Jan. 27, 2011
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Former Yellow Jacket Tory Ehle-Rule has been named Georgia Tech’s ACC Legend in the 2011 class that will be honored at this year’s ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament March 3-6 at the Greensboro Coliseum.
Ehle-Rule played at Georgia Tech from 1984-87 and graduated as the school’s all-time assists leader with 409 helpers and was third on the career scoring list with 1,089 points. She was a two-time captain of the Jackets, an honorable mention Academic All-American and helped Tech to its first winning season.
Also being honored this year are Carla Wenger Vicidomini of Boston College, former Clemson coach Annie Tribble, former Duke coach Debbie Leonard, Florida State’s Glenda Stokes-Pye, Christy Winters Scott of Maryland, Chanivia Broussard from Miami, Cathy Shoemaker from North Carolina, NC State’s Chasity Melvin, Nancy Mayer Bates from Virginia, Virginia Tech’s Lisa Witherspoon Hansen, and Wake Forest’s Beth Davis Fagan.
Included in the class are 10 former student-athletes and two head coaches that represent four decades of ACC Women’s Basketball competitors. Below is a complete list of this year’s legends and the accolades from their playing and coaching careers.
The honorees will be recognized during the ACC Legends Luncheon on Friday, March 4, as well as on the court at halftime of the first semifinal game on Saturday, March 5. The ACC Women’s Basketball Legends program honors past players and coaches from each of the ACC’s 12 schools who have contributed to the league’s rich tradition.
For information and tickets to this year’s ACC Women’s Basketball Legend’s Luncheon, please call 1.336.854.8787.
2011 ACC Legends
BOSTON COLLEGE – Carla Wenger Vicidomini (1986-91)
A 2001 inductee of the Boston College Varsity Club Athletic Hall of Fame, Carla Wenger Vicidomini is in the Top 10 in all-time in rebounds with 643 and field goals with 502. Her 385 free throw attempts and 112 games played each put her in the Top 15 in program history. At the time of her induction to the Hall of Fame, she was the fifth all-time leading scorer in Boston College history with 1,243 points. Vicidomini captained the Eagles as a senior and at the end of the season was recognized as the Big East Women’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year. She garnered second team All-Big East Conference honors as both a junior and a senior. Vicidomini, who currently teaches ninth grade English at Hempfield High School in Landisville, Pa., and her husband Dennis have two sons (Nicholas and Tyler).
CLEMSON – Annie Tribble (Coach, 1976-87)
Named head coach of the Tiger basketball program in 1976, Annie Tribble compiled a 200-135 record during her 11-year tenure at Clemson and finished her 19-year collegiate coaching career with a 348-147 ledger. Her teams registered seven 20-plus victory seasons, and she guided the Tigers to just as many postseason tournaments. Prior to her time at Clemson, Tribble spent nine seasons at Anderson Junior College where she directed the Trojans to three National Junior College Championships. Tribble coached five All-Americans and eight all-conference players during her time as a head coach. She was honored as the South Carolina Coach of the Year in 1977 and also served as the South Team coach for the National Sports Festival III games in 1981. Tribble was a member of many collegiate steering committees and played a major role on the United States Olympic Committee that was instrumental in selecting the 1976 U.S. Silver Medal team.
DUKE – Debbie Leonard (Coach, 1977-92)
Debbie Leonard spent 15 years at the helm of the Duke women’s basketball team, compiling a 212-190 record, and was selected the ACC and District 3 Coach of the Year for the 1984-85 season. During her tenure, the program compiled a 100 percent graduation rate. When Leonard arrived at Duke, the Blue Devils offered no scholarships. She left with 11 basketball players receiving athletic scholarships. Under Leonard’s guidance, Duke claimed six consecutive regular season tournament championships. During the summer of 1988, she continued her coaching position as an assistant coach to Vivian Stringer for the United States entrant in the World Championships. Leonard scouted other national teams throughout the world in preparation for the qualifying tournament during the summer of 1989 in Brazil. She was also an assistant coach at the 1987 U.S. Olympic Festival and a 1988 assistant coach in the Jones Cup competition at Taiwan. Leonard graduated from High Point College in 1974. Prior to her arrival at Duke, she was an assistant basketball coach at UNC Greensboro. Leonard is currently the owner of a State Farm Insurance Agency and serves as a color analyst for women’s basketball games throughout the season.
FLORIDA STATE – Glenda Stokes-Pye (1979-83)
A four-year letter winner at Florida State from 1979 to 1983, Glenda Stokes-Pye ranks third in program history with 939 rebounds. She finished her college career with a per-game rebound average of 7.2, which is tied for eighth all-time at FSU. Stokes ranks No. 5 in Seminole history in total rebounds in a season as she grabbed 294 in 35 games during the 1979-80 season. The 1982 campaign saw her pull down 21 rebounds in a game against Virginia Tech, which is tied for the third-most ever at Florida State. Stokes-Pye still ranks in the top nine in steals in the Seminole record books, tallying 68 takeaways. To this day, her field goal percentage of .602 during her senior year in 1982-83 is the second-best shooting mark in school history. Stokes scored a total of 1,118 points over the course of her collegiate career, which puts her at No. 19 overall in total points at FSU. Her 130 games played are the third most in Florida State history. Stokes-Pye, the mother of a 14-year-old daughter, Kenya Pye, is currently a software quality tester for the Florida Lottery.
GEORGIA TECH – Tory Ehle-Rule (1984-87)
As only the fifth player in Georgia Tech history to score more than 1,000 points in a career, Tory Ehle-Rule finished her career sitting in third place on the Yellow Jackets’ all-time scoring list. Ehle-Rule is currently tied for 18th in scoring. She was the team captain for two-straight seasons to conclude her career and set the school’s all-time assist record with 409 helpers during her tenure on The Flats. Ehle-Rule also set a Tech record with a flawless 12 for 12 performance from the free throw line en route to scoring a season-high 20 points against Wake Forest in her final campaign. During her final season, she helped Tech to its first winning season, which included winning three early-season tournaments, Top 20 votes for the first time in school history and the team’s first win ever over a nationally ranked opponent. An All-Tournament honoree at the Radisson Classic and the Pepperdine Invitational, Ehle-Rule ranked sixth in the ACC in assist average her senior season. In addition, Ehle-Rule was an honorable mention Academic All-America as a junior.
MARYLAND – Christy Winters Scott (1986-90)
Christy Winters Scott was a four-year letterwinner with the Terrapins from 1986 to 1990. In 1989, she helped Maryland win its eighth Atlantic Coast Conference championship and reach its third Final Four. As a senior, Winters was a first team All-Atlantic Coast Conference and Kodak All-East Region selection as she led the Terps in scoring with 533 points (17.8 ppg). The Reston, Va., native is the sixth all-time leading scorer at Maryland with 1,679 points, seventh in rebounding with 723 and third in career games played with 123. Winters is one of just five players to score more than 700 field goals (703) at Maryland. Winters also ranks in the all-time top 10 at Maryland in blocked shots (7th with 91) and field goal percentage (10th with .537). Before returning to Maryland as an assistant, Winters Scott spent a total of four seasons as an assistant coach at George Mason working with post players and handling the recruiting efforts for the Patriots. She came back to College Park, where she served as an assistant from 1999-2002. Winters Scott earned her degree in communications and has done broadcasting work for Home Team Sports and hosted a segment of Jam Session syndicated on NBC. She has co-produced and co-hosted Roundball Report on CTV in Prince Georges County, Md. She has worked as a women’s basketball analyst for the Washington Wizards and Mystics on Comcast SportsNet since 2006 and is currently an analyst on the ACC Fox Sports South package. Winters Scott and her husband Jerome, Sr., have three children: Jerome, Brianna and Jordan.
MIAMI – Chanivia Broussard (2000-03)
A two-time All-Big East selection, Chanivia Broussard ended her University of Miami career with 1,482 points, currently seventh all-time for the program. She still ranks among the best in program history in made field goals (7th, 621), field goal attempts (7th, 1,398), rebounds (10th, 583), and blocks (3rd, 132). She also ranks highly with single game achievements including field goals made (t-6th, 15), and free throw percentage (t-1st, 1.000, 10-10). She was named to the Big East Second Team after the 2001-02 season and third team in 2003-04. Broussard was also Big East First Team All-Freshman in 2000-01 and a Big East Preseason First Team member prior to the 2002-03 season. As a senior she was second on the team in scoring and rebounding at 15.2 points and 6.2 boards per game. Broussard scored in double-digits in 24 games during her senior season. She became the 15th Miami player to record 1,000 career points, reaching the plateau as a junior. Broussard was the Hurricanes’ leading scorer in both her freshman and junior campaigns. After finishing her freshman season averaging a team-high 13.2 points per game, Broussard was named to the All-Big East Freshman team, the first player in six years to earn the recognition.
NORTH CAROLINA – Cathy Shoemaker (1975-79)
North Carolina’s first women’s basketball scholarship recipient, Cathy Shoemaker is among the greatest players in the history of the Tar Heel program. One of the first 1,000-point scorers in school history, Shoemaker finished her career with 1,316 points, still good for 25th in Tar Heel history. A four-year letterwinner in Chapel Hill, Shoemaker was a member of the first two Carolina teams to advance to the AIAW regional tournament in 1978 and 1979. In addition, Shoemaker was a three-time AIAW All-State selection. Shoemaker received All-Tournament recognition at the 1976 Virginia Classic and the 1977 and 1978 UNC Christmas Classics. She played two years for the Dallas Diamonds of the Women’s Basketball League (WBL) from 1979-81. She and her partner, Lynn Seegers, now reside in Charleston, S.C., where Shoemaker practices physical therapy for Roper-St. Francis Home Healthcare.
NC STATE – Chasity Melvin (1994-98)
One of only seven NC State student-athletes to have her jersey retired, Chasity Melvin ended her Wolfpack career ranked in the top five in five career categories and continues to rank among the greatest players in school history. Melvin led the 1998 Pack to their only NCAA Final Four appearance en route to Kodak All-American honors in 1998 and All-East Regional and Final Four honors her senior season. Melvin set an NCAA record for the most points in a national semifinal game with a career-high 37 against Louisiana Tech in her final collegiate game – a record that stood until 2010. Melvin is only the second player in NC State basketball history, male or female, to compile 2,000 career points and 1,000 rebounds. After leading the team in eight statistical categories in 1997-98, she earned Most Valuable Player nods from her teammates as well as the NC State Alumni Athletic Trophy and the H.C. Kennett Award (as NC State’s best all-around student-athlete). Melvin was a two-time first team All-ACC recipient as a junior and senior. She earned second team honors as a sophomore and was on the all-freshman team as well. Melvin was also named to the ACC All-Tournament team in 1995 and 1996. Melvin is an 11-year veteran of the WNBA, currently playing with the Washington Mystics for a second time. She was selected by the Cleveland Rockers in the first round (11th overall) of the 1999 WNBA Draft. She now ranks 19th in WNBA history with 3,814 points, and 10th in rebounds with 1,228.
VIRGINIA – Nancy Mayer Bates (1983-87)
A two-time captain and four-year letterwinner for the Cavaliers from 1984-87, Nancy Mayer Bates was a Kodak District III All-America selection in 1986. She earned All-ACC honors four times during her Cavalier career and was named to the first team in 1984, 1985 and 1987. Mayer Bates ranks 14th on Virginia’s all-time scoring list (1,466), fifth on Virginia’s all-time steals list (240) and seventh on UVa’s all-time assists list (633). The 1987 ACC All-Tournament team selection also ranks eighth in school history with 633 field goals made. Mayer Bates lived on The Lawn during her time at Virginia, one of the highest honors a student can receive. She was an ACC Honor Roll student during her career. As the youngest of eight children, Mayer Bates earned her undergraduate degree from Virginia in 1987 in Sports and Business Management. She and her late husband, Russell, have one son, Chad. Bates is currently an Assistant Principal at Douglas High School, located in Douglas, Mass.
VIRGINIA TECH – Lisa Witherspoon Hansen (1995-99)
Known as “Spoon” by the Tech faithful, Lisa Witherspoon Hansen was inducted into the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame in 2009. A point guard from Newton, N.C., she played in 30 games her junior season despite a stress fracture in her foot and became the first player in the program’s history to distribute 200 assists in a season. Witherspoon dished out a school-record 246 assists and added a school-best 86 steals as a senior, while helping the Hokies post their best season ever, registering a 28-3 record and advancing to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament. For her efforts, Witherspoon was named honorable mention All-America by The Associated Press. A Tech graduate in exercise science and physical education, Witherspoon’s senior numbers in assists and steals still stand as school season records, as does her career total of 635 assists. She ranks third in career steals (219) and is still the only Tech women’s basketball player to record over 200 assists in a season. Witherspoon, who holds a PhD in Education from the University of South Florida, currently lives in Tampa, Fla. where she resides with her husband, Michael and their daughter MiKenzie. She is an assistant professor in the Department of Physical Education and Exercise Science at USF and Director of USF Active Gaming Research Laboratories.
WAKE FOREST – Beth Davis Fagan (1988-91)
Beth Davis Fagan was just the third Demon Deacon to reach 1,000 career points and is the only member of the 1,000-point club to do so in just three seasons. She finished her career with 1,172 points, which ranks 13th in school history. Davis Fagan was a 1990 All-ACC selection and was named to the 1990 Fast Break All-America special mention. She earned Fast Break Freshman All-America honors in 1989 after scoring a career-high 30 points her rookie season in the championship game of the Iowa Hawkeye Classic. Davis Fagan scored 27 points in a game eight times in her three-year career. She was an aggressive offensive player that liked to drive the ball to the basket. Davis Fagan scored in double-figures 21 times as a junior and led the team in scoring eight times. She was named to the All-Tournament Team at the VCU Invitational and the Tobacco Road Classic during her junior campaign, while she was also the eighth-leading scorer in the ACC (15.4ppg). She played in just three ACC Tournament games, but was the Deacs’ leading scorer in all three. She was named the team’s most improved player as a freshman. Davis Fagan, who had her No. 44 high school jersey retired at Greenfield Central, and her husband Jim, who is also a Wake Forest alum, have three children: Lindsay, Jack and Davis.
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