LAWRENCE — Marian Washington is a Kansas women's basketball icon.
The Jayhawks' all-time winningest head coach led that KU program for 31 seasons from 1973 to 2004. She enjoyed 11 NCAA tournament appearances, many conference ***** les and more. She was also an ***** et to the athletic department in other ways, too.
And on Saturday, Aug. 15 in Springfield, Massachusetts, Washington will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame for her role with the 1996 women's national team for USA Basketball. Washington was an ***** istant coach for Stanford's Tara VanDerveer for the Olympics that year. According to a release from Kansas athletics, Washington became "the first female African American coach on a USA Olympic Basketball coaching staff."
RELATED: 5 insights into Kansas women's basketball with coach Brandon Schneider
The KU release added: "The 1996 USA Basketball Women's National Team captured the gold medal at the Atlanta Games, finishing with an undefeated 8-0 record and an average margin of victory of more than 30 points. Coached by VanDerveer, the team featured a roster that included future Hall of Famers Lisa Leslie, Sheryl Swoopes, Dawn Staley, Teresa Edwards, Rebecca Lobo, and Katrina McClain. The squad's dominant performance helped elevate the global profile of women's basketball and contributed to the launch of the WNBA later that year."
#hall #year
The Jayhawks' all-time winningest head coach led that KU program for 31 seasons from 1973 to 2004. She enjoyed 11 NCAA tournament appearances, many conference ***** les and more. She was also an ***** et to the athletic department in other ways, too.
And on Saturday, Aug. 15 in Springfield, Massachusetts, Washington will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame for her role with the 1996 women's national team for USA Basketball. Washington was an ***** istant coach for Stanford's Tara VanDerveer for the Olympics that year. According to a release from Kansas athletics, Washington became "the first female African American coach on a USA Olympic Basketball coaching staff."
RELATED: 5 insights into Kansas women's basketball with coach Brandon Schneider
The KU release added: "The 1996 USA Basketball Women's National Team captured the gold medal at the Atlanta Games, finishing with an undefeated 8-0 record and an average margin of victory of more than 30 points. Coached by VanDerveer, the team featured a roster that included future Hall of Famers Lisa Leslie, Sheryl Swoopes, Dawn Staley, Teresa Edwards, Rebecca Lobo, and Katrina McClain. The squad's dominant performance helped elevate the global profile of women's basketball and contributed to the launch of the WNBA later that year."
#hall #year
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