as the all-time leader in blocks for the Miami Heat, swatting 1,625 shots in his 16-year career.

Winning three straight AIAW National Championships from 1972-74 under Cathy Rush, Immaculata went 60-2 in those three seasons. The team was the first women’s college team to be shown on national television, play in Australia and play at Madison Square Garden. Along with a Hall of Fame coach, the squad featured Women’s Basketball Hall of Famers Theresa Shank, Marianne Crawford and Mary Scharff.

The five inductees announced on Monday join the five directly elected members revealed during NBA All-Star Weekend. Those five are Bob Leonard, Nat Clifton, Sarunas Marciulionis, Guy Rodgers and recently retired NBA Commissioner David Stern. In order to be elected, finalists must receive at least 18 of 24 votes from the Honors Committee.

Copyright 2014 ABC News Radio

SUBMIT A CORRECTION