College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of amateur student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athletic bodies, including the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA), the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), and the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA). Each of these various organizations is subdivided into one to three divisions, based on the number and level of scholarships that may be provided to the athletes. Teams with more talent tend to win over teams with less talent.
Candace Nicole Parker, nicknamed "Ace", is an American former professional basketball player. Widely regarded as one of the greatest WNBA players of all time, she was selected as the first overall pick in the 2008 WNBA draft by the Los Angeles Sparks. She spent 13 seasons on the Sparks, two seasons with the Chicago Sky, and one season with the Las Vegas Aces, winning a championship with each team.
Yolanda Evette Griffith is an American former professional basketball player who played in both the ABL and WNBA. An eight time WNBA All-Star, she was named the 1999 WNBA MVP and the WNBA Finals MVP in 2005 when she won the WNBA championship with the Sacramento Monarchs. One of the top defensive players in WNBA's history, she was the 1999 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year and led the league in rebounds and steals two times each. In 2011, she was voted in by fans as one of the top 15 players in WNBA history. She is sometimes called by her nicknames: "Yo" and "Yo-Yo". Griffith was inducted into the 2014 Women's Basketball Hall of Fame's class on her first year of eligibility. In 2021, she was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
Swintayla Marie Cash Canal is an American former professional basketball player who played professionally for 15 seasons in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She currently serves as vice president of basketball operations and team development for the New Orleans Pelicans. A prolific scorer and rebounder, as well as a capable ball handler and defender, she helped lead the University of Connecticut women's basketball team to national titles in 2000 and 2002. In her second WNBA season, she led the Detroit Shock to their first ever WNBA title. In 2015, she was named a studio analyst for MSG Networks covering the New York Knicks pre-games and post-games as well as the weekly coaches show. In 2017, Cash was named the Director of franchise development for the New York Liberty. Cash was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on September 9, 2022.
The National Women's Basketball League, often abbreviated to the NWBL, was an organization governing professional basketball leagues for women in the United States. The league was founded in 1997 and began play in the Fall of that year. The league held its season during the off-season of the WNBA. During the WNBA off-season, some WNBA players would play in the NWBL. The league ceased operations in 2007.
Valerie B. Ackerman is an American sports executive, former lawyer, and former basketball player. She is the current commissioner of the Big East Conference. She is best known for being the first president of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), serving from 1996 to 2005. She was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011 and the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021.
Ann Meyers Drysdale is an American retired pro basketball player and a sportscaster. She was a standout player in high school, college, the Olympic Games, international tournaments, and at professional levels.
Jennifer Lynn Azzi, is an American chief business development officer for the Las Vegas Aces. Previously, she was an associate vice president of development at University of San Francisco and academy global director at the National Basketball Association (NBA). Azzi is a former NCAA Division I basketball coach and Azzi was also a collegiate and professional basketball player and an Olympic and FIBA world champion. Azzi was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.
Allison Feaster is Vice President of Team Operations & Organizational Growth for the Boston Celtics. She is a former professional basketball player, a global citizen, and a trailblazer in the sports industry who is highly regarded for her leadership and team-building skills. Feaster is one of a handful of women and women of color to serve as an executive in an NBA team Front Office.
Ruth Ellen Riley Hunter is a retired American professional basketball player, playing most recently for the Atlanta Dream in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Her Notre Dame team won the NCAA women's championship in 2001, and her Detroit Shock team won the WNBA championship in 2003 and 2006. Riley was the Most Valuable Player in the 2001 and 2003 championship series, becoming the first person to win the MVP awards in both the NCAA and the WNBA championships. She has also played on teams that won the National Women's Basketball League (NWBL) championship, the gold medal at the Olympic Games, and the 2010 EuroCup Championship. In 2019, Riley was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame.
Donna Geils Orender is a sports executive and a former collegiate and professional basketball player. She was formerly president of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), and senior vice president of the PGA. Currently, Orender is the founder and CEO of Orender Unlimited, a Jacksonville, Florida–based advisory and consultancy firm. She travels the world as a motivational speaker and advocating for the empowerment of women and young girls through her non-profit organization Generation W.
Cappie Marie Pondexter is an American former professional basketball player. She was born in Oceanside, California and raised in Chicago, Illinois. Pondexter is known for her scrappy play, quick crossovers and midrange jumpshot. In 2011, she was voted in by fans as one of the Top 15 players in Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) history.
The Maryland Terrapins women's basketball are an American basketball team. The team represents the University of Maryland in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I competition. Maryland, a founding member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), left the ACC in 2014 to join the Big Ten Conference. The program won the 2006 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament championship and has appeared in the NCAA Final Four five times ; Maryland also appeared once in the AIAW Final Four (1978). As members of the ACC, the Terrapins won regular season conference championships and an ACC-record ten conference tournament championships. The program won the Big Ten Conference regular season and tournament championships in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2020, and 2021.
Courtney Paris is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Chicago Sky of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She is best known for her accomplishments during her college career at the University of Oklahoma, where she holds career averages of 21.4 points and 15.3 rebounds per game. She holds the NCAA record for most consecutive double-doubles at 112. During her senior season in 2009, Paris received considerable media attention when she announced that she would pay back her tuition to the University of Oklahoma if the Sooners did not win the 2009 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament. She would lead Oklahoma to the Final Four before falling short to eventual national runner-up Louisville.
Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU) is a public university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. NEIU serves approximately 9,000 students in the region and is both a federally designated Hispanic-serving institution and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution. The main campus is located in the community area of North Park with two additional campuses in the metropolitan area. NEIU has one of the longest-running free-form community radio stations, WZRD Chicago 88.3 FM.
Korie Hlede is a Croatian sports administrator. She is a co-founder and leader of basketball development at Flow Basketball Academy (FBA) in Chicago, Illinois. She played and coached professionally before starting her own training program KH Flow. In 2012, she teamed up with Margaret Stender to create Flow Basketball Academy.
Mary Ellen Murphy is a basketball analyst who calls college and WNBA games for ESPN, BTN, and Pac-12 Network and select high school games for Comcast SportsNet California and Comcast SportsNet Bay Area. She has also worked with FSN.
Brianna Turner is an American professional basketball player for the Chicago Sky of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and for the Adelaide Lightning of the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL). She played college women's basketball for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish women's basketball team at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. She is a native of Pearland, Texas.
Isabella Augustine Alarie is an American former professional basketball player. She played her entire career for the Dallas Wings of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She is the daughter of Mark Alarie, a retired professional basketball player who played in the NBA for the 1986–1991 seasons.
Angela Taylor is a retired basketball executive for the WNBA between the 1990s and 2010s. Taylor worked at the WNBA's New York City headquarters in multiple executive roles from 1997 to 2006, after she worked as an assistant coach for university basketball teams in the mid-1990s. Taylor worked in business development for the Minnesota Lynx as the vice president from 2006 to 2008. Taylor was the general manager for the Washington Mystics from October 2008 to October 2010, and for the Atlanta Dream from January 2014 to August 2016. Taylor moved to culinary tourism in 2016 after starting a business in Boise, Idaho.
