2009 Women's Basketball Hall of Fame Inductees

Jennifer Azzi, Cynthia Cooper-Dyke, Jennifer Gillom, Sonja Hogg, Jill Hutchison and Ora Washington will be officially inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame on June 13 in Knoxville, Tenn.

The 2009 Induction marks the 11th in the history of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame and will bring the total number of inductees to 109.

Jennifer Azzi

Olympic Gold Medalist in 1996; one of the original players of the ABL; an All-American guard at Stanford; won the 1990 Wade Trophy, Naismith Player of the Year and led the Cardinal to the 1990 National Championship.

Played five seasons in the WNBA.

Cynthia Cooper-Dyke

Two-time Olympian, two-time National Champion at Southern California (1983, 1984) and four-time WNBA champion with the Houston Comets (1997-2000); won a gold medal with team USA in the 1988 Olympics and was a member of seven USA squads.

Jennifer Gillom

In four years at Ole Miss, Gillom had four NCAA tournament appearances, including two Sweet Sixteens, two Elite 8s and three SEC West titles; went on to star for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury for six years; member of the 1988 Gold Medal Olympic team.

Sonja Hogg

Coached and promoted the game of women’s basketball for over 30 years; started the Louisiana Tech women’s basketball program and nicknamed the team the “Lady Techsters.”

Recipient of the 2004 Naismith Women’s Outstanding Contribution to Basketball Award. Also coached for five seasons at Baylor.

Jill Hutchison

Head coach of the Illinois State women’s basketball team for 28 seasons, where she led ISU to three NCAA tournaments, six WNIT appearances and was a three-time conference coach of the year; first president of the WBCA in 1982 and received the Carol Eckman Award from the WBCA in 1992.

Ora Washington

Legendary African American athlete from the Germantown section of northwest Philadelphia, played center for the Philadelphia Tribune for 18 years, only losing six games, all of which were to men’s teams.

Pictured above: The Tribune Girls of Philadelphia, 1938. Standing (l. to. r): Marie Leach, Lavinia Moore, Myrtle Wilson, Ora Washington, Rose Wilson, Florence Campbell. Kneeling: Gladys Walker, Virgina Woods.