Feb. 15, 2012
Atlanta – Former Georgia Tech women’s basketball coach Bernadette McGlade has been named the Yellow Jackets’ ACC Legend in the class of 2012 that will be honored at this year’s ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament March 1-4 at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, N.C.
McGlade becomes the first woman honored by the Atlantic Coast Conference as a Women’s Basketball Legend as both a player and a coach. She became Georgia Tech’s first full-time women’s basketball coach in 1981 and later served as Associate Athletics Director for Sports Programs.
McGlade led Tech to its first winning season when the Jackets finished the 1986-87 season with a 14-13 mark and also recorded the Yellow Jackets’ first win over a ranked team when Tech defeated No. 13 Maryland 81-80 in 1988.
She recruited a pair of freshmen All-Americas in Dolores Bootz (1985) and Ida Neal (1986). Bootz would become the first Yellow Jacket to earn All-ACC honors (1986-87-88), while Neal was the first Tech player to be named first-team All-ACC when she was selected in 1989. McGlade coached one Academic All-America and had six players named to the ACC Academic Honor Roll. Seven of her former players are currently in the Georgia Tech Sports Hall of Fame, to which she was selected in 1998.
The Legends will be honored at the annual ACC Women’s Basketball Legends’ Lunch on Friday, March 2 at 1:30 p.m., and then will be introduced to the Coliseum crowd at halftime of the first semifinal game on Saturday, March 3. The ACC Women’s Basketball Legends program honors both players and coaches from each of the ACC’s 12 schools who have contributed to the league’s rich tradition.
Tickets to the Legends Luncheon are priced at $25 each and can be obtained by calling 1-336-373-7492. Quantities are limited.
Included in this year’s class are 11 former-student-athletes and one head coach, who represent four decades of ACC Women’s Basketball. Below is a complete list of this year’s Legends, and the accolades from their playing and coaching careers.
2012 ACC Women’s Basketball Legends
BOSTON COLLEGE – Kathleen Sweet, Center, Clarence, N.Y. (1983-87)
Sweet was the first dominating pivot player in the history of Boston College women’s basketball…Despite being hampered by an ankle injury which required surgery after her sophomore year, she scored 1,006 points and grabbed 597 rebounds during her four-year career…Chosen to the Big East All-Rookie Team as a freshman (1984), she also earned 2nd team All-Big East honors as a junior (1986) and senior (1987)… As a senior, she served as team captain and a major force for the Eagles as they reached the championship game of the Big East Tournament for the first time…That year she was named to the Big East All-Tournament team…Also an excellent student, she was also named Big East Scholar Athlete of the Year in 1987…She was inducted into the Boston College Hall of Fame in 2004…A 1987 graduate of BC, she earned a law degree from Villanova in 1990… She is a member of the American Bar Association, the New York state Bar Association, the Bar Association of Erie County and the Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York…She has been elected to serve as the president of the Erie County Bar Association starting in June of this year…In 2008 she received the M. Dolores Denman Lady Justice Award for lifetime achievement from the Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York and was recently honors by Best Lawyers in America as Buffalo’s “Lawyer of the Year–2012” in the area of medical malpractice defense…A partner in the firm of Gibson, McAskill & Crosby, LLP, she and her husband, Brian Fredericks, currently live in Orchard Park, N.Y., and have a daughter (Caroline) and son (Michael).
CLEMSON – Karen Jenkins Gray, Forward, Greenville, S.C. (1985-89)
One of the most accurate shooters in Clemson history, Karen Jenkins helped lead the Tigers to NCAA Tournament appearances in 1988 and 1989 and a two-year record of 41-20 … Jenkins earned 2nd-team All-ACC honors in 1988 and was also an Honorable Mention All-American selection that year by the Women’s Sports Federation… As a freshman in 1986, she led all ACC rookies in field goal percentage, making 55.6 percent of her shots from the field…Jenkins ranks 2nd on Clemson’s career field goal percentage list, having made 53.6 percent of her career shots from the field… She led Clemson in scoring and field goal percentage in 1987 and 1988…She still ranks 6th on the Clemson career list for most points scored with 1,514 and is 11th in career scoring average (13.6)…She is 6th in career field goals made (647) and 8th in field goal attempts (1202)…She also ranks 9th on the Clemson career rebounding list…Jenkins graduated from Clemson with a BA Degree in Sociology in 1989 and currently serves as the Human Services Coordinator for the Greenville County Department of Social Services…In addition, she has coached girls basketball at Berea High School in Greenville (2002-05) and more recently, Easley High School (2005-10)…A native of Greenville, she currently lives in Easley, S. C., with her husband, Thomas Bryant Gray, one son (Michael) and a stepson (Kevin Bryant).
DUKE – Georgia Schweitzer Beasley, Guard, Pataskala, Ohio (1997-2001)
A two-time ACC Player of the Year and 2001 Naismith Award National Player of the Year finalist, Georgia Schweitzer led Duke to four trips to the NCAA Tournament, including two NCAA Final Four appearances in a four-year career with the Blue Devils…Schweitzer, a 2001 Kodak All-America and a first-team USBWA All-America, led the Blue Devils to ACC Championships in 2000 and 2001… She helped lead Duke to an overall 111-25 record, at the time the most wins by any Duke women’s basketball player… She was named the 2001 ACC Tournament MVP and was also the MVP of the 1999 NCAA East Regional Tournament…Schweitzer became the first player in Duke history to record 1,500 points, 500 rebounds, 400 assists and 150 steals…She completed her collegiate career with 1,620 points, 533 rebounds, 428 steals and 171 steals…Schweitzer was twice chosen first-team All-ACC in 2000 and 2001…After graduating from Duke with a degree in environmental science & policy, she played for Minnesota of the WNBA from 2001 through 2003…She then returned to Duke’s medical school and received her MD in 2008 and is currently working on a master’s degree in clinical research…A general surgeon at the Duke University Medical Center, she is currently serving a two-year fellowship in cancer research…She and her husband Jonathan Beasley live in Durham with their son (Reid).
FLORIDA STATE – Christy Derlak Lawley, Guard, Evansville, Tenn. (1990-94)
One of the most prolific long-range shooters in FSU history, Christy Derlak lettered four times for the Seminoles during the 1991 through 1994 seasons…In her senior season she earned 2nd-team All-ACC honors and was also named to the ACC Select Team…A 1993 Special Mention All-America, she totaled 1,193 points in her 113-game FSU career and still ranks 19th on the Seminoles’ all-time women’s basketball scoring list …Derlak set a school record for most three-point field goals in a game with seven against Tennessee-Chattanooga on Nov. 26, 1993…Her career three-point field goal percentage of .341 is still the 7th-best in Seminole history…In 1994 she led the Seminoles in total points (464), scoring average (17.1), field goals made (150), free throws made (122), steals (40), three-point field goals made (47) and percentage made (.286)…She topped the 30-point mark twice in her career, netting 33 against Chattanooga in 1993 and 30 versus Duke in 1994…She helped the `Noles post a 61-53 record during her four-year career…An excellent student, she was named to the ACC Academic Honor Roll in 1992, 1993 and 1994 and was the first FSU women’s basketball player to be awarded the prestigious ACC Postgraduate Scholarship…She received a Bachelor of Science degree from FSU in Communication Sciences and Disorders and a Master’s of Science degree in Speech Language Pathology….She currently works as a Speech Language Pathologist at University Hospital in Tamarac, Fla., and resides in Ft. Lauderdale with her husband, Jeffrey Lawley, and daughter Sam McQuaig.
GEORGIA TECH – Bernadette McGlade, Head Coach, Gloucester City, N.J. (1981-88)
Former Georgia Tech head women’s basketball coach and Associate Athletic Director Bernadette McGlade becomes the first woman honored by the Atlantic Coast Conference as a Women’s Basketball Legend as both a player and a coach…McGlade, who became the first-full-time women’s basketball coach in Georgia Tech history in 1981, is being honored for her coaching skills this year, but she was previously honored in 2007 as a standout student-athlete at North Carolina (1977-80)…During her eight seasons at the helm of the Georgia Tech program she built a program from scratch…She guided the Jackets to their first winning season, a 14-13 campaign in 1986-87 and to their first win over a nationally ranked team, an 81-80 upset of 13th-ranked Maryland in 1988…She recruited a pair of freshmen All-Americas in Dolores Bootz (1985) and Ida Neal (1986), with Bootz becoming the first Tech player to earn All-ACC honors (1986-87-88) and Neal becoming the first Tech player to earn first-team All-ACC honors (1989)…She coached one Academic All-America, had six players named to the ACC Academic Honor Roll, and seven of her former players are currently in the Georgia Tech Sports Hall of Fame, an honor which she also received in 1998…In addition to serving as head coach at Tech, she also undertook the responsibility of overseeing 14 sports programs, including the elevation of three sports from club to Division 1 status…She served as the Tournament Director for the 1993 NCAA Women’s Final Four, the first Women’s Final Four which was an advance sellout…She left Tech to become Assistant Commissioner of the Atlantic Coast Conference in 1997 overseeing women’s basketball, then spent nine years as Associate Commissioner working with the ACC’s Olympic Sports Championships, Senior Woman Administrators as well as ACC and NCAA Committee oversight…She joined the Atlantic 10 conference as its fifth full-time commissioner in 2008 and currently lives in Newport News, Va. and is the proud aunt to 11 nieces and nephews as well as six grandnieces and nephews.
MARYLAND – Myra Waters, Forward, Toledo, Ohio (1978-82)
A standout for the Terrapins from 1978-79 through 1981-82, Waters was one of Maryland’s most reliable offensive threats…A 5-10 forward out of Toledo, Ohio, Waters averaged 13.0 points for her career and shot 54 percent from the field…She ranks 14th on the Terrapins’ career scoring list with 1,423 points and ranks 7th on the Terps’ career rebounding list with 782…She averaged 7.1 rebounds a contest and ranks 5th in career steals with 241…During her four seasons in College Park, she helped lead the Terrapins of Coach Chris Weller to an overall 87-32 record which includes ACC championships in 1979, 1981 and 1982…She was named to the ACC All-Tournament team in 1980…The Terrapins earned an AIAW or NCAA Tournament berth in each of her varsity seasons, with Maryland reaching the Elite Eight three times and advanced to the first NCAA Final Four in her senior year…In each of her years with the Terrapins, Maryland finished ranked nationally no lower than 8th and was ranked 3rd nationally in her senior season…After graduating from Maryland with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, Waters earned a Master’s degree in Family and Community Development and a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology, both also from the College Park campus…She also spent three seasons (1986-88) as a graduate assistant coach for the Terrapins…Waters is single and now serves as Director of the University of Baltimore Counseling Center.
MIAMI – Tamara James, Guard/Forward, Dania, Fla. (2002-2006)
The all-time leading scorer in women’s basketball for the Miami Hurricanes, Tamara James set a scoring record for men and women in her four-year career at the “U” with 2,406 points…James was named first-team All-ACC in 2005 and 2006 and first-team All-Big East in 2004…She led the ACC in scoring both years averaging 22.3 in 2005 and 21.5 in 2006…She became the first freshman to lead the Big East in scoring in 2003 and was a first-team All-Big East selection as a sophomore in 2004 and was a second-team All-Big East honoree as a freshman in 2003…James helped lead the Hurricanes to a four-year record of 70-47 and, at the start of this year, ranked 3rd in career scoring average (20.4), 2nd in career field goals (868), 9th in field-goal percentage (.495), 3rd in three-point field goals (150), 1st in free throws made (520), 4th in free throw percentage (.783), 5th in rebounds (805) and 7th in steals (279)… James led the Hurricanes to a berth in the NCAA (2005) and the WNIT (2006) in her last two seasons…She earned Honorable Mention All-America honors in 2003 from AP and Kodak, and in 2006 was a second team All-America pick by the Women’s Basketball News Service and a 3rd team section by Full Court Press…She received her bachelor’s degree from Miami in Liberal Arts (Theatre) in 2006…She spent one season in the WNBA with the Washington Mystics in 2006…She has been playing professionally in Europe and Israel since…A native of Dania, Fla., she currently resides in Dania Beach with her family…Her son, Dion K. Dowell, Jr., was born on Dec. 19. Her fiancé is Dion Dowell.
NORTH CAROLINA – Sylvia Crawley, Center, Steubenville, Ohio (1990-94)
One of the best defensive players in North Carolina women’s basketball history, Sylvia Crawley was the captain and leader of UNC’s 1994 National Championship team… She was also named MVP of the 1994 National Champions and her jersey “00” is honored in the Carmichael Arena rafters…She scored 1,158 points in her career and grabbed 582 rebounds…She was named to the 1994 NCAA All-East Region team and to the 1994 All-ACC Tournament team as well…She still ranks 6th on North Carolina’s career list for blocked shots (123) and is 9th in career field goal percentage (.514)…During her four-year career at UNC, she helped lead the Tar Heels to a 90-34 record and three NCAA Tournament appearances, including a 33-2 mark in 1994…Named to the ACC’s 50th Anniversary women’s basketball team in 2003, she was named USA Basketball’s 1995 Female Athlete of the Year…She was named an alternate for the 1996 U.S. Olympic team and represented the U.S. internationally as part of the Pan Am Games in 1995 and 1999, the World University Games in 1995, the U.S. Select team in 1994 and the Jones Cup Team in 1996…She played professionally in the ABL and the WNBA and won the inaugural ABL Slam Dunk contest in 1998…After spending two years as an assistant coach at North Carolina (2000-02) and one at Fordham (2003), she posted a 38-25 record in two seasons as the head coach at Ohio…Currently in her fourth season as Boston College’s head women’s basketball coach, she has guided the Eagles to a 63-40 record prior to the start of this year, giving her an overall 101-65 mark for five seasons as a head coach…Originally a native of Steubenville, Ohio, she now resides in Chestnut Hill, Mass.
NC STATE – Rhonda Mapp, Center/Forward, Asheville, N.C. (1989-92)
A dominant low-post player, Rhonda Mapp was named to the first-team All-ACC squad in 1991 and 1992…Mapp helped lead the Wolfpack to a three-year record of 67-25 as well as NCAA Tournament appearances in 1989 and 1991…In 1991 she helped lead the Wolfpack to win the ACC Championship and was named to the first-team All-tournament team and shot 57.6 percent for the season… State finished with a No. 7 final national ranking by the Associated Press and 10th by USA Today …In her final season in 1992, Mapp led the ACC in scoring (22.0) and rebounding (9.8) and finished her collegiate career with 1,553 points, which still ranks 10th on the Wolfpack career scoring list…She also ranks 5th at NC State in career scoring average (17.6), 9th in career field goals made (625), 4th in career field goal percentage (.578), 9th in rebounds (810) and 6th in career double-doubles (37)…Played five seasons professionally in the WNBA with the Charlotte Sting (1997-99) and Los Angeles Sparks (2001, 2003)…Originally a native of Asheville, N.C., she now resides in Charlotte and works for Sache, Inc….She is also the founder of “Follow Your Dreams Inc.”, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping young people realize their dreams while simultaneously teaching them to become responsible, well-rounded, and successful adults.
VIRGINIA – Siedah Williams, Center, Cleveland, Ohio (2003-2007)
A four-year letter-winner and the team captain during her junior (2006) and senior (2007) seasons, Siedah Williams was a three-time recipient of Virginia’s Unsung Hero Award…She helped lead the Cavaliers to a four-year record of 73-54 which included an invitation to the NCAA Tournament in 2005 and bids to the WNIT in 2006 and 2007….She started 30 of Virginia’s 32 games in 2007, averaging 9.7 points and 7.2 rebounds a game while leading the team in blocked shots with 22…She led Virginia in scoring in 2006 as a junior (11.8) and in field goal percentage in both her junior and senior seasons….She finished her career as the 23rd UVa women’s player to top 1,000 points for a career, totaling 1,053…Named the team’s Rookie of the Year in 2004, she placed her name in the John Paul Jones record books as a senior…She scored the first 11 points in Virginia’s new on-campus facility… She graduated from UVa in 2007 with a degree in anthropology and currently is the Chief Deputy Clerk for the city of Cleveland…She resides in Cleveland and is the proud mother of a daughter, Kimani (3)…Her fiancée is Lonnie Simpson.
VIRGINIA TECH – Sarah Hicks, Guard/Forward, Roanoke, Va., (1997-2002)
Sarah Hicks was a member of five Virginia Tech teams that appeared in the postseason including, three trips to the NCAA Tournament and two to the WNIT… Hicks redshirted her sophomore season due to injury, but came back to complete her career at Virginia Tech as a member of the 1,000-point club with 1,092 points…a 2002 third-team All-Big East selection, she ranks 3rd on the Hokies’ career list for three-point field goals with 157… Her single season total of 64 three pointers in her senior season (2002) is also the third-best mark in Tech history…Hicks led Virginia Tech in three point field goals for three consecutive years…During her career, she averaged 10.7 points per game against teams ranked in the nation’s Top 20, including a career-high 28 points against 19th-ranked LSU in 2001. In 2002, she helped guide the Hokies to the WNIT Final Four, averaging 12 points per game during the four game run, including 22 points in the Elite Eight against Vermont…During her second season at Tech, the Hokies advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16…Hicks helped lead Virginia Tech to an overall 85-41 record including NCAA appearances in 1998 and 2001…Named a Verizon Academic All-America in 2002, she graduated from Virginia Tech with a bachelor’s degree in human services in 2001…Currently a strategic Sales Manager at Cars.com, she lives in Lutz, Fla.
WAKE FOREST – Roper Osborne-Halverson, Winston-Salem, N.C. (1972-76)
A talented all-around athlete at Wake Forest, Osborne literally did it all for the Deacons…A four-year member of the Deacons’ women’s basketball team, she was also a member of Wake’s women’s golf team as a freshman, sophomore and a junior…Osborne was also a member of the Demon Deacon volleyball teams as a freshman, sophomore and senior…She led the volleyball team to back-to-back state titles (1975-76) and served as the team captain in 1976…She was also the intramural badminton and racquetball champion as a sophomore, junior and senior and was a member of the intramural champion softball and basketball teams for four years…As a standout basketball player for Wake Forest’s intercollegiate squad, she earned All-State honors as a senior, averaging 22.0 points in the three games of the North Carolina Small College State Tournament…As a senior she averaged 18.8 points and 7.9 rebounds per contest after averaging 15.8 points and 12.3 rebounds as a junior…Also an excellent student, Osborne earned her class A teaching certificate in health and physical education and her bachelor of science degree from Wake Forest and was on the Dean’s List in 1976…She went on to receive her degree in nursing at Forsyth Technical Institute and became Wake Forest’s first female athletic trainer in 1977…She served as an assistant volleyball and basketball coach from 1976 through 1978…Osborne then went on to be the Head Nurse of the Cardiac Surgical Intensive Care Unit at Forsyth Memorial Hospital and is now a Clinical Risk Manager in the Rick Management Department for Novant Health in Winston-Salem…Osborne returned to the Demon Deacon sidelines in 2000 as the Wake Forest radio analyst for women’s basketball and has been providing color commentary for the past 12 seasons…She was inducted into the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School Sports Hall of Fame in 1990…Still a resident of Winston-Salem, she is widowed and has a daughter (Leigh Ann) and a son (Douglas).
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