Luigi "Geno" Auriemma is an Italian-born American college basketball coach and, since 1985, the head coach of the University of Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team. As of 2021, he has led UConn to 17 undefeated conference seasons, of which six were undefeated overall seasons, with 11 NCAA Division I national championships, the most in women's college basketball history, and has won eight national Naismith College Coach of the Year awards. Auriemma was the head coach of the United States women's national basketball team from 2009 through 2016, during which time his teams won the 2010 and 2014 World Championships, and gold medals at the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics, going undefeated in all four tournaments. Auriemma was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.
Chamique Shaunta Holdsclaw is an American former professional basketball player in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) most recently under a contract with the San Antonio Silver Stars. She announced her retirement from the Los Angeles Sparks on June 11, 2007, though she eventually came out of retirement to play with the Atlanta Dream for the 2009 WNBA Season. Holdsclaw was inducted into the NYC Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015, and the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018.
Dawn Michelle Staley is an American basketball Hall of Fame player and coach who is currently the head coach for the South Carolina Gamecocks. Staley won three Olympic gold medals with Team USA as a player and later was head coach of another U.S. gold-medal winning team. Staley was elected to carry the United States flag at the opening ceremony of the 2004 Summer Olympics. After playing point guard for the University of Virginia under Debbie Ryan, and winning the gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics, she went on to play professionally in the American Basketball League and the WNBA. In 2011, fans named Staley one of the top 15 players in WNBA history. Staley was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012. She was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013.
Jackie Marie Stiles is an American college basketball coach who was formerly an assistant coach for the University of Oklahoma women's basketball team and at Missouri State University. Stiles set several scoring records while playing shooting guard in college and was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016.
Teresa Gaye Weatherspoon is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of the Chicago Sky of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played for the New York Liberty and Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA and served as the head basketball coach of the Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters. Weatherspoon was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010, and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019. In 2011, she was voted in by fans as one of the Top 15 players in WNBA history. In 2016, Weatherspoon was chosen to the WNBA Top 20@20, a list of the league's best 20 players ever in celebration of the WNBA's twentieth anniversary.
Cynthia Lynne Cooper-Dyke is an American basketball coach and former player who has won championships in college, in the Olympics, and in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She is considered by many as one of the greatest female basketball players ever. In 2011, Cooper-Dyke was voted by fans as one of the Top 15 players in WNBA history. Upon the league's formation, she played for the Houston Comets from 1997 to 2000, being named the Most Valuable Player of the WNBA Finals in all four seasons, and returned to play again in 2003. Cooper-Dyke still holds the record for most Finals MVPs with four. On April 30, 2019, she was introduced as the head coach for the Texas Southern Lady Tigers basketball team, a position she held in the 2012–13 season. She has also coached at USC, UNC Wilmington, Prairie View A&M, and, professionally, for the Phoenix Mercury. Cooper-Dyke was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009 and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010.
Cheryl D. Miller is an American former basketball player. She was formerly a sideline reporter for NBA games on TNT Sports and also works for NBA TV as a reporter and analyst, having worked previously as a sportscaster for ABC Sports, TBS Sports, and ESPN. She was also head coach and general manager of the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury.
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.
Linda Kay Sharp is an American former collegiate women's basketball coach. Her coaching career spans 31 seasons with stints on all levels from elementary, junior high and high school to the collegiate and professional ranks, and she was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001.
Tara Ann VanDerveer is an American basketball coach who has been the head women's basketball coach at Stanford University since 1985. Designated the Setsuko Ishiyama Director of Women's Basketball, VanDerveer led the Stanford Cardinal to three NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championships: in 1990, 1992 and 2021. She stepped away from the Stanford program for a year to serve as the U.S. national team head coach at the 1996 Olympic Games. VanDerveer is the 1990 Naismith National Coach of the Year and a ten-time Pac-12 Coach of the Year. She is also one of only nine NCAA Women's Basketball coaches to win over 900 games, and one of ten NCAA Division I coaches – women's or men’s – to win 1,000 games. VanDerveer was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002. On December 15, 2020, she passed Pat Summitt for most wins in women's college basketball history. On January 21, 2024, she won her 1,203rd game as a head coach, becoming the head coach with the most wins in college basketball history, women’s or men’s.
Lisa Marie Bluder is the head coach of the Iowa Hawkeyes women's basketball program. Formerly, she served as coach of St. Ambrose University and the Drake Bulldogs.
Tracey Hall, or Tracey Hall Yarbrough, is a former women's basketball player for Ohio State University. She became the Big-Ten's first two-time Kodak All-American team member competing in 1987 and 1988. At Ohio State University, she still ranks #1 in rebounds, #1 in FG%, #2 in scoring, #3 in steals and #4 in games played.
Katrina McClain is a retired American basketball player. She played for the University of Georgia, as well as many USA Basketball teams including three Olympic teams. McClain was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Theresa Marie Shank Grentz is an American college basketball coach. Her coaching career spanned five decades, with over 680 career wins, multiple national and conference coaching awards, and a national championship. She is a member of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Sylvia Rhyne Hatchell is a former American women's basketball coach, who last coached for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) and was the fifth with the most career wins in NCAA women's basketball history, behind former Tennessee coach Pat Summitt, Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer, and UConn coach Geno Auriemma. She competed with USA Basketball as the head coach of the 1994 Jones Cup Team that won the gold in Taipei. Hatchell was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2004.
Bridgette C. Gordon is the head women's basketball coach of Florida A&M University, and a retired player. She was a member of the United States women's national basketball team, that claimed the gold medal at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea.
Tamicha Renia Jackson is an American former women's basketball player. She earned a gold medal with the US Junior World Championship team (1996–97). She was named Kodak All-American for the Lady Techsters in 2000. Tamicha graduated from Louisiana Tech University in 2000 with a degree in Animal Biology.
Ayana D'Nay Walker is an American former women's basketball player. She played for the Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters basketball team from 1998 to 2002. Walker was a member of gold medal-winning USA Basketball Women's National Team in 2001 and set a USA single-game record with 19 rebounds in gold-medal game. She was also a member of gold medal-winning USA Basketball World University Games Team in 2001. Walker was drafted as the 20th overall pick by the Detroit Shock in the 2002 WNBA draft. As a member of the Shock, she won the 2003 WNBA Championship. On July 3, 2005, Walker signed with the Charlotte Sting. After the Sting franchise folded, Walker was drafted by Los Angeles Sparks as the 12th pick in the dispersal draft on January 8, 2007. She returned to Detroit for her final season in 2007.
Kelsey Christine Plum is an American professional basketball player for the Las Vegas Aces of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She has won back-to-back WNBA Championships in 2022 and 2023. In 2022, she earned her first All-WNBA First Team selection and was named the WNBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player (MVP) in her first WNBA All-Star Game. She also won the gold medal in Women's 3x3 basketball at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Rhonda Windham is a former WNBA general manager of the Los Angeles Sparks from 1997 to 1999. Before joining the Sparks, Windham played basketball at the University of Southern California between 1982 and 1987. With USC, Windham scored 1,040 points and was the assists leader for each season except for 1984. During her last year in college, Windham played at the 1987 Summer Universiade and received the 1987 Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award.
