Tag: Naismith Hall of Fame

LSU’s Seimone Augustus inducted into Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame

Seimone Augustus becomes the first LSU women’s player selected for the Hall of Fame.

Former LSU women’s basketball star [autotag]Seimone Augustus[/autotag] was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday. She becomes the first-ever Tigers women’s player to receive that honor.

She joins coaches [autotag]Sue Gunter[/autotag], [autotag]Van Chancellor[/autotag] and [autotag]Kim Mulkey[/autotag] as well as men’s players [autotag]Shaquille O’Neal[/autotag], [autotag]Bob Petit[/autotag] and [autotag]Pete Maravich[/autotag] in the Hall.

“When you think about all the qualities involved in being a Hall of Fame player, no one checks all the boxes like Seimone,” LSU Associate Head Coach Bob Starkey said in a release. “But what brings me the most pride is that she was a hall of fame person and teammate as well — I know of no one more deserving.”

The Baton Rouge native played at LSU from 2002-06, being named the national Player of the Year in each of her final two seasons. The first overall pick in the WNBA draft, she won four league titles with the Minnesota Lynx before the eight-time all-star finished her career with the Los Angeles Sparks.

She also later spent the 2021-22 season as an assistant with the Sparks.

Augustus’ enshrinement into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame will take place from August 16-17.

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Wisconsin legend among 14 2024 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Finalists

Wisconsin legend among 14 2024 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Finalists

The 2024 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Finalists were announced yesterday evening

The list includes 14 people, ranging from high school coaches, to some of the best NBA players of all time, to legendary owners and executives.

Related: ChatGPT ranks the most intimidating Big Ten football stadiums to play in

The finalists are put in front of the Honors Committee, which then officially votes on the new class. That class will be announced on April 6 at the NCAA Men’s Final Four.

Included among the 14 Hall of Fame finalists is a Wisconsin legend:

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Former LSU star Seimone Augustus named to Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame ballot

Seimone Augustus could find herself in another Hall of Fame.

Former LSU women’s basketball star [autotag]Seimone Augustus[/autotag] was already elected to the 2024 class of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, but that may not be the only organization that immortalizes her.

Augustus has now also been named to the ballot for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame 2024 induction class. The finalists will be announced on Feb. 16 with the full induction class being announced on April 6.

Alongside Augustus, the ballot is also headlined by Vince Carter, Bill Laimbeer, Rick Barnes and others.

While a player at LSU, Augustus led the team to three straight Final Fours and winning National and SEC Player of the Year (as well as the Wooden Award and Honda Award) twice. Her jersey has been retired since 2010, and a statue was erected in her honor this past January.

Augustus was the first overall pick in the WNBA draft, and she had a 15-year pro career in which she won four titles, was named a Finals MVP and was an eight-time All-Star.

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Follow Tyler to continue the conversation on Twitter: @TylerNettuno

Tom Izzo to present former Purdue head coach Gene Keady in Naismith Hall of Fame

Tom Izzo to present former Purdue head coach Gene Keady in Naismith Hall of Fame

Michigan State basketball head coach Tom Izzo is set to present an old friend and one of the great legends of college basketball into the Naismith Hall of Fame this weekend.

Izzo will be presenting former Purdue head coach Gene Keady into the Hall of Fame, after Izzo also wrote an endorsement for Keady’s induction.

Keady was the coach at Purdue from 1980 until 2005, where he won six regular season Big Ten championships and was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year seven times, and the National Coach of the Year five times.

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Ryan once again left out of Naismith Hall of Fame in 2023

Bo Ryan retired as the head coach of the Badgers in 2015, but he has yet to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Bo Ryan retired as the head coach of the Wisconsin Badgers Men’s Basketball team partially through the 2015-2016 campaign, but he has yet to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

After a long career as a collegiate head coach, Ryan decided to hang it up in December of 2015, handing the program off to Greg Gard. Ryan’s retirement came at the tails of the Badgers’ back-to-back Final Four appearances in 2014 and 2015, including a 68-63 National Championship loss to Duke in 2015.

Now over seven years removed from his time with Wisconsin, Bo Ryan was once again not named a finalist to make the Hall of Fame.

His head coaching career started with UW-Milwaukee in 1999, where he led the Men’s Basketball team to a 30-27 record over two seasons. Ryan then went on to Madison in 2001 and the rest is history. He led the team to the National Tournament in all 15 of his seasons, while also winning the conference tournament three times as well.

In the end, Bo Ryan finished his coaching career at Wisconsin with a 364-130 record, finishing his career 394-157 overall. That’s good for a 71.5 percent winning percentage all-time.

With numbers like that, Bo should be in the Hall of Fame.

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Former Rockets coach Rick Adelman inducted into Hall of Fame

Former Rockets coach Rick Adelman has joined Rudy Tomjanovich as a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Former Rockets head coach Rick Adelman was inducted Saturday into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a member of the 2021 class. Adelman joins legendary Houston coach Rudy Tomjanovich, who was inducted earlier this year as part of the delayed Class of 2020.

Adelman began his NBA career as a player from 1968 until 1975, including a stint with the San Diego Rockets in his first two seasons. Adelman played for five teams, averaging 7.7 points and 3.5 assists per game.

Adelman’s Hall of Fame status, however, is based on his success as a head coach. In that capacity, he was known best as an innovator with free-flowing, motion offenses. As a coach, Adelman had the lead gig in Portland (1989-1994); Golden State (1995-1997); Sacramento (1999-2006); Houston (2007-2011); and Minnesota (2011-2014).

While Adelman never won an NBA title, he got deep into the playoffs many times — including the 1990 and 1992 NBA Finals with the Trail Blazers and the 2002 Western Conference finals with the Kings, which may have resulted in a championship if not for questionable officiating.

With the Rockets, Adelman went 193-135 (.588) over four seasons, giving him the fourth-most wins of any head coach in franchise history. (The top three are Tomjanovich, Mike D’Antoni and Bill Fitch.) His .588 winning percentage ranks third, trailing D’Antoni and Kevin McHale.

Under Adelman’s watch, the Rockets had a historic 22-game winning streak in the 2007-08 season, and they won their first-round playoff series versus Portland in the 2008-09 season. That represented the franchise’s first series victory in the NBA playoffs in 12 years.

While the Rockets never seriously contended for a championship in either of those years, that fate was largely due to reasons out of Adelman’s control: All-Star center Yao Ming had both seasons cut short due to serious foot injuries. Those injuries eventually forced Yao to retire much earlier than expected and pushed the Rockets into a rebuilding cycle, for which a veteran coach like Adelman wasn’t an ideal fit.

Nonetheless, Adelman’s tenure with the Rockets should be remembered fondly, and now he is recognized alongside Tomjanovich at the Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts. With a 1,042-749 career record (.582), Adelman ranks No. 9 all-time in NBA coaching wins.

Adelman’s complete enshrinement speech can be viewed below.

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Hall of Fame ceremony for Rudy Tomjanovich set for May 2021

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the enshrinement ceremony for the 2020 Hall of Fame class has been moved to May 13-15, 2021.

Nine months later than first planned, former Houston Rockets head coach Rudy Tomjanovich will finally have his enshrinement ceremony for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in May 2021.

The ceremony for the 2020 class, which includes Tomjanovich, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, and Kevin Garnett, was indefinitely postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was originally scheduled for August 2020.

The event will now be held on May 13-15, 2021, at the Mohegan Sun entertainment complex in Connecticut. The Hall of Fame’s press release says this complex can operate as a “near bubble,” which indicates their intent to move forward with these dates without further delays.

The May 2021 ceremony will be exclusive to the delayed 2020 class, and it will not be merged with the separate 2021 Hall of Fame class.

In his 11-plus seasons as head coach in Houston, Tomjanovich led the Rockets to a 503-397 (.559) regular-season record and a 51-39 (.567) mark in the NBA playoffs, headlined by two championships in 1994 and 1995. He is by far the winningest coach in franchise history.

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Besides his coaching allocades, Tomjanovich was also a dynamic player ⁠— with averages of 17.4 points and 8.1 rebounds in 33.5 minutes per game. He was a five-time All-Star at power forward over 11 NBA seasons.

When ‘Rudy T’ is inducted, he has enlisted Rockets legends Calvin Murphy and Hakeem Olajuwon to formally present him at the ceremony.

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Tomjanovich on his coaching style: ‘Encouragement builds confidence’

In an interview with Matt Bullard (his former player), ‘Rudy T’ explains the unique coaching style that helped make him a Hall of Famer.

Former Houston Rockets head coach Rudy Tomjanovich was seen by many as a “players’ coach” during his tenure, and he expands on that philosophy in a new interview with his former player, Matt Bullard.

“Rudy T,” as he’s best known, was recently announced as an inductee in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame’s Class of 2020. In his 11-plus seasons as the team’s head coach from 1992 through 2003, Tomjanovich led Houston to a 503-397 (.559) regular-season record and a 51-39 (.567) mark in the NBA playoffs, headlined by two championships in 1994 and 1995. He is by far the winningest coach in franchise history.

In his chat Wednesday with Bullard and play-by-play broadcaster Craig Ackerman, who normally work together on Houston’s game telecasts, Tomjanovich reflected on his personal Hall of Fame news while also offering some new perspective on his unique coaching philosophy.

Here’s how one exchange from the interview went:

Bullard: One of the biggest things that I took away from your coaching is that when you feel like a coach is on your side, you want to play harder for that coach and not let him down. When you have a coach yelling at you constantly, then you just tune him out.

Tomjanovich: Absolutely. Encouragement builds confidence. Over the years, I tried to verbalize what my philosophy was becoming. I would say it’s 80% positive, 20% correction. When we’re doing a tape and the coach gets excited — ‘Look at this, this is what I’m talking about’ — they get an idea of what I think good Rockets basketball is.

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The complete interview, which covers a wide range of topics related to Rudy T’s current life and his storied NBA career, can be viewed below.

Tomjanovich and the rest of the Hall of Fame’s new class will be enshrined on Aug. 29 in Springfield, Massachusetts. Former NBA players in the class include Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, and the late Kobe Bryant.

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Hakeem Olajuwon accepts offer to present ‘Rudy T’ at Hall of Fame

Rockets legend Hakeem Olajuwon said Saturday that he’ll join Calvin Murphy in presenting Rudy Tomjanovich at his Hall of Fame induction.

As expected, legendary Houston Rockets center Hakeem Olajuwon graciously accepted a request from his former coach, Rudy Tomjanovich, to formally present him at his August 2020 induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Tomjanovich will be jointly presented by Olajuwon and Calvin Murphy, who both are already in the Hall of Fame. Olajuwon was the best player for “Rudy T” during his coaching years, while Tomjanovich played alongside Murphy for 11 years in his playing career from 1970 until 1981.

In comments to Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston, Olajuwon said:

I told [Tomjanovich] I feel so honored. It’s my honor that he thought of me. As you know, our careers paralleled. We accomplished something that’s so special together. He could have chosen anybody on that team, but to choose me, I feel privileged and honored.

On sharing the honor with Murphy, Olajuwon said:

Those are two of my heroes. Close friends, teammates. To be able to share that platform with them, I feel very privileged.

In his 11-plus seasons as head coach, Tomjanovich led the Rockets to a 503-397 (.559) regular-season record and a 51-39 (.567) mark in the NBA playoffs, headlined by Houston’s two championships in 1994 and 1995. He is by far the winningest coach in franchise history.

Olajuwon was the NBA’s regular-season MVP in the 1993-94 campaign, and the NBA Finals MVP in both years.

“He’s the reason I’m standing up there,” Tomjanovich told Berman. “If I don’t have Hakeem, does it happen? We don’t know, probably not. He was such a big part of my life.”

Besides his extensive accomplishments as a coach, Tomjanovich was also a dynamic player ⁠— with averages of 17.4 points and 8.1 rebounds in 33.5 minutes per game. He was a five-time All-Star at power forward over 11 NBA seasons, which were all played alongside Murphy.

“I’m gonna be like a little kid in a candy store that night, taking pictures of everything,” Murphy said about his inclusion in the induction ceremony for Tomjanovich. “Having pictures of me and Dream and Rudy together, you’re looking at the originals and the franchise together.”

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Tomjanovich and other members of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame’s Class of 2020 are scheduled to be enshrined on Saturday, Aug. 29 in Springfield, Massachusetts. Former NBA players to be inducted will include Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, and the late Kobe Bryant.

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Rudy Tomjanovich eyes Olajuwon, Murphy as Hall of Fame presenters

Rudy Tomjanovich is asking Hall of Famers and Rockets legends Calvin Murphy and Hakeem Olajuwon to present him at his August induction.

Former Houston Rockets player and head coach Rudy Tomjanovich is asking franchise icons Calvin Murphy and Hakeem Olajuwon to formally present him later this year at his Hall of Fame induction.

Tomjanovich played with Murphy throughout his 11-year career from 1970 thrugh 1981, while Olajuwon was the star player during his two NBA championships as a coach in 1994 and 1995.

Murphy immediately accepted the honor. In comments to Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston, the Hall of Fame guard said Monday:

I would have been very, very disappointed and very hurt if I had not been at his right hand when he accepts his enshrinement. That was absolutely fabulous. It doesn’t get any better than that. Over the 10 years we roomed together, over the years we’ve known each other, I can’t begin to tell you how much time we spent talking basketball.

The fact that Rudy Tomjanovich and Calvin Murphy came into the NBA together, we cried together, we laughed together, and now we’re going to be in the Hall of Fame together. It don’t get any better than that.

As for Olajuwon, a Hall of Fame center, Tomjanovich told Berman:

If Hakeem isn’t on the team when I get the job, you guys will probably be saying ‘Hey, remember that guy with the long last name who used to play for the Rockets?’ People wouldn’t know who I am right now. I was just blessed to have such a great player that we could build around. He’s the key ingredient to this whole deal.

In his 11-plus seasons as head coach, Tomjanovich led the Rockets to a 503-397 (.559) regular-season record and a 51-39 (.567) mark in the NBA playoffs, headlined by Houston’s two championships in 1994 and 1995. He is by far the winningest coach in franchise history.

Besides his extensive accomplishments as a coach, “Rudy T” was also a dynamic player ⁠— with averages of 17.4 points and 8.1 rebounds in 33.5 minutes per game. He was a five-time All-Star at power forward.

Tomjanovich and other members of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame’s Class of 2020 are scheduled to be enshrined on Saturday, Aug. 29 in Springfield, Massachusetts. Former NBA players to be inducted will include Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, and the late Kobe Bryant.

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