Off the Backboard: September, 2009
Welcome to our online version of "Off the Backboard."
It has been a very busy spring/summer at the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame!
Since our last electronic newsletter, the WBHOF went to St. Louis for the 2009 WBCA Convention/Final Four, hosted the 2009 Induction weekend, inaugural 4Kay Run/Walk, 2009 Select Girls' Basketball Camp, made a number of exhibit changes in the museum and hosted a number of corporate events and time-out camps at the WBHOF. This issue, just our second electronic version, will bring you up to date with what has been going on with the WBHOF.
Don't forget, if you would still like to receive a hard copy of this newsletter please click here to email your request, along with your updated contact information.
As always, thanks for your support of the WBHOF!
A Letter from our VP
Dear Friends of the Hall,
On behalf of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, I am pleased to report that we have successfully completed a very busy spring/summer and are now looking forward to an eventful fall. The fall is always an exciting time at the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame because it means the State Farm Tip-Off Classic and the start of the women’s basketball season are right around the corner. What has made this year even more exciting is that the 2009 State Farm Tip-Off Classic will be held right in our back yard! The University of Tennessee Lady Vols will be hosting Baylor University on November 15 at 5 p.m. (ESPN2) at Thompson Boling Arena. The SFTOC is a great way to kick off the basketball season and it’s a great event for the WBHOF. In fact, at halftime, the WBHOF’s Class of 2010 will be introduced to the full arena and a nationally televised audience. I encourage you to mark the date on your calendar, purchase a ticket to attend the game, and of course stop by the WBHOF while you’re in Knoxville – we would love to have you!
As I mentioned, we have just finished a very busy spring/summer. Since my last letter we traveled to St. Louis for the 2009 WBCA Convention/Final Four, hosted our 2009 Induction Weekend, Inaugural 4Kay™ Run/Walk, 2009 Select Girls Basketball Camp, made a number of exhibit changes in the museum and hosted a number of corporate events and time-out camps at the WBHOF.
Speaking of Induction, I want to first thank everyone who supported and attended our 2009 Induction Weekend. We added a few new events and changed up a few things this year and all seemed to be very well received. As always, we couldn’t have survived any of it without the support of our past inductees, board members, sponsors, and friends of the Hall – so thanks!
I am proud to report that we raised $5,500 for the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund™ in our inaugural 4Kay™ Run/Walk! It was a great way to remember Coach Yow as a member of the WBHOF family and to kick off the Induction day festivities. We hope to keep the 4Kay Run/Walk as part of our annual Induction weekend and hopefully next year we can raise even more money for the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund.
Following Induction, there wasn’t much time to rest as we dove right into plans for our inaugural Select Girls Basketball Camp. The camp, an exposure event open to all high school girls basketball players, is a part of our mission to “promote the future” of the game. It was held July 26-28 at Maryville College in Maryville, TN. Players from all over the country, representing 11 different states, traveled to East Tennessee for three days of basketball drills, games, SAQ, seminars and plenty of fun. We are already looking at dates for 2010, so that we can build on what we started and make this camp an annual addition to the WBHOF’s calendar.
Last, but certainly not least, we have already announced our Class of 2010 and are starting to think about how we can make the 2010 Induction the best one yet. We are very excited to be welcoming our newest group of inductees (Leta Andrews, Teresa Edwards, Rebecca Lobo, Gloria Ray, Teresa Weatherspoon and Chris Weller) into the WBHOF family. Our 2010 Induction will take place in Knoxville, TN on June 12, so please mark the date on your calendars now and plan on attending. As we begin to put together some of the details, information will be posted on our website (www.wbhof.com).
We look forward to seeing you all in Knoxville for the 2009 State Farm Tip-Off Classic!
Best wishes,
Dana Hart
Vice President/General Manager
2009 State Farm Tip-Off Classic Announced;
will have new look
The Women's Basketball Hall of Fame is pleased to announce that the 2009 State Farm Tip-Off Classic will be held in our hometown of Knoxville, TN on November 15. The University of Tennessee will host Baylor at 5 p.m. (ESPN2) as the SFTOC proudly celebrates its 17th year.
This year will mark Tennessee's seventh appearance in the State Farm Tip-Off Classic winning in 1993, 1994, 1995 and 2002. This will be the fourth time Knoxville will host the tournament and the sixth time the classic has been held in Tennessee. Baylor will be making its third appearance in the event.
During this year's game, there will be five WBHOF inductees sitting on the bench including Tennessee head coach Pat Summitt and Baylor head coach Kim Mulkey. Assistant coaches Holly Warlick, Daedra Charles-Furlow and Leon Barmore are also in the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. At halftime, the WBHOF's Class of 2010 will be introduced to the arena and the national television audience.
In addition to it being the first year where the State Farm Tip-Off Classic will consist of just one game instead of the previous format of a doubleheader, the new event logo (above) will be proudly displayed for the first time. r
2010 Inductees announced
The WBHOF announced its Class of 2010 during the 2009 WNBA All-Star Game on ABC on July 25. The Class of 2010 will be officially inducted in Knoxville, TN on June 12, 2010.
The Class of 2010 Inductees are former WNBA standouts and Olympians Rebecca Lobo, Teresa Edwards and Teresa Weatherspoon, former Maryland Coach Chris Weller, longtime high school girls' basketball coach Leta Andrews and Knoxville Tourism & Sports Corporation President and CEO Gloria Ray.
Congratulations Class of 2010 Inductees - We look forward to getting to know you over the next year and welcoming you into the WBHOF family!
Inaugural 4Kay™ raises $5,500 for cancer research
On June 13, the morning of the WBHOF's 2009 Induction Ceremony, the WBHOF community joined Knoxville residents to lace up their shoes for a great cause!
Over 300 runners/walkers participated in the inaugural 4Kay™ Run/Walk as the WBHOF raised $5,500 for the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund™.
The event was in memory of Women's Basketball Hall of Famer Kay Yow and her legacy was shared with many on a beautiful, sunny morning in East Tennessee.
Visit the WBHOF's Facebook page for photos of the event.
Select Girls Basketball Camp
The Women's Basketball Hall of Fame hosted its inaugural Select Girls Basketball Camp July 26-28 at Maryville College. Players representing 11 different states (WA, AZ, MN, ID, IA, AR, FL, TX, OK, OH, TN) participated in three days of skills instruction, games, classroom seminars, guest speakers, plyometrics, SAQ and a lot of fun.
The WBHOF is excited to begin planning the 2010 event - stay tuned for details!
Click here to see a slideshow of this year's event.
Temporary Exhibit Celebrates TN Amigos
The WBHOF has put together a temporary exhibit for September to celebrate the TN Amigos National Championship at the 2009 National Summer Senior Games.
The eight members of the team (Mary Kelly, Madge Susong, Carolyn Landreth, Josephine Farmer, Mary Jean Lewis, Helen Armstrong, Mary Tim Burgin and Sylvia Smith) visited the WBHOF to view the exhibit and WBIR's Live at 5 came out to do a story on the championship team. Visit the WBHOF's Facebook page to view the TV clip of the TN Amigos at the Hall.
Stay tuned for details on the WBHOF's temporary exhibit for October!
Website Updates
It has almost been a year since we launched our brand new website. We hope you have enjoyed the new look and committment to keeping you updated through this fantastic site.
This month we have added another new feature to the site: a multimedia page.
The page includes links to video from our 2009 Induction, a slideshow of our Select Camp, interviews from the past few classes of inductees and a special section of interviews from the 1976 Olympic team.
With the launch of our new multimedia page, the WBHOF is excited to join a number of social media outlets!
• Become a fan of the WBHOF on Facebook
• Follow us on Twitter
• Stay tuned for information on the WBHOF's Blog
Speaking of our blog, the WBHOF is also looking for past inductees or board members that may be interested in contributing to the WBHOF's blog. Posts can be done weekly, monthly or just as a one-time deal. Blog entries can be about your life in basketball, a story you would like to share, what is currently going on in your life, your opinion on an aspect of women's basektball, etc.
If you are interested, please email Karen Tucker. Thanks in advance for your help!
4Kay Poster Contest Winner
Congratulations to Chihye Kim of Cedar Bluff Elementary School for winning the WBHOF's 4Kay Poster Contest!
Chihye's poster (below), showing the significance of the WBHOF's inagural 4Kay Run/Walk on June 13, was voted the winner by a panel of celebrity judges, including WBIR's Russell Biven and Beth Haynes. The Poster was on display at the Hall throughout the 2009 Induction Weekend and again on Wednesday, Sept. 16, when Chihye's 5th grade class enjoyed a field trip to the WBHOF.
Featured Item
Getting ready for the fall?
One of the new items in Trophies, is a WBHOF logo sweatshirt blanket.
It makes a great gift for yourself or someone you love and is perfect for to take to that football game, hay ride, or just to use at home.
Call 865-633-9000 or email Josh Sullivan to order yours today!
Price: $ 25.00
S & H: $ 5.00
