ST. LOUIS, Miss. – Former Georgia Tech women’s basketball alum and current executive director of the WBCA, Danielle Donehew has been named the recipient of the 2018 United States Basketball Writers Association Mary Jo Haverbeck Award.
Since her time at Tech, Donehew has served in many roles and currently serves as president of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Tenn., and is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Board of Trustees. Before joining the WBCA, Donehew was the American Athletics Conferences’ associate commissioner for women’s basketball, serving as the primary conference leader for women’s basketball initiatives.
A native of Atlanta, she has also worked several seasons with the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream and was a director of operations on the staff of the late Tennessee Hall of Fame legendary women’s basketball coach Pat Summitt.
In working all these jobs which involves interaction with the media, Donehew has been instrumental in making sure media needs are helped and served. She has also made it a part of her job to urge continued cooperation between WBCA members of the coaching community and the beat writers who cover their teams.
"Thank you to our friends at the United States Basketball Writers Association for recognizing me with the Mary Jo Haverbeck Award," Donehew said upon receiving the news of her selection.
"I am proud of the strong relationship between the USBWA and WBCA. Our community of coaches appreciates the important role the media has played and continues to play in chronicling the game of women’s basketball in real time throughout its history.
"We are thankful for everything you do to promote our sport."
Jack Watford, the WBCA Communications director notes, "I have worked for a lot of people and have never seen anyone like Danielle who is ready to engage and to talk to anyone, anytime, anyplace."
Donehew will receive her award during the Women’s Final Four in Columbus, Ohio, at the Nationwide Arena.
Donehew played in four Georgia High School Association final fours and won two state championships for Sequoyah High School in Cherokee County. She played at Tech from 1996-2000 and left the Flats as the program’s all-time leader in 3-point field goals made. The Alpharetta, Ga., native made 241 career shots from beyond the arc, setting the Georgia Tech career record. (The record has since been surpassed by Chioma Nnamaka who made 269 three-pointers in her career).
She holds a bachelor’s degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Georgia Tech and a master’s degree in Sport Management from the University of Tennessee. Donehew was named an ACC Legend for her contributions to Georgia Tech and the Atlantic Coast Conference during her collegiate basketball career. She was also honored as one of Georgia Tech’s Woman Out Front in 2009.
The Mary Jo Haverbeck Award is named for the pioneering Penn State women’s sports information, herself a USBWA member, who passed away in January of 2014 after a short illness.
